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...

This year, UTS graduation will again be held at UTS Barrytown, NY in the chapel on Saturday, May 28, beginning at 2:00 PM. Graduating students will be recipients of Doctoral and Master degrees. In addition to the graduates, their relatives and guests, all alumni and friends, near and far, are invited to attend and celebrate with the graduating Class of 2016. This continues a very special year in UTS history as it is the 40th Commencement at UTS. UTS was founded in 1975. The first commencement was for the incoming class of that year, the Class of 1977. UTS celebrated 2015 as the...

As seminaries reverse a 10-year enrollment decline, what does the future hold? Thoreau reminded us to “never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” But if theology teaches us anything, it is to look back—with regularity and with great benefit. In the midst of our present challenging times, it can be beneficial to look back at some key data that illustrate the changes of the last decade and to highlight a few areas where those changes might take us in the coming decade— a look back to our future. Enrollment growth by degree categories: For fall 2015, the overall head count...

I recently had the privilege of participating in the annual 2016 Global Humanitarian Summit in Marietta, Georgia. In its fifth year, the summit is the brainchild of Dr. Neil Shulman, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Shulman or “Doc Hollywood” is a prolific writer and he co-produced the Warner Brothers’ movie “Doc Hollywood” starring Michael J. Fox which was based on his book, “What? Dead Again?” But it is his amazing ability of bringing together people to collaborate, create connection and community that gives the Summit its life. The...