Yesterday, Vice President Ballou and I met with the Administrative Personnel Committee (APC). This is the vehicle that enables the staff in the Seminary to discuss questions with the administration. Ms. Rachel Holm and Mr. Terrell Whitaker discussed with us a range of issues. We talked about staff morale; we looked at alternative vehicles of […]
I am pleased to announce the release of a new video, The Way of the Cross, for use in worship and individual devotion during the season of Lent. The video includes images of the Stations of the Cross by Margaret Adams Parker and music composed by me. The Way of the Cross video is available […]
So what is a Chapel for? The primary purpose is a place set aside for the worship of God. Chapels become thin spaces (to use the Celtic expression) where heaven and earth meet. As you walk in, one feels the prayers of the people of God that have been uttered in that space. Chapels are […]
Our spring semester is now underway! We want to welcome Dr. Ross Kane back from his sabbatical. Going on sabbatical this spring are Dr. Robert Heaney, Dr. Mark Jefferson, Dean Melody Knowles, Dean James R. Mathes, and Dr. Katherine Sonderegger. Let us keep them in our prayers, that each might have a restorative sabbatical filled […]
We come to the end of the first full week of classes. The campus is taking on the feel of our semi-COVID normality. Students are chatting in the Flamingo; the Refectory is providing meals. Everyone is being responsible as they await their PCR COVID test results. Yesterday the sun came out creating a blue sky […]
I have been touched by the countless messages – texts, emails, and notes – that I have received. Thank you. My father, Stephen Keith Markham, died at 10.30pm (UK time, 5.30pm EST) on Tuesday February 2nd. He was 93 years old. He had two long and happy marriages, six children, fourteen grandchildren, and four great […]
Yesterday the Board voted the Welcome Center Designs with funding so we can start to create a space that captures our identity and shares that identity with everyone who visits the campus. When you think of visitors to the campus now, they get hints – the banners, the architecture, the art – but the sustained […]
Traditionally, the February Board meeting would involve lots of Board members staying in the guest houses. Students would speak to Trustees at breakfast. 1823 would be buzzing in the evening. But our pandemic journey continues. Today, I use the Commentary to announce that the Board of Trustees will meet by zoom this afternoon. The Board […]
Yesterday as snow fell over the campus, I took the opportunity to view the interview between Dr. Marty Burnett and the Very Rev. J. Michael A. Wright, the Rector of Grace Church Cathedral, in Charleston, SC. Michael Wright is an accomplished hymn writer. To mark our Bicentennial, we commissioned him to write us a hymn. […]
I am delighted to serve as the Acting Associate Dean of Chapel this spring while Bishop Jim Mathes enjoys a well-deserved sabbatical. As we begin a new semester, I am writing to share our plans for worship. For the first half of the semester, worship will continue to be online. This is the safest option […]