In this newsletter you will find:
- The message from EDS’ new President and Dean, the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
- New program announcements, including programming celebrating decades of women priests and on leading our communities in the 2024 presidential election
- A recap of EDS’ recent staff retreat
- And more!
Dear friends,
Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. I appreciate the cooler temperatures, the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, and the reminders of the natural rhythms of life. My mother, on the other hand, hated fall. She would bemoan the drop in temperature and one time told me that all she sees is death all around her with the falling leaves. It wasn’t until the last months of her life that she told me the reason she hated fall was because it was the time everyone always left. My brothers and I would head back to college, my father’s travel schedule would pick up, and she felt alone. These times of transition are complicated, each of us experiencing various emotions, sometimes even seemingly in conflict within ourselves. Whether you are starting a new program year in your congregation, sending your children off to school, or going through transition in some other way, I pray you experience the embrace of divine love.
Here in Northern Michigan, some of the congregations mark this time of year liturgically as the Season of Creation. The ecumenical partnership that supports this movement has a wonderful website full of prayers, resources, and ideas that we might use in our own faith communities or even at home in our daily lives. The symbol for this year’s Season of Creation is the first fruits of hope. From their theological reflection, “there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and be quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles.”
I give thanks for the ways the EDS community continues to actively strive for new life amidst the struggles. In sharing our stories of hope and resilience we inspire one another as we hold each other in prayer. For alums, one opportunity to engage with others in the EDS community is to join us for the monthly EDS Connect gathering on Zoom, which takes place the third Thursday of each month.
This past month the EDS team gathered in person to dream and vision about the ways we will live into the hopes and opportunities that lie ahead of us. Thank you to those of you who have participated in listening sessions and who have provided feedback in terms of the ways EDS might continue to live into its legacy as a leader of theological formation rooted in social justice and liberation. Your suggestions and offers of support are appreciated and are part of what is guiding us forward as we set goals and priorities for the near future and beyond. I hope you will continue to engage in the re-imagining of EDS. Please do not hesitate to contact me to share the stories of your hopefulness for our shared future together.
In the name of the one who sustains, renews, and always pursues us.
Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
EDS Staff Retreat
EDS held an in-person staff retreat from August 6-8, 2024, marking the first time the team gathered with newly appointed President and Dean Lydia Kelsey Bucklin. Hosted at the EDS office at St. John the Divine in New York City, the retreat offered staff an opportunity to get to know one another better. Staff participated in the Strengths Finder test to better understand their individual and collective strengths. Additionally, time was set aside for program development for the remainder of the year, along with prioritizing operational projects such as preparing for the October board meeting, budget planning, and alum relations.
Programs
Being Church: Leading and Caring for our Communities through the 2024 Election
We’re living in fearful, contentious times. As the uncertainty, turmoil, and violence of our national politics intensify in this election season, we may encounter increased fear, anxiety, and division in our own communities. This series of online workshops, co-hosted by EDS and St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery (Manhattan), asks what it looks like to be church in this significant season of our common life. Through four conversations with theologians and church leaders, we will explore how to boldly claim our Christian values and lead with those values in liturgy, preaching, and the public square.
Click here to learn more about the series.
The next and third workshop in the Being Church series will take place on September 24 from 7-8pm ET. This session will feature the Rev. Shaneequa Brokenleg, Dr. Joy J. Moore, and the Rev. Winnie Varghese in conversation about preaching our Christian values in a climate of growing Christian nationalism and white supremacy.
Click here to register.
Breaking Barriers: Decades of Women Priests in the Church of England & The Episcopal Church
In 2024, the Church of England celebrates 30 years of women priests and the Episcopal Church USA celebrates 50 years. On September 5 from 1-2pm ET / 6-7pm BST, hear women clergy on both sides of the pond reflect on the roads they’ve traveled and the journey ahead. Panelists will discuss unique challenges they’ve faced in their contexts and their hopes for women’s leadership across the Anglican Communion.
Click here to register.
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Canon Ed Rodman
The Rev. Canon Ed Rodman was a civil rights activist, the founder of the Union of Black Episcopalians, an esteemed professor at Episcopal Divinity School, and a driving force for justice in the Church. On Wednesday, September 18, join EDS for a screening of the short documentary about Canon Rodman’s life and ministry followed by a panel conversation with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Dr. Deborah Harmon Hines, Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens, Bishop Mark Beckwith, and Rev. Eva Kopp Cavaleri about what we continue to learn from Canon Rodman and how to carry forth his legacy.
Register here to join.
Protecting Religious Liberty and LGBTQ+ Rights with the Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng and Elizabeth Reiner Platt, Esq.
On October 5, 2024, Join EDS and the Columbia Law School Law, Rights, and Religion Project for an online seminar on how faith leaders can protect both religious liberty and LGBTQ+ rights. The seminar will explore the current landscape of religious liberty law in the United States, and it will provide a number of resources to equip faith leaders to constructively engage with these issues in their local contexts. The cost is $20 and scholarships are available upon request.
Click here to register.
EDS and St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery Launch Online Series for Election Season: First Workshop Recap
The first workshop in the Being Church series, “Claiming Our Values in a Climate of Fear,” took place on August 4, 2024, and featured a conversation between Scott Bader-Saye, Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest, and Altagracia Perez-Bullard, Associate Dean of Multicultural Ministries at Virginia Theological Seminary. The conversation was moderated by John Thatamanil, Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary and Priest Associate at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery.
“The opposite of despair is hope,” shared Perez-Bullard during the workshop. “Hope allows us to have the energy to engage in responding to the things that seem overwhelming.”
Click here to read the full event recap.
Alum Corner
Alum Spotlight: The Rev. Pamela “Pan” Conrad ’17
The Rev. Pamela “Pan” Conrad serves as interim rector of Memorial Episcopal Church in Baltimore, MD. She also serves as the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, a group charged with working on dismantling systemic racism where it exists within the diocese and continually approaching this transformational work through the lens of our Baptismal Covenant.
“I was not formed just in that three year experience at EDS, but I continue to be formed by the relationships built with my classmates, the professors and the staff,” shared the Rev. Conrad. “How deeply EDS has written its impact on my life, cannot be summarized in one or two sentences!”
Click here to read the full alum spotlight.
Join us on Zoom every third Thursday at 1pm ET for Connect: Monthly Gathering of EDS Alums, where we will connect with one another, hear about the diverse contexts EDS alums are serving in their work and ministry, and stay up to date on all things EDS!
Our next connect session will take place on September 19, 2024, featuring Pan Conrad.
Registration is required—click here to sign up!
In Memoriam
EDS extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following alums:
If you wish to notify EDS of the passing of an alum, please reach out to edsinfo@eds.edu.
As EDS begins this new chapter, we are confident that together we will shape a future that honors our rich heritage while embracing the ever-evolving needs of theological education. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments ahead!