PC(USA) seminary news

A compilation of news from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other seminaries

by Gregg Brekke | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE – A compilation of news from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries including Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, McCormick Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary and Union Presbyterian Seminary; and other pertinent seminary news.

 Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

 Austin Seminary’s 2017 MidWinter Lectures: Jan 29 – February 1, 2016

In keeping with tradition, the 2017 MidWinter Lectures will feature three dynamic speakers and a compelling preacher. During the three days of the series, Austin Seminary students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends gather on campus to hear from leaders in the church and academy and to enjoy the warmth of fellowship that distinguishes our community.

Information about the guest lecturers and preacher can be found here: http://www.austinseminary.edu/page.cfm?p=3657

Dr. William Greenway’s book selected to “Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry Published in 2015” List.

The Academy of Parish Clergy, Inc. selected Dr. William Greenway’s book, For the Love of All Creatures: The Story of Grace in Genesis, as one of the Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry published in 2015. The books display an excellence and helpfulness that all Parish ministers are invited to incorporate into their libraries to benefit their ministries.

The complete list of Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry may be found here: http://www.austinseminary.edu/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=1734

Education Beyond the Walls presents “Post-Election Detox” workshop

Votes will be in and counted; political ads will have come to a close. How will you recover from the political rhetoric and pernicious pageantry of the November election? Join us for a playful, creative, and nonpartisan post-election detox service where local poets, improvisers, and musicians will be your guides to regaining a sense of sanity, belonging, and a focus on the eternal. Stay for a dialogue with the artists to consider ways you can incorporate new art forms into your faith community’s worship.

Date: November 9, 2016
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Shelton Chapel, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
100 East 27th Street, Austin, 78705
Cost: $10 suggested donation
Contact: beyondthewalls@austinseminary.edu
Reserve tickets at: https://cohoevents.com/postelectiondetox/

Columbia Theological Seminary

Columbia Theological Seminary hosts international speakers to talk about “Voiceless Sisters” of the Congo

Columbia Theological Seminary will host a special Forum on Wednesday, October 26 at 11:00 am titled “Shoe-Strings for Abundant Life: Voices from Congo Speak Out for their Voiceless Sisters.” Speakers Misenga Monique Ngoie Mukuna and Elsie Anne McKee, leaders of the non-profit organization FEBA/Woman Cradle of Abundance, will provide a dialogue presentation sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Student Coordinating Council. The Forum will be held in the Ellis Room on the Columbia Theological Seminary campus located at 701 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA.

“It is an honor to host these two women,” said Professor Haruko Nawata Ward, Professor of Church History. “Anyone who comes will be deeply impacted by the stories they tell about how God is at work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

President Leanne Van Dyk noted, “These distinguished guests will share with us their experiences of both tragedy and deep joy. We look forward to growing in our capacity for knowledge, compassion, and action.”

The Center for Lifelong Learning announces sponsors and workshops for Talking Politics During Polarized Times event October 21

Registration is now open for Talking Politics During Polarized Times, hosted by the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary on October 21, 2016. This timely, one-day event is designed for clergy and interested parties who want to think about how to deal with public/political issues as a church during the run-up to the 2016 national elections. It includes two keynote addresses, a lunch panel discussion with elected officials addressing matters of faith and public life, and morning and afternoon workshops.

Sponsored by Candler School of Theology’s James T. and Berta R. Laney Legacy in Moral Leadership, Faith in Public Life, Presbyterians for a Better Georgia, and the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, the conference will feature Dr. James Calvin Davis, professor of religious ethics at Middlebury College. Davis writes on civility and the role of the church in improving the way the wider public debates contentious issues.

Conference registration is $75, and seminarians enrolled in basic degree programs may register for $45. Housing is available on campus. Complete details and registration information is accessible at this link. 

“The entire day is praxis-oriented,” says Mark Douglas, professor of Christian Ethics at Columbia Seminary. “The morning workshops focus on practices for the whole church, and the afternoon set addresses practices specific to various church leaders. They will compliment they keynotes well.”

The current list of workshops and speakers includes:

• Practices of Conflict Transformation for the Congregation, led by Ellen Ott Marshall, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Conflict Transformation at Candler School of Theology.
• Effective Use of Media and Social Media, led by Graham Younger, Georgia statewide coordinator for Faith in Public Life.
• Shaping Liturgies for Civic Occasions, led by David Lewicki, co-pastor of North Decatur Presbyterian Church.
• Preaching on Politics, led by Jake Myers, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Columbia Theological Seminary.
• Communicating with Public Officials, led by Jim Watkins, former director of Faith in the City and Chief of Staff for Rep. Ben Jones.
• Things You Can and Can’t Say from the Pulpit, led by Elizabeth Appley, attorney.
• Public Engagement in a Multicultural Public, led by Jihyun Oh, interim pastor at Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church and Brady Radford, associate pastor at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church.
• Moving Congregations from Attention to Action, led by Billy Honor, organizing pastor of Pulse Church, a new worshipping community in Atlanta and a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbia Theological Seminary.

Columbia recognized among 2016-17 “Seminaries that Change the World”

Columbia Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as one of the Seminaries that Change the World, Class of 2016-17 by The Center for Faith and Service. Each year, Seminaries that Change the World identifies a select group of seminaries and divinity schools offering innovative courses, programs, and opportunities for students seeking to engage in social justice and service work while in seminary. Columbia Theological Seminary’s recognition as a one of the Seminaries that Change the World reflects its ongoing work to connect faith and justice in the classroom, in campus organizations, and through contextual education opportunities.

“Here at Columbia Theological Seminary, we believe that encountering God compels us into the deep work of transformation,” said President Leanne Van Dyk. “That kind of deep work includes our passionate commitment to justice for all people in the world so loved by God.”

“It is no surprise that Columbia Theological Seminary has been identified as a seminary that changes the world,” said Brandon T. Maxwell, Dean of Students. “In my brief time here, I have encountered a community of faculty, staff, and students who are passionate about God, justice, and turning the world right-side-up for Christ. This is an unsurprising affirmation of Columbia’s ever-increasing commitment to prepare imaginative and resilient leaders for God’s changing world.”

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Louisville Seminary receives $125,000 extension of Lilly Endowment grant

Lilly Endowment, Inc. has awarded a grant of $125,000 to Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to support programs that address the economic challenges facing future ministers. The grant is an extension of the $249,992 grant that Lilly awarded to Louisville Seminary for the initiative in 2013. The grant will continue to provide funding for research into the scope and impact of student debt and the effectiveness of scholarship aid on future ministry, thereby enabling the seminary to assess the impact of financial aid on students’ education and transition to ministry. The grant will also continue to support the seminary’s Money Matters for Ministry series of workshops designed to address three basic needs of students preparing to serve in various kinds of ministry: personal finance; leading congregations and other organizations in financially healthy ways; and managing effective and responsible fundraising campaigns.

McCormick Theological Seminary

McCormick recognized by Seminaries that Change the World for 2016-17 school year

McCormick Theological Seminary is pleased to announce its selection as a Seminary that Changes the World, Class of 2016-17 by The Center for Faith and Service. Each year, Seminaries that Change the World identifies a select group of seminaries and divinity schools offering innovative courses, programs, and opportunities for students seeking to engage in social justice and service work while in seminary. McCormick’s inclusion honors its ongoing work to equip a new, diverse and cross-culturally competent generation of leaders for world-changing service, justice and advocacy work.

McCormick’s partnership with The Center for Faith and Service is a natural extension of President Frank Yamada’s vision for the seminary. President Yamada says, “McCormick is grateful to be included in The Center’s list of Seminaries that Change the World for the third year in a row. At McCormick we strive to prepare diverse leaders for the church and world, who are engaged in social justice, advocacy, and service. As a result, we are committed to local communities particularly in Chicago. So, for example, we have developed and launched the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Scholars Doctor of Ministry program, a new Korean language Doctor of Ministry cohort, a Certificate in Black Church Studies, and a Certificate in Latino/a Ministries. In this way, McCormick has recommitted itself to forming leaders who will do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).”

Last year, with the help of a matching gift from Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow and Robin Pugh, McCormick established the Do Justice Fund in order to equip emerging faith leaders to meet today’s social, economic, and political challenges. The fund supports opportunities for students to participate in trainings, workshops, conferences and campaigns to develop their skills and focus their passions to be more effective change agents.

Princeton Theological Seminary

Princeton Seminary presents organ concert on October 24

Princeton Theological Seminary’s annual Joe R. Engle Organ Concert, “Early Organ Music from Germany, Spain, and France,” will be held on Monday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Miller Chapel. The concert is open to the public free of charge.

Robert Bates, professor of music at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, will perform works by composers leading up to Baroque master, J.S. Bach. In the performance of Jehan Titelouze’s Ave Maris Stella, an ensemble from Westminster Choir College will chant verses of the hymn in alternation with the organ. Following Johann Gottfried Walther’s prelude on the chorale Lobe den Herren, the audience will join their voices with the organ in the singing of the chorale, Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty. The program will conclude with J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, commonly referred to as “The Wedge.”

National Poet Laureate Billy Collins to speak November 2 at Princeton Seminary

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will speak at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2 in the Iain R Torrance Atrium, Princeton Theological Seminary Library, 25 Library Place in Princeton. He will read from his new book of poems and engage in a conversation with Princeton Seminary President M. Craig Barnes about the nature of poetry, the task of writing, and connections between poetry and faith. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Parking is available in the lot behind the library.

Princeton Theological Seminary receives grant from the William A. and Eugenie H. Sullivan Trust of The Philadelphia Foundation

Princeton Theological Seminary has received a grant of $27,823.38 to its William Albert and Eugenie Hummel Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund by the William A. and Eugenie H. Sullivan Trust of The Philadelphia Foundation. The scholarship endowment fund supports students who are preparing for ministry. The Sullivan fund is the oldest fund managed by The Philadelphia Foundation.

Princeton Theological Seminary Film Festival kicks off October 20

The Princeton Theological Seminary Film Festival features four days of thought-provoking films that provide a unique opportunity to explore some of the deepest aspects of the human condition.

Presented by Princeton Theological Seminary in conjunction with the Princeton Garden Theatre, Princeton Community Television, and Labyrinth Books, the film festival takes place October 20–23, screening in two locations in Princeton.

To purchase a film festival badge, or for more information and to register, visit ptsfilmfest.com.

Union Presbyterian Seminary

McFayden named president-elect of Association of Presbyterian Church Educators

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth J. McFayden (D.Min’86), academic dean of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, and professor of Ministry and Leadership Development has been chosen to serve as president-elect beginning in January 2017 for the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators, Inc (APCE). McFayden will be installed as the president-elect at the APCE Annual Event in Denver, Colorado in January 2017and as president at the Annual Event in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2018. As an officer of this association, he will serve on its Executive Council, Coordinating Council, and Administrative Ministry Team over a three-year period.

Union named Seminary that Changes the World

Union Presbyterian Seminary has been recognized as a Seminary that Changes the World, Class of 2016-17 by The Center for Faith and Service. Each year, Seminaries that Change the World identifies a select group of seminaries and divinity schools offering innovative courses, programs, and opportunities for students seeking to engage in social justice and service work while in seminary. UPSem’s recognition reflects the ongoing work the school is doing to prepare future faith leaders.

“We are pleased that the many efforts of our students, staff, and faculty, and indeed the work of the institution itself, have been recognized as we respond to God’s call to engage in and participate with the transforming work of God’s Reign in our world,” said UPSem President Brian K. Blount. “Our commitment to serving God in this way neither begins nor ends with this wonderful recognition, but we are delighted to be counted among such wonderful company.”

Student calls for new normal after fatal police shooting in Charlotte

“Charlotte was a scary place these past few weeks. But for many of my black friends, it’s often been a scary place. I’m learning that racism isn’t just the way I feel about a person – it’s black people struggling in a white America – a white America that makes me feel safe.”

Full story here: http://www.upsem.edu/news/student-calls-new-normal-fatal-police-shooting-charlotte/

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