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., […]
Yesterday I participated in a gathering of Clergy in the Order of Saint John (USA). This Order is best known for its support of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. The Priory Sub-Prelate, the Rev. Dr. Russ J. Levenson, Jr., Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, had asked me to be a […]
There have been three recent resignations from the Seminary that I want to share with the community. We are grateful to all three of these employees for their service and hard work at the Seminary. First, in Institutional Advancement, Margaret Messenger, has decided to move on. Margaret became a familiar and popular face behind the […]
As you’ll recall, previous commentaries have highlighted the work of TryTank, which “offers inventive approaches to the challenges facing the Episcopal Church.” Sometimes this is by design, and sometimes, inspiration hits. In 2019, data suggested that the new “norm” for church attendance is once every four to six weeks, which means that if […]
Today I want to recognize and honor all those young people, under the age of 18, who are doing school remotely and living with their parents. This includes the teenagers and children of students, staff, and faculty. What started, perhaps, as a novelty has become a routine. Friendships are harder and entirely on-line. School work […]