Category: Dean’s Commentary

Now the Silence

The great British composer Herbert Howells was once asked if he had any hobbies. “Yes,” he replied, “Silence.” Silence is a rarity in our lives. Walk into any venue and one likely will hear music playing in the background (usually too loudly, but that’s another topic for another day). Barring that, there’s likely the sound […]

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Welcome to Darius Hunt

Hi, my name is Darius Hunt, the new A/V Coordinator for the chapel. I have worked in mass communication focusing on audio and video for over 7+ years. After working in multiple churches as an AV Director, I have realized AV is more than just sight and sound. It is a whole experience to remember! […]

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Sacristan Reflections: Preparing for the New Academic Year

As the new academic year approaches and the new students are moving onto campus, there is a feeling of excitement and anticipation of renewal, hope, and the opportunity for spiritual growth. I vividly recall August term of my first year at VTS.  I remember observing the sacristans’ warm and welcoming presence during the August term […]

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Celebrating 200 Years of Worship

2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of Virginia Theological Seminary. As our bicentenary celebration approaches, we have been “marking the moment” over the past few years. October 12-14 will culminate this celebration with our Bicentenary Celebration, and worship will have a central focus.  On Thursday, we will have our Bicentenary Evensong with Sermon […]

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Class, Chapel, Lunch

Immanuel Chapel stands at the center of our campus, reminding us that worship is central to our way of life as Christians. In this week’s Dean’s Commentary, members of our chapel leadership team will reflect on our shared ministry and offer a glimpse of plans for the year ahead. We glorify God through the gift […]

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Welcome Wallace Benton

The Department of Lifelong Learning at VTS was established in 2017 to integrate the work of several existing programs and Centers for greater impact. In particular, the Center for the Ministry of Teaching and Lifetime Theological Education came together to serve the formation and leadership needs of congregations and individuals. Since then, our programming and […]

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Exciting Changes for the Mutual Ministry Initiative 

As Project Manager for two VTS Lilly Endowment grants (Mutual Ministry Initiative – MMi; Baptized for Life – BFL), and the coordinator for our other grant initiatives within the Department of Lifelong Learning, it is always wonderful to receive year-end grant report approval letters from our funder. For MMi, a multi-year grant which aims to […]

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Forma Reaches 200 Members

On May 1st, Forma launched a new membership platform: The Forma Space on VTS Plus. In less than three months, we have exceeded 200 paid members! Member benefits include member only programing, access to a searchable resource library, 25% off Lifelong Learning programing, and more. In addition to building out our membership benefits, this network […]

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The Courage, Creativity, and Generosity of Building Faith’s Authors

One of my favorite parts of being the Lead Editor for Building Faith, Lifelong Learning’s website that publishes Christian formation articles, is working with authors. They share great ideas, create effective resources, and show other Christian formation leaders that they are not alone in the struggles that arise with formation ministries. They write with courage, […]

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What do you do?

When a stranger asks me, “What do you do?” my short-form response is that I teach and serve as a senior administrator at a small graduate school. If their curiosity is piqued, I continue with “a denominational seminary that prepares people for leadership in the church.” When they are genuinely interested the next question is inevitably, […]

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