An e-newsletter
February 2019

 We welcome HTS students
back to campus
for the 2019 Spring Term.
May God bless you
on your journey!
TONIGHT!

February 6, 2019
Firm Foundation
Covenant Service

7 pm in the Aymer Center

Join us for this special, annual service sponsored by the Board of Bishops of the A.M.E. Zion Church, chaired by Bishop George E. Battle, Jr., and facilitated by Bishop Kenneth Monroe.

At this special gathering, the bishops conduct a moving and inspiring service and bring collections from their Episcopal Districts in support of the Seminary. 

This free event is open to the public and all are welcome!
February 8 & 9, 2019

The Bishop Alfred E. and Mrs. Mamie White
Endowed Heritage Lecture Series

“Blessed Interdependence: Reimagining Identity, Community, and Solidarity”  

Presented by  Amanda Mbuvi, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor of Religion, High Point University

Lecture I (Feb. 8):  The social ladder and the family tree
Lecture II (Feb. 9):  We the People (You Must Go)

Read more here.
Saturday, February 9, 2019

The South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church will be on campus. Students who want to meet with representatives should email Dr. Dreff by Feb. 6 at [email protected].
Faithful Families: Eating Smart and Moving More

HTS is once again partnering with Cabarrus Health Alliance to offer this free 9-week course for clergy and other church leadership as well as any individuals interested in offering wellness related activities to their congregations and families. The classes connect healthy eating and physical activity to religious or spiritual beliefs.

Two schedule options are available: Thursdays from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m or Saturdays from 8:45 – 10:00 a.m. beginning February 28 through May 4, 2019.

Free and open to the public! To register, contact Jenn West: (704)-920-1337 or [email protected] .

Read more here .
February 20, March 13, and April 24, 2019

UNITED OR UNTIED METHODISM?

Want to know where The United Methodist Church stands on human sexuality? Want to know what plans are going to the Special Session of the General Conference Feb. 23-27, 2019? After General Conference, will you be curious as to what was decided and how it will affect your ministry?  

Well, you aren't alone. Join us for a lunch conversation on the following dates. Talk with Dr. Ashley B. Dreff, Director of United Methodists Studies at Hood, to learn about what is going on in the denomination and where we'll be going after February.  

Each meeting will take place over lunch, 1pm-2pm. Grab a lunch from the Aymer Center or bring a box lunch and meet in the Student Lounge. Looking forward to seeing you! If you have any questions just email Dr. Dreff, [email protected]
Meetings will take place on: 
Wednesday, February 20, Wednesday, March 13, and Wednesday, April 24.
Thursday, February 21, 2019

Black History Month Celebration: An Evening of Music.
Reception at 6 pm
Program at 7 pm
The Aymer Center

The theme is “Black Migrations in the 20th Century.”
Registration is now open!

4th Annual
ALL HOOD ALUMNI & FRIENDS SYMPOSIUM
Thursday, March 14 &
Friday, March 15, 2019


Lay Leadership in Ministry: Equipping People for Partnership

Thursday, March 14: Networking Reception from  5:00-7:00 p.m. Agency Representatives, Congregational Lay Leaders/Coordinators, and Faculty, Staff, and Student Interns will be present.

Friday, March 15:  Symposium presentations and luncheon from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.  A Continental Breakfast with "Morning Reflections - The Role and Impact of Laity in the Church," will start the day.

Presentation I: "Lay Leaders: The Soul of Congregational Life & Ministry."
Presentation II:"Best Practices for Empowering Lay Leaders."
Celebration Luncheon with Keynote Speaker: Clemmie Palmer, III, MD, M.Div.'16. Presentation III: "Celebrating and Coaching Lay Leaders."

The Symposium will conclude with a Symposium Review: "Implications for Ministry to the Millennial Generation" and a Symposium Wrap-Up/Evaluation.

For more details and to register, click here
ATTENTION PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS!
We Invite Your Participation in a Hybrid Course Survey

Hood Theological Seminary (HTS) now offers a selection of hybrid courses that are taught partially online and partially on-campus. (In a 15-week semester, hybrid courses meet four or five times on campus with the other nine or ten weeks conducted online through our Canvas Learning Management System.)
We invite all prospective students to complete a brief survey to help us assess the need for additional hybrid courses. Thank you for your participation! Click here to access the survey.
The Institute for Early Career Clergy Development

The Hood Institute for Early Career Clergy Development (IECCD) has been established through a generous grant from The Lilly Endowment, Inc. This brand new initiative’s goal is to promote sustainable ministry for clergy in their second through seventh year of ministry by providing them with somewhere to turn to revitalize their ministry, remember their call, and reaffirm community. Read more about the Institute here .

Each year, there will be three primary events: The Cohort Retreat (for Cohort members only), the Spring Retreat (open to all), and Continuing Education (open to all). Check our website regularly for the most up-to date information on our events. 
ALUMNI NEWS

Congratulations to Teresa Cromedy, MDiv '16, who was appointed Staff Chaplain at Atrium Health Pineville after recently completing her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Residency.
MonaLisa Covington, DMin '11, has published a new children's book, "I Love You Gigi, Yes, But Not Like Jesus." Congratulations!
It’s Election Time!

Hood Theological Seminary National Alumni Association (HTSNAA) will accept Nominations for the 2019-2021 Executive Board from February 1-15, 2019. 

Click here for the nomination form and to read about t he  Duties and Responsibilities  of each officer

Please include a Brief Bio with each nomination and email to the HTSNAA Nomination Committee at  [email protected].
Upcoming Area Alumni Meetings:

Charlotte Area Alumni Gathering - Thursday, March 7, 2019, 11:30 AM
Golden Corral Buffet and Grill
7701 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28262

Please RSVP by Friday, March 1 st
 
Columbia, SC Area Alumni Gathering - Thursday, March 14, 2019, 6:30 PM
Golden Corral Buffet and Grill
5300 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29206

Please RSVP by Friday, March 8 th
 
If you have any questions, please contact Carmen Harper in the Office of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving 704-314-4970 or [email protected]
 
Join the Gathering!
IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Hood Theological Seminary (HTS) alumni have been making a difference in the world for over 100 years in diverse communities and settings. Meet one of Hood’s accomplished alumni who is living out the Seminary’s mission to prepare women and men for bold and creative leadership for the Christian church for a diverse world .

We celebrate all those who have come to HTS seeking excellence in theological education.
Rev. Randell A. Cain, Jr. , M.Div. 2015
Pastor, Zion Memorial Missionary Baptist Church (Winston-Salem, NC)
Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Insight Capital Management

As I reflect on my time at Hood and afterwards, I am drawn to the four realms of existence that I frequently reference with my congregation - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. While a student at Hood, I was encouraged and challenged - physically and mentally - by a diverse group of students and faculty to use my religious tradition as a foundation but not as an anchor. I truly learned that my anchor is in the Lord who continuously reveals and becomes more and more relevant to me each and every day. Upon leaving Hood, and now as a Pastor, I am continuing to be fed from my Hood experience on an emotional and spiritual level that would have been difficult to navigate without the tools, knowledge and wisdom garnered during my time at Hood.
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
President Vergel Lattimore , wrote the opening blurb for the book -  As Broken Lines Become One  (2018) - by Rev. Dr. Michael J. Gehring, HTS Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology and Senior Pastor of Main Street UMV, Kernersville, NC.

Dr. Lattimore will attend the 140th Founder's Day Program at Livingstone College on February 7.

He will be the keynote speaker for the Cultural Heritage Program sponsored by the Charlotte Chapter of the Hood Theological Seminary National Alumni Association at Grace A.M.E. Zion Church, Charlotte, NC, at 3 pm on February 10.

On February 11, he will attend the Annual Meeting of African American Seminary Presidents/CEOs at Columbia Seminary, Decatur, GA, and will participate in a "Public Conversation: The Gift of Black Theological Education", sponsored by the six Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs) at Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta on February 12.

Dr. Lattimore will teach the All Men's Bible Class, First Presbyterian Church, Salisbury on Sunday, February 17, and will participate in the International Ministers and Lay Association 41st Annual Cameron Jackson Awards Banquet in Greensboro, NC, on February 19.
Dr. Dora R. Mbuwayesango , Professor of Old Testament , has been appointed by the President of the House of Deputies and the Presiding Bishop to serve on two organizations of the Episcopal Church for a term ending with the close of the 80th General Convention in 2021: The Presiding Officers’ Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation and The Task Force on Theology of Social Justice Advocacy. 
Rev. Dr. Claude Shuford, On-Site Coordinator of the HTS Alabama Extension Site, recently celebrated 40 years in ministry. He is pastor of Mount Zion A.M.E. Zion Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Congratulations, Dr. Shuford!
Dr. Ashley Dreff , Director of United Methodist Studies will be hosting talks about The United Methodist General Conference ("United or Untied Methodism?") in the Student Lounge during lunch (1pm-2pm) on Wed. Feb 20, March 13, and April 24. It's open to all students. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
 
The South Carolina Annual Conference of The UMC will be on campus Sat. Feb 9. Students who want to meet with representatives should email Dr. Dreff by Feb. 6 at [email protected].
SHOW YOUR HOOD PRIDE!

Get your Hood gear online! Shirts, jackets, hats, etc. available.
Create Your Legacy with a Planned Gift
~ Do you have an IRA?

~ Are you at least 70 1/2 years of age?

~ Would you like to help HTS in its mission to prepare women and men for bold and creative leadership for the Christian church for a diverse world ?

If you answered ''Yes" to all three questions, please consider an IRA Charitable Rollover.

In an IRA Charitable Rollover, the distribution of up to $100,000 annually made directly from the IRA custodian to a qualifying public charity, such as HTS, is excluded from gross income and counts toward the required minimum distribution.

For more information, contact John Everett at [email protected] or (704) 636-6545, or visit our Planned Giving website for lots of helpful information.
Hood's Herald - Vol.XVI
Winter 2017-2018

Available online .

If you would like to be on our mailing list, please contact Carol Palmer at [email protected].
It's so easy to donate securely online ! Or mail your check to the Seminary at 1810 Lutheran Synod Dr., Salisbury, NC 28144. Your gift to the Annual Fund is essential in promoting the mission of the Seminary and in helping keep tuition as low as possible for our students. Every  gift, small and large, is greatly appreciated and stewarded responsibly.
PLANNED GIVING

Create your legacy through a planned gift by remembering Hood Theological Seminary in a bequest or will with gifts of stocks and bonds, real estate or personal property, life insurance, charitable trust, retirement funds/IRA or life income gifts. By making a planned gift, you will become a member of the  Hood Legacy Society

Visit the Planned Giving website for helpful information and valuable resources to help you determine the ideal planned giving option for you. For more information contact John C. Everett, Director, Institutional Advancement, at 704-636-6545 or [email protected]
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