It is true: If you want to understand the present, then you must understand the past. History is never just a curiosity: it is vital to the act of understanding the moment we are living in. Often puzzles about the present are resolved, when one tells the story about the past. The Rev. Dr. Larry […]
In our continuing series featuring staff members who have served the Seminary over many years, today we celebrate Curtis Prather. As Director of Communications and Marketing, he has been with VTS since 2005. Curtis is involved in all the communications matters for the Seminary, which includes print, web, and promotion. He recalls his most memorable […]
One interesting feature of this moment is what we learn about ourselves in the midst of this pandemic. How focused is our participation in a class or a meeting when we are on Zoom? How many of us are multi-tasking? Do we prefer being on Zoom for worship because we can do other things (like […]
The first commentary about COVID-19 was written in January 2020. The first case in Alexandria was a seminarian who was singing in the choir. The Seminary was closed on this date last year; all classes went online; worship was held on Zoom; and all employees were required to either work remotely or via Zoom. Dr. […]
On Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 p.m., Dr. Kristopher Norris will be discussing his book Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church, at a virtual event hosted by the Washington Theological Consortium (WTC). Since the pandemic has restricted our ability to host a formal event to meet with Dr. Norris this semester, this […]
Last week in a meeting, the Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams, Ph.D., was musing on the challenge of the “psychology” of the moment. The new CDC guidelines have come down for those in the community who are vaccinated. It states clearly that for those who are fully vaccinated they may “visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors […]
Some of our renovations on campus are major projects – the Addison Academic Center, the Bishop Payne Library, and the Coffield Refectory to name a few. Other projects do not take as long to complete but are no less impactful. The addition of a new table and chairs in the Goodwin Board Room is one […]
We’re beginning a series of commentaries featuring some of the staff who have been serving the Seminary over many years, inviting them to reflect on their time here. Shelagh Casey Brown is a staff member in the Office of Institutional Advancement, serving as Director of Alumni and Church Relations since the Fall of 2011. After a […]
This week close to 1200 church leaders are gathering online for the annual conference of the CEEP Network, a broadly-based membership organization that includes a wide range of congregations supported by various resources, such as land, buildings, active congregants, and endowments. This year’s conference is taking place virtually “in” Dallas and the hosting parishes are […]
Since March 1, every employee is now present on the campus at least three days a week. Naturally, facilities, housekeeping, library, IA, Finance, and The Butterfly House have been on the campus for months and months five days a week; and now those departments that have been largely remote working are also coming back to […]