A Message from Dr. Blount

Welcome

My dear graduates of Union Presbyterian Seminary, I greet you with the words Paul shared with the members of the church at. Rome in the first century: “Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you.” Paul’s thankfulness was based on the fact that the faith of the Romans was recognized throughout the world. While your faith may not be as broadly known, it is just as deeply appreciated. For all of your hard work, your faithfulness to the tasks set before you during your seminary career, and the dedication to the call that God has extended to you, I, with and on behalf of your faculty, give thanks. We have cherished the opportunity to serve you as faculty and staff, to have been witness to your academic and spiritual growth, to have watched you nurture others as interns, to have advised you as you will now advise others in the faith. I like to say that your graduation brings as much celebration to us as it does to you. Certainly, for different reasons. You, because you mark this moment as one which launches you into the next phase of your vocational life. Us, because we have seen you prepare for this launch and because we are overjoyed to see that preparation yield such wonderful fruit. Our only regret is that the threat of the coronavirus pandemic mandates that our 2021 graduation be done as a virtual exercise. We lament the inability to greet you in person and celebrate in the same sanctuary with you and your families. But, like Paul who wishes dearly that he could visit with the Roman church in person, we trust that we are linked spiritually with you this day. “I am longing to see you,” Paul told the Romans. But the circumstances of the day prevented him. And so, knowing that they were spiritually linked, he crafted a connection with the Roman church using the best virtual technology he had at his disposal. The letter. Today, via an upgraded technology, we operate on the trust that we, too, though physically distant, are spiritually connected. Depending on that connection, and operating using our latest technology, we gather with you because it is important that you know how grateful and excited we are for you and for all that your various ministries will bring to the work of God’s church in the world. Go forth in God’s grace, with our thanks.

—Brian Blount, President, Union Presbyterian Seminary