wfn.org | ]ENS] Episcopal seminaries prepare for new academic year

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service

August 23, 2004 - Monday Mission: Ministry and Outreach

Episcopal seminaries prepare for new academic year

Compiled by Matthew Davies

[ENS] - Ready to start a new academic year, the principal seminaries of the 
Episcopal Church continue their mission of preparing women and men for lay 
and ordained ministry. Following is an overview of these institutions and 
their program highlights.

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

Founded in 1854 to be a "mediating seminary" during a time of theological 
division in the Episcopal Church, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, New 
Haven, Connecticut, has historically been open to the spectrum of worship 
practices and theological perspectives within Anglicanism. While Berkeley 
Divinity School retains an independent board of trustees and 
administration, its students are fully enrolled in Yale University Divinity 
School. Upon graduation, students can receive, in addition to their Yale 
degree, a Diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley.

Led by Dean Joseph H. Britton, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale offers the 
academic rigors of a word-class university combined with the spiritual 
formation needed to prepare future leaders in the Episcopal Church. This 
opportunity provides a balance of both mind and soul valued within 
Anglicanism, and also gives students the tools they need to be successful 
as priests, teachers and pastors.

Berkeley programs reflect the roots of Anglican theological study in the 
Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England.

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven, 
Connecticut - 203.432.9285.

Further information is available online at: www.yale.edu/divinity/berkeley.

Bexley Hall

Bexley Hall shares a 24-acre campus in Rochester, New York, with several 
other theological institutions that span traditions from liberal Protestant 
to Roman Catholic.

In a typical class at Bexley, most provinces of the Episcopal Church are 
represented, and it's common for students to study with people from other 
areas of the Anglican Communion.

As constituents of a small seminary, Bexley students, faculty, staff, and 
their families tend to develop close relationships with each other and 
within the larger Divinity School community.

Bexley Hall is led by the Very Rev. Dr. John R. Kevern, dean.

Bexley Hall Seminary, 1100 South Goodman Street, Rochester, NY 14620-2589 - 
585.340.9550. Email: info@bexley.edu

Further information is available online at: www.bexley.edu.

Church Divinity School of the Pacific

The Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is a graduate theological 
seminary of the Episcopal Church and is an integral member of the 
ecumenical Graduate Theological Union [www.gtu.edu] in Berkeley, 
California. Located on the Pacific Rim, CDSP is enhanced by the diverse 
culture of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Led by Dean Donn F. Morgan, CDSP has since 1911 been designated the 
official seminary of the Episcopal Church's Province VIII, the Province 
west of the Rocky Mountains.

Nestled in the Berkeley foothills, CDSP is located one block away from the 
University of California. Within a short distance are hiking and biking 
trails, museums, open-air markets, theaters, coffee houses, and some of the 
best restaurants in the country.

Through the Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL) 
[www.cdsp.edu/call.html], CDSP acknowledges its partnership with the wider 
Church in addressing issues that confront the Church today. CALL offers 
on-campus classes, forums, conferences, and online programs through the 
Internet and works with those inside and outside of CDSP to choose speakers 
for Business of God luncheons, provide support for alumni/ae, and share its 
educational and theological resources with dioceses, provincial program 
networks, and parishes as they seek to carry out the Church's mission.

Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 
94709-1217 - 510.204.0700. Email: Info@CDSP.edu.

Further information is available online at: www.cdsp.edu.

Episcopal Divinity School

Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is set on a small campus in Cambridge, 
Massachusetts. Throughout its history, EDS has demonstrated a commitment to 
standing for peace and justice for all people.

Located just a few blocks from Harvard Yard and in close proximity to other 
major universities and theological schools, EDS provides easy access to 
some of the best theological resources in the world. Nearby academic 
institutions include Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology (sponsor of an ongoing forum on science, faith, and religion), 
Boston University, Boston College, Brandeis University, and Tufts University.

EDS's primary academic affiliation is with the Boston Theological Institute 
(BTI), a consortium of theological schools in the greater Boston area whose 
roots include the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant 
traditions. Together, the nine schools of the BTI maintain more than 200 
full-time faculty and offer more than 3,000 students access to over 1.5 
million volumes in the combined libraries.

EDS is led by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, dean.

Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 - 
617.868.3450.

Further information is available online at: www.episdivschool.edu.

Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest

Formation for mission and ministry at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of 
the Southwest (ETSS), located in Austin, Texas, is rooted in the belief 
that the Christian church exists "for the sake of those outside its walls, 
as well as for the gathered community."

A feature of its mission-oriented curriculum is the emphasis on the mission 
of the church in a pluralistic social context, with a special focus on 
Latino culture. Hispanic Studies prepare graduates for ministry in a 
multicultural society with a focus on Latin American contexts. All courses 
in the seminary contain a missional and multicultural orientation and 
students learn Latino and other racial/ethnic perspectives throughout the 
course of their seminary program.

An ecumenical initiative for Latin American theological education is an 
offering of three neighborhood seminary programs -- the Seminary of the 
Southwest, the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest and the Austin 
Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The program is inclusive and respectful 
of the denominational diversity that marks the religious life of Latinos 
living in the United States.

The Very Rev. Titus Presler is dean.

Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, P.O. Box 2247, Austin, TX 
78768 - 512.472.4133.

Further information is available online at: www.etss.edu/index.shtml

General Theological Seminary

The General Theological Seminary (GTS) -- the oldest seminary of the 
Episcopal Church -- was founded in 1817 and has been a New York City 
landmark since 1826. A leading center for theological education in the 
Anglican Communion, the seminary has taken a prominent role in the field of 
Christian spirituality for more than 25 years.

GTS's Center for Christian Spirituality offers a variety of courses 
preparing lay people and clergy for leadership in ministries of spiritual 
formation and seeks to enhance the spiritual vitality of parishes in the 
Episcopal Church and congregations of its ecumenical partners, as well as 
to strengthen the ministries of people in daily life as they serve in the 
world.

Because of its location in New York City -- home to the largest Jewish 
population outside of Israel -- GTS's Center for Jewish-Christian Studies 
and Relations (CJCSR), established in 1986 by Dr. James A. Carpenter, 
offers a unique opportunity among the Episcopal Seminaries in the United 
States, and indeed the world, for Jewish-Christian dialogue and education. 
The mission of CJCSR is to foster learning about Judaism and its variegated 
relationship with Christianity through the ages and today.

Located in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, the seminary is led by the 
Very Rev. Ward B. Ewing, dean.

General Theological Seminary, 175 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 - 
212.243.5150.

Further information is available online at: www.gts.edu.

Nashotah House Theological Seminary

Founded in 1842 as "a mission to the frontier" and incorporated in 1847 as 
"a College of learning and piety," Nashotah House in Wisconsin is a 
seminary of the Episcopal Church whose mission is the preparation of men 
and women for ministries in the Catholic tradition, including: the 
formation of priests for parish ministry, the continuing education of the 
clergy, and the education and training of persons for other forms of 
ministry, both lay and ordained.

In a small, closely knit community of intentional prayer, Nashotah House 
instills "traditional values and a commitment to spreading the Word of 
God." Mission takes form in education and outreach, creating new 
experiences and opportunities in the communities and congregations Nashotah 
House serves.

The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, dean, leads the seminary.

Nashotah House Theological Seminary, 2777 Mission Road, Nashotah, Wisconsin 
53058 - 262.646.6500. Email: nashotah@nashotah.edu.

Further information is available online at: www.nashotah.edu.

Sewanee -- University of the South

Popularly known as Sewanee, the University of the South is home to one of 
the nation's top liberal arts colleges and a seminary of the Episcopal 
Church. The institution's School of Theology has added to its alumni ranks 
numerous bishops, including three of the last four presiding bishops of the 
Episcopal Church.

Located atop the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Chattanooga, 
Tennessee, Sewanee's physical environment, which includes a 10,000-acre 
campus, provides a scenic place in which to study and reflect, and has, 
over its history, become a meeting place for some of America's most 
respected literary figures. In addition to its traditionally strong 
curriculum in the arts, Sewanee is fast becoming known for its science 
programs, including the unique interdisciplinary Landscape Analysis 
Laboratory.

According to its mission statement, Sewanee "exists for education in such 
disciplines as will increase knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, pursued 
in close community and in full freedom of inquiry, and enlightened by 
Christian faith, to the end that students may be prepared to search for 
truth, to seek justice for all, to preserve liberty under law, and to love 
and serve God and humanity."

The Rev. Dr. William S. Stafford, vice president and associate dean for 
academic affairs at Virginia Theological Seminary, will become dean of the 
School of Theology at Sewanee on January 1, 2005. Stafford succeeds Dr. 
Allan M. Parrent, who has served as the interim dean since February 2003.

Sewanee: The University of the South, 735 University Ave., Sewanee, TN 
37383 - 931.598.1000.

Further information is available online at: www.sewanee.edu.

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary was created in 1933 by the merger of 
Seabury Divinity School (1858, Faribault, Minnesota) and Western 
Theological Seminary (1883, Chicago, Illinois).

Located at Evanston, Illinois, Seabury Western places a strong emphasis on 
mission, evangelism, congregational development, and leadership education, 
and boasts a distinguished faculty of scholars who are active speakers, 
writers, and teachers for the Church.

As part of its mission, Seabury-Western is called "to develop empowered and 
empowering leaders for Christ's Church and God's mission in the world" 
through: practices of learning, worship and community life which transform; 
distinctive integration of theory and practice with a particular focus on 
congregational vitality; learning and renewal that sustain leaders 
throughout their lives and ministries.

Seabury-Western is also home of the Seabury Institute, founded in 1994 "to 
challenge the Church to grow in faith and numbers by carrying out research 
and development projects in partnership with parishes."

Prior to being called earlier this year to accept the position of Director 
of Mission on the staff of the Episcopal Church Center in New York, the 
Rev. James Lemler was dean of Seabury-Western and its Seabury Institute. 
The Rt. Rev. David C. Bowman, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Western New 
York, has been named Interim Dean and President.

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, 2122 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 
60201 - 800.275.8235. Email: seabury@seabury.edu.

Further information is available online at: www.seabury.edu.

Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry

Located in the heart of Ambridge, Pennsylvania -- just minutes away from 
downtown Pittsburgh -- Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry has some 175 
full and part-time students and a faculty of 12. More than 30 professors -- 
including experienced missionaries, youth ministries leaders, an historian 
of Christian art, and a noted renewal music leader -- contribute their 
expertise.

Though founded in the evangelical tradition, Trinity is not monochromatic 
in its expressions of worship and spirituality and has always included a 
diverse population of evangelicals, charismatics, and Anglo-Catholics, "all 
sharing the riches of their traditions and striving to maintain the unity 
of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

TESM is led by the Very Rev. Peter Moore, dean.

Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, 311 Eleventh St., Ambridge, PA 15003 
- 724.266.3838.

Further information is available online at: www.tesm.edu.

Virginia Theological Seminary

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), located in Alexandria, Virginia, seeks 
"to further the universal mission of Christ's church by providing graduate 
theological education and serving as a theological resource for the 
Anglican Communion and the wider church."

The community at VTS is diverse in both age and culture. Men and women, 
single, married with or without children, overseas students new to the 
U.S., long distance commuters, African Americans, Asians, South Americans, 
Caucasians, and others are part of the seminary community and alumni.

VTS is also home to the Lay School of Theology, which was established in 
1971 at the request of a number of parishes in the Washington D.C. area in 
order to provide an opportunity for serious theological education for lay 
people. The program is open to persons of all denominations who wish to 
deepen their own understanding of the Christian faith and experience. 
Spouses of seminarians are encouraged to enroll in Lay School courses. More 
information about the Lay School of Theology can be found online at: 
www.vts.edu/layschool/index.htm.

The history of Virginia Seminary has been one of active involvement in the 
mission of the Anglican Communion, and today the Center for Anglican 
Communion Studies serves Anglican leaders and scholars from around the 
world with the physical, financial, and human resources available at the 
Seminary.

The seminary is led by the Very Rev. Martha J. Horne, dean.

3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22304 - 703.370.6600.

Further information is available online at: www.vts.edu.

--Matthew Davies is staff writer and web manager of Episcopal News Service.

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