Golemon’s Tips For New Students in the Consortium

“To Embody and witness more perfectly… to the unity that is ours in Christ.”
(from Consortium Mission Statement)

First, a joyful welcome to the world of theological education, which includes over a dozen member schools and institutions of the Washington Theological Consortium. For decades the Consortium has made possible the cooperative learning, library sharing, and student events that encourage ecumenical education as part of your seminary or graduate studies journey.

Born out of the ecumenical visions of Vatican II, the World and National Council of Churches, and renewed by the interdenominational work of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Washington Theological Consortium creates multiple opportunities for you to be shaped in your own faith tradition alongside the journey of learning with and from Christians from other traditions.

Because you study in a member institution of the Consortium, you can:

• Cross-register for courses to round out your electives and special needs, from a pool of over 300 courses per semester—many of which are “non-traditional” hours in blocks, evenings, weekends, and January intensives (see your registrar to begin the process of cross registration).
• Expand library privileges to 13 different Consortia libraries, with one of the largest collections in the world—including Catholic University, Howard University, and, through Woodstock Theological Center — Georgetown University (see your librarian to be validated).
• Specialize your coursework in Ecumenism or Muslim-Christian studies and earn a Certificate (with 12 credits) in one or both areas—which marks your special qualifications in these areas.
• Participate in the work of Consortia Groups, run by area faculty but open to students: like the Science and Religion or the Religion and the Arts groups.
• Attend events with or join the Student Board, with two student representatives from each of the member schools. (see their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-Theological-Consortium-Students/181885555187733)

The first event is a New Student Ecumenical Prayer Service, September 8, 4:30 p.m. at Catholic University, St. Vincent DePaul Chapel, followed by dinner at houses of religious orders (over by 8:30). Register with your student representative, or email wtc@washtheocon.org . JOIN US!

The Washington Theological Consortium is one of the most diverse in the country, because we have schools from Roman Catholic, Anglican, mainline Protestant and Evangelical traditions. Whatever kind of Christian you meet in your ministry—through pulpit exchanges, shared liturgies, community work, or teaching and youth work—you can have met someone through the Consortium that you might meet in real ministry life. You can also sit down in study and common work with people of other faiths, through our growing partnerships with our Associate and Affiliate Members, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, St. Paul’s College, Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown, the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences, and The Interfaith Conference of D.C.

In the wider Consortium community, our common mission is to fulfill Jesus’ prayer in John 17, “that they may be one”—which he repeats over and over, like a mantra. Our unity as Christians rests in the unity between Jesus and his Father, and it can only be completed by the ongoing work of the Spirit. This calls for ongoing prayer, celebration of the unity we have in Christ, and an ecumenical imagination that can build our ties in new and lasting ways. I invite you to join in this ecumenical journey. You see, it just this simple… and just this hard!

Blessings,

Rev. Larry Golemon, PhD
Executive Director
Washington Theological Consortium

lgolemon@washtheocon.org