Dr. Jennifer Ayres to lead Howie Center Events

…THESE FREE EVENTS, CLICK HERE.   Click here to view the flyer for the 2022 Howie Center Events.   The Carl Howie Center for Science, Art, and Theology sponsors presentations through which church leaders (including seminarians) recognize and engage the insights and implications of the interplay of science, art, and theology for theological expression and the practice of ministry. The …

Souvenirs from Switzerland: Our Exchange Year in Bern

…Aare, a gorgeous aqua green in late Summer, coils around the 15th century city with its red-rooves, church spires, and angular bridges. The late medieval streets are broad, gilded signs hang above the windows of nearly every building, and Alpine spring water issues forth from ornately carved fountains every few hundred paces. Legend has it that the city’s founder, Berchtold …

Alex Evans is tested police chaplain

Alex Evans (M.Div.’87), pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, and chairman of the board of trustees of Union Presbyterian Seminary, is flanked by Detective John Walker and Sargeant Carol Adams of the Richmond Police Department.   BY JOE SLAY It was Sunday morning, less than a week after the April 16, 2007 massacre of 32 students and teachers …

“40,000-year flood” tests resolve of Houston pastor, alumnus

…together.” The most pressing needs are money and prayers. Burnham’s church needs $50,000 to pay its insurance deductible for repairs. And many residents need help with basic living expenses because their flood-damaged workplaces are closed. You can help Burnham’s church by mailing a donation to: St. John’s Presbyterian Church Attn: ACTS Fund 5020 West Bellfort Ave. Houston, TX 77035   …

Interim Pastor – Central Presbyterian Church, Des Moines

…the Presbyterian Church (USA), or a denomination in full communion with the PCUSA (UCC, ELCA, or RCA). Ministers in other denominations may apply, but would need Presbytery approval. • 10 years pastoral experience • Training in interim or transitional ministry preferred Job Information • Full-time • Annual salary: $90,000-100,000 (including housing allowance) • Benefits include health insurance and retirement through …

Writing (Righting) Wrong: Memory, Resistance, Resilience

…anatomy of the ideawith the genogram, in order to stabilize in writing how characteristics prevalent in the Black Church community are ingrained and shaped by memory, resistance, and resilience. Click here for biographical sketches of the leaders.   Click here to register for Writing (Righting) Wrong: Memory, Resistance, Resilience To register by mail, please contact Elizabeth DiStanislao at edistanislao@upsem.edu or …

Strategic planning in an uncertain world

…with the seeds for a planning process which matches the style, timeline, and resources of his or her own church setting. Click here for biographical sketches of the leaders. Click here for a schedule of the seminar.   Click here to register for Strategic Planning in an Uncertain World,October 17-20, 2016. If you would prefer to register without going through …

Social Justice Orientation Leads to Missions

…(or Hell’s Bottom) Mission and its impact: For almost a mile, the C. & O. Railroad Yards run parallel to a little creek that the city has converted into an open sewer. In the ravine carved out by this stream lie huddled the buildings that serve as homes for seven hundred Negro families. The air of the place is tainted …

Strange Bedfellows: South Africa and U.S.A.

…The Church’s Responsibility in the Presence of Apartheid. We met with the South African team in London where they had come for another interdenominational meeting. For free reading during my travel, I carried the digest of the book, Creek Mary, from the Reader’s Digest. In this book of historical fiction by Dee Brown, he tells the story of Native American …

Black Lives Matter!

BY WILLIAM R. FREEMAN (M.Div.‘01) WOW! Here we go again. On Thursday, November 22, 2018, Thanksgiving Day, we received a report of another police killing of a Black man. This time a young twenty-one year old, at a mall in Hoover, Alabama – ten miles from Birmingham. His name: Emantic Fitzgerald “EJ” Bradford, Jr. At first, the police put out …

Will Change Ever Come?

…(ACA) being declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court, many black and brown people will not be able to afford health insurance. A diagnosis of COVID-19 could be labeled a pre-existing condition, thereby, making the cost of insurance even more prohibitive. The striking down of the ACA will mean the end of Medicaid expansion which has been a valuable …

CE Certification Online Course – Human Growth & Faith Development

…of psychological and faith development theory for a specific population group. Critically reflect on intersections of psychological and faith development theories with curriculum resources.   Course Syllabus: The course syllabus is shared after participants register and within three weeks of the course start date. The list of required texts will be included in the automated confirmation email once registered. Course …

Slavery, Race, and Civil Rights

William B. Sweetser Jr. (Ph.D. 2000) has written a comprehensive story of the Seminary from its earliest beginnings in his book A Copious Fountain: A History of Union Presbyterian Seminary, 1812-2012 (Westminster John Knox Press, 2016). Union’s history includes much to regret and much to celebrate with regard to matters of slavery, race, and Civil Rights in the United States. …

  SEE THE SCHEDULE   SIGN ME UP   GROUP REGISTRATION   CONTACTS Registration Information Sheridan Taylor 804-278-4221 Union Presbyterian Seminary Rev. Mairi Renwick 804-291-8314 Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Dr. Melissa Fallen 804- 204-1208 Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University Dr. Deborah Martin 804-257-5674 …

Online Course: Introduction to Pastoral Care (Pathways Online Course)

…of Pastoral Care, Union Presbyterian Seminary Course Description: An introduction to the theories of pastoral care and counseling. The course offers various theological and psychological perspectives and tools to help participants develop confidence in responding to circumstances of pastoral care and counseling in the context of parish ministry and other institutional settings. Topics include the art of listening, loss and …

Central America Travel Seminar: Buzzing over Guatemalan coffee and a volcano 🌋

…visit the coffee plantation where the indigenous population was forced to work for low wages. Franciscans arrived in Guatemala in 1523. They first visited Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras on foot. The Franciscans taught the indigenous people Spanish, faith instruction and human instruction. The human part was teaching the different groups of indigenous people trades such as carpentry and bricklaying. The …

Pastoral Care – Pathways Online Course

…understanding of what it means to listen pastorally and provide meaningful pastoral care that is illustrative of a biblical understanding of hospitality. Online Course Format: Weekly class meetings via Zoom Technology, along with assignments posted on Blackboard, the seminary’s learning management system (login credentials provided) Led by: Dr. Carol Schweitzer, Associate Professor Emerita of Pastoral Care, Union Presbyterian Seminary Dates: …

Seminary for a Day workshop “Musical Resources for Pastoral Care Ministry” led by Dr. Schweitzer

Register for “Seminary for a Day” to attend this workshop led by Dr. Carol Schweitzer Musical Resources for Pastoral Care Ministry Have you ever wondered why we have church disagreements about music? Have you ever considered what constitutes good music for you, personally? Would you like to have a playlist for using when visiting? What are the narratives that rest …

Musical group, The Many, to lead 2019 Carl Howie Center Events for Science, Art, and Theology

The Many, a musical group passionate about creating music for people to sing together about peace and justice and where all belong, are coming to the Richmond campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary, October 14 – 15, to lead the 2019 Carl Howie Center Events. Click here to learn more, including the event schedule and registration info. These events are FREE …

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 …

Early Thinking about Slavery: The Hoge Years

…Liberia. His act of liberation was both gracious and disturbing. The freeing of his enslaved persons did not result from an understanding of racial equality that presaged integrated racial community. While he believed in the universal kinship of all people in God, he also felt that enslaved people who had been emancipated and free blacks should not live in America …