When I started at VTS in my August term, little did I know the continuing ride that I would be on with God and the amazing human beings I would meet during my time at VTS – human beings I still pray for and with, human beings I miss, and human beings I may not […]
As I look back at my time at VTS, I feel grateful for my experience as a seminarian. Now, as an alum, I am grateful for my time serving on the AAEC. It has been quite a journey from postulant to alum. After being made a postulant, I was concerned about finding a seminary that […]
This week’s Commentaries are written by members of the AAEC (Alumni Association Executive Committee). For Commentary readers unfamiliar with AAEC’s work, below is some brief information about their role and activities. The AAEC is the elected executive body of the Alumni Association of Virginia Theological Seminary. As all VTS alumni are members of the Alumni […]
The Seminarians of Color Union (SOCU), a student formed and led organization at VTS, creates a community of support and learning where the gifts and challenges of being People of Color in the United States are known and understood. Often the term People of Color (POC) or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) is […]
On September 6th VTS will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Reparations Memorial. It is our intention that this memorial will serve as a site of remembrance, contemplation, and healing. The selected site, in Trotter Bowl along Quaker Lane, allows it to be visible and accessible by the surrounding Alexandria community. The artists working on […]
This September marks six years since the Seminary announced the creation of its Reparations Program. The funds within the Program’s now $2.8 million endowment are exclusively designated for payments to our participating shareholders- the direct descendants of African Americans whose labor built and sustained VTS. Over the course of the last six years, the Program’s […]
This past year I have been privileged to learn the good work of the Office of Multicultural Ministries first-hand as the Associate Dean of Multicultural Ministries. From first contact with new students, faculty and staff in the Introduction to Intercultural Competency Course (ICC), to the various programs and events sponsored and supported by Multicultural Ministries, […]
When I first met Ian Markham, he had just arrived at VTS as our new Dean and President. I was a second-year seminarian, and he brought with him a spirit of optimism and a deep love for the Church. I remember the elective he taught—“Do We All Go to Heaven?”—where he encouraged us to see […]
My first encounter with our esteemed Dean and President was our work together as Trustees for St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School. We each have one son and our boys were one year apart so there was an immediate bond of understanding of the love and pride we share of these two remarkable young men. […]
It is a great privilege for me to write today’s commentary and share my thoughts with you about our friend, The Very Reverend Ian Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of The Virginia Theological Seminary. Dean Markham’s leadership of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) from 2007 to 2028 will be remembered as one of the most consequential […]