BARRYTOWN – September means the start of another year for Generation Peace Academy (GPA) at the Barrytown Conference Center. GPA, a program which provides young people with an outstanding opportunity to develop character and start gaining leadership skills,  begins every year with a kick-off program at Barrytown and finishes up there the following June with a closing ceremony and celebration. GPA mostly draws high school graduates who spend a year or two in the program before moving on to college or other activities, though a small number will continue in leadership positions...

BARRYTOWN, NY – On September 13th Dr. Hugh Spurgin, president of Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) welcomed Dr. Sun Jo Hwang, president of Sun Moon University (SMU) to the Barrytown campus. Dr. Hwang, a 1996 graduate of UTS, has held his current position as president of SMU since March 2012. Under his leadership SMU has increased its enrollment to nearly 11,000 students with over 1100 foreign students from 85 countries, making SMU one of the leading universities in South Korea today. Following an extensive tour of the campus, including dorm rooms, the chapel and the...

UTS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. Seeking to keep our UTS stakeholders aware of those conversations UTS News presents alumni and friends with an article on the ATS Biennial which identifies two major themes in their June, 2016 conference: “the need to tend to issues of race and ethnicity and the changing educational models and practices that will come to define theological education in the years...

September is a busy month. In the USA, Labor Day weekend, back to school, and for many, back to work. In the history of UTS September holds a special significance. UTS held the Inaugural Convocation on Saturday September 20, 1975. The momentum of the mid-70s was exciting and events often centered around late September. There had been a major rally at Madison Square Garden on September 18, 1974 and in 1976 there was the September 18 rally at the Washington Monument. The September 20, 1975 UTS Inaugural Convocation was in the middle of a major evangelical outreach. The first UTS...

Recently I was able to attend two important forums sponsored by The Association of Theological Schools (ATS). More than 270 graduate schools of theology in the United States and Canada form The Association of Theological Schools. UTS is an affiliate member of ATS. The ATS Seminar for New Presidents in ATS Institutions, in New Orleans, in December 2015 provided opportunities for new presidents to network with peers from other seminaries and also with experienced presidents and experts on many facets of presidential work such as developing a vision for the institution, team building,...

BARRYTOWN – Alternating between hot, humid and sunny days interspersed with evenings of torrential downpours, the 12th Annual Blessed Culture Sports Festival (BCSF) was held on the grounds of the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) from August 10-14, 2016. This is the 7th year in a row the event has been held at Barrytown. The volatile and unusually hot weather played havoc this year but neither the heat nor the rain, could put a damper on the enthusiasm for the games and events that highlight each gathering. As is the case with every Festival, change is a constant. Whether...

Mrs. Sung Bok (Lee) Hsu, of Columbus, Ohio, passed, on Tuesday, August 16, surrounded by her loving family. Mrs. Hsu founded HSU & Co. Natural Foods in 1977, devoting herself to help others improve their health and well-being. In the years 2005 and 2006 she was a major donor to UTS and was inducted as a member of the UTS Founders’ Society. She attended the UTS gala evening at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Westchester on April 21, 2006 with other key donors and supporters. This was reported in the June 2006 edition of the Cornerstone* (see below). Following is an obituary for Mrs. Hsu...

25 years ago, the inaugural assembly of the Inter-Religious Federation of World Peace (IRFWP) on August 27, 1991 was highlighted with the unveiling of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts.  The anthology had been commissioned by UTS Co-founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the first Assembly of the World’s Religions in 1985. World Scripture is an extraordinary journey through the sacred writings of the world’s great religions. Organized by subject, the quotations, passages, and excerpts presented here provide readers with easy access to teachings on several...

BARRYTOWN – In a world that is constantly changing it is necessary for people and programs to keep pace with the forces of change in order to avoid turmoil and stay relevant and topical. If there are two words that could sum up the theme of this summer’s Doctor of Ministry intensive, held at UTS in Barrytown from Aug. 1-12, they would be “change” and “community.” The vision is firmly based in the future of community; not just the future of one’s religious community, but also the global community that seems to shrink and grow closer every day. Changes in religious communities,...