MTSO and Seminary Hill Farm invite you to an evening gathering on the greenhouse patio of our 10-acre regenerative farm. Sunset on the Farm will take place Sept. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. on the MTSO campus. Tickets are $30.
The evening will feature farm-fresh hors d’oeuvres and live music by Tim Bachelor and Jeff Dickinson. Reserve your spot here.
MTSO will host a Graduate Theological Education Discernment Retreat in late September. The retreat will offer aspiring faith leaders opportunities to explore graduate theological education and discern its potential role in helping them to become change agents in their communities.
Guided discernment programming will take place Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. Additionally, each participant is invited to create a customized retreat according to their needs and availability beginning Monday, Sept. 22, through Thursday, Sept. 25.
This retreat is offered at no cost to participants within the United States. It will take place on the MTSO campus. Free on-campus housing is provided, and travel expenses will be covered.
The Graduate Theological Education Discernment Retreat is part of MTSO’s project “Connecting Pathways: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Strengthen and Sustain Current and Future Faith Leaders,” funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.
Those who are interested are invited to apply here.
A field within MTSO’s Seminary Hill Farm received a new drip irrigation system in June thanks to a group of enterprising Girl Scouts.
Two cadettes from Troop 4811 in Delaware, sisters Hasnika and Sri Nikshitha, worked with Farm Manager Nate Detwiler to plan and implement the system as a Silver Award project. The Silver Award honors scouts for projects that tackle real-world problems and make a positive impact in communities.
The girls, along with their troop, installed the irrigation hoses in the farm’s Community Greens field, which was created to grow vegetables for community food partners. The hoses allow water to drip onto the base of the plants, providing a consistent supply and promoting sustainable water management.
“It’s an incredible resource for the farm,” said Farm Liaison Laura Ann Bergman. “It’s especially fitting that it comes from the Girl Scouts because we’re developing that field into a hub for community support and engagement.”
Fifteen years ago, WomanPreach! Inc. grew out of a course Valerie Bridgeman taught at Memphis Theological Seminary. Bridgeman, now MTSO’s dean, founded the group in 2010 with a name inspired by a response to speakers in Black church spaces: “Preach, woman, preach!”
In October, WomanPreach!, which partners with MTSO, will mark 15 years with a weekend gathering in Alexandria, Virginia.
“We’re so excited about this celebration of 15 years of work, training prophetic voices and preachers who need a community of preachers,” said Bridgeman, who serves as WomanPreach! CEO.
Under the theme “Proclaim & Persist: Honoring 15 Years of Prophetic Voice,” the celebration runs Oct. 16 through 18. Events include a tribute to Bridgeman, a keynote by Senior Pastor Gina M. Stewart of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, and a conversation with Pastor William H. Lamar IV of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
Registration for the celebration is open. To learn more and register, visit the WomanPreach! website.
“We’re going to celebrate all of it and look toward our future,” Bridgeman said. “We believe we have a past worth celebrating and a future worth anticipating.”
The Racial Resilience project at MTSO is well under way, marked by April and May gatherings of its first cohort. Under the leadership of MTSO Associate Professor of Theology, Ecology and Race Christopher Carter and educator Seth Schoen, the 19 ministry leaders have met at MTSO and in
Los Angeles to develop anti-racist practices in mind, body, spirit and community.
Applications are open now through Dec. 1 for a second cohort, which will begin its work in February 2026.
The Racial Resilience project, made possible by a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, has earned appreciative reviews.
“As a privileged white person, I’ve come to understand that dismantling the biases and racism ingrained in me is both my responsibility and a sacred journey,” said one participant. “This cohort isn’t a magic fix – but it is a powerful, intentional space of reflection, truth-telling, and transformation.”
Added another, “Initially I was hesitant, unsure if these two men and the community would fully understand me or the unique joys and challenges of doing ministry in predominantly white spaces. But I was remarkably surprised. This experience opened up my heart and mind to let others in, to hold my pain with me. Thank you for this incredible opportunity, and to the funders who held space for a Black woman in her healing era.”
Participants’ travel expenses, including flight, lodging and food, will be paid by MTSO through reimbursement. All reading materials will be made available or reimbursed.
Learn more about Racial Resilience and apply for the second cohort here.
A
highlight of The Story Magazine and Annual Report is our Alum News, celebrating significant events in the lives and vocations of MTSO alumni.
We invite you to send your news our way by July 25 so that we can include it in the magazine. We’d also like to hear from you if you’ve simply had a change of address or other contact information.
You’ll find an update form here. Thank you for staying in touch.