Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School welcomed more than 60 new students during opening convocation for the 2026-27 academic year, celebrating a group of God-called men and women who are preparing to serve the Lord and His church.

The new cohort for fall 2026 includes 54 master’s students and seven doctoral students. Of those 61 students, 25 are from the state of Alabama, with 36 coming from outside the state. Ten students are from the four states surrounding Alabama—Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee—while 22 come from non-contiguous states and four students come from three other countries: Finland, Ghana and the United Kingdom.

“I came to Beeson because of its priority of both intellectual and spiritual formation. Beeson is a place where I can grow significantly in my knowledge of the Lord, which ultimately serves the joy that I find in Him,” said incoming student Harrison Sims.

Dean Douglas Sweeney began the year’s chapel theme, “God Shines Forth: Divine Beauty in Eternity, Creation and Redemption,” with a sermon from Psalm 8 titled, “The Beauty of God (and the Stunning, Humbling Privilege of Magnifying It).”

Sweeney said the beauty of God is different than the world’s definition of beauty.

“For Christians, beauty is not so attraction based, at least not primarily. It’s reflected, made and redeemed by God through suffering and the cross. It’s free, not earned. It’s given, not taken,” he said.

The theme centered around divine beauty calls the community to consider the beauty of God, focusing on “the One who has made all that is, remains the source of beauty and redeems those who ask Him, helping them reflect His glory in the world,” Sweeney said.

Beeson’s chapels are held at 11 a.m. each Tuesday during the academic year, and a schedule of preachers can be found online. Services are open to the public.