Date: July 30, 2024
The Office of Multicultural Ministries does important work, and I am honored and excited to join the many people that are making it possible for Virginia Theological Seminary to live into its commitment of promoting “an intercultural ethos on campus, which means a community where no one culture or group dominates others” and our aspiration to lead “in how we embrace multicultural and intercultural perspectives.” When I joined the VTS faculty in 2019 the boldness of the Seminary Covenant confirmed my call to minister here. It encapsulates the challenging work to which we are called, especially now, with our communities, congregations, society and world. All people committed to human flourishing, and especially those who come to this commitment because of our relationship with a living, liberating, and transforming God, must learn to better embrace and engage the diversity of the human family.
Multicultural Ministries provides programming that enhances this learning, increasing our knowledge of history and social forces, as well as inviting us to examine our practices and assumptions that are obstacles to living well with one another. As people preparing to serve as leaders in a world filled with unproductive conflict, our participation in the Intercultural Competency Course, the varieties of worship styles reflecting the different members of the Body of Christ and the listening to guest speakers inviting us to deeper dives into the complexity of our world, we will become more capable to lead responsibly and fruitfully.
My new role as Associate Dean for Multicultural Ministry invites me to live into my deep passion for this process of lifelong learning, facilitating this critical learning in community so that we may serve God and our neighbor well. I am excited for all we will experience together this year and am grateful for the work of the Rev. Dr. Thompson and all others who have labored in this vineyard before me.
The Rev. Altagracia Perez-Bullard, PhD
Outgoing Director of Contextual Ministries
Incoming Associate Dean of Multicultural Ministries