Date: October 1, 2024
The concept of a Deanery evening is always intended to be a very gentle lift. It is deliberately designed to be limited to a small group – we cap the numbers. It is not intended for everyone. It is coffee and dessert – so you have had dinner and then grab a little something afterwards. It starts at 7pm and is all over at 8.15pm to 8.30pm.
The idea of the Deanery evening is that one hears a new and different voice. So on Wednesday, we are blessed to have Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. She will be reflecting on her book How we learn to be Brave. It starts with President Trump standing outside an Episcopal Church with a Bible in his hand and explores her response to this moment. It is our opportunity to hear from the Bishop of Washington as she navigates the political complexity of a moment. Then on Thursday, we have Dr. Vicky La’Porte. Dr. La’Porte has a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and is the author of two books. Yet she decided that her primary vocation needed to be presence to her son. This is part of a group of guests who live out their vocation in unconventional ways.
As it happens Bishop Budde’s deanery evening is full. There is some space for Dr. La’Porte. From my days in graduate school, it was these extracurricular activities that are some of the most memorable.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary