March 20, 2017

I hope that this post finds each of you and your families enjoying a Blessed 2017.  I fully realize that it has been quite a while since my last post. The 3d Quarter at VTS was exceptionally busy and I can only plead that I was working very hard. On a happy note, many of you will be relieved to know that I did pass all of my Fall Semester classes!

Today I want to discuss Sunday worship at Seminary, or more particularly, our Sunday worship experience to this point. A requirement at VTS is that all M/Div students act as a seminarian at a local parish for a minimum of three semesters beginning in the Fall of the second year.[1] This is known as “Field Ed.” There is rather broadly definition of “local” and some seminarians will travel 30 – 45 minutes to their parish. The DMV[2] is pretty much “Episcopal Central” and there is something on the order of 125+ parishes within a sixty-minute drive from VTS.

All Juniors are encouraged to visit as many parishes as possible to determine what parish may be the best fit for their particular situation. The parishes from which to choose vary tremendously in size and nature. Some have an average Sunday attendance of 30 to parishes with an average attendance of 700-800 and everywhere in between.[3] The liturgy at the parishes varies in formality from “snake-belly low” to Anglo-Catholic. In other words, in some churches there is very little pomp and circumstance and at others there is great formality and lots of “smells and bells.” (Incense and chimes.)[4]

The process for choosing a field-ed parish is well-defined. Any parish that wants to have one or more seminarians must notify VTS and agree to certain guidelines roles the seminarian will play at the parish. Each seminarian is required to commit at least twelve hours per week to duties at the field-ed parish. The juniors interviewed at parishes where they are interested. Those interviews could not begin until January and the parishes could not extend offers to students until February 27. There are vastly more parishes than students and every student eventually finds a field-ed site. However, there are several very popular parishes that may have four to eight applicants and there are quite a few parishes at which two or three juniors interview. Every junior interviews at multiple parishes. The result is that February 27 had a feel similar to “bid day” in medical school when students learn which residency program they will attend.

From August through December, Darla and I went to a different parish each Sunday. As I mentioned, the area is Episcopal Central and there are many historic parishes that we visited. Space does not allow a discussion of all interesting parishes, but I will mention a few. Falls Church is the oldest parish in the area. It was established in 1732 and sits in Falls Church, VA. The full name of the Church is “Falls Church” and it is older than the town which adopted its name. Another very old church is Christ Church, Alexandria which bills itself as “Historic Christ Church.” Christ Church was established 240 years ago. George Washington and Robert E. Lee were members and the pews they used bear their names. Another notable church is St. John’s, Lafayette Square. It is directly across the Square from the White House and most of the presidents over the past 150 years have attended one or more services there. While not an Episcopalian, Abraham Lincoln would occasionally slip in after the beginning of a service, sit in the back right pew and slip out before the service concluded. A magnificent setting is the National Cathedral which looks like a cathedral you might find in Europe.

It soon became apparent that our most important criteria for choosing a field-ed site had to do with the supervising clergy. We wanted a supervisor with significant experience and who is an effective teacher. Often we could tell quickly that the “fit” would not be good and just as often we were intrigued. Throughout January and February Darla and I revisited parishes in which we were interested and I interviewed with several of them. Ultimately, we accepted an offer from St. John’s in McLean, VA. It is a relatively young parish in the area—it was established in 1866. Ed Miller is the rector and the parish is very welcoming. Darla and I are quite excited to spend the next two-plus years at St. John’s.

May God’s Peace be with each of you and your loved ones,

Randy

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[1] As a refresher, the first year is the Junior year, the second year is the “Middler” year, and the third year is the Senior year. No, I do not know how any of this evolved, but it all sounds very Anglican and I suspect it originated in England.

[2] “DMV” stands for District, Maryland and Virginia and encompasses the greater D.C. area.

[3] A parish that has 700 in attendance, spread out over three or four services, is a “megachurch” in the Episcopal Church world.

[4] A full discussion of the variances in liturgy and the implications of “Anglo-Catholic” would take several pages.

Academic Life at Seminary

Academic Life at Seminary

I am sure that many of you have noticed that my blogs have not discussed the academic life at Virginia Theological Seminary. This is by design. The first few months for VTS first year students are a bit unique. The school is on a quarters system. Following the intensive August term of Hebrew, the first quarter consisted of Old Testament, Research and Writing, Foundations of Theology, Liturgical Leadership and Art of Learning.

Foundations was the study of how philosophers influenced the development of Christian theology over the centuries. The review begins with Plato and ends with Descartes. It was fascinating to see the impact of these philosophers—particularly Plato and Aristotle who lived so long before the birth of Christ.

Liturgical Leadership was a more practical course focused on how to move and speak during Episcopal worship. Who knew that I needed to learn how to read aloud and walk to and fro. I’m confident you are all reassured that I now can read the Gospel with panache and walk around reverently.

Art of Learning is something of an experiment at VTS. It is part extended orientation, part work on developing good study habits using the results of recent research and part study of how to write theological papers well.

You can see that the first quarter is not what most people envision seminary will be. The second quarter began the more traditional seminary course of study. New Testament and Research and Writing continue. Foundations, Liturgy and Art of Learning were replaced by Old Testament and Church History.

Frequently I am asked how seminary compares to law school. The differences are significant. The time commitment at VTS is at least as great as law school and, in fact, is as large as the practice of law. (Darla likes to tell folks that I am doing “a pretty good job of imitating a lawyer.”) The type of nature of the commitments, however, are quite different. Those of you who went to law school will recall that time was allocated almost exclusively to attending class and studying. There were few writing requirements and no quizzes. Most courses had only a single exam at the end of the semester.

Seminary puts many different demands on a students’ time. There are 12 to 15 hours of class each week. The amount of reading required by all of the classes is enormous with the exception of Research and Writing. In addition to the reading assignments, all courses require students to submit at least three papers that include significant research. Finally, every week there are multiple commitments unrelated to courses. By way of example, every student is assigned to a “chapel team” to plan services for designated seasons. (Remember, there are 15 services per week at the school.) My chapel team had the task of planning services for Advent. (We are in the second week of Advent now.) We met during each of the four weeks leading up to Advent and spent time between the meetings drafting prayers and choosing between liturgical options for each service. I will not burden you with additional examples, but the point is that virtually every day study and writing time is interrupted with committee and worship requirements.

If it sounds like seminary is stressful, it is. But, here’s the good news……it is incredibly fun! This is the ultimate difference between law school and seminary. The classes, study, papers and other commitments are all energizing. The professors are brilliant, inspiring and concerned about their students. The reading is fascinating. With every course and task, it is easy to see how the experience will be useful as a parish priest. (On the other hand, knowing I wanted to be a trial lawyer, how excited do you think I was during my tax courses?)

The bottom line is this:  I am having a great experience.

         Darla and I miss you all and we pray that each of you will have a Blessed Holiday Season.  May the Peace of God be with you.

Randy

The Rhythm of Virginia Theological Seminary

The flow of studies at VTS is much different than what I experienced in college or law school.  (Admittedly, that was 1974-1981, so things may have changed significantly in that time.)  During the normal seminary calendar, instead of the Mon-Wed-Fri and Tues-Thurs schedule, classes meet once a week.  Some courses also have one hour “section meetings” during the week.  But that is not the “flow” that has my attention.  Rather, what is quite new, and very uplifting, is the flow of community life that revolves around worship and prayer. 

Every class begins with a prayer led by the professor. While that may seem like a “duh” thing since this is a seminary, it really is a new and wonderful experience.  Think about it for a moment—we’ve all been to Sunday School or similar situations and opened with prayer, but that never happens in an academic setting.  Seminary is nothing like Sunday School.  Every class is in a college-like classroom and the students are all busy taking notes in preparation for an upcoming quiz or exam.  So the scene is familiar, the prayer is a new and welcomed variation.

Most important to the flow of life at VTS is how intertwined worship is on a daily basis.  Every student is required to attend at least one worship service per day Monday through Friday.  (It is an honor system, no one signs in and no one is taking roll.)  There are a number of opportunities each day.  Morning Prayer takes place at 8:15 each day except Thursday.  Each Thursday, the day begins with a Formation Group meeting where I meet with the same group of six classmates and a professor at the professor’s home.  The Formation group opens with a prayer service led by one of the students on a rotating basis.  On Wednesday at noon, there is a full Eucharist (the Episcopal equivalent of the Sunday service) with a full choir, a sermon, etc.  It is the centerpiece of worship at VTS and almost everyone makes it to that service.  Every other day of the week there is a shorter worship service at noon and a prayer service at 5:15.

While I always attend the Wednesday Eucharist and occasionally attend other noon services and evening prayer, my personal worship discipline is to attend the morning prayer service (and Formation Group) every day.  So far, I have been able to be faithful to that commitment and it has proven to be a great blessing.  It may surprise some, but I have found that beginning each day in corporate prayer is more spiritually uplifting than sitting down at a desk to check the email that arrived overnight.

The Morning Prayer sets a tone that helps keep me mindful throughout the day about why I am at this seminary.  It reminds me that while I want to do well scholastically and while there are stressors to be faced, the ability to study the Word of God and Christian Theology is a privilege and blessing. 

I hope and pray that each of you are well and wish you God’s Peace.

Randy