Virginia Theological Seminary Journal, Fall 2011

VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

JournalFall 2011

Building Up

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

Fall 2011

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On the Cover:Aspinwall Hall and Key Hall under construction. For the past year, most of the Seminary was unearthed and covered in orange plastic fencing while the new pipes were put into place. The project was finished just before Easter. Photo by B. Cayce Ramey.

VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

JournalFall 2011

In this issue:Letter from the Dean and President Dynamic Disciples Photos 2011 Commencement Address Gods Great Why Not?, by the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry Article: Passing it On, by the Rev. Sandy Webb Under Construction: How We Build Under Construction Articles: Sacred Spaces, by the Most. Rev. Frank T. Griswold Slow and Steady: Thorny Problems Call for a Slower Pace, by the Rev. Frank Logue (VTS 00) Building Upon the Cornerstone, by the Rev. Steve Pankey (VTS 07) Grace in a Post-It Note, by the Rev. Alan Akridge (VTS 98) and the Rev. Dr. Randy Ferebee (VTS 73) The Human Cost of War, by The Rev. Randy Haycock Under Construction: Finding Gods Vision After the Storm, by Barbara Anne Fisher (VTS D.Min. Candidate) Under Construction: Master of Arts Program, by Dr. Lisa Kimball Bridges to the Church in Asia, by Dr. Mitzi J. Budde, the Rev. John Yieh, Ph.D., and Shawn Strout (VTS 12) Article: Patience and Quiet Determination: Mariann Edgar Budde, by Mary Gunderson Virginia Theological Seminary 2010-2011 Annual Giving Report MLK Commemoration Sermon: Striving for Justice, by the Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr. Article: Reflections on an Earthquake, by Elizabeth Tomlinson, Daniel Stroud, and Adrienne Hymes (all VTS 14) Article: The Continuing Legacy: The Rev. Dr. Charles Price on the 35th Ordination of Women, by the Rev. Nancy James (VTS 84) Faculty Book Release: Grace in Motion by the Rev. Judith Maxwell McDaniel, Ph.D. 4 5 6 12

24 28 31 32 34 38 39 40 46 48 94 100 102 106

Above: The Class of 2011.

Virginia Theological Seminary JournalEditor: Susan L. Shillinglaw Contributing Photographers: Major Randall Bowen, John Budde, Donna Nelson, Curtis Prather, B. Cayce Ramey, Nate Smith, Susan Shillinglaw, Lara Shine, Chris Tumilty, Wong Mei Teng, and Shlomit Wolf. Layout: Susan L. Shillinglaw The Virginia Seminary Journal is published once a year by The Protestant Episcopal Seminary in Virginia at 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22304. Third class postage at Alexandria, Virginia. Phone: 703-370-6600; Fax: 703-370-6234. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.vts.edu. Address Changes: Alumni Records, 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22304 or e-mail [email protected]. 2011 The Protestant Episcopal Seminary in Virginia. Published annually by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

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DEANS REPORT

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t was Dean Jess Trotter who built the Bishop Payne Library; Dean Richard Reid did the hard work of building Addison; and Dean Martha Horne transformed the Dormitories. The passing of time places an obligation on an institution to ensure that the campus is always fit for purpose.

Construction is a significant theme of the revised Strategic Plan. We have now finished the 8.3 million dollar heating and cooling replacement for the campus. The new system does not simply replace one which included terracotta pipes, but which reduces our utility bill by a third (making us much more green). The interim Chapel in the Lettie Pate Evans auditorium will be operational for the new semester; 1823 is the new small dining room a place to gather and have a bite to eat; and the million dollar gift from Episcopal High School has enabled a transformed Butterfly House to emerge, which will take babies to pre-Kindergarten. This is a season when we make the campus fit for purpose for the 21st century. In one sense, the construction of buildings is the easy part. Raise the money, work with a good team, find an excellent architect, and the new building slowly emerges. However, seminaries need to be equally attentive to the building of new programs and lives for the future. We needed to replace our heating and cooling system because the old one was no longer working effectively. By analogy we need to be willing to look at cherished programs and be willing to replace aspects of those programs if we decide that they are no longer working effectively.

In one sense, the construction of buildings is the easy part... however, seminaries need to be equally attentive to the building of new programs and lives for the future.

So a flexible Master of Arts degree is emerging. This M.A. has a range of imaginative delivery platforms from intensives to hybrid. Our partnership with Christ Church, Alexandria is creating a new alternative a Ministry in Residence program which involves two years of study on the Holy Hill coupled with a two year residence at a major regional congregation. We are building new and different ways to study for ministry here at Virginia Theological Seminary. Meanwhile, each and every one of us is a construction project. We need to become vehicles of Gods grace and love. And like a potter working with clay, we need to invite God to work on our lives. This is the traditional work of formation, which the Seminary does so well. And the home of this formation for every seminary is the Seminary Chapel. This is the construction project which will dominate the next few years. Progress is being made. The people of God are being generous; Robert A. M. Stern has been appointed the architect; the Chapel for the Ages Building Committee has received input from the listening sessions; and slowly over the next few years a chapel will emerge. In the end the work of construction must be--and needs to be--the work of God. Johann Sebastian Bach would add the initial SDG after a composition. SDG means Soli Deo Gloria to the Glory of God alone. May all this construction buildings, programs, and lives have appended after SDG. Yours in Christ,

DYNAMICDISCIPLESVTS enhances its academic offering each year by opening its doors to guest scholars and lecturers. This year we offered a number of outstanding learning opportunities with the following lecturers and adjunct faculty members (pictured top left, clockwise): The Rev. Chris Ahrends, former executive director of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, South Africa; Dr. Kathleen Staudt, adjunct faculty member who led A Lenten Quiet Day with Evelyn Underhill; Dr. Hussein Rashid, our visiting Muslim scholar, who taught a course on Prophets in the Quran and the Bible; Dr. Harold Trulear (bottom left), associate professor of Applied Theology at Howard University School of Divinity and director of Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Reentry Project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who talked about parish-based response to crime, incarceration and prisoner reentry; the Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold, who led a Jan-term class on The Ignatian Way; and renowned artist, Margaret Peggy Parker, who discussed artistic composition with the VTS Photography Club.

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D. Dean and President4 VIRGINIA SEMINARY JOURNAL Fall 2011 5

Commencement Address 2011

Gods Great Why Not?by the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry

and made room and space for the other to be and to be in relationship with others. Creation is a network and community of others in relationship. Were meant to be family. Im convinced that that is what the Adam and Eve story is in part trying to get us to see. Surely you remember that happy Ozzie and Harriet couple. If you think about it, as long as Adam and Eve are in a loving communion relationship with God, each other and creation, they are in paradise. When that network of relationships is fractured and broken by sin, they are cast out of the garden, cast out of Eden, cast out of paradise. We were made to be family. Gods been trying to tell us that for a long time. Read the rest of the Bible. God gets frustrated with the way we have messed things up and tries to start all over again. But it doesnt work. Thats what the Noah story is about. Noah doesnt get it. After being saved from The Flood, you would think hed go to church and change his ways. But oh, no; Noah has Happy Hour. So God tries again with Abraham and Sarah. Abraham becomes the ancestor of Jews, Christians and Muslims. But do you think we get along now? No. We still dont get it. So God keeps trying. He sends a Moses to set folk free. Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt-land. Tell ole Pharaoh, let my people go. God made everybody to be free. He gave Moses Ten Commandments, pointing us in the direction of right relationship with God and each other. We still didnt get it, continually creating golden calves of our own design. God then sent judges, kings, prophets - Amos, Hosea, Joel, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Obadiah, Nahum, Haggai, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, Micah. God even sent folk to teach ways of wisdom. And still we didnt get it. So finally God essentially said, Ill go down and show them myself. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.1 Thats where Jesus comes in.

God came among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to show us the way and to open the way to be right and reconciled with the God and Father of us all. And to be right and reconciled with each other as children of that one God and Father of us all. Let me say it another way. Jesus has shown us the way to become more than merely the human race. He has shown us the way to become the human family of God. And in that we will live out Gods great why not. In that is nothing less than our hope and our salvation for humanity and all of creation. Some folk see things as they are and ask, Why? We who would follow in the footsteps of Jesus dream things that never were and ask, Why not? II So whats the big deal about becoming the human family of God? Please dont be offended by what Im about to say, but if you think about it, being a member of the human race is not that much of an accomplishment. Dont misunderstand me. Being human is a good thing. Its a point of departure. But its not the end game. Its not really an accomplishment. None of us did anything to become part of the human race. All we did was show up. While Woody Allen may be right that half of life is just showing up, I would dare say that if those of you who graduate today had only shown up for class, you probably would not be receiving a degree today. Being a member of the human race is not that much of an accomplishment. Its really a matter of basic biology. If I remember my eighth grade biology lesson, all living things do three things in some form. They breathe, they eat, they make more living things. Respiration, consumption, reproduction. Thats a good thing. It means youre alive. But Ive got a cat who does that. Surely this is not the height of human achievement or the pinnacle of human accomplishment. And the truth is, Jesus taught us as much. Remember what he said in Matthews Sermon on the Mount? Is not life more than food, the body more than clothing?...

Consider the lilies of the fieldthe birds of the air.2 Are you not of more value than even those precious creatures of God? How does the old song say it? I sing because Im happy. I sing because Im free. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me. Being a member of the human race is a good thing, but its not the end game. It is not enough. There is more to it than that. Jesus came to show us the way to become more than merely the human race. Jesus came to show the way to become the human family of God. And there we will discover Gods great why not. And in that is our hope and salvation. III Im convinced this is in part what Johns Gospel is trying to tell us in his version of the passion of Jesus. Jesus is clearly dying on the cross. Probably fading in and out of consciousness, he looks and, through sweat and blood co-mingled, sees his mother standing not far from the one male disciple who had not abandoned him. And, summoning one final moment of strength, he speaks to his mother, probably angling his head in the direction of the disciple nearby: Woman, behold your son. And to the disciple he says, Behold your mother. The Gospel then says, And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. In that moment a new human community, a new family, the family of God, was being formed. And when that happens, when that man takes that woman as his own mother, it is then that the Gospel says that Jesus, knowing all was now finished, soon cried aloud, It is finished, it is accomplished, it is done, the work I came to do is done, the salvation I came to bring has been accomplished. It is finished. 3 In that moment Jesus who said, I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself, 4 beheld the formation of Gods human family. A family born, not of blood or of the will of the2 3 4 Matthew 6:25-34 John 19:25-30 John 12:32 Fall 2011 7

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, Woman, here is your son. Then he said to the disciple, Here is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. - John 19:25-27

he late George Bernard Shaw once said, Some men see things as they are and ask, Why? I dream things that never were and ask, Why not? Why not? Why not a world where no child will ever go to bed hungry again? Why not a world in which poverty is truly history, a thing of the past? Why not a world in which every person is a child of God, and our personal and social relations and communities are structured around that truth? Why not a world where we lay down our swords and shields by the riverside to study war no more? Why not a world in which our air is pure and our water clean and there is water and food for all? Why not a world that reflects less the nightmare of our human devising than the dream of Gods creating? Why not?

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I I am a follower of Jesus because I believe he has shown us how to live in the direction of what I would like to call Gods great why not. And I want to suggest that Jesus has done it by both opening the way and showing the way to be right and reconciled with the God and Father of us all. He has done it by opening the way and showing the way to be right and reconciled with each other as children of the one God who is the Creator of all. God has been trying to get us to see that for a long time. I once heard Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi in Great Britain, say that before God called creation into being there was only God. But when God said let there be something else beside God, it was as though God moved himself over

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John 1:14


Photos by B. Cayce Ramey

flesh or of the will of man, but of God.5 A family for whom there is no east nor west.6 A family in which there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. 7 The human family of God. That is Gods great why not. Dont dismiss this as a nice, but impractical, idea. When I went off to college, my father sort of gave me the father-to-son lecture, one last time. He tried to be subtle about it but I knew exactly what he was doing. Now that Im the father of two daughters and now a grandfather I really know exactly what he was doing. He said a number of things, but I remember one thing in particular, and it has stayed with me these many years. He said, Remember to treat every girl the way you want somebody else to treat your sister. There was a part of me that was thinking, You just ruined four years of college. But he was right. And he was saying something pretty significant. Treat every girl the way you want somebody else to treat your sister, because she is your sister. Treat every boy the way you want somebody else to treat your brother, because he is your brother. Treat every woman the way you want somebody else to treat your mother, because she is your mother. Treat every man the way you want somebody else to treat your father, because he is your father. The love, the care, the concern, the compassion, the sense of justice that you have5 6 7 John 1:13 Hymnal 1982, # 529 Galatians 3:28

for your own flesh and blood is what you are to have for every man, woman and child --because we are all children of the one God and Father who created us all. Build homes on that. Build societies on that. Build a global village on that, and you will find how for humanity and all of creation we would have a different world, a different social order if we lived that way. Children would not go hungry. Truth would be declared in the public square. We would care for each other and for Gods creation. This would be a different world. Now I know someone may be thinking, all right, preacher, this all sounds good in church, but its a cold, calculating world out there. And theyve got a point. The depth of sin and the ubiquity of evil are real. Ive been around a bit. And Ive seen what hatred and strife and bigotry and enmity and violence can do. Unchecked, they will consume us all and devour the whole creation. Theres a wall in the homeland of Jesus, a wall that separates Gods Israeli children from Gods Palestinian children. But walls of hatred and division are not the way. Ephesians says that Jesus has broken down the dividing wall of sin. 8 War and hatred and prejudice are not the way. I was in Burundi just after ten years of civil war between Tutsi and Hutu nearly destroyed the land and her people, leaving 250,000 people dead and a half million people refugees in Tanzania. Hatred and8 Ephesians 2:14

bigotry and violence are not the way. I served for 12 years as Rector of St. James, Baltimore. In the 80s and 90s when crack cocaine took over our city streets, I found myself burying far too many young men gunned down in drive-by, drug-related shootings. I sat with too many mothers weeping for innocents gunned down in drive-bys. Thats not the way. Many Latino and Hispanic people working here in America live in fear of midnight raids and traffic stops. Here in America. Muslims in America live with anxiety and fear. That is not the way. Hatred in any form is not the way. Bigotry against anybody, even when it masquerades as religious theology or political ideology, is not the way. Violence is not the way. Injustice is not the way. Dr. Kings words ring with eternal truth: We shall either learn to live together as brothers and sisters, or we shall perish together as fools. The choice is ours, chaos or community. As St. Paul would say, Jesus has shown us a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. Now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 9 Jesus has shown us the way. Here is what it is all about: You shall love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself.10 This is not naive. This is our hope and salvation. Jesus has shown us the way. So, why not?

IV A few months ago I was in Botswana in Southern Africa to lead a mission as part of our dioceses companion relationship with Bishop Trevor Mwamba and the good people of the Anglican Diocese of Botswana. Some years before, when we were beginning that relationship between our two dioceses, I traveled the Diocese of Botswana with the Bishop, visiting various congregations and ministries. The Mothers Union and Diocese operate several daycare centers for young children. Because of the spread of HIV/AIDS, many of the children are orphans being raised by extended family members, and many are also HIV-positive themselves. The last daycare center that we visited was at St. Peters Church in an impoverished section of Gaborone, the capital city. We pulled into the courtyard in a van and were greeted by the priest, Fr. Andrew. Ive now gotten to know him and his wife over the years. They are two remarkably humble and holy people of God who have dedicated their lives to saving children in the Name of Jesus. Father greeted us and took us to the far side of the courtyard where the children were sitting on the grass in the shade, listening to Bible stories and singing songs. As we walked toward them they stood up and sang, Good morning to you, good morning to you. Fr. Andrew introduced us. We shared in story time and singing. If youre happy and you know it, clap your hands. Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah. And then we sang this song with the children, many of whom were orphans, some HIV-positive themselves, all desperately poor:

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.

The love, the care, the concern, the compassion, the sense of justice that you have for your own flesh and blood is what you are to have for every man, woman and child because we are all children of the one God and Father who created us all. And with that, Father dismissed the children for playtime. And off they went running as children will do, to the playground on the other side of the courtyard. That is, all except one little girl of maybe four or five years of age. I had noticed that she was sitting in a chair, whereas the other children were sitting on the grass. But I hadnt noticed that she had a crutch. So she didnt run. Very deliberately she took the crutch in her hands, staked it in the ground and pulled herself up out of the seat. And very painfully and slowly she began to walk in the direction of the playground.

As we watched, Fr. Andrew said that the daycare director regularly checks the neighborhood for children in need. She heard about this little girl and visited her home. She was being cared for by her grandparents. Her parents had died from complications of HIV/AIDS. She herself was bedridden. As it turned out, she had polio. The grandparents allowed St. Peters and the public health service to work with her. Medical treatment, physical therapy, prayer and love went to work. When she first went to St. Peters she was in a wheelchair. By the time we were there, she was walking with that crutch. But as Father was telling us this, she continued to walk haltingly and painfully toward the other children. Then she fell. But she didnt stay down. She did what she had been taught: with amazing grace and sheer determination she took that crutch, staked it in the ground, pulled herself up and kept walking until she reached the other children. She fell a second time before she actually reached the other children. As this was happening Father Andrew said, We believe that God has something better in store for every child. And its our job to help each child find out what that is, and then live. My brothers and sisters, we who follow Jesus believe that God has something better in store for this world. Weve seen it in Jesus. Weve heard it in the Gospel. And it is our job to help this world find out what that is, and then live. Graduates of Virginia Theological Seminary, we need you to go into the world in the Name of Jesus to help us find out what that is, and live. We need

9 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 10 Luke 10:27


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Commencement Address 2011

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ichael Bruce Curry was elected eleventh Bishop of North Carolina on February 11, 2000 and was consecrated at Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Curry attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and graduated with high honors from Hobart College in Geneva, New York, in 1975. He received the Master of Divinity degree in 1978 from Yale University Divinity School. Curry began his ministry as deacon-incharge at St. Stephens, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1978 and was rector there from 1979-1982. He then accepted a call as rector at St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, where he served from 1982-1988. In 1988 he became rector of St. James, Baltimore, Maryland, which he served until his election as bishop. In his three parish ministries Bishop Curry had extensive involvement in Crisis Control Ministry, founding of ecumenical summer day camps for children, preaching missions, the Absalom Jones initiative, creation of networks of family day care providers, creation of educational centers, and the brokering of millions of dollars of investment in inner city neighborhoods. He inspired a $2.5 million restoration of the St. James church building after a fire. The St. James After School Academy was designated a Jubilee Ministry by Presiding Bishop Edmund Browning. He has a national preaching and teaching ministry, having been featured on The Protestant Hour and as a frequent speaker at conferences around the country. He has received honorary degrees from Sewanne, Yale, and Virginia Seminaries.

you to go into the world and proclaim the good news of Jesus to the whole creation. Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has taught us.11 Go, help us to become people of love. Go, help us to become people of compassion. Go, help us to become people of justice. Go, and help us to become more than merely the human race. Help us to become the human family of God. Some folk see things as they are and ask, Why? We who follow Jesus dream things that never were and ask, Why not? q To listen to Bishop Currys commencement address, visit the Media Gallery at vts.edu.11 Matthew 28:19-20

Pictured above: Dr. Timothy Sedgwick (left) and the Rt. Rev. James J. Shand present the Honorary Degree Hood to the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry; Below: Bishops, family members, and friends came from near and far to attend the commencement ceremony. Viewers who watched the ceremony live online topped 350.

A Joyful Day (clockwise from top left corner): Charles Browning, Seth Wally, Grant Ambrose, David Romanik, and Norman Whitmire; George Hinchliffe who was the recipient of the Ford Chair; Herbert Jones, Tracey Kelly, Kathy Rowe-Guin, and Amelie Wilmer; the Rev. Gary M. Erdos getting hooded by the Rev. David Gortner; Eve Butler-Gee; and MTS graduate, Ann Hill.


Photo by B. Cayce Ramey

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Commencement 2011

Theron R. Walker Church of the Holy Spirit Tulsa, OK June 15, 1996 Lauren R. Stanley Church of the Holy Comforter Vienna, VA June 14, 1997 Photo by Donna Nelson Anne M. Natoli Church of the Good Shepherd Augusta, GA May 26, 1998 Lisa DiNunno St. Michaels Church Bon Air, VA June 10, 1999 Shawn L. Griffith St. Stephens Church Newport News, VA June 10, 2000 Jim Quigley Church of St. Francis in the Fields Harrods Creek, KY June 3, 2001 Andrew B. Jones Christ Church, Rock Spring Parish Forest Hill, MD June 8, 2002 J. Michael Cadaret St. Bartholomews Church Richmond, VA June 14, 2003 Jerald Walton Hyche St. Pauls Episcopal Church Daphne, AL June 12, 2004 James Scott Walters Grace Church Siloam Springs, AR January 18, 2005 Nathan Rugh St. Johns Cathedral Denver, CO June 10, 2006

Peter Michael Carey Philadelphia Cathedral Philadelphia, PA June 9, 2007 Helen Slingluff White Reid Presbyterian Church Augusta, GA February 9, 2008 Charles L. Fischer III The Cathedral of St. Philip Atlanta, GA December 20, 2008 Jennifer N. Andrews-Weckerly The Cathedral Church of St. John Wilmington, DE June 24, 2009 Alexander H. Webb II The Cathedral of St. John the Divine New York, NY March 13, 2010 Rebecca Nelson Edwards St. Pauls Church Chattanooga, TN June 4, 2011

Passing it On...

by the Rev. Sandy Webb (VTS 10)

In 1995, Virginia Seminary senior, Andrew Rollins, bought a red stole for his diaconal ordination in Richmond. The next year, he gave it to Theron Walker, a close friend in the Class of 1996, and a tradition was born. Rollins stole has passed from senior to senior at Virginia Seminary for the last 16 years.he stole was offered to me one Saturday morning in January 2010. The General Ordination Examinations were less than a day behind me, and I had just attended the priestly ordination of Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly, one of my closest friends in the Class of 2009. Jennifer asked me to wait for her at the back of the church in which the ordination had been held. She wanted to talk with me before I left for home, but she didnt tell me why. She didnt tell me that I was about to be inaugurated into a venerable Virginia Seminary tradition. Minutes after her priestly ordination, Jennifer told me the story of Rollins stole, and invited me to become a part of its lineage. She offered the stole to me just as Rollins had offered it to Walker so many years before, and I was honored to receive it.

they wore the stole, some had families, and at least one was pregnant. Yet, despite this diversity, we have each invested Rollins stole with our ordination day prayers, and in a very special way, we all stand together every time a new deacon does the same. There are only three guidelines for selecting new stewards of Rollins stole: Recipients must be graduating seniors at Virginia Seminary, they must wear the stole at their diaconal ordination, and they must be willing to pass it on. When I received Rollins stole, I asked my predecessor how I should choose my successor. She smiled and said to me, Youll just know. She was right, and I have now passed the stole along with the same instructions: Youll just know who should have it next. Stewards of Rollins Stole: (with the location and date of their diaconal ordination) Andrew Rollins All Saints Church Richmond, VA June 12, 1995

Passing it on: in 2009, a very pregnant Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly received the Rollins stole from the Rev. Charles L Fischer III (right). Also pictured is the Rev. Jody Burnett (VTS 09).

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Rollins would later tell me that his tradition was inspired by the graduation gowns at Sewanee, which are passed from senior to senior, and embroidered with the initials of each recipient. Mine would become the seventeenth name embroidered on the inside of Rollins ordination stole. It is difficult to describe the feeling that a deacon experiences when a stole is draped over his left shoulder for the very first time. That feeling is particularly warm when he is being wrapped simultaneously in the names of so many of his Virginia Seminary forebears. All sorts of alumni are named on Rollins stole. We are theologically diverse, and our ministries have followed different paths. Both genders are represented, as are different races. Some were young when

The Rollins stole, pictured with the latest addition of Rebecca Edwards, has been passed down for over 15 years. It originally belonged to Andrew Rollins (VTS 95).


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Special Report:

Special Section: Under Construction

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

How We BuildAccording to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 3:10-11

ver the past few years at Virginia Seminary--the last year in particular--we have talked a lot about building: the building of a new chapel to meet the needs of a 21stcentury institution; the building of a new day-care center; the building of relevant academic programs; and most importantly, the building up of vibrant, well-equipped leaders for the church. The assumption, of course, is that what we build begins with the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Without it, our work and all of our plans are moot; we might as well build upon sand. With it, we are assured that, no matter how difficult or desperate our situation becomes, we can always count on the foundation of love, grace, and forgiveness that is in Jesus Christ, and begin anew. In this next section of the Journal, you will read about various building projects, physical and spiritual, such as the Rev. Randy Haycocks story about his work with soldiers returning from war or Barbara Fishers story about rebuilding a church that has been spiritually torn apart. Throughout these and other narratives the message is clear - with Jesus Christ as our foundation, there is always hope of rebuilding from the ashes. There is always a future and there is always Gods grace to guide us through.

O


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Under Construction: Campus Projects

The Butterfly House spreads its wings: Over thecourse of the summer, the Mollegen Gym was transformed into a viable play and learning space for children. The connector between the Butterfly House and the gym was widened (ADA compliant); the top floor of the gym was transformed into office space (with an additional kitchen); a kitchen and two small sinks (for art projects) were added to the lobby of the gym; windows and new lighting were added; and the tennis courts were seeded with grass and will become the new playground with space for a VTS community garden. Monica Wong (pictured below), daughter of VTS staff member, Andrea Kramer, seems pleased with the changes.

PROJECT 1: The Butterfly House

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n January 2011, Virginia Seminary signed an historic $1million partnership agreement with Episcopal High School to renovate the Seminarys Butterfly House. In exchange for funding, the day-care center agreed to open its doors to the children of EHS faculty, staff, and administration. This past summer, construction of the new facility began. Headed by Director, Anne Lowry, the new space (formerly the Seminarys gymnasium) features a new kitchen, tables and chairs, brightly colored walls, a second floor of offices, and ample space to house approximately 48 children. Overseen by Dave Mutscheller, physical plant director, and Heather Zdancewicz, vice president for administration and finance, the team of Advanced Project Management and TWIN contracting transformed the space on time and within budget. Working in the Butterfly House are Anne Lowry, Faye Gravina, Judith Harrington, Mary-Catherine Lewis, and Clara Moore.


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PROJECT 2: 1823 CafeOn May 16, the Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, chair of the Seminarys Board of Trustees, led a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new 1823 Cafe. Formerly the Small Dining Room in the Refectory, 1823 seeks to serve both the themes of hospitality and community by offering late-night meals to guests, a place to watch sports and to hear live music, and a place where friends from the neighborhood can have a drink and possibly hear live music. It is a place where imaginative soft drinks and coffee are served, along with beer and wine, and it is a public space where all should feel comfortable.

PROJECT 3: The Maintenance Shop

A Place of Hospitality: After the new flooring and wallpaper were added, the bar was the next item installed, top left; Bishop Shand cuts the ribbon to 1823, left; Dean Markham takes a final walk-through before the official opening, below; A toast to 1823!, bottom, left; George and Mary Ellen Hinchliffe enjoy a drink and some lively conversation.

Better Heating and Cooling: The Central Plant Project was a three year endeavor to build a new Central Plant & Site Hydronic Piping through the VTS campus. Located adjacent to the Maintenance Shop, the Central Plant houses the new magnetic bearing chillers and high efficiency condensing boilers.Built as a green building, the Central Plant is energy efficient and includes a green roof of plant material. Pictured above is Assistant Physical Plant Manager, Mike Widenhofer.


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PROJECT 4: Pipe ReplacementThe pipe replacement project began last December and took six months to complete. It seemed that every inch of campus was dug up and surrounded by orange construction fencing, a part of our every day esthetic. From the new Physical Plant, an updated system of piping extends to all the commercial buildings providing a four-pipe system. VTS now has the ability to run heating and cooling at the same time year-round in new or remodeled buildings going forward. Last summer and into the fall a full basement was dug beneath Wilmer Hall. Originally a small crawl space, the basement was needed for pumps that would support the piping distribution system for the plant. Now a complete basement exists below the guest house with plenty of room for all the equipment.


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PROJECT 5: The Lettie Pate Evans Interim Chapel

Transforming Worship: In March 2011, the work of turning the Lettie Pate Evans Auditorium into an interim chapel began. First, the

theater-style seating and the stage were removed; the floor was then leveled, covered in concrete, and tiled; the stage area was walled up and turned into a Sacristy; new lighting and an audio system were installed; scrims for better acoustics were hung; a dais and chairs were placed; and the altar was installed and dressed just in time for the first day of school. The transformation of the auditorium into a place of worship was ably led by the Rev. Roger Ferlo, Ph.D., associate dean and director of the Seminarys Institute for Christian Formation and Leadership, and Mr. Dave Mutscheller, director of Physical Plant.

What we have created is a simple, functional place of prayer that will take us through the next few years, said Ferlo. We are grateful to Mr. Terry Byrd Eason who designed the space for us.


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Under Construction: Meditation

Sacred SpaceA 2011 Ascention Day Meditation by the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold

The Ascension of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate today, touches upondifferent modes of encounter with divine presence: The physical presence of Jesus for 40 days following the Resurrection; the expansion of that presence as it fills the universe, signified by the Ascension; and the continuing and immediate presence of Christ, teaching us and leading us toward the future through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who draws from the deep well of truth, found in the risen One who declares, I am the truth.As we consider plans for the new chapel, I find myself thinking about the significance of sacred space in relation to these modes of presence and encounter. First of all, a chapel is physical and, as such, it bears witness to the physicality of the Incarnation and all that flows from it. Just as the physical presence of the risen Christ allowed the disciples to inhabit the reality of resurrection, so too sacred space, in all its physical particularity, can help us to inhabit the mystery of our redemption. Sacred space also speaks of Christ, both in its design and in what it contains. Then, the Liturgy, for which sacred space provides the context, bears witness to another mode of presence: the living presence of Christ in word and sacrament and in the gathered community. In our worship, Christ, the risen One, encounters us in the signs and symbols which constitute the ritual patterns of our common prayer. As such, they draw us beyond ourselves, or rather the Spirit who pours the love of God into our hearts leads us into the force field of Christs deathless love for the world. Sacred space, therefore, points beyond itself, and opens the way to the sacred space of all creation, and to Gods desire that what God has declared good be treated with reverence and care. Sacred space, be it a chapel or church is dangerous space because rather than providing safety, the multiple modes of Christs presence, enabled by the Spirit, expose us to encounters that may demand far more from us than we can ask or imagine.

Pietro Perugino: Polittico di San Pietro (Ascensione di Cristo) (1496-1500), Muse des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Francia24 VIRGINIA SEMINARY JOURNAL Fall 2011 25


Robert A.M. Stern Architects Selected to Design VTS Chapel

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t their May 2011 board meeting, the Trustees of Virginia Theological Seminary voted unanimously to appoint Robert A.M. Stern Architects to design the Seminarys new Chapel for the Ages. The new worship space will replace the Seminarys 129-year old chapel that was destroyed by fire in October 2010. The Board decision to go with a company of Stern's stature was a wise one, said the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., VTS dean and president. This is a complex building with a multitude of factors that need to be taken into account: a ruin, the preservation obligations, our contemporary and liturgical needs, as well as the continuing debate around location. Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP, is a 220-person firm of architects, interior designers, and supporting staff. Led by Robert A.M. Stern, the firm has established an international reputation as a leading design firm with wide experience in residential, commercial, and institutional work. Over its 42year history, the firm has diversified its geographical scope to include projects in Europe, Asia, South America, and throughout the United States. Stern himself is Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, a practicing architect, teacher, and writer. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and received the AIA New York Chapter's Medal of Honor in 1984 and the Chapter's President's Award in 2001. Stern is the 2011 Driehaus Prize laureate and in 2008 received the tenth Vincent Scully Prize from the National Building Museum. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the AIA New York Chapters Presidents Award in 2001 and the Board of Directors Honor from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art in 2007. He is a prolific writer and the subject of many more books. The team assembled by Stern Architects includes Grant F. Marani (Project Partner), Charles P. Toothill (Project Architect and Construction Administrator), Rosa Maria Colina (Project Manager) and Philip Chan (Interior Designer). Stern, Marani, and Toothill were responsible for the exceptional and striking Stern Chapel at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.

A Look at Possibilities: In August, members of the Seminarys Chapel Executive Committee took a trip to New York to meet with architect Robert Stern and his colleagues and to look at possible chapel models.

Photos courtesy of Robert A.M. Stern Architects.


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Under Construction: Alumni Reflection

and more bamboo was added. In time, the P-40 was off the bottom and word was sent downriver that the Americans could fetch their fighter. He did not force the point home. The lesson was ended. He simply repeated, Dont try to make a difference. Just cut for a while. Put the vines in the burn pile and walk away. We worked hard, hacking at the briars, which tore at our arms as we cut. Time passed. The sky turned dark. A very satisfying mound of vines was ready to burn. When I looked back at the briar patch, you couldnt really tell that any were missing. We walked away to clean up and get some dinner. That evenings work in Hot Springs became important to our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. We could never plan out the hike all the way to Katahdin in the Maine wilderness. We could only look to what came next. There was no real way to hike all the way from Georgia to Maine, at least not at the practical dayby-day level. We could merely hike the next miles in front of us, as far as we could on any given day.

Slow and Steadyby the Rev. Canon Frank Logue VTS 00

Thorny Problems Call for a Slower Pace

Others have remarked on the growth of King of Peace Episcopal Church in Kingsland, saying that the move from three of us to a thriving parish was a quick one. A successful preschool, an active Scout program and more seemed to sprout up on their own. Yet, it only happened fast in the way that someone elses pregnancy seems quick, or someone elses son is noticeably taller every time you see him. In the work of church planting, as with all church work, there are some times when one can see a real difference, but mostly being the church involves steady work with little sign week by week that change is occurring. Even relatively quick gains in attendance come one person, one couple or family at a time, with each taking months or years to go from casually attending newcomers to committed members who are taking their own part in the churchs reaching out in love to its community.

Graphic by Shlomit Wolf

Dont try to make a difference, the Jesuit monk told us. Everyone is always trying to make a difference and it just wears them out and doesnt help, he added.It was, for me, a challenging statement. My wife, Victoria, and I were hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in a single hike. We found ourselves on this spring evening at the Jesuit-run hostel in Hot Springs, North Carolina. The offer was that hikers could stay for free in exchange for doing some work on the grounds. The task before us was a briar patch that would have given Brer Rabbit a kingdom unto himself. He had handed us gloves and loppers and asked that we spend an hour or so working on cutting and stacking to burn the interlacing arches of photosynthesisfueled razor wire. The monk saw that gleam in my eye and recognized the particular version of the sin of pride at once. He knew in that glance what I felt deep in my bonesI would be the one to work so hard that I could make a noticeable dent in the mountain of thorny vines. It couldnt be more than a half-acre or so, an acre at the most, I thought, I can punch a noticeable hole in that. Some work requires patience, he told us. There is no quick solution. Working steadily without looking for immediate change can accomplish so much more. Just keep at it, he said, then added, Just cut for a while, stack the dead branches in the burn pile and walk away. Its not your job to finish it. This was a lesson we needed to hear. We had picked a lot bigger goal than knocking back a massive patch of weeds. Victoria and I were 270 miles into a 2,150-mile long hike along the backbone of the East Coast.28 VIRGINIA SEMINARY JOURNAL

The Jesuit then launched into a story he knew I needed to hear. He said, During World War II, a pilot with the Flying Tigers had engine problems and parachuted out just ahead of his P-40 splashing down hard in a forgotten stretch of a Burmese river. The Army Air Force eventually got a crew up the river to try to rest the fighter from its muddy grave, but using the little crane and what other equipment they could fit on the boat, the men could not begin to budge the plane. As they worked, the airmen were watched by the people of a nearby village. As the group was packing to leave, the village headman spoke through an interpreter asking if the village raised the machine, would the Americans buy it back from them. The translator relayed that a deal would definitely be struck. The Flying Tigers were so in need of planes, the ground crew was patching one together with spare parts to get another fighter flying. The Jesuit paused for effect, he was a natural preacher and a congregation of two was just fine with him. As the sun lowered somewhere beyond the mountains and the shadows deepened in the briar patch, he forged ahead, The Americans and the mechanical muscle gone, the plan was simple. The people of the village were directed by their chief that every time they swam in the river, those who could do so should dive down to the plane and work a short length of bamboo up into the fuselage. Every day, a little more bamboo was worked into the cockpit. Once that area was packed with bamboo, they used vines to get bamboo under any part exposed above the mud. Slowly the plane lifted

For the tortoise to beat the hare, he could inch along toward the finish line. He just had to stay steady. For us to hike the whole Appalachian Trail in a single hike, we only needed of to go farther up the Trail each as with all church work, there day. Some days it might be This was not the work of just me barely more than 10 miles. and my wife and daughter. No, a are some times when one can Some others we would easily church cannot be grown from the pass 20 miles. Occasionally pulpit alone or from the work of see a real difference, but mostwe had to stop completely to even a handful of individuals. It ly being the church involves wash clothes, buy food and was the steady work of many peoregroup. But what mattered ple that built a church upon which steady work with little sign most was to stay at it, concernthe community could depend. ing ourselves with the part of week by week that change the journey beneath our feet and Now I work as Canon to the Ordiis occurring. all around us, rather than with nary, I find myself routinely facing the goal of climbing Katahdin and more work than I can dent. Each day, I do completing the trek. Yes, that end goal what I can, and I go home having made no of hiking the whole Trail mattered. It kept noticeable change in assisting our congregations us focused, gave us a reason to take the five to be more vital. Yet, as I look up after a year, I do million or so steps that would carry us along the spine see a few signs of hope, glimmers of light that reveal the of the Appalachian Mountain chain. But the day by day effort work this new team I am on is not working in vain. It will take many more years of steady work to know if we have built on the was what mattered most. rock as we intend. And in the meantime, there will be hundreds of days of making no difference at all. When my wife and our then nine-year-old daughter, Griffin, and I drove away from Virginia Theological Seminary following I have taught this principle to every person I introduce to spirigraduation in May of 2000, we had a clear goal before us, we would plant a new Episcopal church in Kingsland, Georgia. The tual disciplines. Praying the daily offices and reading through vision simply put was twofold: 1) We wanted to start a church the scripture on that pattern will make no discernible difference that was so vital to its community that if it folded ten years later, on any one of the hundreds of days in a year. A spiritual path people who never attended the church would miss it, and 2) We requires a slow and steady pace even more than a physical trail. The changes the Holy Spirit nudges in our hearts and minds are wanted to do something so big for God that if God wasnt part more like those made by water running over rock. The Holy of it, we would fall flat on our faces and look like idiots. That Trinity is intent on spending eternity with you and from that was the vision, one part of which could only be judged with the hindsight of a decade. Neither could be accomplished quickly. perspective, there is no rush. Dont look for an individual sermon

But on leaving in our tenth year, we could see times when if God had not been part of it, we would have fallen flat on our faces. The day we opened the preschool with a good solid business plan, and so little financial cushion that it was foolhardy, is but one example. But as the Gospel involves risk, there was no path to success that did not significantly risk failure. Within six years, the church had become such an integral part of the communitythrough the preschool, the Scout program, the Narcotics Anonymous and morethat many In the work people who did not attend King of Peace had come to rely on the church. church planting,

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or Eucharist to change your life, just keep returning to the altar. The daily and weekly rhythms of worship and service are not for naught, even if we see no change after daily prayer and reading, for a week, a month, or a year. Victoria has gotten us exercising again. My wife and I have been at it for a little more than a month. We have cut back on the food we eateating less, but better. We are exercising at least six days a week. And yet, weeks into the process, I see no real change. The pounds have not melted away. I am not ready to kick sand in the face of the bully at the beach. The goal is to feel better next year than we do this year. After letting ourselves fall out of shape over a period of years, we will need time to get fit. So as I look to the fitness of my body and the health of the Diocese and my own spiritual journey, I think back to night falling on a mountain of briars seemingly untouched by our efforts and to a fighter jet slowly being filled with short, fat sections of bamboo. The task for today is not to make a difference in my health, or to change the Diocese of Georgia for the better. Before the day is out, I should expect no spiritual epiphany. Today, I just need to be faithful to the portion of the path beneath my feet and the sights and sounds of the journey. Frank Logue is Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Georgia. Before joining the diocesan staff in July of 2010, he served as founding rector of King of Peace Episcopal Church in Kingsland, Georgia. Frank began the church, together with his wife, Victoria, and their daughter, Griffin, in June of 2000. Check out Franks blog, Loose Canon, at http://loosecanon.georgiaepiscopal.org/.

Building Upon the Cornerstoneefore I went to seminary I worked for 18 months for my father-inlaws construction company. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot about what makes a construction project successful, and what can cause it to fail. Now, living in a brand new neighborhood, I like to put my little knowledge to the test as I watch new homes being put together. My favorite guys to watch arent the bricklayers or the framers, but the guys who stake-out the house. This is the most important job in the construction process because these guys and gals define the shape of the house; and most importantly measure over and over again to be sure everything is square. Their stakes and string are the guides by which the foundation crew digs and pours. From there on out, a house that is not truly square will become more and more difficult to build, leaving windows crooked, trim bowed, and, as is the case in my bathroom, a tile floor that is way out of line. Making sure the house is square is the most important job in the project. Construction has changed a lot since the first century, but one thing remains true; if the layout is not square, the project is destined to fail. That is the image that Peter works with in his letter. We as living stones each have a place within the Fathers house. We are called to lay ourselves, one upon the other, to build the

by The Rev. Steve Pankey (VTS 07)

For it stands in scripture: See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him* will not be put to shame. - I Peter 2:6

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kingdom of God here on earth and our guide to square and true is none other than the rejected cornerstone, Jesus Christ. Our job as Christians is to line ourselves up with him. The example of his life defines for us what it means to live out the will of God. To align ourselves with him allows us to bring into this world the way of God; one of justice, freedom, hope, and love. Sometimes, however, it isnt easy to keep ourselves aligned. Often our first attempt at laying down square and true leaves us a little out of line. We dont trust the cornerstone. We dont trust the other living stones around us, and want to do it ourselves. This inevitably leads to a version of the Fathers house that isnt quite true. Windows are crooked. The trim work doesnt fit quite right. Others who have lined up with us lie down a more and more out of square wall. And, in the end, the building is brought to ruin. To trust our own ability to see the will of God is to take the cornerstone our guide in a life of building the Fathers house to take his job of keeping it all square and true away from him. And, in the end, the wall falls down. But that is not the end of the story because the cornerstone remains, and we are called again and again to align ourselves to him. It may take many attempts. There will be mini-successes and many failures along

the way, but the cornerstone will not waiver. We will get momentary glimpses of the Fathers house as the everlasting construction project goes on, until that day when the Father determines it is finished. We continue the work because we are called to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and Gods own people. We have no choice but to continue to work with what began in Christ Jesus; that of bringing creation that is crooked and out of sorts back in line with the rejected cornerstone; that of setting the world right-side-up by following Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life. We do this by following his example of compassion, of love, and of mercy. We do this by reaching out to the poor, proclaiming freedom to those enslaved by sin, by loving our neighbor as our self, by protecting Creation, and by living as servants of the most high God. We are sustained in this journey by coming to the table where the bread and wine are the spiritual milk we crave, allowing us to taste that indeed the Lord is good. So, living stones, look to the cornerstone as an example and then lay yourself down square and true for the glory of God the Father. qThe Rev. Steve Pankey is Associate Rector at St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Foley, Alabama. He writes regularly on his blog, Draughting Theology. Fall 2011 31

Preparing for Irene: Maintenance Assistant, Tom Leake, created beautiful mosaicsas he prepped the Gibbs Room windows in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. Since the August 23 earthquake loosened even more of the Chapel ruins, it was especially important to safeguard these windows.


Photo by Wong Mei Teng


Grace in a Post-it Noteby the Rev. Alan Akridge and the Rev. Dr. Randy Ferebeewo VTS graduates wind up serving the same church in a small city in North Carolina. One is the founding longtime Rector and the other is a lay youth and family minister three years out of seminary. The differences, and the edginess it added, began to mount. In this leadership dyad was an early Boomer and an early Xer. A (mild) conservative and a (mild) liberal. A passive process pro and an active get it done pro. One aims to minimize fallout and is concerned about who might be left out. The other, knowing that its impossible to please everyone, is concerned with making a substantive difference. One a father of two young children and the other a grandfather of four young children. One an introverted planner/preparer and the other an extroverted jack of all trades. Put them in adjoining offices for 50 hours a week and after six months, the tension is almost unbearable. I knew Randy was not the kind of person who would charge into my office and fire me but I also knew that he wanted too, said Ackridge. So one afternoon it all came to a head. But the explosion was never triggered. How did they pull back from the brink? It started with the truth. Alan said, You know, I am afraid you are going to fire me. Randy said, You know, I am afraid you are going to quit. And reconciliation began on a very pragmatic level because one needed a family minister and the other needed a job. We didnt really trust each other at that point, said Akridge, We both literally wrote non-cancelable contracts on post-it notes and exchanged them. Ten years later, I still have mine. It made all the difference in the world.32 VIRGINIA SEMINARY JOURNAL

ing and cultivating opportunities to look up. (Colossians 3:2 MSG) BEYOND A FIX Their first thought was to find a fix. They both had been raised that way: to fix what was broken. They quickly learned that there was no fix. The more they focused on brokenness, the more they found. But the more we focused on the amazing stuff happening all around us, the more momentum we felt, said Ferebee The people with bright ideas introduced us to new ways of being leaders rather than new ways of doing leadership. When they stopped looking for silver bullets to fix the church and its leaders, they found that everything needed was already in place through the wisdom of the all the baptized. Epiphany Institute became not so much a small consulting business with learning modules more a collaborative collection of leaders reflecting the healthy diversity of vitality happening all over the landscape of the church. Along the way, they discovered more and more healthy, missional approaches to the post-Christendom reality of life in the 21st Century Church. Ideas which have the power to lift leaders out of narrow ideologies provide a robust grounding for mission in a new era. The space of a brief article in the Seminary Journal does not allow for the in-depth discussion needed to cover all the they have discovered. But examples include Appreciative Inquiry, asset based ministry, World Cafe structured conversations, the emerging church, generational theory, flattened hierarchies, and the missional movement to name a few. They have been blessed to learn from people like Amy and Mark Dyer, Reggie McNeal, Dwight Zscheile, Tim Geoffrion, Joe Stewart-Sicking, Fred Burnham, Hugh Magers, Gerry Sevick, Ibby Whitten, and many others who are shaping the future of parish leadership much more significantly than two co-workers who reached an impasse and discovered the grace of God on two post-it notes. If you would like to be a part of this enigmatic and generative conversation, drop us a line at [email protected]. q

The Epiphany InstituteEpiphany Institute was founded in response to the challenges facing church leaders today. Inspired by real-world experience and developed by a consortium of veteran clergy, the Epiphany program addresses congregational development issues not in isolation, but as part of a comprehensive landscape. Drawing on the tradition of the Magi, Epiphany calls participants to Look Up to re-orient themselves to the light of Christ. Part retreat, part professional conference, this church development program provides the reflective opportunities needed for leaders own spiritual journey as well as the congregational tools and direction needed for guiding todays churches. The goal of Epiphanys conference center, parish and diocesan sponsored events is to help participants build competencies and assessment skills in various church leadership theories and developmental frameworks which are suited to the missional realities of the 21st Century.

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How did two VTS alums and colleagues, from different generations and with very different philosophical and work styles, overcome their differences in order to work together?in progress. But as the fireworks calmed down, interesting things began to happen. Later, when Akridge was ordained to the priesthood, they discovered that apart they were both good priests and leaders. But together, they were a great team with a broad pallet of leadership skills. Jesus, after all, sent the disciples out two-by-two. On the first clergy retreat attended by the pair, a number of priests and deacons gravitated to their large front porch overlooking Lake Logan for the usual postprogram fellowship. The conversations, though, were disheartening. Leader after leader expressed fatigue and lamented the challenges faced by ordained leaders in parish life. We almost felt guilty saying that life was good, said Ferebee. We had to acknowledge that even in the midst of what Bishop Mark Dyer called a 500 year Spiritual Yard Sale, we were prospering. We arrived at the conference center feeling pretty good and left with a burden, said Akridge. If we learned anything from our own challenges, it was that the status quo did not work. So they went on a quest to find a concept, or program, or conference that would help leaders intentionally build what they had found by accident. We found nothing of substance, said Ferebee. But with our bishops encouragement, we began to bring folks with bright ideas together with leaders who were searching for a better way. We knew we didnt want a conference. We knew we didnt want a retreat. And we knew we didnt want to be consultants. So we did something else instead. They founded an institute devoted to find-

In promising to work through difficulties without fear of reprisal, they built a leadership dynamic that was more like a healthy family. They discovered by accident that was exactly how healthy congregations were supposed to function! Confrontation began to turn into collaboration. Arguments turned into compliments. Sabotage turned into support. The parish saw it before we did, said Ferebee. They wanted us to know they were appreciating what they saw. There is a particular shape to wisdom when it is spoken by an Xer and another shape when Boomers speak. Older folks handle authority one way and younger ones another. Virtually everything that had been divisive in the past became a source of strength for parish leadership. The establishment of a simple post-it covenant built a bridge, helped in the transformation of their parish and their lives. Lest anyone think that tranquility ensued, not so. Reconciliation is hard work. Listening out of open minds is always a work

Promoting the Institute: Randy Ferebee (left) and Alan Ackridge at the 2006 General Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

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Under Construction: Guest Article

The Human Costby The Rev. Randy Haycock

of WarI was drawn to the War Memorial Chapel. As I sat in the chapel, I was overwhelmed with a sense of connectedness: with others who serve or have served in the military, with those who had made the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives for their friends, and with the thousands of friends and loved ones who had come into that space to remember and grieve their war dead. As I prayed, I thought of the warrior who had lost his battle buddy. Then, like a gift from heaven, the idea came to me: I need to bring those suffering from the emotional, relational, and spiritual wounds they have received during their military service into this chapel, this sacred ground, this energy field as my spiritual director later helped me to understand it. And it is sacred ground, not because its in one of the greatest cathedrals in the world, or simply because of the intentional use of art and military history by those who designed it, though that surely plays a part in the overall experience. It is sacred because of the heartfelt emotions, prayers, and tears which have been offered in it by countless human beings who have endured the real cost of war.

Chaplain Clinician, Walter Reed Army Medical Center

n April 2008, I was mobilized as an Army Reserve chaplain to serve at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centers Warrior Transition Brigade 1 and subsequently in the Intensive Care and Psychiatry Units in the hospital. Walter Reed is the military medical facility where the most severely wounded warriors come from the theater of war to receive care. I often tell people that there is probably as much heartache per square foot on the campus as anywhere in the world. For some, the wounds are quite obvious and involve the loss of limbs or essential bodily functions. For others, the wounds are not nearly as visible, but sometimes even more painful. The emotional, relational, and spiritual wounds are difficult to diagnose, and sometimes take years to heal. Several weeks after I arrived at Walter Reed, I had two counseling sessions with warriors in transition which shaped how1 Warrior Transition Units were established in 2007 to provide administrative support and case management to warriors receiving outpatient rehabilitation services during which a determination is made as to their ability to return to active duty, if that is their desire, or to transition back to civilian life. 34 VIRGINIA SEMINARY JOURNAL

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my ministry there would develop for the next three years. One counseling session was with a Special Operations officer who began our first meeting with the statement: Chaplain, I think Ive lost my soul. The second was with a young soldier who had lost both legs when an IED 2 exploded underneath the vehicle he was driving. Faced with tremendous losses in his own life, all he wanted to talk about was the battle buddy sitting next to him in the vehicle who didnt survive the blast. It should have been me, not him, he said. He has a wife and kids. Its not right. The following week I went to have lunch with a friend, the Very Rev. Sam Lloyd, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral. I first met Sam when we were both serving parishes in the Diocese of Chicago. Feeling a bit adrift in my new ministry environment, I was eager to connect with people in my own faith tradition which has nurtured me since childhood. I arrived at the cathedral about an hour before our lunch appointment, so I started to wander through that magnificent space looking for a place to pray.2 Improvised Explosive Device, also known as a roadside bomb.

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Under Construction: Guest Article

journey, perhaps they might resolve to go to them and ask or offer forgiveness. If not, they are allowed some time to speak within their hearts, words of petition for or offering forgiveness. The spiritual/psychological purpose of the pilgrimage here is to address the survivors guilt which afflicts many who have come home from combat without those who helped keep them alive. Next, participants are asked to look around at and make eye contact with those who are sharing this pilgrimage with them. They represent all the people with whom we currently share the earthly journey in the present. Again they are asked to let their hearts fill gratitude: that we are never alone in life, even though we might feel that way. One of the effects of trauma and illness is that they tend to isolate us from others. Nobody could possibly understand what its like to be me. The intent here is to encourage participants to seek community so that they do not bear these burdens alone. Finally, participants are asked to face the high altar and look into their future. Because so many of our warriors are relatively young, the shear space between where they are standing in the cathedral and the high altar provides a vivid visual awareness that their lives still have so much opportunity in them, which is the foundation of hope. Once more, they are asked to let their hearts fill with gratitude for the many people, places, and experiences that await them as they journey on. The next phase of the pilgrimage takes us into the War Memorial Chapel. The artwork here represents all of the wars military members have served in from the Revolutionary War on, as well as many of the warrior saints. After taking in this space, participants sit in a circle and are given an opportunity to share some of what has brought them here. The intent here is to provide time for grief work to begin in a very real way sharing our burdens with others. The space itself evokes both a sense of connectedness, and sometimes, tears. From the War Memorial Chapel, partici-

pants move into the sanctuary and gather before the high altar. The meditation focuses on how all the major faith traditions of the world have ways of expressing our eventual reunion with those we have loved and lost to death. We listen to Eric Claptons Tears in Heaven which he wrote following the tragic death of his infant son. The refrain of the song expresses the intent here: I must be strong, and carry on, for I know I dont belong, here in heaven. The pilgrimage concludes with the military ritual of coming to the position of attention, calling off the names of the fallen comrades participants have come to remember and honor, and the sounding of taps. A holistic approach to healing is strongly encouraged and supported at Walter Reed. Drumming circles, informal prayer and/ or study groups, art and music therapy are some of the other ways that the deepest needs for healing and wholeness are addressed. It has been a tremendous privilege for me to provide pastoral care to our nations warriors for the past three years. As it often works in Gods economy, I feel that I have received from them much more than I have given. So much of my own faith has become alive and real in the experience. Two phrases in the Apostles Creed come to mind: He descended into hell and I believe (trust, literally) in the communion of saints. Edward Tick, a clinical psychologist who has worked extensively with veterans who served in Vietnam and other trauma survivors, writes in the acknowledgements of his book War and the Soul: I express my gratitude and respect to all veterans and survivors the world over who have entrusted me with their stories

and their healing and have shared with me the love that is known only in one way: except you share with them in hell. 3 My heart fills with gratitude for those who have shared with me the hells of their lives. And it fills as well for the many saints in my life, those with whom I currently share the earthly journey, and those who rest in peace and are risen in glory with Christ, who in the fullest measure shared our humanity, even to descend into hell. I now know, that in all the little hells of my journey, I am never alone. q A video clip of a pilgrimage filmed by PBS for their Religion and Ethics Newsweekly program, may be found at http://www. pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/ by-topic/mind-body-spirit/pilgrimage-ofremembrance-and-healing/6779/.3 Edward Tick, War and the Soul, page xi.

Above: The Rev. Randy Haycock bers of his worship staff, especially Ellen Spencer, for graciously arranging for us to use the entire sanctuary and nave of the cathedral by ourselves, when it is closed to the public, in order to ensure privacy for the participants. The pilgrimage begins with a Life Journey exercise. Participants are asked to place themselves in the center aisle where they see themselves on lifes journey between birth (represented by the baptismal font at the entrance of the nave) and death/ eternity (represented by the high altar and reredos with its portrayal of Christ and the saints in glory). A series of meditations follow. After just glancing around at, and taking in, the immense space and intentional art of the cathedral, participants are asked to consider how large and abundant our lives really are, and how much of life often escapes our notice. The psychological/ spiritual purpose of this part of the Life Journey exercise is to assist participants to begin reframing the trauma, that is, to place experiences which presently overwhelm their life in the context of their whole life. Two of the most important life skills for us to learn as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, are the practices of gratitude and forgiveness (both asking for it from those we have hurt or offended, and offering it to those who have hurt us). The practices of gratitude and forgiveness in relationships are the key ways we express our love for someone else. For Christians, the practices of gratitude and forgiveness are incarnated in the sacraments of the Eucharist (The Great Thanksgiving) and Reconciliation (the assumption of responsibility for our faults and the receiving of forgiveness). Participants are then asked to face the baptismal font and look back towards the beginning of their lives, and to remember the people, places, and experiences which have shaped who they are today. They are then encouraged to let their hearts fill with gratitude for those who have already shared the earthly journey with them (parents, siblings, relatives, friends, co-workers, and those they have loved and lost). Next they are asked to consider those they have offended or hurt, and those who have offended or hurt them. If those people are still part of their earthly

Two of the most important life skills for us to learn as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, are the practices of gratitude and forgiveness.At lunch with Sam, and in later reflection, the idea began to take shape and came to life in a Pilgrimage of Remembrance and Healing. Drawing on the medieval understanding of pilgrimage as an intentional journey to experience Gods presence and healing in our lives, once a month we bring wounded warriors, family members, and caregivers who assist in their healing for an evening in the cathedral. I am extremely grateful to Sam, and the mem-

The Life Journey exercise at the National Cathedral.Fall 2011 37


Photo by Major Randall Bowen

Under Construction: Student Reflection

Under Construction: New MA Program

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Finding Gods Vision After the StormBy Barbara Anne Fisher, VTS D.Min. Candidate

Master of Arts Programarea of concentration to meet their learning goals and life situation. They can enroll full or part-time and register for courses delivered in a traditional classroom format, during intensive residencies in January and Summer terms, or in a hybrid manner, which is a combination of face-to-face and online instruction. The M.A. program makes use of creative instructional technologies such as the seminarys new Jenzabar course management platform, video conferencing, and electronic portfolios. While the structure of the M.A. degree is an important and exciting step for VTS, it is just the beginning of the Seminarys innovative use of educational technology. Advances in web technology have introduced user-centered capacities that have forever changed teaching and learning. What is commonly referred to as the Web 2.0 has introduced features and functionality that stimulate the creation and consumption of information through collaborative platforms. Today, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are ordinary tools of daily living. Virtual communities exist in every domain of human interest, and digital video technologies keep families and friends connected across the globe. Ideas and conversations fill blogs and wikis. Video, music, and photo file sharing is considered a standard of practice in most American households. Being a healthy seminary today means interacting confidently with all of these technologies and having a vital presence on the global Web.

Combining Residential Formation with Contemporary Technologiestions, educational programming from international museums, video presentations by world leaders, scholars and artists, and of course, virtual tours! With the expertise of the VTS faculty and staff, the depth of our library collection, and the vision of its board VTS is positioned to facilitate extraordinarily rich opportunities for online biblical and theological learning. I look forward to participating in the ongoing discernment and innovation that is required to ensure VTS remains a trusted leader in an increasingly creative and competitive climate of global theological education. We welcome your ideas. How can VTS best support local congregations and dioceses/judicatories in the preparation of lay and ordained leaders for Christian mission? How can we partner with you to serve God more faithfully and more effectively? Tell us. Were listening! q Lisa Kimball, Ph.D. Chair, M.A. Committee, Director, Center for the Ministry of Teaching, and Professor of Christian Formation & Congregational Leadership

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fter a conflict has left the building and the dust begins to settle, what is the first step for rebuilding a faith community that has just weathered a major storm? For St. Peters Church, the answer to finding Gods vision came in a Vestry retreat process which embraced liturgical healing and generative governance through the utilization of Brueggemanns concept of lament, Appreciative Discernment, and Urys Third-siding. The first evening of our retreat, the Vestry used the 42nd Psalm as the opening foundation upon which to model the Discovery and Dream phases of the Appreciative Discernment process. After the Vestry members did the initial interviews in pairs, which involved sharing a remembrance item from a special time in the life of the parish, each person shared their dreams for the parish. The evening session concluded with a special service in the Nave that began with each Vestry member sharing the story of their remembrance item as it was placed on the family altar. A Lighting of the Dreams ceremony followed as each person lit a taper from the Paschal candle, and then placed the candle in an urn containing soil from the buildings foundation. A Litany of Thanksgiving for a Church was used to lead the service into the closing Eucharist. The first morning session of the retreat was based on the message of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-34), as the dual

recognition was made that the parish had been through a difficult time - but that God was still present and the Spirit would lead forth. The Vestrys training focused on how they would be the trainers of the lay leaders for whom they were liaisons, as well as the fact that they would also be the

to the moment on the temple step when he spoke to the beggar, what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk, the Vestry members were invited to surround the altar area to be commissioned. The final segment of the retreat was for the newly commissioned Vestry to learn conflict management by becoming a Urys Third-sider, enabled to recognize and handle conflict. In May, the Vestry provided the Appreciative Discernment Discovery and Dream phase training for the lay leaders. Throughout July and August, the Vestry and the lay leaders have been involved in leading parish members through the Discovery and Dream phases of the Appreciative Discernment process. On September 17th, the entire parish has the opportunity to participate in an Appreciative Summit Retreat. All of the stories of the strength which has defined the parishs past, as well as the dreams for the future which have been shared, will facilitate the Design and Destiny phases of the Appreciative Discernment process. At the end of the Appreciative Summit Retreat, liturgical healing will once again become the focal point as the entire parish meets to walk from the past, through the present, and into the celebration of the future: A future that has been birthed through discovering stories, dreaming dreams, designing the vision, and embracing individual and communal roles within the destiny of that future. q

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leaders for the parish-wide involvement. For the second session of the morning, the concept of generative governance was introduced to the Vestry members as a way for them to utilize the four phases of Appreciative Discernment to the fullest. After a community meal together, the participants met once again in the Nave and the foundational scriptures for the afternoon session became Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Acts 3: 1-10. An interpretive presentation of the Valley of Dry St. Peters was given, and a Burning Bowl ceremony challenged each Vestry members to be the catalyst by which the parish would rise. With a review of Peters winding path

he world is changing rapidly, driven significantly by the intersecting forces of politics, economics, demographics, religion and, of course, technology. Globalization, driven by appetites for freer, faster, and cheaper goods and services, is changing life in every sector. The metrics of excellence in all areas of higher education are being tested and, at times reluctantly, redefined. Theological education is not exempt from this redefinition. VTS is actively responding to a demand for quality, affordable theological education that does not require full-time residency. The newly accredited M.A. program that has replaced the former M.T.S. (Masters in Theological Studies) and M.A.C.E. (Masters in Christian Education) degrees offers increased flexibility and depth of study in preparation for innovative, transformational Christian leadership. The degree design, especially the summative project, prepares students to continue a rigorous academic path, perhaps toward doctoral work, or to apply new learning to current and future ministry. The program combines the strengths of residential formation with the flexibility of contemporary technologies. Working with a faculty advisor, students design a program plan with an identified

The MA program makes use of creative instructional technologies such as the seminarys new Jenzabar course management platform, electronic portfolios. video conferencing, and

Beyond degree programs, people are living longer and more interested in lifelong continuing education than ever before. With access to the Web anyone can study anything 24/7. It is possible to construct a rigorous curriculum on any subject, using open-source or free Web resources such as university courses, e-books and journals from premier libraries and research institu-


Fall 2011

39

Under Construction: Building Bridges

Christians are growing in China like bamboo shoots. -The Rev. Bao Jiayuan of the China Christian Council /ThreeSelf Patriotic Movement in a statement to the Virginia Seminary cross-cultural immersion group last month during the groups visit to Hong Kong,

Bridges to the Church in Asia:by Mitzi J. Budde, John Yieh, and Shawn Strout Photos by John Budde

Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

A Cross-Cultural Immersion Trip to Hong Kong, China, and Japan

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he Virginia Seminary delegation began its journey to Asia on the day after Commencement. New Testament Professor John Yieh organized the trip through his extensive connections and contacts in China. On the trip were Head Librarian and Professor Mitzi Budde and her husband, the Rev. John Budde, four current students: Shirley Porter, Margaret Peel, Shawn Strout, and Bernard Yung, and two 2011 graduates: The Revs. Josiah Rengers and Katherine Nakamura Rengers. VTS Professor Emeritus David Scott, who now lives in Germany in retirement, joined the group for the Hong Kong portion of the journey. The journey had four purposes: 1) to strengthen relationships with the church there through meetings with church leaders and VTS alumni; 2) to learn about theological education in each place through visits to seminaries and university divinity schools and meetings with deans, faculty, and students in these various places; 3) to give VTS students an intensive exposure to ministry in Hong Kong by shadowing parish clergy for 10 days in a mini-internship;

a copy of the VTS faculty book, Staying One, Remaining Open, and a paperweight with the VTS seal.

WORSHIPThe group experienced a variety of Sunday worship services. In Hong Kong, we attended one of six Sunday services at St. Johns Anglican Cathedral, an Englishlanguage service that was standing room only. Afterward, the dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Andrew Chan, who on June 26 was elected to be the next Bishop of Western Kowloon, spent an hour with us explaining the cathedrals ministries, such as the emergency shelter, pro bono legal services, HIV-AIDS education center, and counseling services for immigrant domestic workers. St. Johns is rightfully proud to be colloquially known as the maids and AIDS church. On the second Sunday, in Beijing, we attended a Mandarin Chinese service at the Chongwenmen Church, which is a Three Self Patriotic Movement Church, with four services every Sunday. The service was packed with people, and we were warmly welcomed, even though we had arrived after the service had begun. Ushers led us to two pews with simultaneous translation equipment and bilingual English-Chinese hymnbooks so that we could participate in the worship. On the third Sunday, five of us attended the English-language Holy Eucharist at St. Alban's Anglican Church in Tokyo, while the four student interns in Hong Kong accompanied their priest hosts in worship at their respective parishes. We also visited Holy Trinity [Anglican] Cathedral in Kowloon where Florence Jee, current VTS student, and the Rev. Cora Hing-suen Ip were our hosts and guides, and the Anglican-Episcopal Church of Holy Spirit in Hong Kong where a VTSFall 2011 41

The Rev. Dr. John Yieh gives a VTS memento to the Rev. Bao Jiayuan of the China Christian Council/Three Self Patriotic Movement. 4) to learn and observe how Christianity is acculturated and how it engages the majority religions and atheist philosophy, and to experience Christian worship in Hong Kong, China, and Japan. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed by church leaders who gave generously of their time to share with us their thoughts and philosophies and experiences of ministry. Bishops, priests, and professors candidly related stories of successes and challenges in familiar yet different settings one faith, one ministry, but different cultures and languages. We g

Documents

Virginia Theological Seminary Journal, Fall 2011