When Douglas Sweeney, dean of Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, called him one day during the spring semester, Levi Bailey was making bulletins for the school’s weekly chapel service.

Sweeney told him the faculty had picked a recipient for the James Earl Massey Student Preaching award, given each semester.

“I thought he was telling me so I could put it in the bulletin,” Bailey said. Bailey was shocked to learn he was the winner.

A Warm and Kind Spirit

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Bailey had a knowledge of God at an early age, but his love and spirit was reinvigorated in 2017 after graduating from high school.

“He set me on a trajectory with new loves for reading and studying God’s Word,” Bailey said.

Bailey attended Moody Bible Institute where he met Gail. A few years after graduating, Bailey came to a Beeson Divinity School Preview Day, where he met former recruitment coordinator Emily Knight '19, MDiv ’22, as well as fellow student Vadim Kichuk. After that day, Bailey said Beeson was his top choice for seminary.

His time at Beeson has left him with much he can take with him into ministry.

“There’s been so much that has affected my teaching, my understanding of people and what they need most and what helps them to change,” Bailey said. Bailey will graduate May 1 with a Master of Divinity.

His time at Beeson also shaped his view of preaching as presenting Jesus in the order He is meant to be presented— as a “gift for God’s people and only after that as an example to follow.”

In addition to learning from his peers, Bailey credited longtime Beeson pastoral and preaching professor Doug Webster with shaping him for ministry.

Ronald Sterling, who serves as Beeson’s director of student and vocational services and lectures in pastoral studies and spiritual formation, called Bailey a “blessing” throughout his classes.

“Levi has always carried a warm and kind spirit,” Sterling said. “He was consistently a blessing through his joyful spirit and quiet way of sharing his gifts.”

Webster said Bailey consistently delivered compelling sermons that impacted those who heard them.

“If I had the freedom to ask students who they would most like to hear preach in chapel, I think Levi would be at the top of the list,” Webster said. “Levi embodies the message of the Gospel. His Christ-centered preaching is always canonically shaped, firmly rooted in the biblical text and pastorally effective. He preaches who he is in Christ without preaching himself.”

During his time at Beeson, Bailey has interned at Christ Fellowship Church in Birmingham, where he will continue to serve after graduation as a pastoral assistant.

Before preaching in chapel on April 21, Bailey said “the excitement I have for presenting Christ outweighs the fears I have of all the mechanics.”

When the dean called, Bailey said he told his wife, Gail, that he already had a text and idea in mind. In concluding a chapel series focused on examples of faithfulness from Scripture, Bailey preached a sermon from Hebrews 2:14-18, “Jesus Christ: Faithful for You.” In that sermon, Bailey reminded listeners that before Jesus is an example to follow, He is first the Savior who has been faithful for us.

“Jesus is the high priest who refuses to let us go,” Bailey said. “It is Christ who seizes the offspring of Abraham and serves as their substitute and representative before God.”

“I see Jesus grabbing hold of us in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, that same wilderness where you and I complained,” Bailey said. “We were looking for an express trip back to Egyptian slavery. It’s that same desert where you and I all invariably bowed our knee to the devil in his temptations. But I see Him standing there tall, tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin.

“I see Him grabbing hold of us on the cross, where He descends to the very bottom of our human condition and He takes the mess that we’ve made of our lives and makes it a sacrificial offering to the Father,” Bailey said.

 

Other Awards

In addition to the Massey award, Beeson presented the William M. Todd Awards for Biblical Languages (Hebrew and Greek), as well as the history and doctrine award, pastoral ministry award and the most distinguished student award.

Greek: Lilly West Youngblood

Hebrew: Ian Davison

History and Doctrine: Mason Campbell

Pastoral Ministry: Evan Keene

Most Distinguished Student: Erin Dean