BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: May 2023

…the most in 2023. I will be launching Hill Eco Inc. (HEI), my public discourse consulting firm. HEI will collaborate with diverse stakeholders to provide strategies for civic engagement education and develop communications channels to allow people to participate in local, regional, national and international decision-making to create a society where ethics and public policy are foundational to ensure the …

BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: February 2024

…Dr. John Malcus Ellison, the first African American president of Virginia Union University who authored an article on the Rural Negro Church in 1930 and also the book Dark Glory, A Picture of the Church Among Negroes in the Rural South by Dr. Harry V. Richardson, who founded the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. I then take on the task …

Cross-Registration at Other PC (USA) Schools

Inaugural Symposium Celebrates Center for Excellence in Christian Education at UPSem’s Charlotte Campus

…present, and possibilities for the future of educational ministry. Caldwell enjoys engaging religious and cultural diversity, forming children to live in a diverse world. On Friday, Dec. 1, the CECE symposium continues with a 9:00 a.m. keynote by visionary leader Dr. Patrick Reyes, author of The Purpose Gap. Focusing on helping marginalized people and communities of color thrive, Reyes offers …

BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: August 2024

…also bountifully. Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, and may abound to every good work” (KJV). If you follow the instructions and …

Gay Dawn Mothershed Dies at 85

…Gay also made significant contributions to the larger church as a member of the General Assembly Mission Board in the former Presbyterian Church US from 1972-1983, and again as a member of the General Assembly Council from 1983-1989, during the reunion of the denomination. She served on and chaired numerous work groups and committees in her career, and was an …

2023 Sprunt Lectures May 1 -3, 2023

…most recent book, Azusa Reimagined: A Radical Vision of Religious and Democratic Belonging, (2022). She has also been recognized by NBC News as one of six black women at the center of gravity in theological education in America. She is a fourth generation preacher in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Alongside her scholarship, she also engages public policy …

From Hermon to the Sea of Galilee

…the evening to think about all the places to which we have been. We dwelt on the fact that we may have been walking where Jesus walked. We pondered what has changed and what is the same about the hills, the trees, the flowers, or the desert compared to the topography and the flora of the biblical eras. There is, …

2024 Sprunt Lectures

…preacher will be Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes, former president of Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Lori Raible is the Alumni luncheon speaker. The BAA Trailblazer and the Distinguished Alum will be recognized, too, at a reception! Lecture Series Fee $100 covers all meals; there is no a la carte. Current UPSem students and faculty are free (for planning purposes/food, please …

2024 Sprunt Lectures

…preacher will be Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes, former president of Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Lori Raible is the Alumni luncheon speaker. The BAA Trailblazer and the Distinguished Alum will be recognized, too, at a reception! Lecture Series Fee $100 covers all meals; there is no a la carte. Current UPSem students and faculty are free (for planning purposes/food, please …

2024 Sprunt Lectures

…preacher will be Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes, former president of Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Lori Raible is the Alumni luncheon speaker. The BAA Trailblazer and the Distinguished Alum will be recognized, too, at a reception! Lecture Series Fee $100 covers all meals; there is no a la carte. Current UPSem students and faculty are free (for planning purposes/food, please …

Union Presbyterian Seminary to Inaugurate Rev. Dr. Rebecca L. Davis as Sarah Belk Gambrell Professor of Christian Education

…organizing chair of the Presbyterian Child Advocacy Network and on the Year of the Child Planning Team for the General Assembly. She has served on the editorial board for Presbyterian Women’s Horizons Magazine, the Advisory Board for the PCUSA’s Educate a Child Initiative, and the National Committee on the Self-Development of People. She currently serves on the Educator Certification Council …

Listening and Learning in Egypt

…that seeks to revitalize impoverished churches in several regions of Egypt. The presentation highlighted the critical role that physical church buildings can play in communal wellbeing and the struggles for Christian community when such buildings languish. By supporting both repair of physical structures and empowerment of local communities, they have witnessed the incredible church growth. This work continues to expand …

Inauguration | Flourishing Church, Flourishing World

Union Presbyterian Seminary inaugurates its eighth president, Dr. Jacqueline Lapsley, at this special ceremony held on the Seminary’s Quadrangle in Richmond, VA. Watch the livestream and learn more about the details at https://www.upsem.edu/may8/ …

Remember. Together. Apart.

Friends, this part of the world is not one for casual declarations or simple answers. It is world of passion, devotion, paradox, complexity, beauty, struggle, deeply held convictions, and long, long histories. This morning we awakened at our hotel-for-one-night in Jericho, in the West Bank. Jericho, like all of our destinations today (Masada National Park, Qumran National Park, and Tiberius …

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 …

Bridge for Early Career Preachers to Expand

…for those who are moving from aspiring to active preaching ministries. The Bridge’s cohort approach invites a group of early career pastors each year to focus on peer coaching, digital technology for preaching, preaching on significant social issues, and preaching with diverse communities. The supplementary grant will enable The Bridge to expand its next four cohorts and focus on recruiting …

The Meaning of a True Pilgrim

Sunday started off in Tsipori (Sepporis), another national park/archaeological site where the layers of history are stacked like a birthday cake or a Jenga game depending on how you like to look at the tidiness of the intersection of natural and political forces. Highlights here were a crusader tower with wonderfully interactive, goofy educational movies and mosaics—oh the wonderful mosaics! …

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

…adjacent Church of All Nations consists of interior and exterior spaces adorned with the splendor of sacred mosaic work from around the world, bringing together an intersection of global art gallery with sacred worship space centered upon this holy location. From here we ascended the opposite slope to the walls of Jerusalem. Those who have been to Jerusalem are often …

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 …

From Galilee to the Dead Sea

On May 8, 2023, my 32nd birthday started off with the group going to Bet She’an National Park, which is the ancient city of Scythopolis. The site has many historical layers from the Late Bronze to the Greco-Roman period. It witnessed transitions between various ancient near eastern empires, including the Egyptians and the Assyrians. After viewing the Roman-period amphitheater and …