Date: September 17, 2024
Normally, I wait until we are on the cusp of an event to advertise it. But as someone rather curtly observed: “The day of, Ian, is too late.” I have also appreciated the way that CACS invites us to prepare for forthcoming events and get them in our calendar.
So, today I want to invite you all to put Friday September 27 beginning at 1pm into the calendar. Why? Because one cannot succeed in ministry if one cannot raise money. Resources are essential for program. Without resources, you can do nothing.
Yet strangely, the Seminary is relatively silent on philanthropy. Save for a section in “Parish Administration”, there is no formal class on fundraising and stewardship. I have had two Deanery Evenings on the theme in the last ten years. Yet once in the parish, it is a major preoccupation. So, the afternoon of Friday September 27 is an essential opportunity for learning. Come, take notes, learn. You will be grateful in the years ahead.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary