Student spotlight: Pay attention to the “bread crumbs”

…Divinity/Master of Arts in Christian Education student Isabella Fagiani. Growing up in Niagara Falls, New York, just five minutes from the famous waterfalls and a stone’s throw away from the Canadian Border, Fagiani was always involved in the Presbyterian church from a young age. “I took a lay academy class about preaching through my presbytery when I was 15 and…

Union Seminary to mandate COVID-19 vaccine for students, employees, visitors

…seminary classes and operations online. To begin preparations, staff will return to on-campus work August 2 in Richmond and August 3 in Charlotte. This transition assumes that such a return will be compliant with guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and regulations established by state and local authorities in Virginia and North Carolina. Currently, all such regulations…

“What Will We Do Now?”

…of 16th Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were murdered in a Klan bombing in 1963; in Little Rock, Arkansas, where, after worshipping at Second Presbyterian Church, we spent time at Central High School, where the Little Rock Nine integrated the student body in 1957; in Jackson, Mississippi, at Medgar Evers’s home (where many tears were shed as we…

UPSem announces new Master of Arts in Theological Studies program

…work that graduates are already doing, and prepares them for new vocations as public theologians. The program is approved by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and Union Presbyterian Seminary is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (www.sacscoc.org/). More information is available at https://www.upsem.edu/admissions-aid/new-master-arts-theological-studies/….

Render Unto Caesar: Terms of Call and Clergy Taxes

…& options  clergy taxes and housing allowance  reimbursements vs. allowances  retirement savings with the Board’s 403(b)(9) Retirement Savings Plan The seminar takes place on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, and is led by representatives from the PC(USA) Board of Pensions. Click here to register for Render Unto Caesar. There is no cost for the workshop; lunch is $12….

Alumni Saturday

Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Charlotte campus and Trinity Presbyterian Church present Alumni Saturday: “Engaging a Fearless Faith” on March 9 at UPSem’s Charlotte campus. Worship and Lunch will be led by Rev. Jimmie Hawkins at 11:45 a.m. Rev. Hawkins will also lead a workshop on Faith and Politics from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Rev. Kate Murphy and Rev. Jimmie Hawkins will engage alumni,…

Dr. McFayden is the Plenary Speaker at the Associations of Mid-Council Leaders and of Stated Clerks (PCUSA)

On Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14, 2017, Dr. Kenneth J. McFayden is the Plenary Speaker and Workshop Leader at the Association of Mid-Council Leaders and Association of Stated Clerks meeting in St. Louis , MO. Dr. McFayden is the Academic Dean and Professor of Ministry and Leadership Development at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia….

Webinar: La Dimensión Terapéutica del Ministerio Pastoral

FREE Webinar: La Dimensión Terapéutica del Ministerio Pastoral (Therapeutic Dimension of Pastoral Ministry) Date: Saturday, September 5, 6:00 p.m. CT Led by: Dr. Rubén Arjona, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, Union Presbyterian Seminary Workshop Description: Entre los muchos aspectos que abarca, el ministerio pastoral incluye una importante dimensión terapéutica que debe desarrollarse sólidamente a fin de que los integrantes de…

Visions of Strategic Planning: Navigating a Way from Mission to Impact

…Impact. Participants can expect to depart from this seminar with new perspectives on how to craft a strategic plan to facilitate substantive and enduring change. NOTE: This workshop qualifies for 1.3 CEUs for those seeking certification as a church administrator through The Church Network Click here to register for Visions of Strategic Planning: Navigating a Way from Mission to Impact….

Faith and Money

…This class will earn CEU credits toward Church Business Administration certification. ************************* Click here to register for Faith and Money, March 19-22, 2018. ************************* Description: Throughout the history of the United States, as well as throughout the world, the bible has been used to develop theologies of money for preaching. During this workshop, attendees review theologies of money and biblical…

Dr. McFayden to Speak in Charlotte on “Visions of Strategic Planning: Navigating a Way from Mission to Impact”

…Impact. Participants can expect to depart from this seminar with new perspectives on how to craft a strategic plan to facilitate substantive and enduring change. NOTE: This workshop qualifies for 1.3 CEUs for those seeking certification as a church administrator through The Church Network. Click here to register for Visions of Strategic Planning: Navigating a Way from Mission to Impact….

Dr. Vest to co-produce the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference at Montreat

Visiting Assistant Professor of Evangelism at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, Dr. John Vest, is co-producer, host and workshop leader for this year’s annual Progressive Youth Conference.  …

Professor Melanie Jones to Present at 2019 ECFFM Forum

Professor Melanie Jones will co-lead a workshop entitled “The Black Student Money Story: Scripting New Narratives” at the Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers Forum: Healthy Schools/Healthy Students. The Forum, hosted by the Association of Theological Schools, will be held in Pittsburg, PA, from November 6-8, 2019. Melanie C. Jones is Instructor of Ethics, Theology and Culture and Director of the…

Charlotte’s First Alumni Saturday

Save the date for Charlotte’s first Alumni Saturday, featuring author and storyteller Mark Yaconelli. This event is open to Charlotte alumni as well as any UPSem alumni in the area who would like to attend. Come enjoy coffee and conversation, worship and lunch. Mark Yaconelli will preach, lead an afternoon story telling workshop, and sign books. The day will end…

Gems for the Journey: Keep Playing Even When You’re Hurt

…and if it is genuine faith, testing and trials develop its persistence. God tests us in order that He might produce patience in our lives. It is patience which will make you a full grown Christian, but how does God produce patience in you? You will never become patient by simply trying it; but neither will the Holy Spirit place…

Order of Service

Church Administrator–Georgetown Presbyterian Church–Washington D.C.

…building and manse; this entails ensuring facilities are kept in good working order; oversight of repairs; ensuring church IT is in good working order; supervising a custodian; managing day-to-day of (a) weekday renter relationship. – Stewardship: Help to facilitate the annual stewardship campaign (e.g., assist with congregational communications and materials); track campaign progress; record pledges. – Finance: Manage church finances…

Ghana Travel Seminar: Time for church!

…couldn’t imagine what they would do with all that time until I realized that in order to speak to everyone gathered, the three scripture texts would be read in four languages — three distinct Ghanaian tongues plus English. The sermon would also follow this pattern. Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Acts…

A History of Homelessness

…and dependent on welfare or social security. They usually resided in cheap hotels, flophouses, and single room occupancy hotels (SROs) located in the poorest areas of urban America. (Peter Rossi; Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness) Most periods of homelessness have been mitigated by robust responses from the federal government, including the Housing Act of 1937 and…

Campus Minister/Director–Winthrop Wesley Foundation–Rock Hill, South Carolina

…Hold regular meetings with student leadership to plan and execute ministry functions • Work with the Board on creating a yearly budget, remain conscious of budget when spending throughout the year • Work with the treasurer to manage financial matters (ie: deposits, donor records, financial reports) • Maintain an orderly and welcoming space (ie: organization of building storage areas, set…

Black Alumni Association Newsletter: February 2022

…‘07 “The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. Those twelve stones, which they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal, saying to the Israelites, “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do…

Division & Reunion Video

…and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation for their support. DVD Copies Available Here Download a discussion guide (PDF) Featuring (in order of appearance): Condoleezza Rice, Professor of Political Economy, Stanford University; former U.S. Secretary of State. Erskine Clarke, Professor Emeritus of American Religious History, Columbia Theological Seminary Walter H. Conser, Jr., Professor of Religious Studies and History, University of North…