The design of the Board Meeting is very simple. We gather on the Tuesday afternoon as a full Board to discuss major business. The goal is to offer Board members the opportunity to give appropriate scrutiny to any proposal and share any concerns or thoughts. Then on Wednesday morning, we have the Business Meeting, where […]
The Shinwari family had senior roles in Afghanistan. The three brothers all had professional positions – one was a doctor, one a data analyst, and one a project manager in Kabul University. Since the airlift, they have been for three days in Qatar, three days in Germany, and then finally here in the United States […]
This week is the week the Board meets. We were hoping to hold meetings in person, but as with so many events right now, Zoom is considered safer. So, today the Buildings and Grounds Committee will meet, followed by the Executive Committee at 7:00 p.m. Then tomorrow afternoon, we have the Board plenary session; and […]
The Rev. Dr. Katharine Grieb was so effusive. “I think the latest issue of the magazine is extraordinary,” she explained. She went on, “I am so pleased with the comprehensive survey of worship in this place.” It was a lovely testimony to the latest issue of the Virginia Theological Seminary Magazine. The focus is our […]
I think coming out of the pandemic (assuming that we are coming out of the pandemic) is probably harder than going in. At least going in, we simply kept our distance and lived in our bubbles. Coming out requires a little more balancing. We have always had some on one end of the spectrum who […]
It all started as a suggestion in the staff check-in yesterday. Temperatures in Alexandria have been below freezing. We still have some snow lingering from the storm. This is virtually unprecedented. Normally, the snowfall comes; subsequent days are warm; and the snow melts. But this year, it has been bitterly cold. So, we are pretty […]
Today at 9:15 a.m., all the staff are invited to gather in the Flamingo. Coffee will be on the house. We will then go into the Lettie Pate Evans Room for our first “monthly check-in.” It will be an opportunity to share important documents: so, tomorrow, for example, we will be bringing copies of the […]
On the first day of spring semester 2022, it is a delight to welcome two scholars to the VTS community. The first is the Rt. Rev. Kirk Stevan Smith, V Bishop of Arizona (retired) who will teach a class on mysticism and serve as a Bishop-in-Residence this spring. After earning his Ph.D. in medieval church […]
One strategy we have used throughout this pandemic is to constantly test the community. There is a significant percentage of students and faculty who rarely leave the campus (which, incidentally, probably isn’t that healthy – but that is for a different commentary on a different day). Naturally, staff come and go. But being a residential […]
My son and I sat in 1823 last Wednesday. “So, Luke,” I said, “We need some pictures on the wall. What would you recommend?” We use to have 19th century prints of church leaders. However, diversity was not one of their strengths. So Luke and I had an interesting conversation. Luke quite liked a sports […]