Given we set the date of Easter on the basis of the first full moon after the spring equinox, it is inevitable that the date of Ash Wednesday will also vary. Today is Ash Wednesday and it coincides with Valentine’s Day. The last time this happened was 2018, before that it was 1945. The next […]
Last night we met with the visiting team. We had dinner together. We reflected together on the challenges shaping theological education. And we prepared for the work that the team will now do to enhance the educational and formation experience at VTS. For the team, today is a day of wall-to-wall meetings. Every sector of […]
A very warm welcome to the Evaluation Committee of the Association of Theological Schools. Tonight, we will gather for dinner with our guests. Tomorrow, their work starts in earnest. Their first meeting tomorrow is at 8.30am, and their meetings continue through to 5.30pm. It will be a full day. The committee is doing important volunteer […]
Accreditation is important. It is the primary means of ensuring an appropriate quality to the educational experience. A visit from the Association of Theological Schools is an important mechanism to make sure that the educational experience corresponds to the standards. Over the last two years, the Faculty and the administration have been working hard on […]
The Spring 2024 Program for the Center for Anglican Communion Studies is now out. I was walking back from lunch yesterday and saw the associate director of CACS, Hartley Wensing, walking to lunch. “Would you like the new program from CACS?” she said. “Hot off the press,” she added. I was pleased to say yes […]
Today we welcome the Rev. Dr. James Hawkey to the campus. He is the Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey in London. Previously he was the Dean and Director of Studies in Theology at Clare College, Cambridge. It is a joy to have him with us on the campus. He did both his undergraduate and doctoral […]
Today and tomorrow we have the February Board meetings. It was during our COVID season that we discovered that governance can be effective on zoom. So, as we came out of our COVID practices, the Board decided that the February Board meeting should be on zoom. This afternoon we have a GTS Executive Session Board […]
Bishop Shand is well known to the Virginia Theological Seminary community. He was a student here, graduating with a Master’s in Christian Education. When he was Bishop of Easton, he was on the Board of Trustees. When Bishop Peter Lee retired, Bishop Shand became the Board Chair. He was the Board Chair during the building […]
It is a joy to welcome Mr. Johnny Knight to the chapel on Sunday afternoon for a piano recital, which will run for just over an hour. There is a tradition of talented seminary children – Ms. Janet Yieh, not only practiced on the Seminary organ for many years, but went on to have a […]
It is a delight to use today’s Commentary to usher in Black History Month. Given the fact that important lessons of Black History have been undermined in recent years, remembering—and building upon—the legacies of the Black community has never been more important. It is the perfect time to visit some of the many wonderful Black […]