Yesterday we celebrated our founding in 1823 by inviting all of our friends and alumni to participate in our annual Giving Day tradition! By 4:00 yesterday, this 24-hour event had raised more than $28,000 for renovations to the Bishop Payne Library through the Bicentennial Campaign. Hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends shared messages […]
Preparing our students to understand the rich history, literary genres, and theological contexts of Scripture has been a priority of VTS from its inception. A vital tool in this endeavor is the study of the original languages of the Bible, particularly Hebrew and Greek. VTS remains committed to this preparation by requiring all M.Div. and […]
As the adage goes, once a part of VTS, always a part of VTS. The Rev. William (Bill) Roberts recently let me know about a little book from 1999 about a Primitive Baptist hymnal, The Primitive Hymns, compiled in 1841 in Alabama by Benjamin Lloyd. The folklorist who meticulously traced its editions (it is still […]
Today Convocation goes virtual. We have 200 or so alums signed up for the day. It starts at 11 a.m. with the Alumni Business Meeting and finishes at 6 p.m. after Evening Prayer. The highlight is definitely the privilege of hearing Dr. Gary Dorrien. Dr. Dorrien is probably one of the country’s leading social ethicists. […]
A soy latte can be a tricky beverage to prepare. So as I placed my order at the Flamingo, Mike Gumulauskas walked behind the counter. “This one is hard,” he explained as he stepped in to help. And a perfect soy latte emerged. A few days earlier Mike had stopped me in the Grove. “While […]
Yesterday much of the day was spent in arranging the Antigen Testing at the Seminary. I am grateful to the hard work of Dr. Adrienne Bravo, Vice President Jacqui Ballou, Ms. Cassandra Gravina, Mr. Reggie Gravina, and Nurse Julia Domenick. Johns 102 will become a clinic. Every week, we will be testing some 20% of […]
Lesley, my wife, and Luke, my son, made the journey at 7:40 p.m. to visit 1823. I learned that the evening had been busy. There were moments when every table on the 1823 terrace was occupied; there was even a moment when there was a wait list for tables. Fortunately, for us, we were shown […]
eFormation is a learning community for ministry in a digital world. Culturally savvy, digitally literate leadership skills are essential in every congregation, and such skills are best learned by active participation in a community of practice. eFormation is another avenue where Lifelong Learning is serving as a continuous resource for clergy and lay leaders. The eFormation learning […]
Nine years ago (plus one month – it was September 9, 2011), we first opened Cafe 1823. I wrote in the Commentary, “Finally, this evening 1823 officially opens its doors.” Since then, many a conversation has been shared. Many prospective students have learned about VTS. Community has been served by this space. Last night, we […]
Yesterday, I did my first adult education teaching at Grace Episcopal Church. The pandemic has led to numerous cancelled events, which, in a weird way (at least in this respect) has made things easier for me. However, I am very conscious that this is not true for all my colleagues. The Rev. James Farwell, Ph.D., […]