Tonight students will have the chance to listen to the most successful fundraiser in the Episcopal Church. We are pleased to welcome to the Chelsea campus the Rev. Dr. Barney Hawkins. He will give the students the opportunity to learn about the basics of fundraising. Every organization depends on the capacity to raise funds for mission and ministry. Barney’s exceptional gift is that he works hard on the relationships that lead to individuals making gifts.

A constant mantra of the graduates of any seminary is “no one taught me how to manage the stewardship campaign”. This is true. In the end, there are only three years. And into those three years we need to make sure that Bible is read, the art of theological reflection is learned, and the craft of preaching and liturgy become part of the seminarian’s life.

But it is also true a moment - just a couple of hours - with a gifted practitioner of the art of fundraising is worth seizing. So tonight, the students of GTS will enjoy that gift.

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary