The Maria Fearing Fund for African American Partnership Mission Celebrating Dr. Darius and Mrs. Vera Swann
Press Release Phone: 404-695-8465
Contact: David L. Wallace, Sr.
Email: dlwallacesr@comcast.net
The Swann Gala Sponsored by the Maria Fearing Fund
Atlanta--On Saturday September 28, 2024, the Maria Fearing Fund will honor the late Drs. Darius and Vera Swann. The Swanns were long time Presbyterian missionaries, educators, and civil rights advocates. The Fund will recognize the Swanns for their stellar work as community and global leaders and especially for founding the Maria Fearing Fund.
Darius L. Swann, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA., was born into a Presbyterian family in Amelia, Virginia. Educated at Johnson C. Smith University (College and Seminary) in Charlotte, N.C., Union Theological Seminary in New York, and the University of Hawaii, he served widely in the church and academia. Right out of seminary, he served as an educational missionary to China in a period of revolutionary upheaval in that country.
Vera Poe Swann served as a women's ministry leader of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She was born in Cheraw, SC and joined the Presbyterian Church while studying at Johnson C. Smith University. Later she earned the Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. After teaching in High Point, NC, she married the Reverend Darius L. Swann. To their union two children were born, Edith and James, and three grandchildren, Darin, Darius Leander II, and Jamie.
Looking for opportunities to be involved as a missionary couple, the Presbyterian Church appointed them as missionaries to India where they served for eleven years. While in India, Darius pioneered the use of indigenous forms of drama, dance, and music through the Christian Drama Program. Vera taught Bible at Ewing Christian College. She helped organize the Jamna Christian Basic School and a home for vagrant boys in the same city. She also worked with Darius to establish the Christian Drama Program to train teachers in northern India.
In the U.S., Dr. Swann taught at Johnson C. Smith Seminary and George Mason University. While teaching at Johnson C. Smith Seminary in the mid-nineteen sixties, he was involved with other faculty members leading students in marches for civil rights and voter education drives. With Vera, they became plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case: Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education that opened the way for busing as a tool for desegregating the public schools. From 1984 to 1993, Dr. Swann served on the faculty of Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta where he taught missiology and world religions.
Dr. Swann has authored five books and co-authored two books. In Presbyterian circles, he is noted for writing the All-Black Governing Bodies: The History and Contributions of All-Black Governing Bodies in the Predecessor Denominations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In addition, he has written six plays and choral readings.
Vera Poe Swann worked as a leader in women's ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She also worked in nonchurch-related institutions. She taught in Castle High School in Kancohe, HI, and the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College. She served as director of the Southern African Student Program for the Robert R. Morton Institute and was selected as a national observer of the first elections in South Africa. She has written two books.
The Swann Gala is scheduled for Saturday, September 28, 2024, 12 noon, Radcliffe Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 286 Hamilton E. Holmes Dr., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. Thus, we are requesting your presence and gifts at this complimentary luncheon and endowment fund fundraiser honoring the Swanns. Please RSVP by September 7th at either of the following: call or text 404-695-8465 or email, dlwallacesr@comcast.net.
The Maria Fearing Fund is a 501(c)three tax deductible organization that calls attention to the continuing need to support individuals, groups, and organizations that encourage, enable, and nurture cooperative initiatives between African and African American Christian Groups.
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