Date: November 23, 2022
I am grateful today. I am grateful for the hardworking staff who keep VTS going; I am grateful for my Faculty colleagues who are at AAR and SBL and are moving the frontiers of knowledge forward in their respective disciplines; I am grateful for the students who relish the challenge of a 35% dip in ASA (Average Sunday Attendance) and stand ready to “go into the world and preach the Gospel”; and I am grateful for a Board of Trustees that believes in partnership rather than crude competition.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I invite everyone to pause and simply say “Thank You”. Too often we fixate on our worries and concerns. We don’t pause often enough to marvel that so much is good.
It is a busy travel day today. I ask everyone to be safe on the road. And I invite all those departments that are able to finish today at noon. Go forth, be with family and friends and be grateful.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President