Travel is an intrinsic and important part of this job. So I head out today to Atlanta to visit with friends and alumni. I travel with the Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Advancement, Ms. Nicky Burridge. Then tomorrow I will return to only head down to Madison (my retirement home) with my wife […]
Many of you will have had the pleasure of meeting the Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan during his time on campus this fall. He and his wife, Dr. Felicity Harley-McGowan, have been here as Dean’s scholars after Andrew recently concluded twelve years as Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Before he leaves, Dr. […]
We have been anticipating this day for a week or so. There is a group of student proposing to gather in Bicentennial Hall for a more intentional engagement with the gift of quiet. This is all very good. In the end we are called to be people of prayer. This means a focused attention on […]
Today is giving day. It is a day when we pause and just remember that like all organizations, we need support. A home needs income; a parish needs income; and yes a Seminary needs income. And like all organizations, we have to meet a budget that needs at least $850,000 to balance the budget. And […]
This week, the 2026 cohort of the Forma Certificate in Lifelong Christian Formation gathers at VTS for a five-day residency. Our group of 10 learners and 2 facilitators is excited to experience all that campus life has to offer. You may catch a glimpse of our bright faces in chapel, in the halls, on the green, […]
In the end, the purpose of Seminary is to form people of authentic faith. We cannot encourage others to pray if we do not pray ourselves. That is why every year we create space for a Quiet Day: a day deliberately set apart from the ordinary rhythms of classes, meetings, and activity. In a season […]
It is a real joy to announce that Terrell Whitaker, Director of Finance and Accounting at Virginia Theological Seminary, has been awarded the degree of Master of Business Administration by George Mason University. The degree was conferred by the Costello College of Business on August 22, 2026, and the handsome framed diploma is now in […]
The Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan and Dr. Felicity Harley-McGowan, our current Dean’s Scholars at Virginia Theological Seminary, are entering the final three weeks of their time with us. Lesley and I had the great pleasure of welcoming them to the Deanery for dinner last night. As they reflected on their stay, one highlight stood out: […]
Verna Dozier (1917–2006) was one of the Episcopal Church’s leading African American lay theologians. A Washingtonian educated at Howard University, she taught in the District’s public schools for decades, then, after retiring early in 1975, gave herself full time to religious education and to the ministry of God’s people in the world. Her ties to […]
As you all know, Virginia Theological Seminary has been doing something no other institution has done: offering direct cash reparations, with no restrictions attached, to descendants of the enslaved and exploited Black laborers who built this place. Bridging Ground, a new documentary by Peabody Award winner Mark Farkas and Emmy winner Roan Ross, tells that […]