Born, raised and educated in upstate New York, Eric Bobrycki ( UTS ’84) has been working since 1979 as an educator and youth developer. Eric has focused on promoting the unity of all faiths. The work for world peace is paramount to Eric and personal growth – that which transforms the individual – has been his focus. It is his belief that as a consciousness is raised, i.e., as awareness of one’s true identity is realized, then one is empowered and rightly positioned to effect peaceful change in the world. It was through his daughter, Tesia Bobrycki, that Eric first...

This curriculum was the result of many years of continuous effort. I never planned it from the beginning. There was the immediate need to create a lesson each Sunday. A teacher can receive many inspirations, but if the lessons aren’t recorded, they can be lost forever. I wanted to create a bank of material that could be used again and again. Over time the numbers of lesson plans became so large, that I realized I had the beginnings of a curriculum. Download Sunday School Curriculum When I look back, I can see the circumstances were ideal for the work to develop. I was...

If you’ve ever driven through the Red Hook hamlet of Barrytown, there’s a chance that you’ve come across a mysterious, sprawling estate surrounding a brick edifice bearing the name “Saint Joseph’s Normal Institute” in stone above its massive doors. And if you’re not in the know, you might have wondered what these seemingly desolate grounds were. There are typically cars in the parking lots but not always people, despite the brick building’s hundreds of windows, behind which, you begin to suspect, maybe someone is watching you. Yet nothing but the call and response of birds can be heard...

KINGSTON – Religion in itself is hard to understand and often harder to explain, even for those of the same belief. Now imagine the challenge of trying to explain a religion to people whose most intense experience with that faith has been an almost daily diet of images centered on murder, destruction and the madness associated with suicide bombings. That was the setting on Sunday, April 17 at Congregation Emanuel Temple in Kingston, NY for three Muslim speakers and a Jewish moderator before a crowd of approximately 125 avid listeners and participants.  Add to that a two-hour...

The roots of the Blessed Marriage Project (BMP) began in 2013, and it is an independently funded, grassroots initiative. It was conceived by two families, and formally launched the following year, with a generous donation of $100,000 to cover annual expenses. They saw the need for marriage education and marriage enrichment among the couples in the Unification Movement. The BMP Advisory Board asked John Williams (UTS’90) to lead the project and John then asked fellow UTS classmate Josie Hauer (UTS’90) to assist him in setting up the program. Since then Kate Pugnoli (UTS’84) has joined...

Dr. Winings (UTS’87), Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director Doctor of Ministry, Professor of Religious Education attended the Annual Conference of the Association for Doctor of Ministry Education (ADME) held March 31–April 2 at Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA. ADME is in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) for the purpose of advancing theological education. “The conference brings together directors of DMin programs who openly share their best practices,” said Dr. Winings. “We shared recruitment strategies; we discussed the changing nature...

Highlights from the 2015–2016 Entering Student Questionnaire Who are today’s theology students? What type of church experience do they have? How were they prepared academically? What compelled them to attend a theological school? What compelled them to choose your school? What are their hopes and dreams for the future? The results of this year’s Entering Student Questionnaire (ESQ) are in, and they reveal some trends to consider. Continue Reading Jo Ann Deasy is Director, Institutional Initiatives and Student Research for The Association of Theological Schools.

On Saturday, April 2, 2016, Mr. Idris Ena Kone (UTS’12 M.Div.) [photo: front row third from left] held a peace conference with civic and religious leaders of the Ivory Coast diaspora community in New York City at the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) in Manhattan, at the 4West43 building. “Drissa” Kone is in his final year of a Doctor of Ministry program in peace and justice at UTS, where his desire to understand and to resolve conflict led him to research the impact of the First and Second Ivorian Civil Wars on the Ivorian diaspora community in New York City. It has taken almost...