Hi friends, Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija (’14) here on behalf of the Lifelong Learning team.

Firstly, I wanted to take some time today to let you know about the programming, resources, and general happenings in the department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary, and how they can help you! Secondly, I wanted to make sure you heard the news that our department is expanding our discount policy to include all staff and students of the GTS community! All students, faculty members (and household members) will receive 50% any LL programming and any full-time and part-time staff will receive a whopping 100% off! All you need to do is email us at lifelonglearning@vts.edu and ask for the appropriate discount and we’ll get back to you with the promo code. Some restrictions may apply depending on the individual event, and these discounts are currently only eligible through onsite and online offerings through Eventbrite, not on-demand.

 A little history:

So… who are we? We are a department formed out of existing VTS programs on campus, primarily the Center for the Ministry of Teaching and Lifetime Theological Education. The change happened, under the guidance of Dr. Lisa Kimball, in light of the quickly developing digital age and the changes required for the support of modern Christian Formation. In our mission we seek to connect, nurture, and highlight communities of faithful practice. 

 Going deeper:

We provide quality programming online, onsite, and on demand for the worldwide Church. All of it to support you in your ministry.

In addition to programming led by qualified and engaging instructors (most recently we offered an online course taught by GTS Professor Julie Faith Parker!), we also house various grant initiatives such as Thriving in Ministry, Baptized for Life, Mutual Ministry Initiative, and Faith Filled Families (brand new as of this year!).

Of course, there’s also TryTank, which I hope you’ve heard of! It was started as a joint effort between GTS and VTS!

We also run successful and informative projects such as Building Faith(a treasure trove to search for Christian Formation resources), Forma, Launching into Ministry, and Deep Calls to Deep.

 Connect with us:

Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter - here is an example of last month’s. As you can see, it has highlights of many of the great things going on.

Also, follow us on our Instagram and Facebook pages, YouTube channel, and check out/bookmark the Seminary’s Eventbrite homepage (for online and onsite programming) and our Teachable page for on-demand programming.

 While I have you: As an example of just one of the programs currently available to you, I’d love to highlight a webinar inspired by the research we have been doing regarding trends and data collected about young people, and in this case how that information can inform those doing youth ministry in their contexts:

Understanding & Communicating with Gen Z & Gen Alpha: A Masterclass
1:00-4:00 p.m. eastern, Thursday, April 20, 2023, online.

Click here for more info and to register!

In this 3-hour masterclass, participants will hear from those who are tracking the core characteristics that drive Gen Z, hear about Gen Alpha and the trends emerging about them, and hear from formation experts about what this means for your ministry context today.

We do hope that you reach out to us with any questions, and, if you make it to the Alexandria campus, stop by our office across from the coffee shop.

The Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija