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112th Year of Sprunt Lecture Series Brings Renowned African American Scholar-Authors to Union Presbyterian Seminary

…year since—through two world wars and a pandemic. For a complete schedule of the lectures and receptions, visit https://bit.ly/Sprunt23schedule To register for the Sprunt Lecture Series and the alumni luncheon, visit https://bit.ly/registerSprunt23 Learn more about the Sprunt Lecture speakers and events at this link: https://www.upsem.edu/newsroom/2023-sprunt-lectures-may-1-3-2023/ # # #   Barb Dodd, Director of Communications Union Presbyterian Seminary bdodd@upsem.edu 804.278.4279 direct …

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Sabbath on the Red Sea

…Ras Sidr in the Sinai Peninsula. En route we crossed under the Suez Canal by tunnel. Ras Sidr is on the Red Sea and we arrived in time to enjoy the beach for an hour or two before dinner. It was a wonderful experience of sabbath after a hectic week of travel and learning. –Melissa White M.Div / M.A.C.E. 2024 …

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Listening and Learning in Egypt

Today was rich in encounters with our Christian siblings in Egypt. We spent the first half of the day visiting the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS). Founded in 1950, CEOSS has become a powerful force for good in Egypt. CEOSS’s Vice President, Mr. Momtaz Beshay, met with us and educated our group on how the organization orchestrates a …

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Hospitality in Cairo

…don’t know, koshary is an Egyptian staple dish, consisting of rice, lentils, noodles, chick peas, and tomato sauce and you top it with garlic vinegar sauce and fried onions. I know what it sounds like, believe me, but it was actually so good and really filling! One of the best meals we’ve had thus far! –Kate Brown 2nd Year M.Div/MAPT …

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Remember. Together. Apart.

…above sea level, we are currently sitting at about 1,200 feet below sea level, at the lowest place on earth. From the very ground shifting beneath us, there is both movement and tension here: we remember the past, inhabit the present, and wrestle with historical and present realities of groups living together and apart. At Masada (pronounced mat-SAH-dah in Hebrew), …

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Mosques, Museums, and More

Another early morning for a not-quite-so-early flight (that wasn’t quite as early as we thought). And we got to have the “Egyptian Surprise” of daylight savings time, which hasn’t happened in 5 years! When we returned to Cairo, we visited the citadel of Cairo where we had the unique opportunity of visiting an Ottoman-style mosque built by the great Egyptian …

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Into Israel

…are truly part of a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). Once we left the hotel, we arrived at the Saint Catherine’s checkpoint twenty minutes later and awaited other buses to leave in a caravan for the Taba Border crossing to Israel. We eventually met up with our tour guide, Samir, by 3:30 p.m. He directed us to the bus, …

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Duc in Altum

…the site, explained each mosaic carefully. She not only shared each artist’s intention behind their piece, but also her own interpretations that centered on the message that Jesus is always there for you. As impressive as it was to walk in the steps of Jesus, what really stood out to me was the living faith of the communities of I …

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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. …

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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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Black Alumni Association Newsletter: September 2021

…know that they were free. Others say that the enslaved knew that they had been freed, however, there was no one to enforce their federally mandated freedom. On that day Major General Gordon Granger, commander of the United States Army of the Federal District of Texas, arrived at Galveston and issued General Order #3 which stated that all slaves are …

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(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 …

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Black Alumni Association Newsletter: February 2022

…Teach Students About the Period That Shaped Race Relations After the Civil War” (January 2022). The 2020 murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd in the midst of the COVID 19 outbreak sparked new conversations about race relations in America. The conversations on race were not really new, just unresolved old ones. Some issues around race and racism …

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BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: February 2023

…FREEMAN M.Div., Union-PSCE, 2001 Rev. William R. Freeman As those of you who read this newsletter know, this author usually discusses issues which highlight the murders of many of our young Black American boys, men and women who are murdered by police officers. Boys, men and women like Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, …

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BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: MAY 2022

…The actual list of speakers was as follows: A. Philip Randolph – March Direction Walter Reuther – UAW-AFL-CIO Roy Wilkins – NAACP John Lewis – Chair, SNCC Daisy Bates – Little Rock, Arkansas Dr. Eugene Carson Blake – United Presbyterian Church and the National Council of Churches Floyd McKissik – CORE (James Farmer had been arrested and was in jail) …

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Black Alumni Association Newsletter: November 2021

…because of it. He lost his career because of it. Because people weren’t ready to hear what he had to say. But when the whole world saw that police officer kneel on George Floyd’s neck and crush the breath out of him in slow motion for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while the world watched, and decided we couldn’t stomach …

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Dr. John Carroll leading a series entitled “On the Way with God’s Pentecost People: Exploring the Acts of the Apostles”

Dr. John Carroll will lead a three-part series, “On the Way with God’s Pentecost People: Exploring the Acts of the Apostles,” as part of the adult forum at St. John’s Episcopal in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood. Sessions will meet on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. May 6, 13, and 20. Dr. Carroll is the Harriet Robertson Fitts Memorial Professor of New …

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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 …

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Online Workshop: Pastoral Care within a Pandemic

…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 for him includes accompanying some of his …

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Dr. Carroll to Keynote for Presbytery of New Hope Pastors/Educators Retreat

Dr. John T. Carroll will be the keynote speaker for the Presbytery of New Hope 2019 Pastors/Educators Retreat. The retreat will take place at Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC, on October 14-16, 2019. Dr. John T. Carroll is Harriet Robertson Fitts Memorial Professor of New Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary. …

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Loss, lament, and gratitude in the aftermath of Florence

…no internet. “We are suffering something terrible,” he said. “There’s always been a lack of affordable housing in New Bern, and now a lot of that is gone with the floods—uninhabitable—and three hotels have closed down. Most people don’t have flood insurance. It’s never been required. It never floods in New Bern! “People have been feeling a kind of paralysis …

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Pastoral Care & Mental Healthcare Workshop

This workshop is designed to be extremely practical, and participants will leave with resources and responses related to pastoral care and mental healthcare. Location: Union Presbyterian Seminary, Paisley Hall, Richmond, Virginia Led by: Dr. Carol Schweitzer, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care Emerita Dates: Tuesday, March 3 – Wednesday, March 4, 2020 Tuesday, March 3: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., includes …

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