Soul food has played a critical role in preserving Black history, community and culinary genius. It is also a response to – and marker of – centuries of food injustice. Given the harm that our food production system inflicts upon Black people, what should soul food look like today?

Author and theologian Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter will address the question with his MTSO dinner lecture, “The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice.” The evening begins in Dunn Dining Hall at 5 p.m. Feb. 6 with a buffet dinner featuring food from MTSO’s Seminary Hill Farm. Carter’s lecture follows at 5:30.

A registration charge of $15 covers dinner and the lecture. MTSO students may register for free.

Carter serves as associate professor of theology at the University of San Diego and lead pastor of The Loft at Westwood United Methodist Church. He also serves on the board of directors of Farm Forward, an anti-factory farming nonprofit.

Carter’s talk merges a history of Black American foodways with a Christian ethical response to food injustice. He reveals how racism and colonialism have long steered the development of U.S. food policy. The very food we grow, distribute, and eat disproportionately harms Black people specifically and people of color among the global poor in general.

In this lecture, Carter reflects on how people of color and those in solidarity with them can eat in a way that reflects their cultural identities while remaining true to the principles of compassion, love, justice, and solidarity with the marginalized.

Learn more and register.

Luke Powery, dean of Duke University Chapel and associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School, will lead MTSO’s 2023 Schooler Institute on Preaching. The institute will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 27 and 28, on the MTSO campus.

A national leader in the theological study of the art of preaching, Powery regularly delivers sermons at Duke Chapel as well as at churches throughout the United States and abroad. He is often a keynote speaker and lecturer at educational institutions, conferences, symposia and retreats.

Among the books Powery has authored are Spirit Speech: Lament and Celebration in Preaching and Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope. He is co-author of the textbook Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place.

Powery received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music with a concentration in vocal performance from Stanford University, his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his Doctor of Theology from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto.

Thanks to the generosity of the Schooler Family Foundation, the Schooler Institute is offered to the public without cost. One continuing education unit is available for a $25 processing fee. Advance registration is required.

Learn more and register here.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Woods, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, will deliver the 2023 MTSO commencement address. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. May 20 on the MTSO campus. Guests are welcome. Tickets are not required.

Since 2006, Woods has taught Doctor of Ministry courses in leadership, organizational development, and research design and methods at MTSO, where he serves as a fully affiliated faculty member.

Woods is in the midst of a two-year term leading the 1.3 million members and 5,000 congregations of ABCUSA. Prior to his election, he served as pastor of four Indiana congregations and in denominational leadership roles.

Among the seven books Woods has authored are Designing Religious Research Studies: From Passion to Procedures and Better Than Success: 8 Principles of Faithful Leadership.

Woods earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1987, majoring in both higher education administration and educational inquiry methodology. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a B.S. in management and statistics from Purdue University.

“Our Doctor of Ministry students benefit greatly from the wisdom Dr. Woods has gained as a pastor and the leader of one of our nation’s largest denominations,” said MTSO President Jay Rundell. “We’re honored to count Jeff among our faculty, and I look forward to the message he’ll share with our graduates and guests in May.”

Those considering graduate theological education are invited to MTSO’s Open House March 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prospective students will learn about MTSO’s five degree programs and exceptionally generous scholarships, up to full tuition plus stipends. The day will include conversations with faculty and current students, as well as lunch featuring food grown on MTSO’s Seminary Hill Farm.

Free overnight accommodations are available.

Register for Open House here.

The admissions team also will be on the road throughout the winter and spring. In coming weeks, MTSO will be represented at the UMC LEAD conference, Claflin University, Bowling Green State University, Philander Smith College, Ohio Northern University and the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference. To see a full list, visit our Admissions on the Road web page.