The African American Episcopal Historical Collection (AAEHC) is a trove of surprises – defying my expectations in many ways. For example, I did not think that my time spent would be a return visit to some of the warmest and most comfortable occasions of my boyhood. Walking back through what has gone on before satisfies […]
Over the past fourteen months, as the Seminary archives and the African American Episcopal Historical Collection mitigated the challenges of the library and archives renovations, a temporary location with minimal collections, amidst a global pandemic, I had to keep from not getting overwhelmed by the task at hand. I constantly reminded myself of the adage: […]
Has a library user ever considered the work that allows them to identify, select and obtain the materials that they need for class and research? The life cycle of a library collection encompasses selection, ordering, receiving, cataloging, labeling, and repairing of materials. Selection involves anticipating the needs of current faculty and students before they do. […]
I like to think I care most about the essentials: those key theologians and figures from Church history that are most important to know. So, when we realized the Welcome Center Library would only contain 10% of the library’s total print collections, I thought this might be a welcome reprieve from an ordinarily overwhelming collection. […]
I love words. I love studying their origins and derivatives. I love adding new ones to my vocabulary. I love looking up definitions of even the most commonly used words to catch a fresh glimpse of something that lends a new perspective or context to my understanding. The Oxford Dictionary provided just such a glimpse […]
A bishop once told me he could identify the health of a congregation he was visiting not by looking at their budgets, average Sunday attendance, or membership levels, but rather by how they sang. A strong singing congregation signaled to him that it was a healthy parish. Congregations with little engagement and enthusiasm while singing […]
Christianity is a singing faith, and embodied worship is one of the things we’ve missed the most during the pandemic. It has been seventeen months since I’ve played a hymn for congregational singing, and I can’t wait! As you saw in Dr. Strout’s commentary yesterday, we are planning a full range of liturgical and musical […]
As we move from a year that has had a profound impact on us all, I want to extend an invitation to Come and Worship! Beginning with the first day of August term, Immanuel Chapel will be open for public worship and private prayer – in person! We will continue our tradition of offering a […]
In Holy Women, Holy Men (Church Publishing, 2010), today is noted as the commemoration of Samuel Ferguson, who was consecrated as the fourth bishop of Liberia in 1885, becoming the first Black member of the Episcopal House of Bishops. Among his many accomplishments, he is remembered as the founder of Cuttington College (now University) in […]
Over the last couple of months, I have been working with Associate Dean of Students Ruthanna Hooke and International Student Proctor Mike Gumulauskas to prepare to welcome our incoming international students through their orientation program. We are excited to welcome Carolyne Adhola ’23 from Kenya, Claire Wang ’24 from Taiwan, and Saleem Kasabreh ’24 from […]