A Softball Field Where the Outfield Fences Have Razor Wire

Four times each year, a bunch of Episcopalians go to prison in New Hampshire.

They get back out at the end of the day, after playing softball with a team of inmates from the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women in Concord.

“It’s a ministry of presence. It’s a ministry of companionship,” said Benge Ambrogi, Diocese of New Hampshire’s chief operating officer and canon for mission resources.

Ambrogi told Episcopal News Service: “I don’t think that the everyday Joe in our churches has a lot of exposure to people that are incarcerated, and we might have a different perception of the type of people they are.”

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Classifieds: Dean of the School of Theology

Positions Offered

The University of the South invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of its School of Theology. The University seeks a creative and visionary leader who understands the challenges that the Church is facing at the present moment to guide the School in offering theological education for lay and ordained ministries. The ideal candidate will preferably have a record of scholarly achievement, pastoral leadership, effective administration and effective donor relations; have an academic doctorate; and be ordained in the Episcopal Church or a church with which we are in full communion. As the head of the School of Theology, the Dean works closely with the University’s Vice-Chancellor (the University’s president) and is a member of the senior staff. It is expected that the Dean, as a tenured member of the faculty, will teach on a regular basis.The School comprises the Seminary and the Beecken Center. The seminary educates about 125 students on campus through masters and doctoral degree programs during the academic year or the summer. A $1 million grant from the Lilly Foundation funds the Sewanee Ministry Collaborative, a mutual-mentoring project for clergy in specific ministry contexts: Black ministries, Latino/Hispanic ministries, rural ministries, and clergy formed in alternative theological education programs. The Beecken Center provides spiritual development for lay ministry through programming such as Education for Ministry; Invite Welcome Connect; and its SUMMA high school summer theological debate camp.The 75 students in residence during the academic year share a campus with approximately 1,650 undergraduates in one of the nation’s top tier liberal arts colleges. Seminarians engage with undergraduates by participating in outreach activities, taking cross-listed courses, through the MA in Religion and the Environment, and leading campus ministries through the Chaplain’s office. The University promotes flourishing of a diverse and inclusive campus community. Founded by leaders of the Episcopal Church in 1857, the University of the South is located on a striking 13,000-acre campus atop Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau between Chattanooga and Nashville. The School of Theology grants the degrees of Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Ministry in Preaching, Doctor of Ministry in Liturgy, Master of Sacred Theology, Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts in Theology, as well as a Diploma in Anglican Studies and a Certificate of Theological Study. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, only candidates whose materials are received by February 15, 2020, can be assured of receiving full consideration. A cover letter with your vision for the future of theological education and relevant experiences, a résumé and contact information of three references should be sent to:

The Rt. Rev. Robert S. Skirving, Chancellor; Dr. Nancy Berner, Provost, nancy.berner@sewanee.edu

Eligibility for employment is contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment screening.

The University of the South is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

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A Softball Field Where the Outfield Fences Have Razor Wire