News
2021
Emma Loane Receives Christy Memorial Scholarship
February 5, 2021
Louisville Seminary Students establish the Gayraud Wilmore Society of Black Seminarians
February 1, 2021
Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III to discuss Black Lives Matter, Breonna Taylor, Black History, and Black Church Studies
January 27, 2021
Emma Loane Receives Christy Memorial Scholarship
February 5, 2021
Louisville Seminary Students establish the Gayraud Wilmore Society of Black Seminarians
February 1, 2021
Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III to discuss Black Lives Matter, Breonna Taylor, Black History, and Black Church Studies
January 27, 2021
2020
Louisville Seminary Celebrates December 2020 Graduates
December 14, 2020
Louisville Seminary Professor Shannon Craigo-Snell helps “Breakdown Whiteness”
November 10, 2020
Jean Edwards, Advocate for Peace and Widow of LPTS Prof. George Edwards, Dies
November 6, 2020
Sung Soo Hong Joins Louisville Seminary’s Faculty
November 2, 2020
Kathryn House joins Louisville Seminary Faculty
October 26, 2020
Louisville Seminary accepted to Wabash Anti-racism Symposium
October 21, 2020
Louisville Seminary receives $1 million Lilly Endowment grant to study rural ministry in African American contexts
October 9, 2020
Louisville Seminary Develops Resources to Promote Anti-Racism
July 23, 2020
Master of Divinity Student Col. Pamela Stevenson Wins Kentucky State House Election
July 7, 2020
Angela Morris retires from Louisville Seminary’s E.M. White Library
June 26, 2020
Louisville Seminary Counseling Center to offer Social Distance Services to Clients beginning June 29
June 22, 2020
COVID-19 Update: Plans for the Fall Semester
June 19, 2020
Kilen Gray Named Dean of Community Life
June 12, 2020
Lesley Ann Earles Joins Louisville Seminary’s Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty
June 10, 2020
LPTS Joins Higher Ed Institutions in Stand Against Racism
June 10, 2020
COVID-19 Update 5/19/20
May 19, 2020
COVID-19 Update – Timeline for Resuming In-Person Seminary Operations
May 12, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 5/5/20
May 5, 2020
Carol Cook named Professor Emerita
April 30, 2020
2020-2021 Student Government Representatives Announced
April 29, 2020
Ashley Hicks White Promoted to Associate Professor
April 29, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 4/28/20
April 28, 2020
Debra Mumford Named Academic Dean at Louisville Seminary
April 24, 2020
Professor Justin Reed Earns Ph.D.
April 24, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 4/21/20
April 21, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 4/14/20
April 14, 2020
Mental and Emotional Coping with Social Distancing
April 1, 2020
COVID-19 Updates, March 31
March 31, 2020
Louisville Seminary COVID-19 Updates
March 24, 2020
COVID-19 message regarding Library Closing and Online Services
March 20, 2020
A Message from President Pollard
March 19, 2020
Coronavirus Updates 3/16/2020
March 16, 2020
Louisville Seminary Closure for March 13
March 12, 2020
Latest Coronavirus Updates
March 11, 2020
Professor J. Bradley Wigger Wins Illumination Christian Book Award
February 13, 2020
President Pollard Reflects on Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 23, 2020
Louisville Seminary Celebrates December 2020 Graduates
December 14, 2020
Louisville Seminary Professor Shannon Craigo-Snell helps “Breakdown Whiteness”
November 10, 2020
Jean Edwards, Advocate for Peace and Widow of LPTS Prof. George Edwards, Dies
November 6, 2020
Sung Soo Hong Joins Louisville Seminary’s Faculty
November 2, 2020
Kathryn House joins Louisville Seminary Faculty
October 26, 2020
Louisville Seminary accepted to Wabash Anti-racism Symposium
October 21, 2020
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will participate in the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning symposium, “Becoming Anti-Racist and Catalysts for Change.” Through a series of cohort sessions and participant projects, the symposium will provide guidance on how to design initiatives and implement measures to address the nature and workings of race, racism, and white supremacy in academic settings. Participation in the symposium is a component of Louisville Seminary’s larger initiative to implement anti-racism measures as part of the seminary’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for which accreditation bodies will hold the seminary accountable.
“We don’t just want to teach our students to be anti-racist,” said Debra Mumford, Louisville Seminary’s Academic Dean. “We have the larger goal of becoming an anti-racist institution. The Wabash Symposium will help us make progress toward this goal.”
Mumford, along with Justin Reed, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Shannon Craigo-Snell, Professor of Theology, submitted the application for symposium participation to the Wabash Center. Reed is the seminary’s Wabash Symposium representative. As such, Reed will attend symposium cohort sessions with representatives from other academic institutions from November 2020 through June 2021.
“Our students have made it clear that we need to go beyond the laudable work of learning about anti-racism; we also need to be people of action,” said Reed. “The Wabash Symposium gives us an amazing opportunity to bring all facets of our seminary together in concerted action toward substantive change into becoming a thoroughly anti-racist community.”
As part of the symposium’s efforts, Reed will also lead an institutional conversation group, which will design an embedded project to mobilize the seminary on issues of race, racism, and healing. The group consists of representatives from five key areas of seminary life. They are:Heather Griffin – Institutional Advancement; Angela Harrison – Business Office; Tyler Mayfield – Dean’s Office; Sandra Moon – Office of Community Life; and Ed Aponte – Louisville Institute. Each representative will work with their areas to examine policies, practices, procedures, and general ways of being that continue to support and perpetuate racism.
“The Wabash Symposium will help us do some of the very difficult work it will take to reach our goal of being an anti-racist institution,” said Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III. “We are grateful to Justin Reed and to our colleagues for their commitment to this very important work. Our thanks as well to the Wabash Center for their visionary symposium.”
Louisville Seminary receives $1 million Lilly Endowment grant to study rural ministry in African American contexts
October 9, 2020
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary has received a five-year, $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Nehemiah Project: Strengthening Historic African American Congregations.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative, a national effort to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world.
Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants through the initiative. The grants will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions, explore and understand better the communities in which they serve, and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs. Louisville Seminary is one of 92 organizations being funded through the initiative.
The Nehemiah Project will engage 13 primarily rural, historic Black churches (HBCs) in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, plus one non-Black congregational learning partner. Each participating congregation will receive guidance and support to devise specific strategies for defining their spiritual values, connecting with their surrounding communities, and responding to congregational challenges in effective ways. Features of the Nehemiah Project will include developing influential congregational leaders, online learning modules, and assessment tools for congregations to use. Representative denominations will include United Methodist Church (UMC), African Methodist Episcopal, Christian Methodist Episcopal, AME Zion, and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Rev. Dr. Angela Cowser, Louisville Seminary’s Associate Dean of Black Church Studies and Doctor of Ministry Programs, said that the timing of the Lilly Endowment funding could not be better.
“Ministry in rural spaces is understudied and under-resourced,” said Cowser. “This grant will make these project goals a reality and provide a model for rural HBCs in this region and across the country. We want to build relationships with rural clergy, learn from them, and provide resources that will enrich their ministries and communities.”
Louisville Seminary first raised the question about thriving congregations in Black rural settings at its February 2019 Black Church Studies Consultation. Throughout the following summer, seminary professors and alumni in partnership with congregational leaders from Bardstown, Hopkinsville, and Eminence, Kentucky, conducted field research examining the issues that congregations address to effectively provide spiritual, social, and personal guidance to the rural communities they serve. The results of their findings were presented at the February 2020 Black Church Studies Consultation and served as the basis for development of the Nehemiah Project.“In the midst of a rapidly changing world, Christian congregations are grappling with how they can best carry forward their ministries,” said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Religion. “These grants will help congregations assess their ministries and draw on practices in their theological traditions to address new challenges and better nurture the spiritual vitality of the people they serve.”
With funding secured, next steps for the Louisville Seminary Nehemiah Project include project orientation for participating congregations’ leaders, organization of church development leadership teams, and development of program study guides and other training modules. Project efforts will be the focus of the seminary’s next Black Church Studies Consultation, which will take place in February 2021.
According to Louisville Seminary’s President, Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III, the work of the Nehemiah Project benefits the communities that Louisville Seminary serves as well as the seminary students who are preparing for ministry.
“Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is pleased to support the Nehemiah Project, a groundbreaking and much-needed resource,” said Pollard. The Commonwealth of Kentucky and neighboring regions are richly served by rural Black congregations and communities. Thanks to the leadership of Rev. Dr. Angela Cowser, and the researchers and practitioners she has gathered, this project will be of immense benefit to rural Black contexts and to the faithful far and wide.”
Louisville Seminary Develops Resources to Promote Anti-Racism
July 23, 2020
On July 23, 2020, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary released two online resources for public use which raise awareness about the importance of anti-racism and help develop individual anti-racist identities.
Growing a Personal Anti-racist Voice and Identity is a self-guided study, which takes approximately 90 minutes to complete and can be done individually or in small groups. With faith as its foundation, the study helps participants find ways to restore oppressed people and bring racial healing, equity, and justice to the community. It includes discussion questions, definitions about racialization, ways to become involved in anti-racist movements, poetry, prayers, and other resources. The study is available on Louisville Seminary’s website at lpts.edu/antiracistidentity.
The Anti-racism Digital Library, which is curated by Louisville Seminary’s Ernest Miller White Library, serves as a clearinghouse for information about people, groups, and projects who are building inclusive and caring communities. The library includes more than 325 books, essays, videos, art and other materials in 23 different collections and allows for individuals, groups, and organizations to submit additional materials. The library is found at endracism.info.
Both the Growing a Personal Anti-racist Voice and Identity study and the Anti-racism Digital Library were developed by Dr. Anita Coleman, who is the Director of Louisville Seminary’s Ernest Miller White Library and Associate Professor of Bibliography and Research. According to Coleman, these resources reflect on and respond to the current and historic realities of racial injustice.
“Anti-racism is a part of Christian discipleship, a harmonious outpouring of the inner life,” said Coleman, who also serves on the editorial board of Horizons Magazine and is Vice President of the Presbyterians Writers Guild. “These tools are not to make one feel guilt, shame, or pressure to add anti-racism as another commitment. Rather, they illuminate our journey and discern our next steps as disciples of Jesus Christ in today’s global and multi-cultural society.”
Coleman began work on the Anti-racism Digital Library in 2015 (prior to her arrival at Louisville Seminary and shortly following the Emmanuel AME church shooting in Charleston, SC) with seed funding from the Presbyterian Women of the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii and the Center for Applied Research on Human Services at San Jose State University. Development of the Growing a Personal Anti-racist Voice and Identity study came at the behest of Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III, and several others from the seminary’s faculty and students.
“In the same breath we express our love for God, so we must also bring meaning, action, and life to the truth of that love,” said Pollard. “It is our hope that those near and far beyond the walls of our seminary find personal, spiritual, and communal wisdom through these resources. My thanks to Dr. Coleman and those who assisted her on these projects for helping Louisville Seminary lend its voice to the very important work of racial justice.”
Master of Divinity Student Col. Pamela Stevenson Wins Kentucky State House Election
July 7, 2020
Angela Morris retires from Louisville Seminary’s E.M. White Library
June 26, 2020
Louisville Seminary Counseling Center to offer Social Distance Services to Clients beginning June 29
June 22, 2020
All fees for services currently suspended
In an effort to provide access to marriage and family therapy resources during the COVID-19 (“coronavirus”) pandemic, the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center (LSCC) will begin offering services free of charge to its clients via phone and the online Zoom meeting platform beginning June 29. The seminary’s counseling center has been closed since March 16, due to the need to implement coronavirus social distancing protocols.
According to LSCC Clinical Director Beth Seeger Troy, while the closure was necessary, disruption of services adversely impacts the therapeutic progress of the center’s more than 165 clients. Further, the students in the Louisville Seminary Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Program who work in the LSCC experience disruption in their academic and professional training.
“While people often would rather meet with their counselor in person, telehealth allows everyone to remain safe during the pandemic,” said Seeger Troy. “Telehealth counseling has also been shown to be effective for therapy outcomes. Further, LSCC believes it is important to offer services to people in the Louisville area who may be experiencing anxiety over the pandemic, and, in particular, to those who need to talk about racial injustice. LSCC recognizes the need for quality therapy at no charge in these times of high stress, so all fees for services are suspended during this time.”
Louisville Seminary’s MFT students and the LSCC’s clinical supervisors have been completing training via a Telemental Health class under the instruction of Dr. Ashley Hicks, Louisville Seminary’s Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy. According to Hicks, students’ training has focused on Telehealth Theory, Ethics in Telehealth, Online Therapy Practice, Risk Management, Safety and Emergency Procedures, and Clinical Assessments.
To further ensure confidentiality of clients’ information, the LSCC is implementing the use of SharePoint, which allows for secure online transmittal of forms, documents, and other paperwork relevant to the clients’ needs.
Since 1997, the LSCC has provided family, couple’s, and children’s therapy to clients throughout the Louisville Metro area. Appointments are currently being accepted. To make an appointment, contact the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center at (502) 894-2293. Information is available online at www.lpts.edu/lscc.
COVID-19 Update: Plans for the Fall Semester
June 19, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
After carefully studying the recommendations and predictions of local, state, and national public health experts, observing the resurgence of COVID-19 during early summer, assessing the testing, contact tracing and other human and material resources needed to keep all Louisville Seminary students and employees safe, and in consultation with faculty, we have decided that all teaching and learning will be provided in an online format during the fall 2020 semester.
The faculty is committed to providing quality online courses in the fall. Throughout the summer, faculty are learning to design and facilitate engaging and creative online courses that meet the same rigorous pedagogical and academic standards students have come to expect in our face-to-face classes. Learning to teach online in such a short period of time involves a steep learning curve. Faculty understand that developing online teaching proficiencies takes a lot of time and effort. However, your professors are lifelong learners who take great pride in their teaching. As a result, we are working with an online instructional designer to make our learning curve much more manageable.
Having made the decision to offer all instruction online, we understand other aspects of Seminary life are also impacted. What follows are updates from various Seminary departments.
General Safety
PPE materials will be widely available on campus this coming academic year. More information will be forthcoming as the semester approaches. LPTS will continue to closely monitor and adhere to local, state, federal, and healthcare guidelines in implementing our COVID-related measures.
Convocation
The 2020-21 academic year formally begins with Opening Convocation. Dean Debra Mumford will be our speaker for this signature virtual event. Though she will be speaking, she has chosen to be installed as Dean during either the spring or fall 2021 Board of Trustees meeting.
New Student Orientation
Orientation for all new incoming students will be held online August 31-Sept 1. More information will be made available soon.
Course Schedules
All courses will be taught using online video conferencing technology. For now, meeting times of all courses still follow the fall 2020 course schedule; students should use this for their planning purposes. Any amendments to the course schedule to reflect the use of videoconferencing technology will be available in early August.
Field education
The on-site placement aspect of Field Education will take place either virtually, in person, or in a hybrid of the two. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on conversations between the student, the supervisor, the site, and the Office of Field Education. The primary factor in this will be the physical, spiritual, and emotional health of all involved, but particularly, the students. All training for Field Education will take place online. All supervisors and students will receive training before the start of the fall semester. More information will be provided at that time.
E. M. White Library
In the fall, library services will be provided in phases as we continue to develop necessary approaches, policies, and procedures. At the beginning of the semester we will be in Phase 1, which will be fully online. In the first phase, in support of the Seminary’s online instruction, the library will continue digital library services, including fully online course reserves, electronic remote access, instruction, and research consultations via the Online Help Desk. During the first phase, the building and its print collections will be open only to staff. Our hope is to progress to Phase 2 in which we will safely reopen limited access to the library building, spaces, and print collections with reduced services. Staff will work from the library and prepare for the second phase of limited access and services. Details will be available after fall semester begins.
This summer, library staff continue working from home M – Th 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and delivering services via With Much Love: Digital Library Services https://blog.lptslove.org
In the fall, library hours will be Seminary hours: M - Th 8:30 am – 5 pm and Fri 8:30 am to noon.
Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center (ASC) will continue offering support, coaching, assignment and paper planning, study skills and tips, and ADA accommodation coordination for the fall semester. ASC office hours with Beth Herrinton-Hodge resume daily in August (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Evening hours with Sherry Arconti will resume in September (3:30 to 8:30 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays).
To reach the ASC remotely, to set up a Zoom meeting, or schedule an appointment, contact:
Beth: bherrintonhodge@lpts.edu
Calendly.com/bherrintonhodge
Sherry: sarconti@lpts.edu
Calendly.com/sarconti
Counseling Center
All counseling will be offered online. During the summer, all MFT students enrolled at LPTS completed a course orienting them to effective procedures for Telehealth video therapy, HIPAA rules and compliance, Zoom supervision procedures, and guarding client confidentiality and safety. All supervisors were oriented to how to manage supervision procedures on the Zoom platform. The MFT faculty constructed a set of policies and practices to allow students to carefully supervise Telehealth contact with clients. Advertising is underway to widely disseminate the availability of Telehealth counseling.
Worship
Plans for worship in the fall are forthcoming.
Housing
All seminary housing will remain open/accessible to residents and their families. We ask that seminary housing residents exercise caution and judgment with respect to welcoming outside visitors and socializing/gathering among yourselves. We will counsel individually with any student who has been impacted by the coronavirus. Further questions on this matter should be addressed to Jessica Bowman, administrative coordinator for the Office of Community Life jbowman@lpts.edu.
Financial Assistance
COVID-19 financial assistance is still available for students who need support with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Eligible expenses may include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care, utilities, rent, gas, groceries, and other necessary living expenses. Contact Gina Kuzuoka, financial aid coordinator, for more information gkuzuoka@lpts.edu.
These are challenging times. However, every member of the LPTS community is meeting this challenge by not only ensuring that all of our students continue to have a quality learning experience in the midst of the Global Covid-19 Pandemic, but by ensuring that every member of the community continues to be as healthy and safe as possible. More detailed information about seminary plans and operations will be shared as fall approaches.
In the meantime, may God bless and keep you and your loved ones.
Sincerely,
Debra J. Mumford
Dean of the Seminary
Frank H. Caldwell Professor of Homiletics
Kilen Gray Named Dean of Community Life
June 12, 2020
Lesley Ann Earles Joins Louisville Seminary’s Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty
June 10, 2020
LPTS Joins Higher Ed Institutions in Stand Against Racism
June 10, 2020
On June 3, 2020, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III, joined several other Louisville-area higher education leaders in a pledge to collaboratively address racism in Louisville. Following is the statement issued jointly by the higher education leaders:
James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
The harsh truth that must be faced is that Black Americans still face obstacles that leave them, in far too many cases, lagging behind their White counterparts on important indicators of education, income, health, and wealth. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd are just the latest names on our collective dishonor roll of Black lives that were taken casually and, all too often, without consequence. The very real racial inequities of today are the result of a legacy of systemic racism.
We, as leaders of higher education institutions in greater Louisville and Kentuckiana, are aware both of the promise of higher education as a transformative force in society, and of the problematic history of these very institutions in perpetuating racial inequity.
As leaders of these institutions, we, too, are complicit in maintaining the status quo and it is therefore incumbent upon us to take real and meaningful action to achieve the ideals of equity that our institutions espouse.
We believe that by working together we can do more and do better as agents of positive change.
- We pledge to educate ourselves and our own college and university communities to recognize and work against structural racism.
- We pledge to work together to improve access to higher education for our African-American and other students of color.
- We pledge to create pathways for African-American and other students of color to meaningful and high-demand jobs and careers and acknowledge the need for more Black professionals in healthcare and education and engineering and law as in many other spheres.
- We pledge to engage fully and meaningfully in the life of West Louisville.
- With our institutional privileges of knowledge, reach, resources, legacy, and more, we pledge to consistently demonstrate our commitment to the objective fact that Black Lives Matter.
- Neeli Bendapudi, University of Louisville
- Susan Donovan, Bellarmine University
- Travis Haire, Ivy Tech, Sellersburg
- Ty Handy, Jefferson Community and Technical College
- Jay Marr, Sullivan University, Louisville
- Tori Murden McClure, Spalding University
- Alton B. Pollard, III, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
- Ray Wallace, IU Southeast
COVID-19 Update 5/19/20
May 19, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following are this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life. Be sure to check previous updates for further details. To date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus. In-person operations and online classes will remain in effect until further notice.
NEW ITEMS
Coronavirus Updates
With the conclusion of the academic year last week and following the notice about seminary operations through August 3, COVID-19 updates will be deployed on an as-needed basis throughout the summer. News and information about seminary classes, programs and other operations will be deployed from the academic/operational departments themselves as well as via the Seminary Times.
Please rest assured that any updates about COVID-19’s impact on seminary classes and operations will be provided as soon as such information becomes available. In the meantime, should you have any questions about COVID-19 issues, please refer to the following contacts.
Academics: Steve Cook (until July 1); Debra Mumford (after July 1)
Operations: Pat Cecil (until June 1); Angela Traylor (after June 1)
Housing and Student Affairs: Kilen Gray
Library Services: Anita Coleman
Louisville Seminary Counseling Center: Loren Townsend and Beth Seeger Troy
General Questions: Office of the President
REMINDERS
Summer Hours
Beginning this week, Louisville Seminary will operate per its summer schedule. Offices will be closed on Fridays from May 22 to August 21. Additionally, Louisville Seminary will be closed for Memorial Day (May 25) and Independence Day (July 4).
Payroll
LPTS COMMUNITY MESSAGE
5/19/20
FOR EMPLOYEES, STUDENTS, SOCIAL MEDIA, WEB
Louisville Seminary will remain committed to paying employees for missed time. Contact Kim Smith (Laura March for FWS students) with questions.
Thanks to all for remaining diligent with respect to social distancing guidelines. Over these past few months, we have learned a lot about necessity being the mother of invention. While we have been inconvenienced by this pandemic, I am confident that our community will see through this challenge and be ready to face the future with fresh perspectives and exciting ideas. In the meantime, please continue to lift one another up in prayer.
In the Presence,
Alton
COVID-19 Update – Timeline for Resuming In-Person Seminary Operations
May 12, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following are this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life. Be sure to check previous updates for further details. To date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus.
RESUMING IN-PERSON OPERATIONS
In keeping with guidelines and other information provided by our state and city governments as well as by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will resume in-person operations for all employees beginning Monday, August 3, 2020. Essential employees will continue to work on site as needed. Other employees who need to work on site prior to August 3 are welcome to do so. In all instances, please know that the importance of social distancing guidelines cannot be overstated.
Various sectors of the economy are reopening toward the end of May per Gov. Beshear’s Healthy at Work plan. Because seminary operations generally run slower throughout the summer months, maintaining work-at-home status until August 3 allows for time to pass with the hopes that spreading of COVID-19 will be significantly diminished by then.
The August 3 date is only as firm as the decrease in COVID-19 cases allows. If there is a resurgence of the disease and/or if orders are given to maintain work-at-home status after August 3, the seminary will comply with such orders.
When in-person operations resume in August, all employees are encouraged to continue to practice social distancing guidelines however possible. That means keeping face-to-face meetings at a minimum, frequent washing of hands, and no physical contact with co-workers (handshakes, etc.). Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including gloves and masks (not N95 masks) will be provided to returning employees only to the extent that PPE is available. Please understand that our Facilities Department is working hard to secure PPE, however, the demand at this time is significant, which makes the acquisition of PPE difficult.
Details about the return to campus for students, including the incoming class, are being developed by the Office of Student Engagement. Such details will be made available as soon as possible.
The E.M. White Library will remain closed until August 3. Details about online services are available here . Access to ebooks, electronic databases, electronic resources along with exciting new video streaming services, fun summer offerings for LPTS, trials and demos, continue to be made available on With Much Love: Digital Library Services blog here . Books may be returned to the book drop outside the library. Fines incurred during this period will be waived. The library’s (virtual) summer hours are M-F, 8:30 am – 5 pm. Staff will respond to your questions via the Online Help Desk at library@lpts.edu.
The Louisville Seminary Counseling Center will remain closed for in-person business until further notice. Student therapists are asked to continue seeing their clients via Telehealth. For questions about practicum openings and other Counseling Center issues, contact Loren Townsend or Beth Seeger Troy.
Watch your email for further details/updates.
COVID-19 Updates 5/5/20
May 5, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following are this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life. Be sure to check previous updates for further details. To date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus. In-person operations and online classes will remain in effect until further notice.
NEW ITEMS
Course Schedules and Book Information
The webpage on which course schedule and book information is normally posted is now updated to include the materials sent via email by Steve Cook last week. For instructions and more information about the process of registration, please see the email sent on Wednesday, April 29 and reprinted in the May 1, 2020, edition of the Seminary Times.
https://www.lpts.edu/academics/semester-schedules
NOTE: The book lists for summer and fall still have some gaps, but that information will be filled in due time.
Commencement
The 2020 Commencement Planning Committee has been working hard to create a fun and engaging online experience for our graduating Class of 2020.
A special “Class of 2020” Facebook group has been created. All are invited to join the group and offer memories, congratulations, and support for this year’s grads. See the following link to view/join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1113704922332944
Also, a Commencement Watch Party will take place Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., on the main Louisville Seminary Facebook Page (@LPTSNow). See the link for more information.
https://www.facebook.com/events/552523695648511
#GivingTuesdayNow
On May 5, Louisville Seminary will participate in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and giving. This is a social media-driven fundraising initiative, which will encourage financial support for Louisville Seminary. Throughout the day, #GivingTuesdayNow posts will appear across all of Louisville Seminary’s social media platforms. Please like/engage/share these posts with your own social media networks.
Digital Library Services
The team at our E.M. White Library wants to remind all that the library staff is available for questions and help requests at library@lpts.edu. To assist students through the end of the academic year, Library Director Anita Coleman created a brief video outlining the seminary’s “digital library.” See the following link to watch the video.
Carol Cook named Professor Emerita
April 30, 2020
2020-2021 Student Government Representatives Announced
April 29, 2020
Ashley Hicks White Promoted to Associate Professor
April 29, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 4/28/20
April 28, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following are this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life. Be sure to check previous updates for further details. To date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus. In-person operations and online classes will remain in effect until further notice
NEW ITEMS
Summer and Fall Schedules and Registration
The final schedules for Summer and Fall 2020 will be made available after the Faculty meeting on Wednesday, April 29. Instructions for the process of registration will be sent with these editions of the schedules.
Payroll
This is a pay week! The seminary remains committed to paying hourly employees and work-support students for missed time. Time sheets do not need your supervisor’s signature. Hourly employees must submit their time sheets directly to Kim Smith, and federal work-study students should submit their time sheets to Laura March.
MFT Faculty Interview
The Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Search Committee will be (virtually) bringing an applicant, Lesley Earles, to campus to interview for the MFT faculty position Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1. Zoom invitations will be emailed by a designated host. See the April 24 sent by Becky Timmerding on behalf of Loren Townsend for details.
Kudos!
- To Professor Debra Mumford for being named our new Academic Dean!
- To Professor Justin Reed, who successfully defended his Princeton Theological Seminary doctoral dissertation!
- To incoming Student Representatives for the 2020-2021 academic school year!
- 2nd Year MDiv - Adrian Baker (President)
- 3rd Year MDiv - Megan Berry
- 3rd Year MFT - Tiffany Keith (Clerk)
- 2nd Year MDiv - Rebecca Mattern
- 2nd Year MFT - Emani Patterson
- 2nd Year MDiv - Emily Hicks
- 2nd Year MAR - Hunter Malone
Debra Mumford Named Academic Dean at Louisville Seminary
April 24, 2020
Professor Justin Reed Earns Ph.D.
April 24, 2020
COVID-19 Updates 4/21/20
April 21, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following is this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life. New items are listed first, followed by some reminders. Please note that there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus. In-person operations and online classes will remain in effect until further notice. Be sure to check previous updates for further details.
NEW ITEMS
Pass/Fail Class Deadline Extension
The deadline to make decisions regarding whether to take a course for a grade or Pass/Fail has been extended to Friday, April 24. If you want to exercise a Pass/Fail option for any particular course this term, please contact the appropriate faculty member by the end of the day Friday, April 24.
Summer and Fall Schedules and Registration
The schedules for Summer and Fall 2020 are nearing completion, and the hope is to distribute them on Monday, April 27. Students should plan to meet with their academic advisors via Zoom. The academic advisors will report on all of their advisees' registration choices to the Registrar at one time. Students will not register with the Registrar directly.
As students select courses in conversation with their advisors, it will be important to select second and possibly third choices for summer courses. There are currently four courses scheduled in August, and each course is capped at 20 students.
Please keep in mind that the faculty will continue to monitor conditions for how courses will be delivered. It is unlikely that any summer course will be in person. Final determination about the means of delivery of summer and fall courses is ongoing.
We hope to complete registration by the end of the semester (Friday, May 15).
Ordination Exams
For those preparing to take the PC(USA) online ordination exams, please see the information provided here. Contact Anita Coleman for questions.
Commencement
Keep the date of May 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET open for our graduation watch party. We are incorporating many important elements of the commencement service into the event to make it as special and unique as possible.
Financial Aid
The Office of Student Engagement is calculating what each master’s-level student will receive as part of the Education Stabilization Fund. Watch for notices on distributions. Contact Kilen Gray for questions.
Prayers for Jean Newman
Please continue to keep Jean Newman and her family in your prayers. Jean’s mother, Nancy MacClellan Mitchell Sears, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 15. Her obituary was published this past Sunday.
Community Campaign
Special thanks to Jean Herp, Beth Henley, Philip Johnson, Cliff Kirkpatrick, and J Stephens for their service on the 2020 Community Fundraising Campaign Team. The April 17 Zoom celebration and participation by faculty, students, staff, and administration throughout the campaign reminded us that, even in these challenging times, we remain strong in the Spirit of the One Body.
REMINDERS
Payroll
The seminary will remain committed to paying hourly employees and work-support students for missed time. Time sheets do not need your supervisor’s signature. Hourly employees must submit their time sheets directly to Kim Smith, and federal work-study students should submit their time sheets to Laura March.
Invoices
If you are expecting an invoice or have a question about processing of invoices during in-person operation suspension, please contact Kim Smith.
Counseling Center
The Louisville Seminary Counseling Center remains closed, and student therapists are being asked to continue seeing their clients via Telehealth. For questions about practicum openings and other Counseling Center issues, contact Loren Townsend or Beth Seeger Troy.
Mail Services
The seminary mail room in Nelson Hall will continue to operate daily. Contact Norm Hollabaugh for questions.
Academic Support Services
ASC services will be available remotely using phones and computers. Email Beth Herrinton-Hodge or Sherry Arconti for phone numbers for remote work. Following are ASC’s hours of operation:
- Monday: 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (Sherry after 3:30 p.m.)
- Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Thursday 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (Sherry after 3:30 p.m.)
- Friday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Library Services
Information about library services during seminary closing is located here. Contact the library help desk with questions.
Worship
Weekly prayer meetings continue every Thursday via ZOOM from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Weekly coloring pages are available on the Caldwell Chapel Facebook page. Additional resources are available on the Spiritual Resources Website. Please see the email that Marcus Hong sent on March 31 for details.
Spiritual Direction
The Office of Student Engagement maintains a referral list of spiritual directors for students. Spiritual directors are available by phone. For more information, please contact Kilen Gray.
Food Pantry Assistance
Please do not forget to consider donations to the Louisville Seminary Food Pantry (located in the lower level of Schlegel Hall). Those who turn to the Food Pantry for assistance are asked to take only items that are needed. Contact Rachel Potts-Wells or Violet Sears with questions.
Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund
The Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund provides monetary aid to assist students in paying utilities, rent, gas, groceries, and other necessary living expenses. Online donations to the Student Assistance Fund are now being accepted. For all other questions about the fund, contact Kilen Gray.
Team Kentucky Fund
This fund provides assistance to Kentuckians who have been severely financially impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.
https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/PPC/KYCOVID-19Donate
One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund
A coalition of government and philanthropy entities that will deploy financial support to households, businesses, and nonprofit organizations working at the frontlines of the Louisville-area coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.cflouisville.org/one-louisville
GENERAL COVID-19 RESOURCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
COVID-19 Updates 4/14/20
April 14, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Following are this week’s updates regarding seminary operations, academic matters, and community life relating to COVID-19. New items are listed first, followed by some reminders. Be sure to check previous updates for further details.
NEW ITEMS
Pass/Fail Courses
Students who want to exercise an option to take a course Pass/Fail (P/F) instead of for a letter grade may request the P/F option from their course instructor(s). Students still have the option to receive letter grades for courses. Those who want to exercise a P/F option for any particular course this term must contact the appropriate faculty member by the end of the day Friday, April 17.
Payroll
Louisville Seminary has successfully applied for funding via the COVID-19 CARES Act, which legislation includes financial support for non-profit institutions and small businesses. The amount received, approximately $1 million, will help fund the seminary’s payroll for about two-and-a-half months. To echo the notice I sent on Friday, April 10, I am thankful for the swift and enthusiastic endorsement of our Board Chair Lant Davis and Finance Committee Chair Kathy Minx. A special note of gratitude here goes to Pat Cecil and Angela Traylor for so adroitly and expertly leading our application process to fruition.
Financial Aid
Louisville Seminary has received an allocation of funds to support emergency financial aid grants to students. The funds are part of the more than $14 billion earmarked for colleges and universities as part of the Education Stabilization Fund included in the third coronavirus stimulus package. We are working to calculate what each master’s-level student will receive. Contact Kilen Gray for questions.
Counseling Center
The Louisville Seminary Counseling Center remains closed, and student therapists are being asked to continue seeing their clients via Telehealth. For questions about practicum openings and other Counseling Center issues, contact Loren Townsend or Beth Seeger Troy.
REMINDERS
Seminary Operations and Classes
Campus offices, except for essential operations, will remain closed until further notice. Online learning will continue until further notice.
Reporting Symptoms
To date, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on campus. Those who test positive for coronavirus are encouraged to contact either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement. Identification of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus will remain confidential, however, the seminary is obligated to report confirmed cases (minus personal information) to the seminary community.
Time Sheets
This is a pay week. The seminary will remain committed to paying hourly employees and work-support students for missed time. Time sheets do not need your supervisor’s signature. Hourly employees must submit their time sheets directly to Kim Smith, and federal work-study students should submit their time sheets to Laura March.
Mail Services
The seminary mail room in Nelson Hall will continue to operate daily. Contact Norm Hollabaugh for questions.
Invoices
If you are expecting an invoice or have a question about processing of invoices during in-person operation suspension, please contact Kim Smith.
Academic Support Services
ASC services will be available remotely using phones and computers. Email Beth Herrinton-Hodge or Sherry Arconti for phone numbers for remote work. Following are ASC’s hours of operation:
- Monday: 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (Sherry after 3:30 p.m.)
- Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Thursday 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (Sherry after 3:30 p.m.)
- Friday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Worship
Weekly prayer meetings continue every Thursday via ZOOM from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Weekly coloring pages are available on the Caldwell Chapel Facebook page. Additional resources are available on the Spiritual Resources Website. Please see the email that Marcus Hong sent on March 31 for details.
Spiritual Direction
The Office of Student Engagement maintains a referral list of spiritual directors for students. Spiritual directors are available by phone. For more information, please contact Kilen Gray.
Food Pantry Assistance
Please do not forget to consider donations to the Louisville Seminary Food Pantry (located in the lower level of Schlegel Hall). Those who turn to the Food Pantry for assistance are asked to take only items that are needed. Contact Rachel Potts-Wells with questions.
Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund
The Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund provides monetary aid to assist students in paying utilities, rent, gas, groceries, and other necessary living expenses. Online donations to the Student Assistance Fund are now being accepted. For all other questions about the fund, contact Kilen Gray.
Team Kentucky Fund
This fund provides assistance to Kentuckians who have been severely financially impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.
https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/PPC/KYCOVID-19Donate
One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund
A coalition of government and philanthropy entities that will deploy financial support to households, businesses, and nonprofit organizations working at the frontlines of the Louisville-area coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.cflouisville.org/one-louisville
GENERAL COVID-19 RESOURCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
Mental and Emotional Coping with Social Distancing
April 1, 2020
COVID-19 Updates, March 31
March 31, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Our journey into uncharted waters continues this week with the beginning of online learning. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Over these past few weeks our talented professors have been working tirelessly to establish online classes for our students. My thanks to them for their resourcefulness and preparation. We all understand there will be some challenges at the onset. I am confident that our students and faculty alike will benefit from a fruitful learning experience over the next few weeks.
In that spirit, let us be prayerful as our turn to virtual learning begins in earnest.
SEMINARY OPERATIONS
Campus offices, except for essential operations, will remain closed until further notice. Mail services will continue. Invoices, which would normally go to each department, are being sent directly to the business office for processing. If you are expecting an invoice or have a question about processing of invoices during in-person operation suspension, please contact Kim Smith. As a reminder, this is a pay week. Please email your time sheets to Kim Smith. Supervisor signatures are NOT required. Work-study students should email their time sheets to Laura March.
ACADEMIC UPDATES.
Library Services
Publishers and vendors are providing access to previously restricted/paid materials in the light of this situation. Students now have free access to some textbooks through May 25. There are Bible commentaries from several series, Bible handbooks, and dictionaries, books on the Black Church, ethics, and Womanist thought. Marriage and Family Therapy students will find books on family therapy and specific issues such as divorce, addiction, and family violence. Please see the email that Anita Coleman sent to students on March 27 for access details, and contact the library help desk with questions.
Commencement Commencement exercises will be delivered via an online (virtual) platform on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. The Commencement Planning Committee is working on logistics. Our goal is to provide our 2020 graduates with as meaningful and enjoyable experience as possible. More details will soon be available.
SOCIAL DISTANCE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
On Friday, March 27, Kilen Gray sent an email to students with some reminders about social distancing guidelines. I cannot overstate the importance of this message. As Kilen noted, Louisville Seminary has responded in tandem with other entities across our nation, at the advice of the health and epidemiological experts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by directing all under our charge to follow guidelines aimed at collectively stemming the spread of the coronavirus. What we have learned about how this virus spreads is why government leaders and Louisville Seminary have made the decisions we have made reflected in the guidelines of the last two weeks. We recognize that these decisions may bring about multiple levels of inconvenience and frustration. But the goal is first and foremost your safety.
To be clear, no one (students, employees, and families of all) is above the purview of social distancing measures as defined by the CDC. To disregard these guidelines is an exercise in poor judgment and puts our community at risk of infection. I implore all to treat this matter with the utmost regard.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund
To help our students who are facing unexpected financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Louisville Seminary has established a Student Assistance Fund. This fund will provide monetary aid to assist students in paying utilities, rent, gas, groceries, and other necessary living expenses. Any monies remaining in the fund after the COVID-19 crisis has ended will be used for future financial needs of students and the greatest needs of the seminary. Online donations to the Student Assistance Fund are now being accepted. For all other questions about the fund, contact Kilen Gray, our Dean of Student Engagement.
Team Kentucky Fund
https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/PPC/KYCOVID-19Donate
One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund
https://www.cflouisville.org/one-louisville
FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANCE
Please do not forget to consider donations to the Louisville Seminary Food Pantry (located in the lower level of Schlegel Hall). This is a much-needed resource for our on-campus students. Those who turn to the Food Pantry for assistance are asked to take only items that are needed.
GENERAL RESOURCES
Stay informed about the coronavirus’ impact on our community and best practices for self-care and prevention. Also, be mindful about the source and integrity of the information. Louisville Seminary will continue to post news/announcement when appropriate. Best resources for further information are provided by the following:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
FURTHER REFLECTIONS
To conclude today’s message, I implore you to lift one another up in prayer as we go through this great and unfamiliar challenge. The personal, professional, economic, social, and spiritual strains of this pandemic are felt the world over. Remember that, while we struggle, we are in the middle of the most holy of seasons and wait in great anticipation for the Risen One. Know that while we are isolated, we are still together – embraced by The One who loves all eternally and unconditionally.
In the Presence,
Alton
Louisville Seminary COVID-19 Updates
March 24, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
Settling into this another week of navigating the rough waters of the coronavirus pandemic, I offer thanks to our students, faculty, and staff for their generosity of spirit and care of one another in this exceptional moment. Also, my thanks to our alums and friends of Louisville Seminary for so many expressions of support. It is truly a blessing to serve among those who hold such a deep commitment to our work.
ACADEMIC UPDATES
Classes
On-campus instruction will be discontinued for the remainder of the semester. Courses will formally move to online instruction Monday, March 30. This allows our faculty and students time to prepare for online learning environments (testing technology, access to resources, etc.) and expectations.
Library Services
If you have not done so, please read the message about services provided by the E.M. White Library, which was deployed on March 20. Anita Coleman, our Director of Library Services, will send further information as needed. In the meantime, please contact Anita with questions about access to library resources.
SEMINARY OPERATIONS
Campus offices, except for essential operations, will remain closed until further notice. As COVID-19 continues to spread, I strongly advise all to work from home to the fullest extent possible. Understanding that there may be an occasional need to come to the office, please keep this at a minimum, and, when doing so, practice social distancing measures as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining a distance of six feet from others). Otherwise transition to remote workstations (home, digital, and cloud). The seminary will remain committed to paying hourly employees and work-support students for missed time. Our care of self in place contributes to the common good. Our wellness bears witness to “WHOSOEVER.”
MAIL SERVICES
The seminary mail room in Nelson Hall will continue to operate daily. However, there will be delays in processing packages received by UPS, Amazon Prime, Federal Express, and other package delivery services.
HOUSING
All seminary housing will remain open/accessible to residents and their families. We ask that seminary housing residents exercise caution and judgement with respect to welcoming outside visitors and socializing/gathering among yourselves. Per the American Association of Pediatrics:
“With more and more schools closing and people working from home, it may be tempting to get kids together for playdates or sleepovers, or to think that gatherings of more than 10 people are safe. But social distancing only works if we all participate. And slowing down or preventing the spread of the virus will save lives.”
We will counsel individually with any student who has been impacted by the coronavirus. Further questions on this matter should be addressed to Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement.
MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION
Keep your communication channels open. Current dynamics in society and at Louisville Seminary are fluid and swift to change. Be sure to check your Louisville Seminary emails for news and updates, which can also be found on our website here and on social media.
REPORTING SYMPTOMS
Louisville Seminary encourages all students and employees to be vigilant in monitoring themselves and their families for symptoms of coronavirus and practicing preventive measures. As with any contagious illness, those who contract the coronavirus are asked to self-isolate to assure a quicker recovery and prevent the spread of the virus to others.
Those who test positive for coronavirus are encouraged to contact either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement. Identification of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus will remain confidential, however, the seminary is obligated to report confirmed cases (minus personal information) to the seminary community.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Louisville Seminary Student Assistance Fund To help our students who are facing unexpected financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Louisville Seminary is establishing a Student Assistance Fund. This fund will provide monetary aid to assist students in paying utilities, rent, gas, groceries, and other necessary living expenses. Any monies remaining in the fund after the COVID-19 crisis has ended will be used for future financial needs of students and the greatest needs of the seminary. For questions about making a donation to the Student Assistance Fund, contact Anne Monell, our Vice President of Institutional Advancement. For all other questions about the fund, contact Kilen Gray , our Dean of Student Engagement.
Team Kentucky Fund
https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/PPC/KYCOVID-19Donate
One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund
https://www.cflouisville.org/one-louisville
FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANCE
Please do not forget to consider donations to the Louisville Seminary Food Pantry (located in the lower level of Schlegel Hall). This is a much-needed resource for our on-campus students. Food Pantry drop-off boxes are in several areas throughout campus. Those who turn to the Food Pantry for assistance are asked to take only items that are needed.
GENERAL RESOURCES
Stay informed about the coronavirus’ impact on our community and best practices for self-care and prevention. Also, be mindful about the source and integrity of the information. Louisville Seminary will continue to post news/announcement when appropriate. Best resources for further information are provided by the following:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
FURTHER REFLECTIONS
Finally, I ask that all commit to ongoing prayer for one another. Be generous with yourselves and those who love you. Give thanks for all who make the life of our seminary possible. Remember health care professionals, first responders, and all unsung heroes everywhere. God is with us!
In the Presence,
Alton
A Message from President Pollard
March 19, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
This is the first week that Louisville Seminary suspended in-person operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a surreal atmosphere across much of our campus and world. Here, the weather is warm, but springtime showers keep our skies gray. Most of our campus buildings are locked. It is quiet.
These are extraordinary times indeed. Times that call on each of us to find strength and reassurance through God’s place in our hearts – our source of calm in the midst of ceaseless tumult.
Adjustments to our personal and professional lives on campus have been many. One very important constant is that Caldwell Chapel remains available. For those who seek solitude, encouragement, and prayer, Caldwell Chapel is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Of course, for our chapel visitors, we ask that the norms of social distancing be followed. For now, the pulpit may be empty, the organ may not resound, but rest assured that the presence of God – infinite, unconditional, and everlasting love – is with us.
Since our last update on March 16, there have been no new developments. Our faculty are working hard to prepare for online classes beginning Monday, March 30. Our staff continues to find creative ways to maintain the integrity of our operations with as little disruption as possible. Further, our commencement committee is working diligently on best options/opportunities to provide a meaningful celebration for the Class of 2020.
To all – students, faculty, staff, as well as our alums and our many seminary friends – you are truly sources of light in these difficult times. We are struggling through anxiety. We are experiencing disappointment. None of us are in our comfort zones. But our communal compassion and strength will continue to be life-giving, as God is our witness.
As a reminder, please watch your seminary email for updates, which can also be found on our website and social media. And so today I leave you with a message from Isaiah (42:16):
“I will lead persons who cannot see by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the shadows before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.”
In the Presence,
Alton
Coronavirus Updates 3/16/2020
March 16, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
The impact of the COVID-19 (“coronavirus”) respiratory disease continues to be felt throughout our city, state, and region. Understandably, those in our Louisville Seminary community are concerned about the coronavirus’ impact on seminary classes and operations. Please know that, above all else, the safety, health, and well-being of our seminary students, employees, and families continue to be central in our deliberations.
As of the issue of this notice, there is no confirmed case of COVID‐19 on our campus. However, it is imperative that we do everything we can to limit the spread of the virus as well as protect the health of our seminary community and our neighborhood. To this end, the seminary will implement new policies based on social distancing strategies that health experts recommend. The following measures will be inconvenient, even disruptive to our campus. Please keep in mind that the fluidity of the coronavirus’ impact throughout our region may warrant revisions to current measures. I ask for your cooperation and your patience. These are extraordinary times, and as such we must take unprecedented steps to balance our educational mission with the duty to protect the health and well‐being of the seminary community.
CLASSES
Classes for Louisville Seminary students will be suspended from March 23-27. Beginning the week of March 30 and continuing through the end of the academic year, all Louisville Seminary classes will move to remote, virtual, or alternative methods of teaching and assessment. During the week of March 23-27, students will hear from their professors directly about specifics with regard to classes, assignments, and modes of communication.
Baccalaureate Service and Commencement Exercises
We recognize the importance of our Baccalaureate service and Commencement exercises to our graduating class. Baccalaureate and Commencement will not be held on campus. Organizers for those events are considering virtual hosting options. Further information will be available soon.
These are disheartening yet necessary measures. Our senior leadership, emergency response team, and our faculty have been discussing this matter extensively, and we have concluded that this is truly for the best. Please know that we are saddened by the necessity to make this decision and we recognize the disappointment felt by our students.
OPERATIONS
To protect the health and safety of our employees, Louisville Seminary will suspend onsite operations until Monday, April 6. This includes all seminary offices, the E.M. White Library, New Legacy Café, the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center, Gardencourt, and Laws Lodge.
The seminary will remain committed to paying hourly employees and work-support students for missed time. We are asking all departments and campus groups to shift to virtual meeting/work arrangements whenever possible. Employees who wish to come to the seminary to work are free to do so using appropriate social distancing measures as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining a distance of six feet from others). Arrangements for continuing work via remote/other alternative modes of operations should be addressed among administrators and their direct reports. All employees not on vacation or on sick leave should maintain an “on call” status.
MAIL SERVICES
The seminary mail room in Nelson Hall will continue to operate daily. However, there will be delays in processing packages received by UPS, Amazon Prime, Federal Express, and other package delivery services.
HOUSING
All seminary housing will remain open/accessible to residents and their families. We ask that seminary housing residents exercise caution and judgement with respect to welcoming outside visitors and socializing/gathering among yourselves. We will council individually with any student who has been impacted by the coronavirus. Further questions on this matter should be addressed to Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement.
EVENTS
All in-person events on Louisville Seminary’s campus have been canceled until further notice. This includes the following:
- 3/20/20: Campus Kids Game Night
- 3/23-26/20: Black History Celebration Cinematic Culture Discussion
- 3/25/20: Walk the Camino Information Meeting
- 3/26/20: Health and Wellness Fair
- 3/30/20: E.M. White Library Open House
- 3/31/20: Israel/Palestine Travel Seminar
- 4/6-7/20: Misogynies in the Christian Tradition Consultation
- 4/14/20: Grawemeyer Lecture
- 4/15/20: Transcending Therapy: Meeting the Needs of Transgender Clients
- 4/24-25/20: Board of Trustees Meeting
- 5/6/20: Festival of Sacred Music
The seminary will not accept new requests for use of campus space until further notice.
TRAVEL
All seminary-sponsored domestic and international travel has been suspended through the end of the academic year unless otherwise approved by the Office of the President. Those who are traveling for academic, professional, or personal reasons, are encouraged to monitor travel advisories. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seminary recommends being aware of your health status when making decisions regarding travel. Individuals most at-risk are those with compromised health. If you have a temperature or respiratory illness, consider your options with your primary care provider.
REPORTING SYMPTOMS
Those who test positive for coronavirus are encouraged to contact either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement. Identification of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus will remain confidential, however, the seminary is obligated to report confirmed cases (minus personal information) to the seminary community.
FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANCE
Funds have been allocated to temporarily maintain a reasonable supply of items in the Louisville Seminary Food Pantry (located in the lower level of Schlegel Hall). All in our seminary community are encouraged to donate food items (canned goods, rice, beans, and other non-perishable food items). Food Pantry drop-off boxes are located in several areas throughout campus. Those who turn to the Food Pantry for assistance are asked to take only items that are needed.
UPDATES
Ongoing updates about the coronavirus’ impact on Louisville Seminary classes and operations will be deployed via Louisville Seminary email, posted to social media, and posted in the “News” section of the seminary’s website, https://www.lpts.edu/news.
Specifics about the seminary’s Pandemic Response Policy is on page 71 of the Emergency Preparedness Handbook, which is available to employees and students on the home page of the Louisville Seminary Intranet under “Quick Links.”
(Notes: You must be logged into your Louisville Seminary Outlook account to access the Intranet.)
Questions or concerns about coronavirus response protocol can be addressed to either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement.
RESOURCES
Both the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services provide online resources for updates and information about the spread and prevention of coronavirus as well as questions about how to appropriately address and report individual cases. Please refer to the following links for more information and share them with your associates.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
Best Practices
Louisville Seminary encourages all students and employees to be vigilant in monitoring themselves and their families for symptoms of coronavirus and practicing preventive measures.
As with any contagious illness, those who contract the coronavirus are asked to self-isolate to assure a quicker recovery and prevent the spread of the virus to others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the Kentucky Department of Health, other best practices include:
- Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap is not available. It is especially important to wash your hands:
- Before, during, and after you prepare food.
- Before you eat and after you use the bathroom.
- After handling money.
- More frequently when someone in your home is sick.
- Before/after smoking/vaping.
- Before/after using public computers.
- Before/after social occasions when greeting/shaking hands with several others.
- Covering your coughs and sneezes with your arm.
- Frequent cleaning of doorknobs, light switches, and other commonly touched areas with disinfectant wipes.
- Avoiding contact with people who are ill.
FURTHER REFLECTIONS
Again and again we have heard it said, that in the time of crisis what is best in the human condition will emerge. For a people of faith, by whatever name, there is no greater time than now to live into this assurance.
What seemed inevitable to us is no more for now. Human institutions are being tested from governments and business to higher education and entertainment events. Nations and locales are contending with swift and consequential change. We can be concerned about each other but the capacity to safeguard is not ours alone. The coronavirus is no respecter of persons. None of us is exempt.
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, this is where our faith comes in, and this is why we are here. To learn the skills of presence as a sign that humankind, we, all of us, are suffering along this journey with finitude. Demonstrate great care and compassion for one another. Create vital spiritual connections across our necessary social distancing – emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and more. Pray that our anxieties and fear, as incredibly real as they are, do not have the last word in our lives. Love yourselves and each other deeply enough to embrace health perspectives that will mitigate against this present scourge.
I am thankful for this beloved community called LPTS.
In the Presence,
Alton
Louisville Seminary Closure for March 13
March 12, 2020
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:
While there have been no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 (“coronavirus”) respiratory disease on Louisville Seminary’s campus, out of an abundance of care and caution, we have decided to cancel classes and close offices for Friday, March 13, 2020.
Further, the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center will be closed from March 16 through March 20, 2020. The Louisville Seminary E.M. White Library will be closed from March 13, through March 15, 2020. The library will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020.
This will allow the rest of this week and next week (research and study) to gauge the COVID-19 threat level and whether modifications to our response will be required.
We anticipate the Seminary to be open for employees on Monday, March 16, 2020, and for classes to resume on Monday, March 23, 2020. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will communicate with you any changes to the plan should any occur.
Louisville Seminary Emergency Response Team
Latest Coronavirus Updates
March 11, 2020
To Our Louisville Seminary Community:
Much attention has been given to the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 (“coronavirus”) respiratory disease by local and national news media along with several messages and updates issued by local, national, and international agencies. This has understandably raised questions about how Louisville Seminary is addressing the issue among our students, employees, and their families. Ours is a community of people who commit themselves to service of others in God’s name. In that spirit, we want all to rest assured that the safety, health, well-being, and peace of mind for those who live and work on our campus is our number one priority.
We are aware that other colleges/universities in our state have decided to switch to solely online learning for the time being. At this time there are no reported cases of coronavirus on Louisville Seminary’s campus, and all classes and operations will continue as scheduled this week.
Ongoing updates about the coronavirus’ impact on Louisville Seminary classes and operations will be deployed to employees and students via email, posted to social media and posted in the “News” section of the seminary’s website, https://www.lpts.edu/news.
Specifics about the seminary’s Pandemic Response Policy is on page 71 of the Emergency Preparedness Handbook, which is available to employees and students on the home page of the Louisville Seminary Intranet under “Quick Links.”
(Notes: You must be logged into your Louisville Seminary Outlook account to access the Intranet. Hard copies of the Emergency Preparedness Handbook are available in the Business Office located in Nelson Hall, Room 12.)
Our Emergency Response Team is reviewing internal resources and procedures as well as working with external agencies to appropriately address concerns involving coronavirus.
Please refer to the following information and resources about the coronavirus and how Louisville Seminary is currently addressing the issue. Also, do not hesitate to raise your questions or concerns to either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement.
Coronavirus Public Updates
Both the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services provide the best online resources for updates and information about the spread and prevention of coronavirus as well as questions about how to appropriately address and report individual cases. Please refer to the following links for more information and share them with your associates.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
www.kycovid19.ky.gov
What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
https://louisvilleky.gov/news/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus
Kentucky COVID19 hotline: 1-800-722-5725
Travel
Those who are traveling for academic, professional, or personal reasons, are encouraged to monitor travel advisories. Per the Centers for Disease Control, the seminary recommends being aware of your health status when making decisions regarding travel. Individuals most at-risk are those with compromised health. If you have a temperature or respiratory illness, consider your options with your primary care provider..
Reporting Symptoms
Those who test positive for coronavirus are encouraged to contact either Pat Cecil in the Business Office or Kilen Gray in the Office of Student Engagement. Identification of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus will remain confidential, however, the seminary is obligated to report confirmed cases (minus personal information) to the seminary community.
Best Practices
Louisville Seminary encourages all students and employees to be vigilant in monitoring themselves and their families for symptoms of coronavirus and practicing preventive measures.
As with any contagious illness, those who contract the coronavirus are asked to self-isolate to assure a quicker recovery and prevent the spread of the virus to others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the Kentucky Department of Health, other best practices include:
- Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap is not available. It is especially important to wash your hands:
- Before, during, and after you prepare food.
- Before you eat and after you use the bathroom.
- After handling money.
- More frequently when someone in your home is sick.
- Before/after smoking/vaping.
- Before/after using public computers.
- Before/after social occasions when greeting/shaking hands with several others.
- Covering your coughs and sneezes with your arm.
- Frequent cleaning of doorknobs, light switches, and other commonly touched areas with disinfectant wipes.
- Avoiding contact with people who are ill.
Again, do not hesitate to contact us with questions, concerns, or clarification. Thank you for your time and attention to this very important information.
Louisville Seminary Emergency Response Team
Professor J. Bradley Wigger Wins Illumination Christian Book Award
February 13, 2020
President Pollard Reflects on Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 23, 2020
2019
Stephen J. Patterson Wins 2020 Grawemeyer Award in Religion
December 6, 2019
Anita Coleman is Louisville Seminary’s new Director of Library Services and Associate Professor of Bibliography and Research
November 6, 2019
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion
October 24, 2019
Andrea Stevens named Director of Annual Giving and Alum Relations
Jul 18, 2019
2019 Commencement and Baccalaureate Highlights
Jun 19, 2019
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: Distinguished Alum Awards
Jun 13, 2019
Presbyterian theologian and civil rights activist Gayraud S. Wilmore to receive honorary degree from Louisville Seminary
May 15, 2019
WHOSOEVER is YOU
May 09, 2019
Tyler Mayfield Granted Full Professorship with Tenure
May 01, 2019
Louisville Seminary Commencement Set for May 19
Apr 08, 2019
Alton B. Pollard III Joins Interfaith Community at Vigil for Victims of the New Zealand Mosque Shootings
Mar 18, 2019
The Gospel of Love: A Special Message from Alton B. Pollard III
Mar 01, 2019
2019 Grawemeyer Lecture is April 9
Feb 21, 2019
Black Church Studies Consultation to address rural ministry in the African American context
Feb 04, 2019
Noted Scholar Randal Jelks to Discuss Faith and Struggle at Louisville Seminary
Jan 30, 2019
Anne Monell is Louisville Seminary's new VP of Advancement
Jan 08, 2019
Stephen J. Patterson Wins 2020 Grawemeyer Award in Religion
December 6, 2019
Anita Coleman is Louisville Seminary’s new Director of Library Services and Associate Professor of Bibliography and Research
November 6, 2019
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion
October 24, 2019

Any work—book, address, essay, documentary, etc.—presented or published in 2014 or subsequently is eligible to be nominated. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Nomination forms may be found at www.grawemeyer.org/religion.
Alternatively, if you know of a work you think should be nominated, you can simply send the title and author to grawemeyer@lpts.edu, and we will request the nomination from the publisher or another appropriate nominator.
The nomination form, supporting statement, and copy(ies) of the work must be received by January 15, 2020.
Andrea Stevens named Director of Annual Giving and Alum Relations
Jul 18, 2019

In her role, Andrea will be responsible for organizing and managing all aspects of annual giving to the Seminary. She will also coordinate and conduct both personal and direct marketing solicitations of alums, friends of the seminary, and congregations to ensure the continued growth of the Annual Fund in both dollars and donors. Further, Andrea will develop and manage a comprehensive alum relations program to encourage continued long-term engagement with the Seminary community.
Andrea brings more than 11 years of fundraising experience to Louisville Seminary. Most recently she served as the Director of Development at YMCA Safe Place Services. Previously she was a Major Gifts Officer for the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, and was also the first Executive Director of the New Albany/Floyd County Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
Andrea has college-age twin boys, and she is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in New Albany, Indiana.
Please join us in welcoming Andrea to the Louisville Seminary community!
2019 Commencement and Baccalaureate Highlights
Jun 19, 2019

On Sunday, May 19, 2019, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary held its Commencement exercises for the 165th graduating class. This year the seminary conferred Master of Divinity degrees on 17 students, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degrees on six students, Master of Arts (Religion) degrees on two students, and Doctor of Ministry degrees on ten students. Additionally, six students received a Certificate in Black Church Studies, three students received a Diploma in Pastoral Studies, and one student received a Certificate in Educational Ministry.
During the commencement exercises, several students were recognized for their accomplishments in a variety of fields including preaching, theology, the integration of theology with marriage and family therapy, field education and overall academic achievement.
SEE PICTURES OF THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2019.
Commencement Address: Iva E. Carruthers
As part of the ceremony, the Devoted Service Award, which recognizes individuals for their dedicated service in the life of the Church, was presented to Dr. Iva E. Carruthers. She is professor emeritus and former chairperson of the Sociology Department at Northeastern Illinois University and was founding president of Nexus Unlimited, an information and educational technology firm. Devoted Service Awards were also given to the Rev. Tom Lovell, moderator of the Synod of Living Waters, and the Rev. Bill Smutz, moderator of the Synod of Mid-America.Carruthers was appointed to the White House Advisory Council on the internet, and the educational software she developed was awarded a ComputerWorld Smithsonian Award. She is also founder of Lois House, an urban retreat center in Chicago, Illinois.
She currently serves as a lifetime trustee for the Chicago Theological Seminary and trustee for The Kwame Nkrumah Academy, Chicago; American Baptist College, Nashville; Shared Interest, New York; and Bread for the World, Washington, D.C. Carruthers is a member of the National African American Reparations Commission and is working on initiatives related to the U.N. Decade of People of African Descent.
Carruthers is co-editor of Blow the Trumpet in Zion: Global Vision and Action for the 21st Century Black Church and has authored and edited a number of articles and publications in the areas of sociology, technology, and instructional technology. She was a delegate to the 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and her publication, The Church and Reparations, was distributed by her denomination, the United Church of Christ, in several languages.
HONORARY DEGREE: GAYRAUD S. WILMORE

One of the most important Presbyterian civil rights activists in the 1960s, Wilmore was the first executive director of the United Presbyterian Church Commission on Religion and Race. From 1963 to 1971, Wilmore and the commission undertook several civil rights initiatives including the lobbying for the passage of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, promoting voter registration in Mississippi, and supporting civil rights demonstrations such as those in Selma, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. In 1966, Wilmore and Benjamin Payton of the National Council of Churches founded the National Conference of Black Churchmen, which would become the largest ecumenical organization of pro-black power clergy.
Wilmore's influence in the African-American religious experience and black theology is significant. He, along with his close friend James H. Cone (winner of the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Religion), co-edited Black Theology: A Documentary History Volumes I and II (1979). Among Wilmore's other books are Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans (1979), Black and Presbyterian: The Heritage and the Hope (1983), Pragmatic Spirituality (2004), and several others.
READ MORE ABOUT GAYRAUD S. WILMORE HERE.
A CHARGE TO GRADUATES
Capping off his first year as Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary's 10th president, the Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III issued a charge to the graduating class of 2019. In his remarks, Pollard encouraged the graduates to embrace a life and ministry that embraces all of humanity - regardless of creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, and circumstance.BLESSINGS AT BACCALAUREATE
Prior to Commencement, Louisville Seminary's Baccalaureate worship service was held in Caldwell Chapel at Louisville Seminary. Debra J. Mumford, Louisville Seminary's Frank H. Caldwell Professor of Homiletics and Director of the Money Matters for Ministry Program, delivered the Baccalaureate sermon, "Living the Faith", and referenced scripture from Amos 5:21-24.Each year, members of the graduating class select the Baccalaureate preacher and create a worship service. Mumford is ordained minister in American Baptist Churches, USA and affiliate minister with the Alliance of Baptists. She joined the Louisville Seminary faculty in 2007. She majored in mechanical engineering at Howard University and worked in engineering before answering her call to ministry. Mumford served as a youth pastor, associate minister and church administrator in several congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her scholarly interests include African American prophetic preaching, prosperity preaching, eschatology and the reign of God, and preaching and health.
READ MORE ABOUT DEBRA J. MUMFORD.
SEE MORE PICTURES FROM LOUISVILLE SEMINARY's 2019 COMMENCEMENT AND BACCALAUREATE.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: Distinguished Alum Awards
Jun 13, 2019
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2020 Louisville Seminary Distinguished Alum Award and the 2020 Louisville Seminary First Decade Award.
NOMINATE AN ALUM.

The First Decade Award is presented to a recent graduate who has made a significant impact on the church and in her/his community in the first five to nine years of ministry and service.
Please submit nominations by THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019.
To nominate an alum for either award, submit the following information:
- Name of nominee
- Degree earned from Louisville Seminary and year graduated (if known)
- Reasons this alum should be given the Distinguished Alum Award or First Decade Award
- Additional biographical information, ministry history or other details the Nominating Committee might find helpful
- Your name
- Your relationship to the nominee
- Your contact information (email address, phone number, city and state)
SEE ALUM AWARD PROGRAM GUIDELINES.
Mail your nomination(s) to:
Louisville Seminary
Office of Alum and Community Relations
1044 Alta Vista Road
Louisville, KY 40205
or
Email your nomination(s) to: bhenley@lpts.edu
Distinguished Alum and First Decade Awards recipients will be honored at the 2020 Festival of Theology and Alum Reunion. (Date and details coming soon.)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DISTINGUISHED ALUM AWARDS.
Presbyterian theologian and civil rights activist Gayraud S. Wilmore to receive honorary degree from Louisville Seminary
May 15, 2019
On Sunday, May 19, 2019, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will confer an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree on Presbyterian theologian, author, ethicist, historian, educator, and civil rights activist the Rev. Dr. Gayraud S. Wilmore. The honorary degree will be conferred at the seminary’s commencement exercises, which will be held at Second Presbyterian Church (3701 Old Brownsboro Road, Louisville, Ky. 40207) at 3:30 p.m. Wilmore’s son, Jack, will accept the degree on Wilmore’s behalf. This is the first honorary doctoral degree given by Louisville Seminary in its 165-year history. According to Seminary President Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III, Wilmore’s service and contributions to the church, theological education, and humanity warrant the recognition.

One of the most important Presbyterian civil rights activists in the 1960s, Wilmore was the first executive director of the United Presbyterian Church Commission on Religion and Race. From 1963 to 1971, Wilmore and the commission undertook several civil rights initiatives including the lobbying for the passage of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, promoting voter registration in Mississippi, and supporting civil rights demonstrations such as those in Selma, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. In 1966, Wilmore and Benjamin Payton of the National Council of Churches founded the National Conference of Black Churchmen, which would become the largest ecumenical organization of pro-black power clergy.
Wilmore’s influence in the African-American religious experience and black theology is significant. He, along with his close friend James H. Cone (winner of the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Religion), co-edited Black Theology: A Documentary History Volumes I and II (1979). Among Wilmore’s other books are Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans (1979), Black and Presbyterian: The Heritage and the Hope (1983), Pragmatic Spirituality (2004), and several others.
Acumen for theological education also defined Wilmore’s career. He was the valedictorian in both his undergraduate and seminary classes at Lincoln University, a Presbyterian school in Pennsylvania. (Wilmore’s education was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. As a Buffalo Soldier, he served with the all-black 92nd Infantry Division in Italy.) In 1951, Wilmore helped integrate West Chester (Pennsylvania) elementary schools, and in 1953, he began his work with students as an associate executive with the United Presbyterian Church’s Department of Social Education and Action. Wilmore was an assistant professor of social ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, taught social ethics at Boston University School of Theology, taught black church studies at Colgate Rochester Divinity School, served as the dean of the divinity program at New York Theological Seminary, and as a teacher of church history at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He was also an adjunct professor at the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Stated Clerk Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II (also a Louisville Seminary alum), and Katie Geneva Cannon, theologian and ethicist associated with womanist theology and black theology, are among the many leaders of the Presbyterian Church influenced by Wilmore.
Wilmore, who is now retired and living in Washington, D.C., and his wife, Lee, were married in 1944 and remained married until her death in 2015. They have four children: Steven, Jack, Roberta, and David (who is deceased); four grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
WHOSOEVER is YOU
May 09, 2019

“This diverse crowd - if only you could see yourselves. If only you could see what you look like from here. You look like what we need the world to look like, sitting shoulder to shoulder, together. So let us today, and every day from now on, remember what it felt like to be in this room, with all kinds of people sitting together, standing together, speaking and loving and cheering together … this is what God would want for us.”
-Sadiqa N. Reynolds, Esq., President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, from the podium at the inauguration and installation of the Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III as the 10th president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

"Whosoever" celebrates the unconditional and everlasting love that God has for all people of every creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, and circumstance. And so the Louisville Seminary Community accepts the invitation, the challenges, and the rewards of emphasizing “Whosoever: A Divine Invitation” as the foundation for engaging the world and building bridges between God and humanity.
Now, we invite you to make "Whosoever" part of our students' education at Louisville Seminary and the ministries they will carry on after graduation. Make a gift today and join our journey.

For your presence, for your prayers, and for your generous support, we are grateful. Thank you for making the vision of “Whosoever” a reality at Louisville Seminary!

Tyler Mayfield Granted Full Professorship with Tenure
May 01, 2019

On April 25, 2019, the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Board of Trustees approved a measure granting Dr. Tyler Mayfield full professorship with tenure. Mayfield began his service with Louisville Seminary’s faculty in 2012 as Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. In 2016, he was named the A.B. Rhodes Associate Professor of Old Testament. Mayfield has served as Faculty Director of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion since 2015.
“Professor Mayfield is a productive scholar, an effective teacher, a contributor to the common life of the seminary, and a person of deep faith,” said Louisville Seminary Board Chair Lant Davis. “He distinguished himself in creativity and leadership on the Presidential Search Committee and in other responsibilities he has taken on as a faculty member. His promotion and tenure were richly deserved; taking those actions were very pleasing to the Board of Trustees”
A native of Town Creek, Alabama, Mayfield previously taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Claremont School of Theology in southern California, and the University of California, Riverside. He holds degrees from Samford University (BA) in Birmingham, Alabama, Yale Divinity School (MAR), and Claremont Graduate University (PhD).
At Louisville Seminary, Mayfield teaches courses in Hebrew Bible with a particular focus on Christian ethical readings. He also leads a travel seminar to Israel and Palestine to explore the ancient biblical sites as well as contemporary Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
Mayfiled is the author of A Guide to Bible Basics (2018), which presents the contents of the Christian Bible to strengthen biblical literacy, and Literary Structure and Setting in Ezekiel (2010), which argues for a new reading of the biblical book of Ezekiel. His forthcoming book, Unto Us A Child Is Born: Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors, reads the prophetic book of Isaiah liturgically through the lens of the season of Advent and ethically through the lens of love for Jewish neighbor. He has written several book chapters and journal articles and enjoys writing regularly for the website, WorkingPreacher.org.
He is a member of St. Andrews United Church of Christ in Louisville, but worships weekly at Highland Baptist Church, where his wife, the Rev. Lauren Jones Mayfield, is on pastoral staff. He also enjoys preaching and lecturing regularly at churches.
“I am grateful and honored to receive this affirmation from my faculty colleagues and the Board of Trustees,” said Mayfield. “Louisville Seminary is the perfect vocational home for me as a teacher and scholar.”
Louisville Seminary Commencement Set for May 19
Apr 08, 2019
On Sunday, May 19, 2019, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will celebrate its 165th Commencement. The Commencement exercises will take place at Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville (3701 Old Brownsboro Road, 40207) and will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Carruthers is Professor Emeritus and former Chairperson of the Sociology Department at Northeastern Illinois University and was founding President of Nexus Unlimited, an information and educational technology firm. She was appointed to the White House Advisory Council on the internet, and the educational software she developed was awarded a ComputerWorld Smithsonian Award. She is also founder of Lois House, an urban retreat center in Chicago, Illinois.
She currently serves as a Lifetime Trustee for the Chicago Theological Seminary and trustee for The Kwame Nkrumah Academy, Chicago; American Baptist College, Nashville; Shared Interest, New York; and Bread for the World, Washington, DC. Carruthers is a member of the National African American Reparations Commission and is working on initiatives related to the U.N. Decade of People of African Descent.
Dr. Carruthers is co-editor of Blow the Trumpet in Zion: Global Vision and Action for the 21st Century Black Church and has authored and edited a number of articles and publications in the areas of sociology, technology, and instructional technology. Her many study guides on African American and African history were developed as a co-producer of a multi-year educational television program. She was a delegate to the 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and her publication, The Church and Reparations, was distributed by her denomination, the United Church of Christ, in several languages.
She received a B.A. from the University of Illinois; an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University; a Master in Theological Studies degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from the Meadville Lombard Theological School.
Her many awards and appointments include the 1999 Life Achievement Award by Northeastern Illinois University and “Year 2000 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” award, given by the National Foundation of Women Legislators and the Small Business Administration. She was a recipient of Ebony Magazine’s 2001 Outstanding Mother Award for Mentoring and noted as a Chicago area social justice pioneer in the Women Alive! A Legacy of Social Justice Exhibit.

“We must live God’s justice, not just sing and pray about it,” said Mumford of her Baccalaureate sermon’s theme. “It is easy to become so focused on what our society tells us are the signs or outcomes of righteousness and godliness, that we lose track of what biblical prophets like Amos have told us are ways of being that are most important to God. These ways of being include doing justice, which, among other things, means that those who have power must use it for the benefit of all and not just for the chosen few. But power begets comfort and the desire to preserve our power, which often leads us to erect boundaries between ourselves and those with whom we are called to enact justice.”
Mumford is an ordained minister in American Baptist Churches, USA and affiliate minister with the Alliance of Baptists. She joined the Louisville Seminary faculty in 2007. She majored in mechanical engineering at Howard University and worked in engineering before answering her call to ministry. Mumford served as a youth pastor, associate minister, and church administrator in several congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her scholarly interests include African American prophetic preaching, prosperity preaching, eschatology and the reign of God, and preaching and health.
Mumford’s publications include Exploring Prosperity Preaching: Biblical Health, Wealth, & Wisdom; “Slave Prosperity Gospel” for Homiletic; “The Gospel of Prosperity: Jesus, Capitalism and Hope” in Homiletical Theology: Theologies of the Gospel in Context; The Journal for the Society of Pentecostal Studies; “Preaching on Homosexuality in the Black Church” for the African American Lectionary; “Preaching and Plagiarism” for The Presbyterian Leader; “Prosperity Preaching and African American Prophetic Preaching” for the Review and Expositor: A Consortium Baptist Theological Journal; “Trayvon Martin: A Tragic Catalyst for Change” and “Obamacare: the Good, the Bad, and the Hope for the Future” for The Thoughtful Christian.
Since 2008, Mumford has served as a mentor for the Louisville Youth Group, a grassroots organization that provides resources and a safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people ages 14 to 20.
Louisville Seminary’s baccalaureate service and commencement exercises are free and open to the public.
About Louisville Seminary
Founded in 1853, Louisville Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse learning community, welcoming students from wide ecumenical backgrounds while maintaining its long, historic commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Louisville Seminary is committed to building bridges across the world's religious, racial and cultural divides. It is distinguished by its nationally-recognized marriage and family therapy and field education programs, the scholarship and church service among its faculty and a commitment to training women and men to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. For more information, call (800) 264-1839 or log onto www.lpts.edu.
Alton B. Pollard III Joins Interfaith Community at Vigil for Victims of the New Zealand Mosque Shootings
Mar 18, 2019

For his part, Pollard offered the following prayer to the more than 200 attendees.
March 15, 2019
The Holy Day of Jummah, Christchurch, New Zealand
We are here in solidarity with our Muslim siblings; your agonies are ours, as we answer the call to prayer
Fresh from the world we come, filled with the ordinariness of our days, facing the challenges of life
Our hearts are heavy, our tears are full, our lives are weary, our spirits rage, our humanity is sore tested
We are incapable of fully expressing our feelings; our spirits groan, we do not know quite what to say
We gather in the name of the Creator and find sanctuary with one another
We offer our prayers for the far-flung needs of your people everywhere
We remember the lives lost, families shattered and communities forever changed
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses
attesting to the urgent needs of our humanity
For the Masjid Al Noor
For the Linwood Mosque
For the Tree of Life Synagogue
For the Sikh Gurdwara at Oak Creek
For the Pulse Nightclub
For Stoneman Douglas High School
For Mother Emanuel AME Church
For the rising tide of homicide
For the murder of children, women and men
For the desecration of earth
The universe is dismayed
So great the loss of life
So much senseless death
For our houses of worship, schools, homes, work, play and public spaces
For all places made sacred by the very lives they contain, now violated and taken from us
by the hubris of arrogance, violence, terrorism, supremacy, xenophobia, nationalism, extremism, unbridled power, jaundiced pride, bigotry, hatred and fear, and all manner of inhumanity before and since, and
In the midst of lives lost and fragmented through the daily hazards of this world
We the living struggle, to strive for goodness, to dare to love, to become agents of change
Our souls do hunger, thirst and search for the genuine in one another
We will not allow anything to keep us from you, O God
Lead us in the way everlasting…
Alton B. Pollard, III
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Gospel of Love: A Special Message from Alton B. Pollard III
Mar 01, 2019
Like many of you I have walked, watched, and prayed with many friends in the United Methodist Church in recent days and through the years. This week’s special Session of the General Conference has brought enmity, brokenness, and fragmentation to many lives – in particular to those in the LGBTQIA community and also to households of faith seeking to do justice and love mercy. Across our manifold denominational and religious lives we have yet to enter into the fullness of who we are as beings, created in the image of the divine, and yet one promise is sure. It is a sacred truth: We, all of us, are the children of God. We are the body beloved. We are the rainbow community. We are the universe displayed. We belong to one another. We are family.
Two hundred and forty-three years after the founding of this nation our struggle as a citizenry to embrace the promise of equality, equity, civility, comity, truth, justice, and inclusiveness evident in our body politic also continues. However haltingly, falteringly, or stumblingly – religion, region, language, politics, ethnicity, ability, race, gender, generation, and class – distinguishing markers often used to foment division are incredibly becoming the very intersectional means to change we seek, as we expand the meaning of our democracy and accord to every citizen the dignity of difference as persons and in community. It is a sacred truth: We the people. A more perfect union. E. Pluribus Unum. Yearning to breathe free. We belong to one another. We are family.
Our movement toward and for and with one another especially and exquisitely includes the efflorescence of human love. We embrace our LGBTQIA kith and kin with a full and embodied love precisely because of love. In our personal and societal lives everyone deserves the right to tranquility, fulfillment, advocacy, security, love and life. Transgender, queer, bisexual, lesbian, gay, questioning, intersex, asexual, or allied, we are in this life together. Louisville Seminary, let us love our sisters and brothers, companions and friends, with a love that will not let each other go. May we model our theological education. It is a sacred truth: Love is unconditional. Love is our fierce responsibility. Love always finds a way. We are Ubuntu. We belong to one another. We are family.
Alton B. Pollard III
President
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
2019 Grawemeyer Lecture is April 9
Feb 21, 2019

How does religion influence American politics and culture? For most of America’s history, white Protestantism, has been a dominant cultural force, but a combination of demographic change and an abandonment of churches by younger generations may bring this era to an end.

Jones won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book, The End of White Christian America (Simon & Schuster, 2016), which offers insight into the meaning of faith and the proper place of faith in defining our civic values at a time when evangelical Christianity seems to have become a political rather than a spiritual movement.
How does Jones explain the election results of 2016 with Republicans in control of both houses of Congress and the White House?
“The 2016 election results are better understood as the death rattle of white Christian America, said Jones, who is also a columnist for The Atlantic. “Down the home stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign, one of Donald Trump’s most consistent talking points was a claim that America’s changing demographics and culture had brought the country to a precipice. He repeatedly cast himself as the ‘last chance’ for Republicans and conservative white Christians to step back from the cliff, to preserve their power and way of life.”
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, jointly with the University of Louisville, awards the $100,000 prize to honor and publicize creative and significant insights into the relationship between human beings and the divine. The award also recognizes ways in which this relationship may inspire or empower human beings to attain wholeness, integrity, or meaning, either individually or in community.

In addition to his work with Public Religion Research Institute, Jones serves as the co-chair of the national steering committee for the Religion and Politics Section at the American Academy of Religion and is a past member of the editorial boards for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion and Politics and Religion, a journal of the American Political Science Association. He holds a doctorate in religion from Emory University, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science degree in computing science and mathematics from Mississippi College.
The University of Louisville presents the Grawemeyer Award annually for outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology and education, and presents a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. See www.grawemeyer.org for more information.
Black Church Studies Consultation to address rural ministry in the African American context
Feb 04, 2019
What does African American ministry look like in a rural context? What issues must ministers and congregants address to effectively provide spiritual, social, and personal guidance to the rural communities they serve? These are some of the questions that will be addressed at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s annual Black Church Studies Consultation, which will take place February 21 and 22, 2019, on the seminary’s campus (1044 Alta Vista Road, Louisville, Ky. 40205).

The consultation’s special guest presenter this year is the Rev. Dr. W. Raymond Bryant, presiding elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Southwest Texas Conference (San Antonio District).
Also featured are Rev. Dr. Amariah McIntosh, pastor of Philips Temple Church in Toledo Ohio, and Rev. Claudette Snorton, pastor of greater St. James CME Church in Winchester, Kentucky. McIntosh and Snorton are Louisville Seminary alums and are the consultation’s Edwards Peacemaking Lecturers. Louisville Seminary’s Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship endowment supports visiting lecturers who are active in Christian efforts for peace and social justice.

This year’s Black Church Studies Consultation preacher is the Rev. Sherry Green, a Louisville Seminary alum and pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Manchester, Kentucky. Kyri Demby and the Worship Team from the Portland Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville will provide the music for the consultation worship service.
Alison Stabler, a second-year Master of Divinity student at Louisville Seminary is the consultation’s artist in residence. Her exhibit, “Echoes of Alabama” is a collection of photographs and narratives about the history of slavery, Civil Rights, and rural ministry in Alabama and will be on display throughout the consultation.
“The majority of churches in America are in rural communities,” said Cowser. “Ministry in rural spaces is understudied and under-resourced. We want to build relationships with rural clergy, learn from them, and provide resources that will enrich their ministries and communities.”

African American ministers, statewide moderators, lay leaders and seminary students who are either currently serving or who will be serving in a rural context are encouraged to attend. General admission $25. Student tickets are $10. Registration fees include meals for both days of the consultation.
Registration deadline is Friday, February 15. For details and to register, see www.lpts.edu/bcsc19.
Noted Scholar Randal Jelks to Discuss Faith and Struggle at Louisville Seminary
Jan 30, 2019

Jelks' book examines the autobiographical writings, interviews, speeches, letters, and memorable performances of Ethel Waters, Mary Lou Williams, Eldridge Cleaver and Muhammad Ali to understand how each of these figures used religious faith publicly to reconcile deep personal struggles, voice their concerns for human dignity, and reinvent their public image. According to Jelks, for them, liberation was not simply defined by material or legal well-being, but by a spiritual search for community and personal wholeness.
Jelks is a professor of American studies and African American studies at the University of Kansas and is the co-editor of the journal American Studies. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Jelks' research interests are in the areas of American Religious histories, African Diaspora Religions, and Religions and American Social Movements. In 2001, Jelks received a Louisville Institute Summer Stipend for the project “Benjamin Elijah Mays and the Creation of an Insurgent Negro Professional Clergy, 1930-1958,” which resulted in his published book Benjamin Elijah Mays, Schoolmaster of the Movement: A Biography. He is also the author of African Americans in the Furniture City: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Grand Rapids and is an executive producer of a two-part biographical documentary I, Too, Sing America: Langston Hughes Unfurled in conjunction with the Dream Documentary Collective and the Lawrence Arts Center.
Anne Monell is Louisville Seminary's new VP of Advancement
Jan 08, 2019

Serving as a member of the senior administration, Monell is responsible for all aspects of Louisville Seminary's advancement program, including stewardship, fundraising, constituent relations, and communications. She will work closely with the Office of the President on ongoing strategic planning and ensure that all fundraising and external relations programs align with Louisville Seminary's mission, vision, core values, and established priorities. Her efforts will advance effective collaboration between institutional offices and services to enhance an integrated dedication to fulfilling the goals and objectives of the seminary.
Monell brings twenty-five years of experience in stewardship, leadership, fundraising, marketing, data analysis, and strategic planning. During her tenure with the Children's Hospital Foundation, she successfully facilitated individual gifts, multi-year pledges, planned gifts, and donations of appreciated assets of more than $3.9 million. Throughout her career, Monell has cultivated meaningful relationships with a broad support base through transformational philanthropy that diligently and expansively honors donor intent.
“Anne brings a wide range of philanthropic experience and wisdom to her work with us,” said Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard III. “We are grateful to have her advancement leadership at Louisville Seminary.”
Professionally, she is a board member for the Charitable Gift Planners of Kentuckiana, co-chair of the Integrating Women Leaders Foundation's annual Louisville conference, a board member with the St. Patrick School Foundation, and is a recipient of multiple Landmarks of Excellence Awards from her earlier work at the Community Foundation of Louisville. Monell graduated Summa Cum Laude from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication. She and her family attend St. Patrick Catholic Church, where she is a cantor and choir member.
2018
MDiv student Angela Overton hired at national healthcare advocacy organization
Dec 18, 2018
Highlights from the 2018 Festival of Theology and Alum Reunion
Dec 17, 2018
Robert P. Jones wins 2019 Grawemeyer Religion Award
Dec 07, 2018
Caldwell Chapel featured in new bank's stained glass
Nov 20, 2018
#GivingTuesday is November 27
Nov 19, 2018
Alton B. Pollard III issues statement on recent hate crimes
Oct 30, 2018
Louisville Seminary creates new Division of Student Engagement
Sep 28, 2018
Delta Kappa MFT Honor Society Now Taking Applications
Sep 13, 2018
Highlights from Fall 2018 Convocation
Sep 13, 2018
Sue Garrett Resigns Post as Seminary Dean; Steve Cook to Serve as Acting Dean
Sep 11, 2018
A Message of Thanksgiving from Alton B. Pollard III
Sep 04, 2018
Louisville Seminary Doctor of Ministry Applications are Due September 7
Aug 29, 2018
Elizabeth Seeger Troy named clinical director of Louisville Seminary Counseling Center
Jul 17, 2018
An Independence Day Message from President Jinkins
Jul 03, 2018
Alton B. Pollard III Brings Spirit of Ecumenism to Louisville Seminary
Jun 11, 2018
Alton B. Pollard III named Louisville Seminary’s tenth president
Jun 07, 2018
Louisville Seminary Celebrates its 164th Commencement
Jun 04, 2018
MDiv student Angela Overton hired at national healthcare advocacy organization
Dec 18, 2018

C-TAC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, which conducts research and provides information and advocacy support on behalf of people living with advanced illness.
“As a cancer survivor, minister, and strong program manager, Angela will serve a critical role to advance the work of the faith community within C-TAC and with our partners,” said C-TAC executive director John Broyles.
In her new role at C-TAC, Overton will be responsible for the implementation of the C-TAC Interfaith & Diversity Workgroup programs; strategic planning for the workgroup; enhancement of C-TAC Interfaith & Diversity Workgroup image by being active and visible in the community and by working closely with other professional, civic, and private organizations; and planning roles and session(s) of the workgroup at the 2019 C-TAC summit. She will oversee/work with approximately 75 individuals that work within clinical, educational, and spiritual organizations throughout the United States.
“[Louisville Seminary Dean of Student Engagement] Dr. Kilen Gray has been instrumental to me in the process,” said Overton, who has served as a C-TAC volunteer for several years. “The guidance and mentorship that he has extended to me has been invaluable. In addition, Louisville Seminary has made a wonderful contribution to my academic understanding of who God is and how that is to be worked out in the world we live in today.”
For more information, see www.thectac.org.
Highlights from the 2018 Festival of Theology and Alum Reunion
Dec 17, 2018

On November 8 and 9, 2018, Louisville Seminary hosted its annual Festival of Theology and Alum Reunion. The theme for this year's event was "Breaking the Silence: Sex, Power and the Church." Presentations and other programs addressed ethics and social justice issues that the church and society faces.
Breaking the Silence

LISTEN TO JENNIFER BESTE'S CALDWELL LECTURE.
In keeping with the festival's theme, Beste joined Rev. Dr. Kilen Gray (MDiv '02, DMin '16), dean of student engagement, Rev. Dr. Angela Cowser (MDiv '06), associate dean of black church studies, and Cindy Guertin-Anderson, LMFT (MAMFT '06), in a panel discussion about Deconstructing masculinity. Rev. Abbi Long (MDiv '15), co-author of These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith & Sexuality at Church and Home, lead a workshop on Faith and Sex: Empowering Christian Families. Prof. Carol Cook led a workshop on Creating Safe Spaces.
Honoring Our Alums

Four alums were honored at this year's Distinguished Alum Awards Luncheon. Rev. Dr. Conrad C. Sharps (MDiv ’85), pastor of Amelia Plantation Chapel on Amelia Island, Florida; Cindy Guertin-Anderson, LMFT (MAMFT ’06), director of the Employee Assistance Program for the Washington State Government; and Rev. Dr. J. Bradley Wigger (MDiv ’84), Louisville Seminary’s Second Presbyterian Church Professor of Christian Education received the 2018 Distinguished Alum Award. Rev. Lisa C. Hermann (MDiv ’09), chaplain for UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin, received the 2018 Louisville Seminary First Decade Award.
Established in 1986, the Distinguished Alum Award is given to graduates of Louisville Seminary who have made a lasting impact on the church and society through outstanding professional, volunteer or philanthropic accomplishments; and/or who have advanced the seminary's mission, thereby, enhancing Louisville Seminary's impact on the church and future generations of students.
READ MORE ABOUT THE 2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUM AWARD RECIPIENTS.
Delta Kappa Inductees

Delta Kappa is the official honor society for the field of marriage and family therapy and serves to further and complement the work being done by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Family Therapy Academy, and the International Family Therapy Association.
READ MORE ABOUT THE DELTA KAPPA MFT HONOR SOCIETY.
In Faith and Unity

On November 9, Rev. Yena Hwang (MAMFT '06) led the Worship and Service of Remembrance, where those from the Louisville Seminary Community who died over the past year were remembered. Hwang's sermon, "Vashti Breaks Silence" addressed scripture from Esther (1:10-12), where Vashti refused King Ahasuerus's orders to parade naked before the king's drunken guests.
With Thanks
The Alum Association Board of Directors wishes to thank Chris White (MDiv '02) and Mark Baridon (MDiv '88) for their service on the board. The terms of service have expired for both Chris and Mark, but we know they will always play vital roles in our Alum Association.Warm Welcome
New to the Alum Board of Directors are Christian Boyd (MDiv '01), Bruce Burns (MDiv '08), Eric Bryant (MDiv & MAMFT '97), Karol Farris (MDiv ’14), and Risa Musto (MAMFT '08). The Louisville Seminary Alum Board Student Body Representative is Viisha Souza (MDiv).
SEE PICTURES FROM THE 2018 FESTIVAL OF THEOLOGY AND ALUM REUNION.
Robert P. Jones wins 2019 Grawemeyer Religion Award
Dec 07, 2018

That prediction comes from Robert P. Jones, founder and chief executive officer of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), who has won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book, The End of White Christian America. Simon & Schuster published the work in 2016.
University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give the religion prize.
America is no longer mostly white and Christian, Jones found. Although 54 percent of the U.S. population met that description in 2008, the number fell to 45 percent in 2016. The election two years ago gave Republicans political control of the country but also signaled a “death rattle” for white Christian America, he said.
Jones also explained an affinity between white evangelical Protestants and President Donald Trump in his book, noting Trump “cast himself as the last chance for Republicans and conservative white Christians to step back from the cliff, to preserve their power and way of life.”
White Protestants, particularly white evangelicals, must find their place in a new America or face challenging internal and external consequences, he warned.
“Jones well describes the decline of mainstream Protestantism many of us are seeing in our churches and theological institutions,” said Tyler Mayfield, an associate professor of Old Testament at the seminary who directs the religion award. “He also offers an appropriate critique of how mainline Protestants have failed to address racism even though they have been a public voice for racial justice.”
PRRI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conducts independent research at the intersection of religion, culture and public policy. In 2016, The New York Times Review of Books called Jones’ book “possibly the most illuminating text for this election year.”
READ THE FULL BIOGRAPHY FOR ROBERT P. JONES.
See www.lpts.edu/grawemeyer or www.grawemeyer.org for more information.
Caldwell Chapel featured in new bank's stained glass
Nov 20, 2018
Alton B. Pollard III offers blessing at Independence Bank's grand opening

On Tuesday, November 13, about 200 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Independence Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Located in St. Matthews Square, just down the road from Louisville Seminary, the bank's architectural design was intended to maintain a sense of history celebrated by the St. Matthews community.
To honor that history, the building features several stained glass panels produced by Lynchburg Stained Glass. They include buildings, businesses, landmarks and other images unique to the area. Louisville Seminary's Caldwell Chapel is prominently displayed in one of the panels, which includes other seminaries and houses of worship.
Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard III was among the dignitaries to take part in the November 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pollard was joined by representatives of Louisville Metro Government, St. Matthews City Council, St. Matthews area businesses as well as Independence Bank itself.
"This was my first bank blessing," said Pollard with chuckle. "But I am very honored that Independence Bank thought so highly of Louisville Seminary as to include it in its artwork and invite us to participate in this celebration."
#GivingTuesday is November 27
Nov 19, 2018
Support Louisville Seminary

Interest in and revenue received through the initiative is largely generated from social media outreach mechanisms. Throughout the day on #GivingTuesday, #GivingTuesday-related posts will appear on Louisville Seminary’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts. Those who keep up with seminary news via social media are encouraged to use @lptsnow and the #GivingTuesday hashtag to help generate interest in the campaign.
You don’t have to wait until November 28 to show your support. To make a gift online, log onto the secure online donor form on Louisville Seminary’s website or call (800) 264-1839, extension 345.

Thank you, as always, for your support!
Alton B. Pollard III issues statement on recent hate crimes
Oct 30, 2018
Editor's note: Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard III issued the following statement regarding the recent hate crimes committed in our community and throughout the country.
My Friends in Faith:
My Friends in Community:
These past several days have proven to be a true test of our humanity. Vile hatred has reached epidemic proportions.
On Wednesday, Metro Louisville experienced white supremacy in its most lethal form and the loss of two Black lives. What sense is there to the violence of shooting human beings in a grocery store based on the color of their skin?
The Jewish community of Pittsburgh experienced the travail and devastation of anti-Semitic hate on Saturday. What sense is there to the violence of entering a house of worship and taking the lives of others based on their religious beliefs?
Package bombs were mailed to political and business representatives across the country. What sense is there to the violence of sending package bombs to those with different political views?
Our community - our country - has experienced this three-tiered trident of hatred over the past seven days. This is not humanity's mandate from God. This is not how we build the "City of God."
Racism, anti-Semitism, and political xenophobia are unacceptable in any context, especially when these expressions of hatred accrue human collateral damage - when God's greatest gift, the gift of life itself, is violated, stolen, destroyed just because someone looks, thinks, or believes differently.
Where is God in the midst of all this terror? Where is the comfort of God in the throes of such disregard for humanity? This past Friday, Professor Scott Williamson delivered a powerful and relevant sermon in Louisville Seminary's Caldwell Chapel. It was a sermon that challenged us to seek and understand God's presence in our hearts in the midst of our own failures.
What do we do with that awareness? Do we really understand what God calls us to do?
It's concerning that there are those in our society who believe that violence is a righteous testament of faith. Indeed, it is sad when lack of compassion, disregard for human life, and, frankly, a complete misinterpretation of sacred texts from across all faith traditions leads us down the path of self-destruction.
Black, brown and white, Jewish, Muslim and Christian, transgender and gay, and more - the Louisville Seminary community stands with all communities under siege in this very present hour. Hatred will not have the last word. Our better angels will prevail.
This is our declaration.
This is our vow.
This is our action.
This is our faith.
We are all in this struggle together.
Alton B. Pollard III

President
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Louisville Seminary creates new Division of Student Engagement
Sep 28, 2018

In that spirit, Seminary President Alton B. Pollard III recently announced a restructuring of services offered to seminary students and alums. Effective October 8, Kilen Gray, Louisville Seminary’s Dean of Student Engagement, will lead the new Division of Student Engagement. The offices of admissions, alum relations, and financial aid will report to Gray as part of the new division.
“Student matriculation is about more than books, papers and classes,” said Gray (MDiv ’02, DMin ’16). “The ministry of Louisville Seminary is about both the world coming to our campus and our campus finding its place in the world. This new division will give alums the opportunity to become more involved in the life of the seminary – from student recruitment to community and church relations. Students will also have a more cohesive body of resources at their disposal and will be able to draw not only from the wisdom of our faculty and staff, but also from those who have been in their shoes.”
Sandra Moon (MDiv/JD ’11), who has served as the seminary’s Director of Alum, Church and Community Engagement since 2015, will serve as Interim Director of Admissions and Alum Engagement. Financial Aid Coordinator April Stepney and Admissions Specialist Becky Young complete the Student Engagement departmental staff.
Gray (MDiv ’02, DMin ’16) will be part of the seminary’s senior administration along with Pollard; Pat Cecil, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer; Steve Cook, Interim Seminary Dean; Sally Pendleton (MDiv/MAMFT ’97), Vice President of Institutional Advancement; and Edwin Aponte, Executive Director of the Louisville Institute.
“As before, our colleagues will continue to closely interface with Academic Affairs and other departments,” said Pollard. “Internally, their work will reflect a more cohesive unit. “I am excited about what together our student-centric efforts will accomplish on behalf of our students and Louisville Seminary!”
As the seminary transitions to a new student service structure, many thanks go to Emily Miller (MDiv '09) for her faithful service to Louisville Seminary as Director of Recruitment and Admissions. Miller's final day of service to Louisville Seminary will be October 16. Her decision to leave Louisville Seminary stems from her desire to be closer to her home in Berea, Kentucky, where her husband, Jake (a 2007 Louisville Seminary alum), recently accepted a job as Chaplain at Berea College.
Delta Kappa MFT Honor Society Now Taking Applications
Sep 13, 2018

Delta Kappa is the official honor society for the field of marriage and family therapy and serves to further and complement the work being done by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Family Therapy Academy, and the International Family Therapy Association.
Delta Kappa has three primary aims:
- Train emerging leaders in the field of marriage and family therapy to assume the mantle of leadership in the profession.
- Provide a structure for developing scholarly forums that present cutting edge research and theory on marriage and family therapy to practitioners on an ongoing basis at the local, state, regional, national, and international level.
- Recognize and promote the achievements of marriage and family therapy clinicians and scholars.
Marriage and family therapy professionals are invited into membership in Delta Kappa through three avenues.
- Students in COAMFTE accredited marriage and family therapy programs who have completed at least 12 graduate credit hours with a grade point average of 3.75 or higher.
- Graduates from such accredited marriage and family therapy programs with a concluding grade point average of at least 3.5 who have achieved Clinical Fellow status in AAMFT.
- Senior marriage and family therapy professionals who demonstrate high dedication to scholarship and professional leadership through instruction, research, and/or student/new professional training.
The deadline to apply to be inducted with the second class of the Upsilon Chapter is Monday, October 22, 2018. To learn more about Delta Kappa and apply for membership into the Upsilon Chapter, visit https://www.deltakappamft.org/Member/Application. If you have any questions, contact the Upsilon Chapter Coordinator, Ashley Hicks White, at ahicks@lpts.edu.
Highlights from Fall 2018 Convocation
Sep 13, 2018

SEE IMAGES FROM THE FALL 2018 CONVOCATION SERVICE.
The Convocation address was delivered by Louisville Seminary's new president, the Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III. In his address, "God Has a Dream," Pollard drew on Psalm 126 and 1 Peter 3:15 and challenged the congregation to plan their vocation and live their lives in God’s grace with the unique gifts they bring to the table of ministry, justice and service.
LISTEN TO ALTON POLLARD III's CONVOCATION ADDRESS.

READ MORE ABOUT ALTON POLLARD III.
During the fall Convocation service, four Louisville Seminary students were honored for their academic achievements.

MDiv student Daniel Van Beek received the E.L. Bell Memorial Prize for excellence in biblical studies.
MDiv student Avery Smith received the Burton Z Cooper Prize in Theology for demonstrating promise in constructive, philosophical, systematic or contemporary theology.
MDiv student Kari Godwin received the Dean K. Thompson Prize in Practical Theology for excellence in the study of practical theology and in their congregational field education placement.
MAMFT student Andy Thomas received the James A. Hyde Marriage and Family and Pastoral Counseling Theory & Practice Award for demonstration of excellence in her first year in the MAMFT clinical and academic program.
The Louisville Seminary community also welcomed several new members to the faculty and staff. They are:
- Laura Jakubowski Aponte, Project Director, Myrtle Collaboration
- Charlene Beck, Guest Services Representative, Laws Lodge
- Angela Cowser, Associate Dean of Black Church Studies and Doctor of Ministry Programs; Associate Professor of Black Church Studies
- Melody Hall, Administrative Assistant to Black Church Studies and Doctor of Ministry Programs
- Linda Likins, Marketing & Special Events Coordinator, Laws Lodge
- Alton B. Pollard III, President and Professor of Religion and Culture
- Justin Reed, Assistant Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
- Beth Seeger Troy, Louisville Seminary Counseling Center (LSCC) Clinical Director
Sue Garrett Resigns Post as Seminary Dean; Steve Cook to Serve as Acting Dean
Sep 11, 2018

On August 31, 2018, Dr. Susan R. Garrett concluded six years as Dean of Louisville Seminary. She will spend a year on sabbatical and then return to full-time teaching in the fall of 2019.
Among her accomplishments as Dean, Sue oversaw the recruitment, hiring, and professional development of a number of new faculty and staff members. She authored several successful grant proposals, including ones to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (to support Black Church Studies), the Henry Luce Foundation (to support Doors to Dialogue), and the Association of Theological Schools (to support programming in restorative justice). She led the faculty in designing new program-assessment measures and practices, as well as a new curriculum. And, together with administrative and faculty colleagues, she continually tended to student needs and worked to help students thrive.
“Serving as Dean has been quite challenging but also profoundly rewarding,” Sue said. “The joys of the office were chiefly in the strong collegial relationships I was able to develop with our gifted faculty, administrators, and support staff, who work so hard to advance the learning of our students and overall mission of our school. I leave the office eager to spend more time teaching and writing, but I am sad to step away from the engaging work to which I have had the privilege of devoting myself these past six years.”
Sue’s plans for sabbatical are to design a book series on the Bible and the culture wars and write the first volume in it, write a grant proposal for faculty development focused on inclusive pedagogy, and continue her role as chair of the Seminary’s self-study committee for reaccreditation with the Association of Theological Schools.
“Dr. Garrett is and always will be an integral part of our seminary’s faculty and our seminary community,” said Seminary President Alton Pollard III. “Her commitment to the quality of education here and her enthusiasm for our seminary’s mission are exemplary. Her deanship may mark the end of an era, but we can still celebrate the many influential and meaningful gifts that Sue shares with Louisville Seminary. My thanks to her for her service.”
Dr. Steve Cook, the Registrar and Associate Dean for Institutional Research and Effectiveness, has assumed the role of Acting Dean.
“I can’t thank Dr. Cook enough for his willingness to fill this vital role,” added Pollard. “I know he will maintain an outstanding level of efficient and effective professionalism in the office.”
A Message of Thanksgiving from Alton B. Pollard III
Sep 04, 2018
Dear Louisville Seminary Community:

My first month at Louisville Seminary has been time well spent meeting and learning from staff and administrators. With our academic year now officially underway, I will continue to do more of the same, engaging our students and faculty to the best of my ability. As a creature of finitude, I am in some ways bound by the constraints of time and space. My best intentions notwithstanding, my energy and memory will falter at times. I will make mistakes. I will err. I will fall short. Without fail, I will seek to be an effective leader, strive for excellence, and practice self-love and communal care. I will necessarily be away from campus for extended periods of time, summoned to the wider work of the presidency, but I will not be inaccessible. I will be raising our institution's profile, sharing our good news, engaging our alums, expanding our circle of friends, raising funds, cultivating generosity, extending hospitality, bearing witness, and being our public face. I will return to campus and to ongoing and meaningful engagement with our students, faculty and friends.
My leadership style is principled, inclusive and consensus-seeking. When and where a declarative word needs to be given, quietly and confidently, I will provide the same. I will wear my business suits as appropriate and my beloved African attire most of all. I will represent our mission of Louisville Seminary to our stakeholders and the general public with a dedication and commitment that begins here at home in Louisville and Kentucky. I will worship with local congregations and proclaim the Good News when and where called upon. I will seek out our city's communities of color and foster our engagement with diverse peoples and faiths. As a seminal seminary of the PC(USA), we are building bridges of understanding with a transformative faith that actively engages the world. We covenant to model our exemplary mission in instruction and delivery, worship and practice, governance and advising. By inheritance, we are many lamps, one light, a seminary proudly born of the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions, courageously living into our ecumenical, interfaith and intersectional possibilities. In a world sorely distressed, God's people everywhere have need of us. A reconciling justice companions our history. Our just dedications powerfully honor the same today.
I am particularly excited to work closely with Louisville Seminary's Board of Trustees chaired by our alum, the Rev. Lant B. Davis. They are deeply dedicated to our institutional flourishing. I look forward to meeting the President's Roundtable and the considerable gifts each member brings to our community. Already, I have begun to meet our alums and will be reaching out to our base of graduates and friends seeking their support. I am grateful for our student body and its dynamic leadership. I am proud of the academic reputation and public witness of our illustrious faculty. I am honored to join the collegium of scholars here at Louisville Seminary from faculty and students to administrators and staff. Most of all, I am excited for what we will accomplish together. There will be some difficult days ahead. We will engage in strategic and systemic change for the betterment of our institution. As President, my pledge is to regularly communicate and keep you well informed. I will share with you the promises and challenges that face Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and theological education writ large. I will solicit your prayers as we put our trust in God: "Great is thy faithfulness!"
Faithfully Yours,

Alton B. Pollard, III
President
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Louisville Seminary Doctor of Ministry Applications are Due September 7
Aug 29, 2018

Applications for January 2019 admission to the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Doctor of Ministry program are due FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018. An application fee of $75 and the appropriate reference forms must be submitted with the application.
APPLY NOW.
For more than 30 years, Louisville Seminary has offered a world-class Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree to strengthen the connection between theology and ministry practice either in the church or in fields closely related to the mission and witness of the church.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE DMIN FACT SHEET.
A world-class program at considerably lower cost than DMin programs elsewhere, our low tuition and block scheduling offer the financial and personal flexibility that busy practitioners need. Under the guidance of our outstanding faculty, candidates study cutting-edge theological, biblical and practical bases of ministry, and complete a project that strengthens their current ministry even as they earn their degree. DMin tracks of study include Pastoral Care and Counseling, Black Church Studies and Advanced Practice of Ministry.
An advanced, professional degree, the DMin is designed for experienced practitioners who have a Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent from an ATS-accredited school, along with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and at least 3 years of experience.
The program is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
More information including details on program tracks, tuition/fees, schedules and requirements are available at WWW.LPTS.EDU/DMIN.
For questions, please contact the Louisville Seminary Office of Admissions at (800) 264-1839, extension 373 or admissions@lpts.edu.
About Louisville Seminary
Founded in 1853, Louisville Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse learning community, welcoming students from wide ecumenical backgrounds while maintaining its long, historic commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Louisville Seminary is committed to building bridges across the world's religious, racial and cultural divides. It is distinguished by its nationally-recognized marriage and family therapy and field education programs, the scholarship and church service among its faculty and a commitment to training women and men to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. For more information, call (800) 264-1839 or log onto www.lpts.edu.
Elizabeth Seeger Troy named clinical director of Louisville Seminary Counseling Center
Jul 17, 2018

Loren Townsend, director of the Louisville Seminary Marriage and Family Therapy program and professor of pastoral care and counseling, said: “We are very pleased to have Beth join us. She has great experience as a therapist, supervisor and as the clinical director of Personal Counseling Service—one of the oldest pastoral counseling centers in the nation.”
Seeger Troy received her Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degrees from Louisville Seminary in 2004 and her bachelor’s degree in music therapy/music education from Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) in 1997. She is an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor. In 2007, she was ordained as minister of word and sacrament (teaching elder) for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In addition to her work at Personal Counseling Service, Troy serves as a clinical supervisor at the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center.
“I feel honored to be part of the excellent education and training students receive at Louisville Seminary,” said Troy. “I am very excited to continue the remarkable ways Louisville Seminary helps shape future therapists and pastoral counselors in their endeavor to minister to God’s people."
An Independence Day Message from President Jinkins
Jul 03, 2018

Last week, however, and I don’t really know why, I picked up Edmund Burke and read him again. Burke was the brilliant, iconoclastic genius behind British conservatism. I mean, incidentally, real conservatism, not the angry, anti-intellectual, highly reactionary, misogynistic, nativist and often racist movement that has stolen the name these days, but the conservatism that at the height of the Enlightenment helped establish many of the democratic ideals that continue to undergird the institutions of our day.
An Anglo-Irish politician of the eighteenth century, Burke was the original voice behind a freedom-loving, justice-seeking political movement that committed itself to conserving that which is best in human society, not just the assertion of individual rights, but the primacy of the common good. Burke’s greatest literary work was his study of the French Revolution; he is well-remembered for his debates in print with Thomas Paine. But most people remember him today for a few extraordinary quotes.
George Santayana, the nineteenth-century Harvard professor, often gets the credit for one of these, but it was actually Burke who first said: “Those who don’t remember history are destined to repeat it.”
Burke also said: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good [people] to do nothing.”
And it was Burke who said: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”
I suspect that there was some providence in my turning to Burke last week, because as hard as you try, unless you move to a secluded off-the-grid cabin on the backside of a mountain, you are going to get at least a smattering of news. And I realized, as I saw children separated from parents and locked in cages, and I read the comments that equate the arrival of refugees and immigrants with an “invasion,” that my feeling of political impotence is no excuse for not speaking up. And a few days ago as I learned of a three-year-old being separated from her grandmother (who is her legal guardian), I asked myself what I would do if I were in that grandmother’s shoes. What would I do if I had rescued one of my grandchildren from a despotic regime in Central America and made my way toward the border that boasts those famed Stars and Stripes that promise freedom and justice for all, only to be treated as a criminal just for seeking asylum? And what would I do if Grace or Clara or Anderson was torn from my arms in the name of that country to which I had fled for safety?
To unplug from the news and to tune out from what is going on in our country is an act of cowardice on my part. Certainly, if I’ve learned anything from Thomas Merton and William Stringfellow, Dorothy Day and Thich Nhat Hanh, Isaiah, Amos, and Jesus of Nazareth (not to mention Jesus’ mother!), it is that there is such a thing as a spirituality of politics, an engaged spirituality, a faith that speaks and acts not out of anger, but out of compassion, that does not seek to divide and conquer, but seeks to make whole that which is broken. And what is broken today lies at the heart of our country and our world. It didn’t get broken overnight. It took decades to get this way.
Somehow we have allowed the least compassionate voices to prevail. Somehow we have allowed the most self-centered, angry, greedy, and uninformed voices to prevail. Somehow we have allowed our common life to become more accommodating of office-seekers, careerists, and power-mongers than of servant-leaders. Perhaps we justified this to ourselves as members of political parties with some sort of “ends justify the means” mishmash of “Realpolitik,” but the terrible disease of factionalism that always infects political parties has grown now to the point where we can no longer ignore it as people of faith, no-faith, or as citizens.
I do not want to see the world lose the shining hope that resides in the idea that is America at her very best. America is and always has been an idea more than a place or a particular group of people. America stands for freedom, not just of the strong, not just of the dominant, but of all. America stands for the idea that no one is above the law and everyone deserves justice and a fair shot at a good life. At our best, we have stood for the ideas for which America is recognized and about which we love to boast. But that is what is threatened today — along with the lives of many of the poorest and most vulnerable people among us.
America deserves better than we Americans are standing for today. And make no mistake about this, the evils being committed are being committed in our name as Americans. History will hold us all accountable. And so, at the risk of redundancy, I will remind us of Edmund Burke again:
“Those who don’t remember history are destined to repeat it.”
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good [people] to do nothing.”
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”
God bless you. And especially this week I pray that God will bless America, but I also hope we will seek to keep the promises made in the name of America for the sake of the whole world.
Michael Jinkins
President
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
-Jesus of Nazareth
(Matthew 25:40)
Alton B. Pollard III Brings Spirit of Ecumenism to Louisville Seminary
Jun 11, 2018

Louisville Seminary’s Presidential Search Committee, which was comprised of seminary faculty, students, trustees, senior administrators and alums, were especially impressed by Pollard’s ecumenical background.
In accordance with the seminary’s by-laws, Pollard will transfer his membership to a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation in Louisville. Pollard was ordained by an independent Baptist congregation and is presently a member at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. He has previously served as associate minister at Trinity Tabernacle Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, and at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has also pastored A.M.E. churches in Tennessee and Baptist churches in Massachusetts and North Carolina. In addition, he was supply minister at Mt. Pisgah Presbyterian Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
“Dr. Pollard will bring all of the gifts from his diverse ecumenical background with him to our seminary,” said Mary Gene Boteler, a Louisville seminary alum and trustee who served on the Presidential Search Committee. “He is excited about walking this next season with a people called ‘Presbyterian.’ Those of us who have spent time with him are grateful to God for this spirit-led calling of Dr. Pollard to Louisville Seminary.”
Rev. Emily Miller, a Louisville Seminary alum and the seminary’s director of recruitment and admissions added: “Presbyterian theology, to me, is inherently ecumenical. Our current and future students have a lot to be excited about with Dr. Pollard as our new president.”
Next week, Pollard will attend the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which will take place in St. Louis, Missouri. There, he will meet with the leadership of the Committee on Theological Education as well as PCUSA leadership. Louisville Seminary will also host a reception and a luncheon at General Assembly, where Pollard will have more opportunities to meet seminary and church constituencies.
“As Louisville Seminary’s president, I will build upon the seminary’s historic tradition and current momentum, imparting the story and advancing a trajectory for innovation consistent with the institutional ethos ‘to cultivate relationships inside and beyond the seminary’ and fulfilling the vision of ‘building bridges’ in a complex interreligious society and world,” said Pollard, who serves on the Board of Directors for In Trust Center for Theological Schools and the Advisory Committee for the Luce Fund for Theological Education.
SEE PICTURES FROM ALTON POLLARD'S INTRODUCTION TO THE LOUISVILLE SEMINARY COMMUNITY.
Alton B. Pollard III named Louisville Seminary’s tenth president
Jun 07, 2018
Howard University religion and culture scholar to succeed Michael Jinkins who retires Sept. 2

The Louisville Seminary Board of Trustees voted June 7 to appoint the Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III as president. A scholar, author, consultant and speaker on the subject of African American religion and culture, Pollard was previously dean of the School of Divinity and professor of Religion and Culture at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Louisville Seminary offers master’s and doctorate degree programs that prepare graduates for a number of roles in ministry and administration for Presbyterian and other church denominations as well as for marriage and family therapy.
Pollard said he was drawn both by the history and the current trajectory of Louisville Seminary.
“Rare is the theological institution today that innovates well in contemporary society, modeling theological education for just inclusivity in an increasingly diverse world,” Pollard said. “As much of our society is focused on division, I will ensure that Louisville Seminary will continue to build bridges between people of different religious, social and cultural perspectives, through teaching and scholarship, and the preparation of persons for lives of faithful witness and public service.”
Prior to his eleven years at Howard University, Pollard served as director of Black Church Studies and chair of American Religious Cultures at Emory University, and taught at Wake Forest University and St. Olaf College. He earned degrees from Duke University, Harvard University Divinity School and Fisk University.
Pollard has authored, co-authored and edited a number of books and journal articles. He serves on the Board of Directors for the In Trust Center for Theological Schools and the Advisory Committee for the Luce Fund for Theological Education. He served on the Board of Commissioners for the Association of Theological Schools from 2010-2016 and was chair from 2014-2016. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Pollard and his wife Jessica have two adult children.
President transition this September
Current Seminary President Rev. Dr. Michael Jinkins announced his retirement in April 2017. Pollard will begin work as president at the start of the fall semester this September and will be formally inaugurated in spring 2019.
Pollard’s appointment follows a national search conducted by a presidential search committee including several Seminary trustees, faculty members, and other seminary constituents and led by Board Chair Lant B. Davis of Birmingham, Alabama.
“Dr. Pollard embodies Louisville Seminary’s long tradition of bridging differences within the church and broader society,” said Davis. “He will affirm and further develop our historic Presbyterian emphasis on inter-denominational cooperation. Under his leadership I hope the Seminary will demonstrate a way forward through some of the most divisive issues of our time. He is a principled peacemaker.”
Jinkins will continue to serve as president until September 2. During his eight-year tenure, Louisville Seminary launched its bold Covenant for the Future vision which made full-tuition scholarships available for every master’s degree student and, by 2021, will provide stipends for living expenses. The only seminary in the country to offer this benefit, Louisville Seminary students participating in the scholarship “pay the debt forward” by engaging in learning and service opportunities that enhance their opportunities for leadership in church and non-profit sectors.
Other highlights of Jinkins’ leadership include the growth of the Seminary’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, one of only four seminary-based accredited programs in the nation, and the Doors to Dialogue program that prepares students to lead in a world of growing religious differences and needs including immigrant communities, urban centers, intolerance and environmental preservation.
“Dr. Pollard's reputation as an eminent scholar and renowned leader precedes him,” said Jinkins. “I believe he is precisely the leader Louisville Seminary needs for the next chapter in its history. And I feel honored to welcome him as the next president of the Seminary.”
About Louisville Seminary
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is one of ten theological schools in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and was historically the only Presbyterian seminary to be supported by both the northern and southern branches of the Presbyterian Church simultaneously. The United Methodist denomination also recognizes the Louisville Seminary as a place for its candidates to receive theological education. With students from more than 20 denominations, Louisville Seminary welcomes individuals from the wider ecumenical community.
Louisville Seminary offers Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degrees, as well as the Doctor of Ministry degree.
Originally founded in 1853 in Danville, Kentucky, Louisville Seminary is located in Louisville’s Cherokee/Seneca neighborhood on a scenic 67-acre campus.
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Louisville Seminary Celebrates its 164th Commencement
Jun 04, 2018

SEE THE LIST OF 2018 LOUISVILLE SEMINARY GRADUATES.
During the commencement exercises, several students were recognized for their accomplishments in a variety of fields including preaching, theology, the integration of theology with marriage and family therapy, field education and overall academic achievement.
SEE THE LIST OF 2018 LOUISVILLE SEMINARY GRADUATE AWARD WINNERS.

Lindvall also served as the commencement speaker. His commencement address, "Professional?", reminded graduates of the risky but necessary need to deeply love those who they are called to serve.
WATCH "PROFESSIONAL?" DELIVERED BY MICHAEL LINDVALL.
Lindvall is the author of numerous essays published in both periodicals and books. He has written two novels: The Good News from North Haven (Doubleday, Pocket, Crossroads), which made the New York Times best-seller list, as well as its sequel, Leaving North Haven (Crossroads). He is also the author of three volumes of accessible theology: A Geography of God (Westminster-John Knox), What Did Jesus Do: A Crash Course in His Life and Times (Sterling), and Knowing God’s Triune Story (Witherspoon).

Each year, members of the graduating class select the Baccalaureate preacher and create a worship service. Williamson (pictured) joined Louisville Seminary’s faculty in 1997 to teach theological ethics. Williamson’s research on the moral thought of Frederick Douglass was published by Mercer University Press (2001), and his research on resistance ethics was published as a chapter in Resistance and Theological Ethics, by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (2004). Williamson has also published for the church. Notably, he contributed to Preaching God’s Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary, published by Westminster John Knox Press (2011).
Louisville Seminary’s Black Church Studies Program is Williamson’s great joy. He was one of three professors who first discussed the possibility of a BCS program at Louisville Seminary, and, in the years that followed, he championed the cause and shared in the hard work of building a strong program. The BCS program is now a signature feature of the Louisville Seminary curriculum.
READ MORE ABOUT SCOTT C. WILLIAMSON.
SEE PICTURES FROM LOUISVILLE SEMINARY'S 2018 COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AND BACCALAUREATE SERVICE.
About Louisville Seminary
Founded in 1853, Louisville Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse learning community, welcoming students from wide ecumenical backgrounds while maintaining its long, historic commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Louisville Seminary is committed to building bridges across the world's religious, racial and cultural divides. It is distinguished by its nationally-recognized marriage and family therapy and field education programs, the scholarship and church service among its faculty and a commitment to training women and men to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. For more information, call (800) 264-1839 or log onto www.lpts.edu.
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