Union Presbyterian Seminary

Pathways Online Course: The Christian Life
2025-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Pathways Online Course instructed by Dr. Cindy Kissel-Ito: The Christian Life

Dr. Cindy Kissel-Ito, Retired UPSem Associate Professor of Christian Education
Dr. Cindy Kissel-Ito is a former Associate Professor of Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary. She also directed the Master of Arts in Christian Education Program at the seminary. Her ministry has consistently embodied the importance of intentional engagement in the Christian Life that is invigorated by teaching/learning the Bible. Dr. Kissel-Ito is a Presbyterian minister in the PC(USA) and lives in New Kent, Virginia, with her husband, son, and two Scottish Terriers.
Course Description: This course is designed to provide knowledge of Protestant perspectives on the Christian life. Participants will explore biblical and theological foundations that shape an understanding of the Christian life. Reflection on focused experiences of spiritual practices will engage students in critical analysis of their own spiritual lives and nurture opportunities for congregational ministry and leadership. Through assignments, online discussion, and class lectures, participants will engage in vital components of the Christian life.
Dates: Thursdays, February 20-March 27, 7-9pm EST
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on 16 February, 2025.
If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

Book Club: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
2025-04-01 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-04-08 18:00 - 20:00
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

Online meetings 6-8pm EST; March 18, March 25, April 1, and April 8
With echoes of Educated and The Glass Castle, How to Say Babylon is a “lushly observed and keenly reflective chronicle” (The Washington Post), brilliantly recounting the author’s struggle to break free of her rigid religious upbringing and navigate the world on her own terms.
Throughout her childhood, Safiya Sinclair’s father, a volatile reggae musician and a militant adherent to a strict sect of Rastafari, was obsessed with the ever-present threat of the corrupting evils of the Western world outside their home, and worried that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure. For him, a woman’s highest virtue was her obedience.
Safiya’s extraordinary mother, though loyal to her father, gave her the one gift she knew would take Safiya beyond the stretch of beach and mountains in Jamaica their family called home: a world of books, knowledge, and education she conjured almost out of thin air. When she introduced Safiya to poetry, Safiya’s voice awakened. As she watched her mother struggle voicelessly for years under relentless domesticity, Safiya’s rebellion against her father’s rules set her on an inevitable collision course with him. Her education became the sharp tool to hone her own poetic voice and carve her path to liberation. Rich in emotion and page-turning drama, How to Say Babylon is “a melodious wave of memories” of a woman finding her own power (NPR).

Led by Rev. Dr. Chris Burton

Register below. Registration closes on March 15, 2025. You can register late until March 21 by emailing Deborah Keyes

UPSem Students and Faculty can register for free. Contact Deborah to register if you are a UPSem student or faculty.

WLI Online Course: Womanist Biblical Interpretation
2025-04-01 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-08 19:00 - 21:00
Womanist Leadership Institute Online Course instructed by Rev. Dr. Angela Parker: Womanist Biblical Interpretation
Course Description: This semi-seminar course studies womanist biblical interpretation and its application to preaching. It examines womanist theoretical frameworks with special attention to the lived experiences of Black women in the United States of America and womanist thought and Black women’s experiences have conversations with various “isms” (racism, heterosexism, ableism, ageism, and anti-Semitism) as we read the biblical text. These conversations will explore strategies towards ethical biblical interpretation and preaching in order to engage community and society (i.e. such as politics).

Meet the instructor
Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker is an Associate Professor at McAfee School of Theology, specializing in New Testament and Greek. She holds degrees from Shaw University, Duke Divinity School, and Chicago Theological Seminary. Previously an Assistant Professor at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, she won the ESF New Scholar Award for her article “One Womanist’s View of Reconciliation in Galatians.” She teaches courses in New Testament, Greek Exegesis, the Gospel of Mark, the Corinthians Correspondence, the Gospel of John, and Womanist and Feminist Hermeneutics unto preaching.
Dates: March 4 – April 8, 2025 | Tuesdays, 7-9pm EST via Zoom
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on February 26, 2025. Late registration ends on March 8, 2025.
If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

LifeNet Health Organ Donor Webinar with Bishop Autie Hines
2025-04-08
Bishop Autie R. Hines II, a native of Southern California, he is bi-vocational clergy in transplant health education and nonprofit & business consulting as the Vice President of DMG Professional Services.
He has amassed 28 years of ministry experience from the Westcoast to the East playing a crucial role in human redevelopment programs nationally impacting K-6 to K-12 students in workforce readiness, and gang prevention & intervention recruitment of at-risk youth to leave gangs. Known for his strategic planning, program design, and leadership coaching, Bishop Hines actively engages as a consultant for various business and ministry community organizations. Passionate about keeping the gospel relevant to today’s challenges, he is a dedicated servant-leader and executive coach.
He holds a master’s degree in ministry for Pastoral Leadership and a bachelor’s degree in theology from Andersonville Theological Seminary. He was consecrated to the Bishopric in 2019 in Virginia and serves on the Executive Staff as Director for Nonprofit Development at the Global Conference of Bishops & Leaders.

Author Event: Andrew Taylor-Troutman
2025-04-10 18:00 - 20:00
This Is the Day
By Andrew Taylor-Troutman
What does a slab of bacon have to do with marital fidelity? Who wrote the Chicken Dance? Why are there two days to celebrate eating ice cream for breakfast? Did Jesus have a tattoo?
This Is the Day is a yearlong journal of observing national days for things as diverse and weird as bobbleheads, Yo-Yos, hairball awareness, and serendipity. Taylor-Troutman explores his local North Carolina community and delves into ancient history. Alongside his family, friends, and church congregation, he finds hope in the ordinary, faith in small things, and joy in grief. He writes cheesy limericks, plays the ukulele, and prays with people in prison. He also learns new appreciation for hairdressers, mail carriers, and middle children. Taylor-Troutman even discovers the answers to questions he had never thought to ask, such as “What is the technical name of a flock of zebras?”

Meet the Author

Andrew Taylor Troutman, as captured by a camera and as drawn by his daughter Sadie
Since his ordination in 2010, Andrew Taylor-Troutman (MDiv, 2009) has served two wonderful churches. He is the pastor and head of staff at Chapel in the Pines in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Taylor-Troutman is the author of eight books, most recently This IS the Day (Wipf and Stock). He and his wife Ginny (MDiv, 2008) parent three kids and chase a dog named Ramona after one of their literary heroines.
Join us in Lake Chapel on the Richmond campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary at 6pm on April 10!
RSVP Here:

Pathways Online Course: Church History
2025-04-22 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-29 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-06 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-13 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-20 19:00 - 21:00
Pathways Online Course instructed by Dr. Christine Luckritz Marquis: Church History

Dr. Christine Luckritz Marquis joined Union as Assistant Professor of Church History in Fall 2013. Previously, she taught at Duke University, Lehigh University, and Moravian Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship from 2010-2012.
Her teaching and research explore early Christian communities and their practices, especially those founded in Egypt, Syria, and the Arabian Peninsula. Her first book, which is forthcoming with the University of Pennsylvania Press, is titled “Death of the Desert: Monastic Memory and the Loss of Egypt’s Golden Age.” The book explores how memory and spatial practices were transformed by acts of violence among Egyptian ascetics. She has also co-edited and translated The History of the Great Deeds of Bishop Paul of Quentos and Priest John of Edessa: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity volume 29 (Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2010). She contributed to Melania: Early Christianity Through the Life of One Family (University of California Press, 2016). Her translation work is found in the first two volumes of More New Testament Apocrypha and on the Coptic Scriptorium webpage.
Course Description
This course is designed to provide an overview of and an appreciation for the history of Christian traditions, the broader contexts in which they are developed, and their continued significance for the life of the church. Participants will study select crucial historical moments (e.g., early Christian movements, church councils, Reformation, Christianity in America).
Dates: Tuesdays from 7-9pm EST, April 22 – May 20, 2025
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

Pathways Online Course: Mission & Evangelism
2025-04-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-26 19:00 - 21:00
Pathways Online Course instructed by Rev. Dr. Aram Feinberg: Mission & Evangelism

Before joining Bayside, Rev. Dr. Aram Feinberg was the associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville. The shape of her call began in ministry with youth & families before shifting towards outreach & adult faith formation.
Aram attended Smith College and taught fifth grade before going to Princeton Seminary (MDiv). She continued her theological education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond (MACE) and Union Theological Seminary in New York City (PhD) where she served as director of family ministries at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. She is an instructor for Union Presbyterian Seminary’s continuing education program, teaching mission & evangelism.
Course Description:
The overarching goal of this course is to develop a contextual framework to understand mission and evangelism. Students will re-imagine the contours of mission and the task of evangelism, involving a theologically based approach to mission and evangelism and considering the impact of the growing demographic of the “unaffiliated” (or Spiritual But Not Religious) across the religious landscape of America. Students will examine an approach to mission and evangelism that addresses the needs of society, reflecting ways in which a local church continues its commitment to the gospel message (love God and love neighbor) and to the great commission (go and make disciples).
Dates: Mondays from 7-9pm EST, April 28 – June 2, 2025
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on April 23, 2025
If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

Pathways Online Course: Worship and Sacraments
2025-05-01 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-08 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-22 19:00 - 21:00
Pathways Online Course instructed by Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston and Rev. Dr. Diane Walton Hendricks: Worship & Sacraments

Donna Giver-Johnston is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Over her twenty years in ministry, she has served churches in New Jersey and Ohio, and most recently as Pastor of Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Currently, she is a member of the faculty and the Director of the Doctor of Ministry degree program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She has earned degrees from Vanderbilt University (PhD and MA), Princeton Seminary (MDiv), and Westminster College (BA). Her published books include Claiming the Call to Preach: Four Female Pioneers of Preaching in Nineteenth-Century America (Oxford, 2021); Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart (Fortress, 2021); For Every Matter Under Heaven: Preaching for Special Occasions (Fortress Press, 2022).

Rev. Dr. Diane Walton Hendricks has served as pastor of Clifton Presbyterian Church in Clifton, VA, since September of 2020. She is passionate about nurturing a community that is growing in relationship with one another, with God, with the community, and with God’s ongoing work in the world. Before coming to CPC, Pastor Diane served churches in Arlington and Falls Church. In addition, she serves the greater church as a spiritual director (trained in the contemplative tradition), and has also served on staff at Wesley Theological Seminary and in the Pathways program of Union Presbyterian Seminary. She also served National Capital Presbytery as its immediate past moderator and is presently chair of the Leadership Council. She received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and her Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary.
Course Description:
This course will examine the history, theology, and practice of worship and sacraments. While rooted in the reformed tradition, the goal is to deepen appreciation for a variety of worship services and liturgical practices. Through reflections on readings and discussions of observed liturgical rituals, the course will seek to cultivate enlivened worship leadership practices and their theological impact within the particular ecclesial context for each person. At the end of the course, participants will be equipped and inspired to craft and lead worship that is lifegiving for them and their worshiping congregation.
Dates: Thursdays, May 1-June 5 (asynchronous only on May 29)
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on April 27, 2025. Late registration ends on May 6, 2025.
If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

Sprunt 2025
2025-05-05, 2025-05-06, 2025-05-07
It’s time for the biggest alumni reunion event of the year: the Sprunt Lectures! Please plan to join UPSem alums from the past fifty years for a re-imagined event in Richmond from May 5-7.
Monday 5/5/25
All Day
Richmond Outing Ideas to do on your own: Maymont, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Carytown Shopping, Short Pump Town Center Shopping, Scotts Addition Dining, Virginia Holocaust Museum, Walking/Biking Trails/Golf Courses

10:30 AM – Noon
Seminary Activities:
William Smith Morton Library, Yaupon Place Walks

Morning – 1 or 2 PM
Alumni group or cohort gatherings are possible and on request.
Nearby Restaurants or on campus location TBD

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Registration & We are Union Fair
Fair Opens with Coffee and refreshments Connection time with others. Come learn more about our Centers, Innovations, Special Initiatives, Faculty Publications in Library, Evening Storytelling Sign-ups, and More!
Holderness Dining Room
Advancement Team and Campus Leaders

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Film Viewing: “Trails of Hope & Terror”
Lake Chapel in the Early Center
Ken McFayden, Dean/VP of Academic Affairs and Professor of Practical Theology

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Refreshments & Casual Conversations
Rose Reception Area in Early Center

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
reUnion Choir Rehearsal
All are welcome to join. This choir will sing for opening worship Monday PM and/or Tuesday AM.
Watts Chapel
Doug Brown with David LaMotte

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Miguel De La Torre: Lecture 1
Reflections on “Trails of Hope and Terror” followed by Q&A
Lake Chapel
Rubén Arjona Asst. Professor of Pastoral Care and Director of Doctor of Ministry Program

5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Dinner
Honoring Distinguished Alum – Angela Sims
Holderness Dining Room
Jacqueline Lapsley President & Professor of Old Testament in the Walter W. Moore & Charles E. S. Kraemer Presidential Chairs

7:15 PM – 9:00 PM
Live on Stage: True & First Person Stories by Attendees.
Theme: Waiting. Stories about being stuck, unresolved conflict, being trapped with no known way out… almost there but not yet.
Lake Chapel
John Carroll Harriet Robertson Fitts Memorial Professor of New Testament

Tuesday, 5/6/25
6:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Coffee & Connecting Time Registrations Continue
Holderness Cafe

6:30 or 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Morning Groups:
7am Walking: Jacq Lapsley, Others TBD.
6:30 am Running: Josh Morris & Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty
6:30 am Yoga: Christine Luckritz Marquis Prayer, Bible Study, Other TBD
Meet under the Tent on the Quad
Faculty and Staff

7:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Breakfast
Holderness Dining Room

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Opening Worship
Worship Leaders: Mamie Broadhurst, Doug Brown, reUnion Choir, Students, and David LaMotte
Watts Chapel
Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty Davis Family Chair Professor of Theology & History

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Coffee Break & Registration Continues
Rose Reception Area in the Early Center

10:20 AM – 11:35 AM
Miguel De La Torre:
Lecture 2 “An Introduction to the Immigration Crisis”
Watts Chapel
Christian Sanchez Asst. Professor of New Testament

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Lunch
Honoring Unsung Staff Hero, Amanda Montague & Rising Star Alum, Megan Argabrite
Holderness Dining Room
Sung Hee Chang Assoc. Professor of Supervised Ministry

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
BAA Annual Meeting and Other Connection Groups (on request during registration)
BAA: Early Center 125
Connection Groups: Under the Tent

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Miguel De La Torre: Lecture 3 “A Rejection of Eurocentric Thought” followed by Q & A
Watts Chapel
Safwat Marzouk Assoc. Prof. Of Old Testament

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Coffee/ Refreshment Break and Connections
Early Center, Rose Reception Area

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Breakout Groups: Facilitated by Alphonso Saville, Am. Religious History Becky Davis, Christian Education Frances Taylor Gench, New Testament Josh Morris, Practical Theology Karen Marie Yust, Christian Education Melanie Jones Quarles, Ethics Theology & Culture
Early Center: Rooms as Assigned
UPSem Faculty

5:00 PM – 5:45PM
Book Signings & Reception with Miguel De La Torre & David LaMotte and connection time with retired faculty members
Under the Tent on the Quad
Robin McCall Seminary Librarian & Asst. Professor of Bibliography and Research

5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
reUnion Choir Rehearsal– All are welcome to join. This choir will sing for Closing worship Wednesday
Watts Chapel
Douglas Brown Director of Music & Adjunct Instructor in Church Music

6:00 PM – 7:15 PM
BBQ Dinner Honoring Trailblazer Award, Brian Blount and connection time with retired faculty members
Under the Tent on the Quad
Black Alumni Association

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Concert by David LaMotte
Lake Chapel
Lee Hinson-Hasty Vice President for Advancement

Wednesday, 5/7/25
6:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Coffee & Connecting Time Registrations Continue
Holderness Cafe

6:30 or 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Morning Groups:
7am Walking: Jacq Lapsley, Others TBD.
6:30 am Running: Josh Morris & Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty
6:30 am Yoga: Christine Luckritz Marquis Prayer, Bible Study, Other TBD
Under the Tent on the Quad
Faculty and Staff

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
Holderness Dining Room

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Miguel De La Torre: Closing Lecture “Ethics Para Joder” followed by Q & A
Watts Chapel
Rachel Baard Asst. Professor of Theology & Ethics & Dir. of MA in Public Theology

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Coffee Break
Watts Lobby

10:45 AM – Noon
Closing Worship
Watts Chapel
Mamie Broadhurst

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch with Community by Reservation
Holderness Dining Room

Special Course: The Black Teaching Tradition and the Legacy of Proclamation in the Black Church
2025-05-06 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-13 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-20 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-27 19:00 - 21:00
Special Course instructed by Rev. Dr. Akosua Lesesne: The Black Teaching Tradition and the Legacy of Proclamation in the Black Church
Dates: May 6 – June 10, 2025 // Tuesdays, 7-9pm via Zoom
Course Description:
In this course, we will explore the relationship between the transformative legacy of Black teaching excellence and the powerful tradition of Black preaching. Participants will come away from this course with a new or renewed understanding of how the practices of proclamation in the Black Church and pedagogical genius in Black schoolhouses are aligned. The primary aim of this course of study is to reclaim and (re)member the liberatory power of Black teaching and Black preaching for greater impact in the pulpit and traditional learning settings alike. Study will be taken up through the lens of Sankofa: an African word from the Akan peoples in Ghana. The literal translation of the word and the Sankofa symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”

Meet the instructor
Rev. Dr. Akosua Lesesne is an educational design leader and creator of the Black Teaching Tradition (BTT)®: Teacher Development Framework for Pedagogical Genius. She is the founder of The Lesesne Collective Corp (Lesesne Collective) dba Sisters in Education Circle (SIEC) and Lesesne Legacy Learning Village (Lesesne Learning). Prior to founding Lesesne Collective dba SIEC, Akosua’s commitment to upholding historic legacies of Black teaching excellence for justice and liberation defined fifteen years of work as a teacher then district leader in the sixth, fourth, and eight-largest school districts in the nation respectively and design consultant serving a wide array of educational organizations and initiatives across the United States–from preschool through higher education, including theological education. Akosua was licensed and ordained by the late and legendary Rev. Dr. Mack King Carter at New Mount Olive Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL and served under Dr. Carter as Interim Minister of Education. She is also an ordained elder, Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA). Akosua earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University, and a Doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on May 2, 2025, at 8am. Late registration ends on May 9, 2025.
If you are UPSem faculty or staff you can register for free HERE. If you are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.

Religious Education Theory and Practice
2025-05-20 11:00 - 14:00, 2025-05-27 11:00 - 14:00
Christian Education Certification Course instructed by Dr. Rebecca Davis: Religious Education Theory and Practice
Course Description:
Religious Education Theory and Practice provides Presbyterian Christian Educators an opportunity to think theologically about the teaching ministry of the church. It exposes educators to a variety of educational theories that informs pedagogical practices. Writing publishable, quality lesson plans, as well as choosing and evaluating curriculum are essential components of this course.

Meet the instructor
Rebecca L. Davis is a Minister of the Word and Sacrament and a Certified Christian Educator in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Before being appointed to the faculty of Union Presbyterian Seminary on the Charlotte Campus she served as Associate Professor of Religion and the Director of the Christian Education Program at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
Dr. Davis brings 25 years of congregational experience to her academic teaching. She has been both ordained and non-ordained ministry staff in small, medium and large congregations across the south. She was Director of Christian Education at Enslow Park Presbyterian in Huntington, WV, Associate Pastor at Central Presbyterian in Mobile, AL, Pastor of First Presbyterian in Monahans, TX and Executive Director of its child development center, Associate General Presbyter in Peace River Presbytery in FL and Associate Pastor at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
Dates: May 13-June 17, 2025, with synchronous zoom meetings from 11am-2pm on 5/20, 5/27, 6/03, and 6/10
Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on May 8. Late registration ends on May 16.
If you are UPSem faculty or staff or are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes
