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The heart of our April board meeting was to engage in a process of recovenanting with the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker as she begins a new chapter in service as president.
Rebecca and the board are moving forward together with a vision that will see Starr King continuing to "become a gem of educational imagination and excellence." The heart of the school's mission remains to educate people for the Unitarian Universalist ministry and to serve as a prophetic voice in our society--particularly in terms of multi-faith engagement and counter-oppressive work.
The vision, as it is further articulated, will be an important part of the next phase of strategic planning that has begun with the board and throughout the school. In 2009 Starr King will go through a re-accreditation process with the Association of Theological Schools. A good deal of work leads up to this process.
It is an exciting time to be at the school and to see the creativity and energy present there. When I am with the students, faculty and staff, I’m more hopeful about the future of our movement. We also face challenges at Starr King, particularly around financial resources. The board is committed to working through these issues, and we will do that with the help of the many people who are invested in the life and mission of the school.
I'm honored to have just taken up the role of chair of Starr King School’s board of trustees. Many thanks to the Rev. Daniel Kanter for his service as board chair over the last four years.
In faith,
Rev. Thomas Disrud
I’m excited about the anchoring commitments that are guiding us at Starr King as the board and I move forward in our re-covenanting process. The path ahead is clear and our calling is compelling. At our April board meeting we enthusiastically embraced a vision for Starr King’s future. Its key points are announced in this e-Journal (see "A Clear Vision and Compelling Call" in this issue). We’ll be further refining and articulating these themes as we go forward.
Heartfelt thanks to the Rev. Dr. David Sammons for leading the school this year--keeping a wise and steady hand on the tiller--while I’ve been on sabbatical. I echo what I've heard him say more than once: the life of a seminary president is not always easy. Starr King is never without challenges, but on a day-to-day basis the schoolhouse is alive with energy, seriousness and spirit. When we rejoice with our wonderful commencing graduates, we remember again that all the struggles are worth it.
Time to catch your breath is also good. This sabbatical year I've been staying at my grandparents' log cabin on southern Puget Sound in Washington State. I've spent my days rising early to watch the sun come up over the bay, walking the woods and beaches, spending time with my family, and sitting by the fire to read and write. Rita Nakashima Brock and I are nearing completion on our major book project for Beacon Press, "Saving Paradise: A History of Christianity's Forgotten Love for this World."
This sabbatical has also given me the breathing space to reflect deeply about the school and its future. I’ve had conversations with theological educators across the country, and they have reflected back to me that they see Starr King as vitally important in the community of theological schools. We are highly regarded for the excellence of our progressive pedagogy and the depth of our counter-oppressive educational work.
The Starr King board and I are eager to roll up our sleeves and get to work on the opportunities for greater service, effectiveness and excellence that we see before us.
Your ongoing and increasing support will be critical to our success. We have much to build on: our strong enrollment, our online courses which are reaching students preparing for Unitarian Universalist ministry at non-Unitarian Universalist schools, our new "Seminary for the Laity," our ever-deepening commitments to theological education that counters oppressions, builds just and sustainable communities, and advances multi-religious education, and our heritage of a life-transforming educational approach.
We will be moving forward "with vision and courage." Stay tuned!
Rebecca Parker
President and Professor of Theology
My tenure as Acting President is about to end as we all look forward to welcoming Rebecca Parker back from her well-earned sabbatical. I’ve enjoyed working with our faculty, students and staff this year but admit it’s been a tough time to serve as President. A number of folks here at school have faced serious medical problems, and we’ve had to pull together to fill in for them.
There have also been a lot of issues to face as changes go on in the academic and denominational world. But as Rebecca Parker points out in her remarks in this e-Journal, we are prepared to meet them and move ahead, providing the kind of socially-conscious, compassionate and smart people needed in our progressive religious movement.
As I write this, we’re preparing a commencement ceremony at which we’ll grant degrees to 27 students, along with honorary degrees to Dr. Sharon Welch and Leslie Feinberg. We appreciate the hospitality of the Oakland Church, our host for the ceremony, and the wonderful music provided by its choir. I’m proud to see these good folks we are graduating now able to “commence” their careers. They take with them the love and blessings of all of us here at the school.
Dave Sammons
As light streamed through the stained glass windows of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, Calif., on May 17, M.Div.and MASC graduates transitioned into the final phase of their educational journey at Starr King School. They sang, they smiled and then they cheered as faculty draped their shoulders with hoods signifying the completion of well-earned degrees.
Among the celebrants were the school's new honorary doctorate recipients, Leslie Feinberg, transgender activist, and Dr. Sharon Welch, scholar of women and religion and contemporary religious thought.
Twenty-seven students completed their degrees. One will start medical school in the fall, several are working toward ministerial fellowship, some are continuing their education to earn a Ph.D., while others will minister as chaplains, spiritual advisors, activists. All will bring noteworthy religious leadership to the Unitarian Universalist community and the world. Click to see photos from the event.
This year's GA will be held June 20-24 in the lovely Northwest city of rivers, mountains and roses, Portland, Ore. Don't miss our Starr King events listed in this newsletter.
President’s Lecture
“Islam and Gender: The Slippery Slope of Multi-faith Dialogues”
Dr. Amina Wadud, a pro-faith, pro-feminist, world renowned interpreter of the Qur'an will discuss a distinction between constructive interfaith dialogue and "other-bashing" concerning the sensitive subject of Islam and gender. 10:45 a.m.–12 p.m., Friday, June 22, Portland Ballroom 254, Oregon Convention Center
Graduates’ Association Reception
For all SKSM graduates, honorary degree recipients, trustees, faculty, students and staff. 4:30–7 p.m., Friday, June 22, Multnomah Room, Doubletree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah (near the convention center). For more information, please contact the Rev. Kelly Flood, SKSM Vice President for Advancement.
President’s Circle Conversations
Conversations hosted by the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker for President’s Circle members and other key contributors about the vision for Starr King School over the next decade now emerging from the board of trustees’ strategic planning process. 10:45 a.m.–12 p.m., Saturday, June 23 or 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Sunday, June 24, SKSM Suite, Doubletree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah (ask concierge for suite number). For more information, please contact the Rev. Kelly Flood, SKSM Vice President for Advancement.
Public Ministries Workshop
“When Justice-Making Gets Religion: Presenting Our Principles in the Public Square”
When we work for justice as liberal religious people, do our religious convictions ground our advocacy or are we like the “ACLU-with-a-chalice”? Panel members: Rev. Dr. Gabriella Lettini, SKSM Director of Studies in Public Ministry and Associate Professor of Theological Ethics; Rev. Preston Moore, co-minister, Williamsburg Unitarian Universalist Church, Williamsburg, Va.; Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe, SKSM third-year student; Pat Haff, Community Outreach Coordinator, Unity Church-Unitarian, St. Paul, Minn., 2:45–4 p.m., Saturday, June 23, Oregon Convention Center, B116
Join the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker at camp this fall to learn about the wise ways of the Unitarian Universalist movement’s forebearers.
Dr. Parker will present a workshop, “Re-discovering Paradise: Celebrating the Wisdom of the Early Christians and the Universalists.” Oct. 19-21 at the Unitarian Universalist Rowe Camp and Conference Center in Rowe, Mass.
Explore forgotten strands of joyous Christianity that regarded the earth as paradise rather than heaven, and learn how to defend our contemporary Eden against environmental blight, damaging economic systems and war.
Click for more information or to register online.
The Starr King Board and President Rebecca Parker are pleased to announce the guiding themes for the school’s future:
We are dedicated to advancing Starr King as a gem of educational imagination and excellence, with a resource base sufficient for the importance of the school's mission.
We know that we embody Unitarian Universalist values in the way we do education, as well as in the content of our curriculum, and this will deepen as a hallmark of our educational excellence.
We know that the distinctive educational values of Starr King School make it a key resource for Unitarian Universalism's future, for the vitality of our ministers, for the life of our congregations, the education of our laity, and for the contributions we can make to the common good. We envision our future M.Div. graduates leading thriving congregations whose ministries touch the heart, enliven the mind, and advance justice, equity and compassion in society.
We are engaged in theological education that fosters multi-religious understanding, counters oppressions and creates just and sustainable communities. We envision our efforts expanding to offer resources to congregations and other educational institutions.
We affirm that it is time to further widen our outreach to include the preparation of progressive religious leaders for society from multiple faith traditions and cultural locations, through our Master of Arts in Religious Leadership for Social Change. We envision our future MASC graduates embodying progressive religious values in ministries of grace and courage that bless the world. We embrace our both/and identity. We are both Unitarian Universalist and committed to progressive religion in its diverse expressions.
We recognize that it is time to creatively re-imagine our educational work to integrate online courses, non-resident learning in the field, and the community of residential learning and scholarship in Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union in some new ways. We'll be engaged in this re-imagining over the course of the coming year.
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