Date: April 16, 2026
Yesterday’s Eucharist was a deeply emotional occasion as we gave thanks for more than seventeen years of Dr. Lisa Kimball’s ministry among us. Preaching on “It is well with my soul,” she recalled the hymn’s origins in tragedy and invited us to see both joy and sorrow as held in God’s steadfast care. It was a moment in which the community could name its love for Lisa and its trust in the God who makes all manner of things well.
Lisa richly deserved both the standing ovation at the Peace and the surprise clap-out that the students lovingly orchestrated at the end of the liturgy. Though she will remain with us until August, this was her final faculty sermon at a Wednesday Eucharist, and we could feel the significance of that threshold. The applause was not just for a sermon, but for a vocation faithfully lived in our midst.
On this campus Lisa is an extraordinary presence: a dedicated and conscientious teacher, a wise leader in lifelong formation, and, perhaps most delightfully, tremendous fun. Her scholarship and her passion for the baptized life have shaped students, faculty, and the wider church in lasting ways. We all love Lisa, and in this season of goodbye-and-not-yet, it is, indeed, well with our souls.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.