Sunrise on Mount Sinai

…even painful. Yesterday, as we drove through the desert landscape of the Sinai Peninsula, Safwat asked us to think about the idea of pilgrimage and to consider what we each might contribute. Today was a day of challenges, but also a day of receiving the generous support of others as we continue our individual journeys. –Margaret Mackinnon, 1st year M.Div. …

Remember. Together. Apart.

…we explored the history of the Jewish people resisting Roman occupation and capture after the destruction of the Second Temple, around 73 C.E. This mesa fortress, originally created as a getaway fortress by a King Herod, later became an ideal escape location for the Jewish patriots, led by Eliazar ben Ya-ir, seeking to resist the Roman occupation and siege of …

From Hermon to the Sea of Galilee

…recalled the stories in which Jesus calms the raging sea and walks on the water and worshiped together while experiencing the gentle rolling of the waves around us. Later that evening, as the full moon rose over the Sea of Galilee, we gathered in the hotel for a time of reflection. It was a beautiful experience in the cool of …

Duc in Altum

…touch the spot where the sea breaks onto the shore. As one would expect, fish was the main course for our lunch. Our next stop was Magdala, hometown of Mary Magdalene. We toured an excavated first-century synagogue and the market that surrounded it. Our tour guide suggested that Jesus may have taught there. The site is also home to Duc …

Sabbath on the Red Sea

Today we had the privilege of visiting Al-Azhar Al-Shariff, the largest and most prestigious Islamic academic institution in the world. Our hosts graciously welcomed us and Islamic scholar, Prof. Dr. Nazir Mohamed Ayyad spoke with us about the work and mission of Al-Azhar Al-Shariff. He spoke particularly about the research arm of the institution, Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy (AIRA). Dr. …

Valley of the Kings

Egypt is a magical land, there is no other way to explain how we fit so much in a day! Like the setting of the sun, today we traveled west, across the Nile, to the land of the dead. Fourteen adventurous members of our group began their day at 3:30 a.m. to watch the sun rise over the Nile in …

Joshua T. Morris Named Assistant Professor of Practical Theology

…for Pastoral Theology, the Association of Practical Theology, the American Academy of Religion, the Society for Intercultural Pastoral Care and Counseling, and the Pediatric Chaplains Network. He has received awards for excellence in academic, military, and hospital communities. Dr. Morris is married to Beth Morris. They are the proud parents of an eight-year-old son, Isaac, and a four-year-old daughter, Annette. …

Islamic Studies Scholar to Lead Dawe Lecture on March 14 at Union Presbyterian Seminary

…She received her bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and English from Florida State University. In 2004, Mubarak was the first female to be elected president of the national Muslim Students Association. As a field researcher, Mubarak conducted on-site interviews and surveys with a range of Muslim scholars, government officials, activists, students, and journalists in Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, and …

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty Named Professor of Theology and Ethics

…School of Christian Education (now UPSem) in 2002. Ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church, USA, she is a member of the Mid-Kentucky Presbytery. Dr. Hinson-Hasty’s service to the church is ecumenical and international. She has represented the World Council of Churches in numerous capacities. On the national church level, she has served as a …

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Scholarships and Awards

…to the glory of God. Jacob Hord III, Gastonia, North Carolina Selina Malherbe, Charlotte, North Carolina Michele Nierle, Henrico, Virginia Cat Parler, Charleston, South Carolina Margaret Smerko, Raleigh, North Carolina Eric Tang, Kernersville, North Carolina Serenitye Taylor, Pineville, North Carolina Mollie Trainum, Gloucester, Virginia The Wade and Lou Boggs Scholarship The Boggs Scholarship is awarded annually by the faculty to …

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Public lecture (virtual): “Entre el llanto y la Palabra: la pastoral de Calvino ante la enfermedad y la muerte” (Between Tears and the Word: the Pastoral Response of Calvin to Illness and Death”

Shalom Farms: An agricultural learning lab in Northside

…growing, last year was my first year and the farm’s first year,” Wilson said. The farm is leasing five acres of land on the Westwood Tract from Union Presbyterian Seminary for free. It uses a tractor, greenhouse, and an army of enthusiastic volunteers and seminary student interns to maximize production to get as much great healthy food as possible to …

Black Alumni Association Newsletter: September 2021

…free. The next part of the order, I feel, was not what God intended. For the freedmen were advised to remain at their homes, on the plantation, and work for wages. While the newly freed slaves had not been promised a “Physical Promise Land”, returning to the place where they had endured years of suffering, had to further compound the …

Online Event: Virtual Clergy Self-Care Retreat

  Virtual Clergy Self-Care Retreat Date: Saturday, January 30, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST Co-leaders: Rev. Phanta Lansden, Associate Pastor, C.N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Founder, Phanta Lansden Ministries, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rev. Kamal Hassan, Pastor, Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church, Richmond, California Workshop Description: This virtual retreat geared towards clergy and ministry care-givers will offer self-care …

Online Event: Clergy Self-Care Virtual Retreat

Clergy Self-Care Virtual Retreat Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. EDT Co-leaders: Rev. Phanta Lansden, Associate Pastor, C.N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Founder, Phanta Lansden Ministries, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rev. Kamal Hassan, Pastor, Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church, Richmond, California Workshop Description: This virtual retreat geared towards clergy and ministry caregivers will assist participants in …

Black Alumni Association Newsletter: February 2022

…than the period from 1954 to the present time. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965 and has been extended several times. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that certain parts of the law were unconstitutional and states did not have to get preclearance to change voting laws. The challenge to voting laws would have to come …

BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: MAY 2022

…analysis papers and exegetical arguments. There were many brief nights of sleep in which I closed my eyes only to open them again two hours later to take a test or get to class. Some of the essays I wrote facilitated full-on religious crises, one of which lasted for a solid year. Still, I find that God has a way …

(FREE) Webinar: Death & End of Life Issues

…care and grief counseling for dying patients and their families. Her area of research and practice is trauma-responsive psychotherapy and spiritual care in families and relationships. She is the author of Caring for Single Black Mothers: Unveiling Trauma and Loss (Pickwick Publications, 2021) and Pastoral Care for Grief and Loss in Pandemics, a chapter in an upcoming edited volume for …

Webinar: La Dimensión Terapéutica del Ministerio Pastoral

…Theology and Care at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. Dr. Arjona’s research interests include the pastoral care of men, the intersections of pastoral care and liberation theologies, the care of couples and families, the care of LGBTQ+ individuals, and Erik H. Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. One of his deepest passions is the care of theological students, which …

BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: November 2022

…support my journey of faith as I experience love and care in this friendly environment.” We also welcomed the following students this year: Richmond Kimberly Davis, M.Div./MACE Bonita Kirk, MAPT John Ng’aNg’a, MACE Charlotte LaDonna Harrison, M.Div. Priscilla Wilkinson, M.Div. Also, we are expecting three additional Black students to begin with the Spring Charlotte term for a total of 12 …