Date: November 5, 2021
From time to time, I find myself in a debate within the community about “whether we are doing too much?” Indeed the Strategic Plan that will come to the Board of Trustees next week will include an invitation to the Seminary to teach the skills of “self-care” and healthy habits of living.
There are basically two approaches in the community. One would like to see the Seminary restrict activities, make sure that there are no competing events at the same time, and that there is clearly delineated space for prayer and study. From this perspective, the Seminary should restrict the activities to ensure that space is provided for family and a more leisurely Seminary experience. The other approach believes that the self-care focus should be on teaching the seminarians the skill of saying “no” and discouraging a culture where everyone wants to go to everything.
This will be a continuing conversation. It is good and healthy that we talk about this. The current policy of the Seminary is that the only mandatory activities are classes, daily corporate worship, and events linked to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration; everything else is optional. So, as the debate continues, I do encourage you to remember that there is no obligation to go to everything. Be selective; do learn that skill now.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President