Upcoming Events – Union Presbyterian Seminary

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In the last week or so, we have sadly heard report

In the last week or so, we have sadly heard reports of more mass shootings.

Mass shootings that were racially motivated. Mass shootings that impinged on sacred space. And most recently, a mass shooting that occurred in an elementary school.

Chaplain Mairi Renwick offers this prayer. We hope her words may provide you with words, as we once again, process the trauma and horror of innocent people being killed:

One who encompasses, accepts, and gifted us all emotions,
I confess.
I confess that I have ignored my emotions,
and instead have become numb.
I confess that I repressed my anger
because it seemed futile.
I confess I shut down my sadness
because I felt helpless.
I confess I silenced my own voice
because I believed no one would actually listen or care or do anything.
Forgive me.
Forgive me and empower me.
Empower me to use my anger righteously.
Empower me to use my sadness to comfort others.
Empower me to use my voice for those who have no voice because they are afraid,
who have no voice because their grief is too much,
who have no voice because their voices have been killed.
Empower us.
Empower us as a whole community.
Empower us to demand through our study, prayer, and action
that all people deserve to feel heard;
that all people deserve to feel love;
And that all people deserve feel and be safe.

We pray this in the name of the one who provides us with peace, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Rev. Mairi Renwick
(she/her/hers)
Union Presbyterian Seminary
Chaplain-Richmond Campus

What a joyous and exciting day it was to celebrate

What a joyous and exciting day it was to celebrate our Richmond campus #classof2022, the first in-person commencement in 3 pandemic years. We can't wait to see what they do next #ForTheChurchInTheWorld 🎓🎉👏🏼 .

See link in bio for more photos! 📸

We are counting down the hours until our May 21 Ri

We are counting down the hours until our May 21 Richmond campus graduation! Today was commencement rehearsal and Baccalaureate 🎉 🎓 #classof2022 #masksrequired

Union Presbyterian Seminary has been awarded a gra

Union Presbyterian Seminary has been awarded a grant to promote a deep understanding of how pipe organs can be used to lead, accompany, and inspire a community to sing.

A $15,000 grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship will be used to host four festival worship services that explore musical and liturgical territory not typically associated with the organ. In particular, these services will feature music of the Black church, global music, and music composed by women.

The award follows the seminary’s successful fundraising campaign to replace and install a state-of-the-art pipe organ in historic Watts Chapel, the first organ to be designed specifically for the 123-year-old worship space.

“The primary objective of purchasing a new pipe organ for Watts Chapel is to show our students that a modern, well-designed pipe organ remains a powerfully vital instrument of the church,” said seminary music director Doug Brown.

Installation of the new organ is expected to begin in August of 2022.

New grant to study how theological education can b

New grant to study how theological education can be more intercultural

Union Presbyterian Seminary Associate Professor of Old Testament Safwat Marzouk has received a grant to examine how theological education can become more intercultural in substantive ways beyond just assigning diverse readings. Through participation in the Seek the Welfare program through Leadership Education at @dukedivinity , Dr. Marzouk will look into how different cultures think critically and how this should be reflected in creating diverse course requirements.

While the body of the students at UPSem is becoming more diverse, many course requirements are still shaped by the scholarly traditions of historical criticism. Marzouk’s project seeks to revise some of his syllabi to become more diverse, not only in relation to the readings required but also in relation to the various projects that the students are asked to do.

Marzouk is an Egyptian Presbyterian whose research interests include thinking theologically about monsters in the Bible, Ancient Near East, and popular culture; Constructing the Other in the Old Testament; Middle Eastern Christian Hermeneutics; and Immigration and the Bible.

Leadership Education at Duke University aims to create lasting change in U.S. congregations by supporting Christian leaders and the institutions they serve. It designs educational services, develops intellectual resources, and facilitates networks of institutions that cultivate a coherent vision of Christian institutional leadership and form Christian leaders. Leadership Education is a non-degree-granting initiative of Duke Divinity School funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and based in Durham, North Carolina.

#UPSem

Please join us in welcoming alumnus and artist de'

Please join us in welcoming alumnus and artist de'Angelo Dia as our new Charlotte campus admissions director!

Dia received his Doctor of Ministry in Theology/Theological Studies from Union in April 2022. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Communication and Sociology from Appalachian State University, and a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“I look forward to serving you as the new director of admissions, contributing to nurturing community in the world, nurturing church in the world, and getting to know the community better,” Dia said.

Dia is an alumni artist-in-residence of the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, and has received fellowships from The Watering Hole and Cave Canem. He is a member of the Goodyear Arts collective based in Charlotte. And he is assistant to the senior pastor for social justice at St. Paul Baptist Church in Charlotte.

His artwork is an intersectionality of Black liberation theology and theopoetics. He investigates public opinion and contemporary beliefs on cultural, social-political, and theological issues through poetry, performance art, and photography. His artistic influences include ethno-gothic literature, comic books, graphic novels, and neo-Appalachian art.

#UPSem #UPSemAdmissions

Highlights of our 2022 Sprunt Lecture Series with

Highlights of our 2022 Sprunt Lecture Series with the Rev. Dr. Wil Gaffney, Rev. Dr. Kimberly Russaw, and distinguished alums. It was wonderful to see our community again in person. See you again in 2023! https://buff.ly/3Fidhxg #UPSem #SpruntLectures2022

President Brian Blount will retire from Union Pres

President Brian Blount will retire from Union Presbyterian Seminary in June 2023. He is the first African American to lead a @pcusa seminary.

Among his accomplishments:

+ Developing the Charlotte campus into a full partner with the Richmond campus, leading the seminary toward the fulfillment of its vision as “one seminary with two campuses.”

+Collaborating with partners in constructing the Canopy Apartments on UPSem property and subsequently selling these apartments, thus increasing the value of the seminary’s endowment by over $7 million.

+Recruiting a new generation of diverse, talented faculty to carry forward the seminary’s educational mission for years to come.

+Increasing the diversity of seminary faculty, staff, students, and board members through effective outreach.

+Completing successful reaccreditation of accreditation processes with the Association of Theological Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

+Establishing three vibrant centers to extend the reach of the seminary: The Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation, The Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership, and The Syngman Rhee Global Mission Center for Christian Education. Among other impacts, these centers have shaped the new Master of Arts in Public Theology program and supported new international and domestic travel seminars.

+Strengthening degree program enrollment by revising existing degree programs, designing new degree programs, and increasing access to all degree programs, including the upcoming launch of a hybrid Master of Divinity program.

+Working with faculty to reshape the curriculum into a focus on the church in the world.

+Leading a successful $50 million capital campaign that established financial support for initiatives such as faculty endowments, student scholarships, and the Hal Todd Library Without Walls Program.

+Facilitating the construction of the Charlotte campus building and the complete renovation of the Richmond Hall campus center and dormitory.

+Establishing a financial aid program that covers the cost of tuition and fees for all full-time students.

Please join us in congratulating him!