Our seminary community has completed another academic year, has engaged multiple churches and denominations during a month of conferences, and is now beginning summer terms and campus activities.

MTSO continues to engage a world characterized by transition and tension. Our mission of preparing people for ministry and service with an emphasis on issues of community engagement and social justice is highly relevant in an age of struggle around matters of race, gender, migration, ecological sustainability and economic justice. We are doing everything we can to prepare our students to serve in a very complex and conflicted world.

In support of this mission, I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new faculty members:

Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese joins us as Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling. She comes from Eastern University and brings extensive experience in the area of clinical counseling as well as work with the interrelatedness of spirituality and social justice.

Dr. Elaine Nogueira-Godsey comes to us from the University of Cape Town as Assistant Professor of Theology, Ecology and Race. She focuses on the intersections of ecology, race, gender and justice.

Both of these teacher-scholars bring wonderful gifts to MTSO and will help us advance our school’s growing strength and distinctiveness. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Nuzzolese and Dr. Nogueira-Godsey to our extended community.

As always, I invite you to engage the life and work of the seminary in any way you can. We close our fiscal year Thursday. There is still time to make a gift to support our shared educational mission. Follow this link to give online quickly, easily and securely – or to see instructions for donating by mail. With this gift, you will be counted among those advancing theological education for the current year.

If you have questions about your giving history for the year or would like to be contacted directly, please feel free to e-mail me at jrundell@mtso.edu.

Jay Rundell

A favorite feature in each issue of The Story Magazine and Annual Report is Alum News, where members of the MTSO extended community can catch up on the activities, adventures and milestones of our alumni. With the next issue due out soon, this is a perfect time to provide your former classmates, professors and friends with an update about your life.

It’s easy to share your news and update your contact information at www.mtso.edu/update. You’re also invited to share an optional photo to go with your news.

Our Alum News is an ongoing record of the meaningful lives MTSO’s alumni are leading. Thanks for your contribution to it.

If you're considering theological education or know someone who is, here's an opportunity to set aside just four hours and take big strides in the discernment process. MTSO will welcome prospective students to its Summer Open House Tuesday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Highlights include opportunities to sit in on a class, tour apartments and residence halls, explore MTSO’s many financial aid options, and talk with current students, faculty and admissions counselors.

Our Open House is free to anyone considering graduate-level theological education. Lunch is provided, and overnight housing may be available. To reserve a spot or just learn more, please email admissions@mtso.edu.

Looking to enhance your ministry with a graduate-level fall class? MTSO has a number of courses available for credit. Some also offer non-credit auditing opportunities. Here are two examples:

• Women and the Ethics of Leadership, taught by Dean Lisa Withrow. The course focuses on women’s leadership from womanist, mujerista and feminist perspectives, incorporating ethical issues women face in arenas of work and ministry. The goal is to create alternative practices for women to develop as effective leaders. Meets Tuesday afternoons, Aug. 26-Dec. 16.
• Congregational Song: Music of Taize, taught by Professor Robin Knowles Wallace. The focus of this course will be on music from the Taizé community in France and its use in worship here in the United States. Attention will be given to its use in Christian life and liturgy, both past and present. Meets two Saturdays, Sept. 10 and Oct. 1.

Details regarding these and other fall are at www.mtso.edu/learnmore.

The Theological Commons at MTSO will soon announce a fall schedule full of opportunities for students, faculty, alumni and practitioners to gather and learn together. Our autumn events will add to an extensive archive of media from past Theological Commons gatherings.

Streaming videos and copies of printed materials from more than 20 past lectures, institutes and workshops are available for easy access here. Here's a sample of archived events:

• 2013: Schooler Institute on Preaching, led by Bishop Gregory V. Palmer of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki, professor emerita at Claremont School of Theology.
• 2014: The Fleeing Nones: Food for Thought from the Spiritual but not Religious, a faculty lecture by Linda Mercadante, MTSO professor in the Straker Chair of Historical Theology.
• 2015: Climate Conversation with Ohio Interfaith Power and Light. MTSO and Ohio Interfaith Power and Light joined together to host an evening of multi-site conversation with Joel Barker of the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and Ted Ford of Ohio Advanced Energy Economy.

As a theological school, we believe we are called to share our intellectual resources with the church and the world in numerous ways, through the education of our students and in dialogue with our broader community. We do this in part through the Theological Commons, a learning network built on partnerships of scholarship, inquiry and practice.

By offering events, learning resources and continuing conversation, the Theological Commons promotes the sharing of knowledge and experience between students, faculty, clergy and the public for the benefit of all participants and those they serve. We invite you to join us for upcoming events and make use of the past events we have archived.