Covenant Class Programs

Andy Watts, Professor of Religion, School of Theology and Christian Ministry, Belmont University Christianity, Mass Incarceration, and Transformative Justice The last 50 years of institutional punishment, described as Mass Incarceration, have shown that punishment as retribution through incapacitation neither deters crime, rehabilitates offenders, nor satisfies the offended as declared. Christian practices of restorative and transformative justice offer alternative models of punishment that place persons in communities, communities in systems, and systems in accountability to human flourishing. We will examine in one…

Anjlo Ajmals We welcome Anjlo Ajmals, a ThM student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, to teach the Covenant Class in Fellowship Hall this morning. Anjlo is under the care of First Presbyterian Church, Santa Monica, CA, has already completed his Master of Divinity at Claremont School of Theology, and is in the process of moving toward ordination in the PC(U.S.A.). A refugee from Pakistan, Anjlo fled to Paris in 2010 after suffering persecution in his home country and founded the Punjabi…

Presbyterians and the Founding of the United States; The Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention.As you know, James Madison, who is considered to be theFather of the U.S. Constitution, was a graduate of Princetonwhere he studied with John Witherspoon.  Reverend Carol Bucy

For All the Saints: Deceased Westminster members whogreatly influenced our congregation. Reverend Carol Bucy

God’s Time and Man’s Time (Bibilcaluses of “light” and “dark” as well as Daylight Savings Time) Reverend Carol Bucy

Is Tennessee’s Death Penalty System BrokenBeyond Repair? Reverend Stacy Rector Reverend Stacy Rector is a native of Dyersburg, Tennessee, a graduate of Rhodes College and Columbia Theological Seminary, and an ordained Presbyterian minister. She served as Associate Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville for nine years. In 2006, Reverend Rector became Executive Director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (TADP), an organization that works to honor life by abolishing the death penalty, preventing violence, and supporting those who…

Sabbath: Blessing, not CurseLed by Brennan Breed , Associate Professor of Old Testament Columbia Theological Seminary It might sound impossible today, or even worse: just one more thing that makes us feel guilty for not being able to do it. Why would God tell us to take a break? Brennan Breed, Associate Professor of Old Testament Columbia Theological Seminary will help us to read the biblical witness about Sabbath rest, and see it as a blessing rather than a curse.

Join us for a conversation with YOLANDA PIERCE, PhD. She is a scholar, writer, womanist theologian, and accomplished administrator in higher education. Shewas appointed the Founding Director of the Center for African American Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). And she currently serves as Professor and Dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Prophets, Kings, and ConquerorsLed by Will Wellman Our study of the Old Testament Lectionary continues as we dig into I & II Kings this Sunday! I & II Kings immediately follows the stories we read about earlier this summer in I & II Samuel. In this class, we’ll discuss how Israel became a divided nation, the burgeoning role of the prophets, the threat of conquering nations, and the continued centrality of God’s covenant with Israel.

“Faith and Climate Change: Our Ongoing Discussion” The Earth Care Task Force will continue our discussion “Faith and Climate Change: Our Ongoing Discussion” in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, August 4, during the Sunday School Hour. Curtis Baysinger will summarize what we have discussed in our previous four sessions and examine what other faith-based groups say concerning climate change. Want to Know What You Can Do to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint? Members of the Earth Care Task Force have been approached…

The Homeless Education Resource Office (HERO) provides necessary resources, supports and referrals to help homeless children and youth succeed in school and have a positive school experience. Led by Shelia Decker

Covenant Class • Fellowship Hall 7/14: Rev. Dr. Charles Wesley, Director of Major Gifts Columbia Theological Seminary 7/21: Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, J.B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary Hearing, Trusting, and Obeying the One Word of God: Learningfrom the Barmen Declaration Today “The Theological Declaration of Barmen was unanimously adopted by the First Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church, held in Barmen, May 29-31, 1934, in order to withstand the errors of the “German Christians” and the Reich Church…

Covenant Class • Fellowship Hall Led by Rev. Terry Newland, Bridge Executive PresbyterOverview of General Assembly The General Assembly consists of commissioners electedby presbyteries. Half of the commissioners will be ruling elders, half will be teaching elders. The General Assembly has several specific responsibilities outlined in Chapter 3 of the Book of Order. The assembly seeks to protect our church from errors in faith and practice, is responsible for assuring that the expression of our theology remains true to the…

Covenant Class • Fellowship Hall Led by Owen SimcoeOrganized Religion in National Parks a look at the history and controversy of religious symbols and practices on America’s most revered public lands. Owen Simcoe has been a National Park Service ranger for fifteen years. He and his wife Kathleen have been members since 2015. They have two children, Miller and Ellen. June 30, 2024

Covenant Class • Fellowship Hall Led by Will WellmanThe Rise and Reign of David: I & II Samuel in Three ActsThis summer the Old Testament lectionary will include readings from the books of I & II Samuel. This class will offer an introduction to these books and cover the beginnings of the kingdom of Israel alongside the stories of the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David. We’ll walk through the books in three acts roughly corresponding to the rise,…

Covenant Class • Fellowship Hall Led by Rev. Dr. Guy D. Griffith

Covenant Class • Fellowship HallThe Global Work of Christ: Surprising New Mission Opportunities Led by Mark Mueller In his wildest dreams, Mark would have never have imagined The Outreach Foundation would be invited to work in central Asia, the Arab Peninsula and China. God has recently opened a door, and we would invite you to join us in this new work. During Sunday school hour, Mark will update you on areas where you have expressed an interest in the past. In addition, he…

Covenant Class • Fellowship HallFaith in an Exhausted World with Dr. Stuckey In celebration of Earth Day weekend, the Earth Care Task Force is excited that Nate Stuckey, Director of the Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary, will lead Covenant Class.  A good friend of Will Wellman’s, Dr. Stuckey is a farmer and has a Ph.D. in Christian Education and considers his work for Princeton’s Farminary as integral to his call to his teaching ministry. Come to participate in “Faith…

Covenant Class • Fellowship HallLiving Waters Team  Five members of Westminster’s Living Waters team journeyed over 9,972+ miles in nine days, visiting four water installation sites in Peru –communities with whom Westminster has lasting relationships–and three additional communities in need of potable water.  Drinkable water is precious in Peru, both in the desert coastline region and in the jungle.  Our Peruvian sisters and brothers experience the Word of God present in the pure water provided by Living Waters purification systems.…

Covenant Class • Fellowship HallCovenant Class | What We Can Learn From The Post-Easter Church Led by Rev. Dr. Guy D. Griffith

Covenant Class • Fellowship HallFour-Part Series: The Pursuit of Paradise: Arabs and Israelis, Holy Lands and Homelands In this four-part series, Dr. Echerd will teach us about the creation of the modern state of Israel, the origins of the Palestinian refugeeproblem, and the role of the Holy Places in this whole story. Dr. Art Echerd comes to us from Harpeth Hall School, where he has taught European and World History for over thirty years. Did you miss the first class?…

Covenant Class | Overcoming Racism for a Multiracial Democracy Centering and Celebrating Women and Our Stories with Claire K. McKeever-Burgett. Join author Claire McKeever-Burgett, M.Div, for an interactive and embodied conversation on storytelling, writing as spiritual practice, and the importance of centering and celebrating women. In this Sunday morning gathering, Claire will share (a little) about her book, Blessed Are the Women, and invite you to consider your own story as it intersects with others. Through deep breathing, reflective practice,…

Covenant Class | Overcoming Racism for a Multiracial Democracy Session 1: The Legacy of American RacismOngoing battles over the teaching of American history are an attempt to shape the narrative of who we are (or who we’d like to think we are) as a people.  But Americans must be honest about the legacy of racism and white supremacy if we are to create the conditions for a lasting, multiracial democracy.Led by Dr. Peter Jauhiainen   Dr. Peter Jauhiainen is a professor…

Covenant Class | Equal Chance For Education Our series, God-Sized Dreams continues. Join Raquel Oluyemo, Executive Director of Equal Chance for Education and Vanessa Delgado, a graduate of ECE and current Program Director, as they explain what ECE is, where it isgoing, and how Westminster is involved.

Covenant Class | Westminster Loves | Rudy Kalis Join us for a new series on “Westminster Loves” as a way of taking up and highlighting one of the important directives coming out of the Visioning work. Over the month, we will hear from members who demonstrate this value starting with Rudy Kalis.

Covenant Class  Prepare the Way of the Lord! Advent Visions: Seeking the holy in these unholy days. Led by Donovan Drake

“These Walls Speak:  Memorable Members of Westminster” Led by Carole Bucy Almost anywhere you walk in  Westminster, you see names. Names of the charter members and others who followed them. Few people today recognize these people, yet their love for this church and their commitment to its ministries still resonate with us today.   November 5, 2023 November 12, 2023

Learning With The Letters Of Paul Led by Jennifer QuigleyAssistant Professor of New TestamentDivinity School | Vanderbilt University In this two-week series, we will explore the letters (co)written by Paul, their earliest interpretations, and the historical context from which they emerge. We will learn more about the social, material, and economic setting of some of these ancient letters, and think about them alongside letter-writing practices from the ancient Mediterranean world and today. All are welcome, whether you have been reading…

“Seek The Welfare Of The City” #2 – Nashville’s Housing Crisis Hear a panel of leading experts on the issues of homelessness and the housing crisis in Nashville.   •  Jeff Gibson, moderator. Partner at Bass, Berry & Sims. Member of Metro Homelessness Planning Council. Board member and past president of Room In The Inn. •  April Calvin – Executive Director, Metro Office of Homeless Services. • Brian Haile – CEO, Neighborhood Health Tennessee, which offers medical, dental and behavioral healthcare regardless of…

Dr. Brennan W. Breed Grace and the Law in the Old Testament To many Christians, it seems like the Old Testament and New Testament describe different deities altogether: in the Old Testament, God seems angry, legalistic, judgmental, and vengeful, while the New Testament describes a loving, caring, and gracious God. But is this actually true? During our time together, we will explore the questions of God’s anger and judgment, the role of the Law in both the Old Testament and the…

Sherriff Hall Deflecting Mental Health Out of the Criminal Justice System

Discerning and Visioning Towards 2030: Hearing God’s Call Together Led by Donovan Drake

Rev. Claire BerryA Closer Look at Campus Ministry August 13, 2023 Rev. Claire Berry, Executive Director and Campus Minister of UKirk Nashville, will share an update on her ministry with college students at Vanderbilt and Belmont as a new school year begins. The class will also delve into what campus ministry really involves in 2023. What are the challenges and opportunities? What does the life of faith look an sound like for students, and how does Presbyterian campus ministry suppor faith’s…

WPC Earth Care Task ForceConcerned about Climate Change? Join us as we discuss the topics about our place in the natural world (the anthropomorphic vs theocentric, etc, what both the Old and New Testament have to say about it, and discuss what perspective we might take in viewing New Testament writings, which many do not think addresses the issue of our place in the natural world. July 16, 2023 July 23, 2023 July 30, 2023 August 6, 2023

Covenant Class | Led by Mike Hassell, author of Deep Tradeoffs. Polarization, uncivil bickering, alienated families and friends — these are among the most disturbing problems of our time. Many remedies focus on attitudes or processes of engagement, including openness, grace, curiosity, mirroring, etc. But there’s far more to consider in effectively engaging people who disagree, including powerful subconscious motives and value tradeoffs just beneath our normal awareness. During the July 9th Covenant Sunday School class in Fellowship Hall, Elder Mike Hassell discussed…

Melting Bullets Into Bells | Stephanie Mercedes | Covenant Class | 06.25.23 Click HERE to learn more about this artist, Stephanie Mercedes, and the melting of bullet casings and guns.

Covenant Class | Frances Hahn, Holocaust Survivor Frances Cutler Hahn was born Fanny Lindenberg Kahane on March 16, 1938, in Paris, France. Her parents, Schlomo Zalman Kahane and Cyla Lindenberg, came to Paris in 1936 from Poland. When Fanny was three, her parents placed her in a children’s home prior to their own arrests. Cyla Kahane was deported on Convoy 11 from Drancy to Auschwitz in 1942, where she perished. After her father was warned that Fanny would soon be…

Covenant Class | Richard Boyce State of Nashville Report Adam Buzard, Director of United4Pastors, will lead a discussion on Operation Andrew Group explaining Barna Research’s “State of Nashville” report. Operation Andrew Group brings churches together in three key initiatives: public education, pastor engagement, and young adult mentoring all to live out our mission to unite, partner and love. April 28, 2023

Covenant Class | Richard Boyce Christian Ethics in Three Acts: Biblical Stories on the Command to Love Please join Richard Boyce as he pushes us beyond more sentimental notions of love toward the “covenant loyalty” that is the way of Jesus. Richard Boyce is a PC (U.S.A) pastor, Ph.D. in Old Testament and recently retired Dean of Union Theological Seminary at the Charlotte, NC campus. April 28, 2023

Covenant Class | Rev. Will Wellman Faith and Ecology in Conversation  “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it!” Come learn about the Biblical and theological precedent for Creation care.  Rev. Will Wellman is a writer, poet, and co-founder of The EcoTheo Review.  April 23, 2023

Covenant Class | John F. Kutsko Guest speaker John F. Kutsko, Executive Director of Atla, a membership association of librarians and information professionals, and a producer of research tools, committed to advancing the study of religion and theology. April 23, 2023

Covenant Class | Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham Carlos Emilio Ham, President Emeritus of the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC), has served as a pastor of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba for more than 35 years. He joined the staff of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in March 2001 as Program Executive for Evangelism, served as the Coordinator of the Mission and Ecumenical Formation Team, and finally as Program Executive for Diakonia & Latin America-Caribbean until December 2013.  In…

Covenant Class | THE WHIRLWIND DISCOURSES IN THE BOOK OF JOB | Choon-leong Seow Choon-leong Seow, Vanderbilt, Buffington, Cupples Chair in Divinity Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible, THE WHIRLWIND DISCOURSES IN THE BOOK OF JOB. The book of Job, widely regarded as a classic in world literature, reaches its climax in chapters 38-41, where God finally responds to Job. Yet, these are also among the most controversial and difficult portions to understand. This series of lectures will consider the theological meaning of these divine speeches as God answer to Job’s problem, as well as Job’s responses…

Covenant Class | Parables: At Once, Revealing and Veiling | Lucas W. Mburu | 02.12.23 Lucas hails from Kenya, Africa. He is a husband to Eunice and father to Grace and Timothy. He is an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, serving with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa – Kenya. He holds an M.A.(TS) degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program in the New Testament and Early Christianity at Vanderbilt University. His study interest gravitates around Jesus’s words on human agency and…

Covenant Class | Parables: At Once, Revealing and Veiling | Lucas W. Mburu | 02.12.23 Lucas hails from Kenya, Africa. He is a husband to Eunice and father to Grace and Timothy. He is an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, serving with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa – Kenya. He holds an M.A.(TS) degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program in the New Testament and Early Christianity at Vanderbilt University. His study interest gravitates around Jesus’s words on human agency and…

Covenant Class | Parables: At Once, Revealing and Veiling | Lucas W. Mburu | 02.05.23 Lucas hails from Kenya, Africa. He is a husband to Eunice and father to Grace and Timothy. He is an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, serving with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa – Kenya. He holds an M.A.(TS) degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program in the New Testament and Early Christianity at Vanderbilt University. His study interest gravitates around Jesus’s words on human agency and…

Covenant Class | The Future of theological Education | Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo | 01.29.23

Guest Speaker: Kem Hinton FAIA Kem is an architect, historian, author, artist, and lecturer.   Incredible structures, fascinating history, religious intrigue, and unsolved mysteries The Temple Mount in Jerusalem THE MOST SACRED PLACE ON EARTH! A REMARKABLE JOURNEY THROUGH 3,000 YEARS | Part II | January 8, 2023

Guest Speaker: Kem Hinton FAIA Kem is an architect, historian, author, artist, and lecturer.   Incredible structures, fascinating history, religious intrigue, and unsolved mysteries The Temple Mount in Jerusalem THE MOST SACRED PLACE ON EARTH! A REMARKABLE JOURNEY THROUGH 3,000 YEARS | January 8, 2023

Led by: Rev. Guy D. Griffith Covenant Class | Part I: The Advent season represented in art. | Led by GuyGriffith | 12.11.22 Covenant Class | Part II: The Advent season represented in art. | Led by GuyGriffith | 12.18.22