Between July 24 and August 24 I had the unique opportunity to visit my native land, Mauritania. This time I was not only visiting parents and friends but I was also going as a peace ambassador, focusing on youth development. Thanks to the sponsorship of PEACE CLUB and the assistance of generous friends here in the US who contributed to the soccer tournament for youth in the city of Rosso where I spent some of the most exciting days of my stay. When I refer to Mauritania maybe you think I mean the island of Mauritius, or imagine a tiny country within the vast African continent....

BARRYTOWN,NY – In 2013 David and Mitsue Wolfenberger, from Bellingham, in the Pacific Northwest, approached John Williams (UTS‘90) with the idea of developing marriage enrichment retreats where couples would come for a long weekend to share time together in the company of other couples with the expressed purpose of strengthening their marriage and their relationship with God. Not long after, John asked fellow classmate Josie Hauer Ed.D. (UTS’90) to join him in developing the format for the retreat. They recruited and trained three younger Unification couples – Christoph and...

Dozens of cars made their way through the UTS Main Campus on Saturday, September 24 as part of the Winnakee Land Trust’s Annual Tour of Historic Barns. The Seminary’s 260-acre Main Campus, situated on a Hudson River site, boasts the Massena Mansion in addition to its circa 1890 barn. Used by the Seminary for storage, it was once the center of a prosperous farm with wheat, field crops, sheep and dairy cows. It is a “bank barn” with the second level accessible to cattle from a built-up bank ramp. It has a beautiful brick silo with a slate roof and ornate brackets under the barn’s...

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...