(Published June 3, 2020)
I've had a difficult time planning today's Welcome message.
Part of the difficulty is the milestone of 100,000 known deaths attributed to COVID19. A greater part of the difficulty is the painful cry for justice being heard again across our country because of the brutal murder of George Floyd. Also, I am in a moment of personal transition.
How do we understand the accumulated grief of now more than 100,000 lives lost, in less than 4 months, here in the United States to this pandemic? And the lives of others around the world who have died from this virus are no less precious to the God who has called us each into being – and named us as precious and good.
All of you who will be leaders in faith communities will experience the importance of our Christian rituals around dying and death: The naming of a life well lived. Acknowledging the loss that loved ones are feeling. Our hope in the promise of resurrection. This season of social distancing has challenged all of us, and seminaries will add this inimitable situation to our preparations for worship and pastoral care.
Black.Lives.Matter. This past week my heart has been seized by the rising tide of protest for racial justice. I am very proud of current Wesley Seminary students and our alum's across the country who have been on the front lines of prayerful and peaceful challenges against toxic and unjust systems. Please join me in surrounding them with prayer. "Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst for righteousness . . ." (Matthew 5:6).
Finally -- It has now been announced within our Wesley Theological Seminary community that I am stepping out of my position as Associate Dean for Admissions. I will still be deeply involved in helping new students for Fall 2020 begin their studies and I hope that there will be a way to greet many of you when you participate in Community Life Orientation on August 28th. The Admissions staff: Recruiters Elijah Ferebee and Liz Pruchnicki, Enrollment Counselor Marci Matthews and Enrollment Director JaNice Parks will continue to do their very best to assist you under the skilled and creative leadership of Vice President Beth Ludlum. Among them is more than 30 years of experience within Wesley Seminary.
Our Summer Term at Wesley started May 18th and about a half-dozen classes have begun. There are still at least 12 classes which are all 100% on-line and are yet to begin. You can still apply and being studies this summer or in the Fall term which begins August 31.
With gratitude – Chip Aldridge, Associate Dean for Admissions
PS – You still have the opportunity to join two of our of Biblical Studies faculty, Dr. Denise Hopkins and Dr. Carla Works, for a webinar this Thursday evening from 6:00p to 6:45p, register here.
The Baltimore - Washington conference of the United Methodist Church recently published a collection of statements by faith leaders on the death of George Floyd. We invite you to explore the page which includes a statement from Wesley Theological Seminary President, Rev. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, as well as a number of Wesley graduates and adjunct faculty Dr. C. Anthony Hunt (instructor of the summer 2020 course, "ST-247-OL Howard Thurman, Mystic, Prophetic, & Theologian"). View the response here
Wesley Community Responds To Call To Do Justice: Recent Wesley graduate Jason Perkowski (M.Div., 2020), pastor of Faith UMC and Oregon Community UMC in Lititz, PA, was part of a protest in Lancaster, PA. “I turned around (and) the police officer sprayed me directly in the face for no reason,” Perkowski said. “It was deliberate. I was blind for about 35 or 40 minutes. It was worth paying the price", he said. “I am a person of privilege...I can take my collar off and go home and decide it’s too much of a cost… But persons of color don’t have that right.” Read the full story: http://ow.ly/AO5Z50zXDxo
Leading in an Age of Political Polarization
Church consultant Mike Bonem says leaders need to step up their communication in this season of anxiety and uncertainty. It is important to be transparent, hopeful, and focused on the mission.
{Read More}
Corey Simon, a former Wesley alum and pastor, has a podcast entitled "The Open Pew". He recently was in conversation with Center for Public Theology faculty member Dr. Kris Norris about his new publication coming out this summer, Witnessing Whiteness. https://anchor.fm/pewcast/episodes/Witnessing-Whiteness-with-Dr-Kris-Norris-ea892q
Coping With COVID-19: Wesley Graduates and Students Continue to Minister Around The World We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and our Wesley students and graduates who minister around the world have been deeply affected. The many missionaries who are graduates and students of Wesley's Global Asian Doctor of Ministry track are facing new struggles.
The Rev. Dr. Kyunglim Shin Lee, Wesley VP of International Relations and instructor in the Global Asian D.Min. Program, is a touchstone for all her students and graduates. She recently did a check-in Zoom call with some of those missionaries, and reports to us how they are holding up. Read her report: https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/coping-with-covid-19-dr-shin-lee-reports/
Save The Date! "Engaging The Text" with Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins and Dr. Carla Works, June 4, 2020, 6:00-6:45 p.m. Eastern
You won't want to miss this special webinar on biblical interpretation this June 4!
Be part of the conversation with internationally recognized scholars and Wesley faculty members Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, The Woodrow W. and Mildred B. Miller Professor of Biblical Theology, and Dr. Carla Works, Professor of New Testament. The discussion will focus on how exegesis and eisegesis have shaped Christian theology around the world. Register for this unique opportunity on Thursday, June 4, 2020, 6:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m. Eastern to obtain Zoom access info: http://ow.ly/HpwV50zQmiO See you there!
Next Week, Wesley Hour: Community as Commuter
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to build community while in seminary? Ever held a concern about how students who don’t spend a lot of their time on campus foster community, and what that looks like?
Join us as we are guided in discussion by our Director of Residence Life, Monica Sharp, on what community for commuter students has looked like, currently looks like, and can look like at Wesley.
Thursday, June 11, 2020, 6:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m. EST, Click here to register
Fall 2020 Course Highlights (*Recommended courses for first-year students, †fulfills requirements for UM students)
NEW COURSES JUST ANNOUNCED FOR FALL
- CM -247-OL On Visiting the Sick: Methodist Responses to Disease and Pandemic (Online)
- RA-260-OL Jewish Art From the Bible to Today Culture (Online)
- PW-125-B Foundations of Preaching (Baltimore)
- ST-229-HB Theologies of Resistance & Liberation: Martin Luther King, Jr. & Mohandas K. Gandhi (Hybrid-Baltimore and Online)
Email us if you have questions or are ready to apply: admissions@wesleyseminary.edu
Fall 2020 Course Highlights (*Recommended courses for first-year students, †fulfills requirements for UM students)
- *†BI-101-OL Introduction to Hebrew Bible 1 (Online)
- *†BI-171-HB Intro New Testament: Gospels (Saturdays)
- BI-485-0 Grounded in the Living Word: Pastoral Practices and the Hebrew Bible (prereq: Intro to Hebrew Bible) (Tuesday evenings)
- *PC-111-HB Pastoral Care + Counseling in Context (Monday nights)
- *CF-133-0 Teaching and Learning in Christian Education (Thursdays)
- *CF-205-0 Spiritual Gifts for the Contemporary Church (Tuesday evenings)
- CF-290-HB Cultivating Mental Health through Spiritual Practice (Hybrid: Online/Weekends)
- *†CM-273-OL Evangelism + Emerging Generations (Online)
- *†CH-101-OL The Church in History: Early Church To Reformation (Online)
- CM-130-0 Reviving Dying Churches & Communities (Thursday evenings)
- *†CM-248-0 United Methodism: History, Doctrine And Polity I (Tuesdays)
- *†PW-125-0 Foundations of Preaching (Thursday evenings)
- RA-144-HB Scripture in Literature (Hybrid)
- *RA-176-0 The Rest of the Story: Parables and Parallel Stories (Thursday evenings)
- RA-196-0 Liturgical Dance Theory and Practice (Wednesday evenings)
- ST-242-0 The Black Theology of James Cone (Monday evenings)
- *†WR-201-0 World Religions As Resource for Christian Theology & Church Ministry (Thursdays)
Email us if you have questions or are ready to apply: admissions@wesleyseminary.edu
From the Henry Luce Center for Religion and the Arts at Wesley Theological Seminary:
During this unprecedented time of upheaval, when it is not possible to work in studio, we are excited to announce our first Artist in Virtual Residence (AVR): Michael Takeo Magruder. Takeo is a pathbreaking multidisciplinary artist based in England, who recently served as Artist in Residence at the British Library. As our 2020-21 AVR, he will work closely with Wesley faculty on a project responding to the social and economic impact of the coronavirus on underprivileged communities. {Read more here}
Your pathway to a degree by way of Baltimore, MD
Avoid a move or commute! Students can combine weeknight hybrid courses in Baltimore with online classes, or weekend hybrid online courses on our main campus in Washington, D.C. to move toward a degree program at Wesley.
Please pray with us: Oxnam Resources
Within our Oxnam Resources exists a Prayer Wall where you can pray for others and request prayer. Please join us in prayer this and everyday as we seek God for wisdom, comfort, healing, and the blessedness of God's kingdom and will to be done.
Please remember that during this time, We are praying for you and with you. Be safe and healthy, Beloved Community.
Want To Try A Class At Wesley?
Join us for a class and experience studying at Wesley! View the summer 2020 course preview and more...
