Scholar, author and preacher HyeRan Kim-Cragg will share her approach to speaking about the ecological crisis from the pulpit when she leads the 2026 Schooler Institute on Preaching at MTSO.

Under the theme “What on Earth? An Urgent Call to Ecologically Sound Preaching,” the Schooler Institute will take place March 3 and 4 (Tuesday and Wednesday) on the MTSO Campus. While selected portions of Schooler will be streamed live, it will include some sessions limited to those attending in person.

Thanks to the generosity of the Schooler Family Foundation, the Schooler Institute is offered to the public without cost. One continuing education unit is available for $30. Advance registration is required and available at mtso.edu/schooler. The registration deadline is Feb. 17.

HyeRan Kim-Cragg leads Emmanuel College, a theological college of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, where she earned her Doctor of Theology degree. She also holds a Master of Divinity from the Hanshin Graduate School of Theology in Osan, South Korea. In addition to her role as Emmanuel’s principal, she serves as professor of preaching.

At the Schooler Institute, Kim-Cragg will offer an intersectional analysis of ecological problems from postcolonial perspectives and a robust exploration of the Bible from creation-centered perspectives. Participants will come away encouraged to address ecological injustice and empowered to preach in interdependent, communal, relational and persevering ways.

On Monday, March 2, the day before Schooler begins, MTSO will host an alumni gathering. Details and a registration opportunity for that event will be announced early in the new year.

Sarah Lancaster, emerita professor of theology at MTSO, is sharing ideas and perspectives with people around the world through her new Substack newsletter, “Thoughtful Theology: Basic Concepts.”

“For years while I was teaching, people would say, ‘Why haven’t I heard this before?’” said Lancaster, who taught at MTSO for 28 years. “Here was a way to make available some ideas that aren’t readily available to people who don’t get a theological education.”

In her introductory post, Lancaster said she hopes her newsletter introduces ideas and theological options that “may be drowned out by the loudest people who claim to speak for Christians.” Recent posts explore...

• The Bible: “Who you are as a reader affects what you see in the text and therefore affects the meaning you take away from the text when you read it.”
• The theory that God dictated the Bible to the humans who wrote the manuscripts: “The dictation view of Scripture was born through a time of deadly polemic, and its newer version can continue to be divisive and dangerous when embraced in later times.”
• The concept of revelation: “Human beings have the capacity to receive revelation, but as empirical creatures, we are not fully equipped to grasp fully what God is showing.

Though she just began publishing this fall, Lancaster’s newsletter already has about 3,000 subscribers. You can subscribe to “Thoughtful Theology” for free here.

Five classrooms in Gault Hall received significant technology upgrades this fall to make the blended learning experience at MTSO even better.

The new tech in these “Zoom Rooms” includes 360-degree cameras and microphones for more seamless classroom discussions, along with an updated platform that records and transcribes lectures.

With MTSO’s HyFlex (short for “hybrid-flexible”) education, students can attend classes in person, remotely or some of both. No matter how they participate, they’re engaged in an immersive real-time experience.

Said MTSO Director of Information Systems Matthew Rehm, “This technology allows us to continue using Zoom but in a much better way.”

Seminary Hill Farm on the MTSO campus shares its bounty each year through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and it’s now taking orders now for 2026.

CSA members get a weekly array of vegetables, herbs and flowers, all grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. Pickups are held at the farm from spring through fall and in German Village during the summer.

You can reserve a share for the full CSA season or for spring, summer or fall individually. Learn more about the CSA program and order your share here.

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