Adjuncts needed at Austin Presby

Friends,

I’m hoping you can help me brainstorm some excellent names for filling adjunct teaching roles in the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) degree program at Austin Presbyterian Seminary over the next 24 months. I have several courses that need to be filled by experienced educators who have the ability to effectively teach those preparing for youth and children’s ministry in a hybrid format:

Spring 2024 — Introduction to Pastoral Care & Counseling
Fall 2024 — Introduction to Mission & Evangelism
Fall 2024 — Introduction to Hebrew Bible

We’re looking for instructors who:

• Have a strong teaching background and experience leading seminary courses
• Are able to travel to Austin or Nashville three times during a 15-week semester (all expenses paid)
• Are able to relate their discipline to the questions/needs of youth and children’s ministers
• Hold a Ph.D. or equivalent in their discipline (ABD will be considered)

The intensive-based structure of our program often makes it possible for those in faculty roles at other institutions, and/or those who live at a distance from Texas to teach in an adjunct capacity. We start looking for folks early because we value finding quality instructors for these roles.

If you have any names that come to mind, I’d love for you to pass them along to me!

Thanks in Advance,

Andrew Zirschky
Director, Master of Arts in Youth Ministry
Research Professor in Youth Ministry
Pronouns: he/him/his

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Austin Presby Sem: ChrisEd and Formation

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary announces a tenure-track position in the area of Christian Education and Formation. The person appointed to this position will focus their teaching on Christian education and formation within and beyond the congregational context. A particular research focus on the religious formation and Christian education of children, youth, and young adults is strongly desired. This faculty member will serve in the Department of the Church’s Ministry and will teach in all degree programs (MATS, MAMP, MAR, MAYM, MDiv, and DMin) as well as non-degree certificate programs. This faculty member plays a central role in the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry program, which offers courses on both the Austin campus and at the Nashville extension. The successful candidate will engage with diverse pedagogies of religious education originating in the Global South and the United States, including trends in digital and virtual pedagogy.

More details are available online. Reviews begin in January.

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Diane Joy Hymans, 28 October 2022

Diane Joy Hymans died peacefully at Ohio-Living Westminster Thurber Retirement Community on October 28, 2022. A significant stroke in July, 2017 started her decline in health.

Diane was born on February 11, 1948, in Hull, Iowa, the daughter of Dowie James and Dorothy Jean Hymans. She spent her childhood years in Hull, a small, rural farming community in northwest Iowa. After graduating from Boyden-Hull High School in 1966 with honors, she attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in music education in 1970.

In 1972 she entered the Adventures in Missions (AIM) program of the Reformed Church in America, doing mission work at an inner-city church in New York City. There she developed her life-long interest in church ministry and Christian education. In 1975, she enrolled at the Presbyterian School for Christian Education (PSCE), where she received her Master’s Degree in Christian Education in 1977.

After first working as the Director of Christian Education at the First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, North Carolina and later in the same role at the Springhill Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama, she concluded she would like to become more directly involved in the education of Christian educators. She returned to PSCE in 1985 where she received her Ed.D. in Christian Education in 1992.

In 1993, she accepted a faculty position at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus Ohio, eventually becoming Professor of Christian Education. In 1994, she became a member of the Broad Street Presbyterian Church. She quickly found Columbus to be her home.

She remained at the seminary until she retired in 2017. She served both the seminary and the ELCA in many leadership roles. Early in her career, she was the director of Trinity’s Center for Educational Ministry in the Parish (CEMP) and later served as the seminary’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In her teaching role, she enjoyed time spent with students and the joy that came in seeing those she taught blossom into effective and active participants in Christian education.

Over 28 years, Diane served in a variety of roles at Broad Street Presbyterian Church, including elder, faithful 3rd grade Sunday school teacher, an originator of Pizza & Prose and on the Peru Crew.
With her outgoing personality, Diane developed a large group of close friends. She enjoyed traveling, movies, music, reading, shopping and cats. Family was also important to her, as she sought to maintain relationships not just with her brothers but with members of their families, as those families grew over the years. She enjoyed traveling with them and relished their time together.

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Joe and Kelly George Professorship in Theology and Ministry, Bilingual

Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) of Loyola University New Orleans invites applications for the Joe and Kelly George Professorship in Theology and Ministry at the assistant professor level. The successful candidate will be Spanish-English bilingual with expertise in Hispanic Ministry. This is not currently a tenure-track position but will be funded for at least three years and will ideally be converted to tenure track in the future. Application review begins January 6, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

Details of the position, how to apply, and much more is available online.

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Please nominate people for our positions

The Religious Education Association has issued an open call for candidates looking towards our elections in July of 2023. We have several open positions within our organization and would like to extend an invitation for interested members to apply. The open positions available are listed online, along with a form through which you can nominate people (or yourself!).

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REA Statement on Tragedy in Seoul

We are deeply distressed by the news from South Korea on Saturday October 30th and sincerely mourn the death of over 150 people in this tragic incident where Halloween festivities were taking place. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims.

We pray that those who sorrow may be filled with faith and courage.
That they may have the strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience.

Not sorrowing without hope, but trusting in goodness.

(Here is a pdf version you can share as well.)

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RE and Comparative Theology

With pleasure we share that REA former president Bert Roebben has collaborated with Klaus von Stosch to write an article entitled “Religious Education and Comparative Theology: Creating Common Ground for Intercultural Endeavors” in the relatively new journal Religions. Religions is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on religions and theology, published monthly online by MDPI. That means it’s easily shared!

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Battling Indifference: How We Teach the Holocaust

Gratz College is sharing an online teach-in opportunity all day November 6th, to which REA members are thoroughly welcomed!

To kickoff the Holocaust Teach-In’s day of learning, Elisha Wiesel and the Honorable Irwin Cotler will discuss the importance of Holocaust education for protecting human rights and preventing mass atrocity. Join President Zev Eleff, moderator Randi Boyette of the Philadelphia ADL, and the Tuzman family in-person at Gratz College. Boyette will engage Wiesel and Cotler, who will be joining remotely, on the challenges and opportunities for leadership in today’s world.

Through community leadership and social justice advocacy, Wiesel carries on the legacy of his late father, Elie Wiesel (Nobel laureate and author of Night). As Founder and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, and Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, Cotler has served as one of the world’s leading human rights advocates.

More details on the rest of the day and how to register to receive the links is available online.

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Celebrate with Dr. Kim-Cragg as she is installed as Principal of Emmanuel College

We are so excited to shared the news — and the warm invitation — of the celebration of Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg (long time member and leader in the REA) as she is installed as the 14th Principal of Emmanuel College in Victoria University, the University of Toronto and the Toronto School of Theology. The installation is November 16th, and you can RSVP via this form.

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Join us for an online Fall Gathering!

Join us November 2nd from 7 to 9:30 pm ET for our fall gathering! It’s free and online — please help us to share the news widely. And if you’re a student, come early — from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pmET to network.

Our focus this year is “Re-Imagining Religious Education After Pandemic” and we will be hosting a panel discussion led by Tamar Wasoian (including Anton Vrame, Tammy Wiens, Denise Janssen, and Karen-Marie Yust), followed by open Q&A and networking. 

We are concerned about the trajectory of religious education in our churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious gathering places after the pandemic. In the USA, it is clear that parish and congregation based religious education programs suffered during the pandemic. While overall parish life may be rebounding, religious education programs have not.

Our hypothesis is that COVID brought to the surface a wider range of issues that our field was already struggling with. Our round table conversation will represent the diversity of REA to the best of our ability. We are eager to engage these issues, by sharing experiences, strategies, methodologies, about religious education in a post-COVID congregation.

More details and link to register to receive the zoom link are available.

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