PICKENS — Three former Pickens County residents recently

Three former Pickens-area residents recently received degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pictured above are MacKenzie Allen Johnson, Dr. Merrie Allen Johnson and Christopher Ray Allen with Dr. Daniel Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

earned degrees from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr. Merrie Allen Johnson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Allen and a 1977 graduate of Pickens High School, received the Doctorate of  Education degree. Her dissertation was entitled “The Faith and Practice of Adolescents in North Carolina.” Johnson lives in Garner, N.C., where she is employed by the North Carolina Baptist Convention as the Senior Consultant in Youth Ministry.

MacKenzie Allen Johnson, grandson of Dr. Ray and Marilyn Allen of Pickens, received the Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with a minor in History. He now lives in Washington, D.C., where he works on the staff of Oklahoma Congressman James Lankford.

Christopher Ray Allen, son of Dr. and Mrs. Allen and a 1979 graduate of Pickens High School,  received his Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies. Chris lives in Wake Forest, N.C., and works at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Admissions as Liason to Associational Offices and Ministry Teams Coordinator. He is also pursuing his Master’s degree in Christian Counseling.