Dear Friends,

The horrific and disturbing events of Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. make clear, as Senate Chaplain Rev. Dr. Barry C. Black noted in his prayer paraphrasing Proverbs 18:21, that “words matter and that the power of life and death is in the tongue.” They also point more strongly than ever to the need for peacebuilding and dialogue in this country. As we emphasize in our Mission Statement:

“We are committed to the pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence, to the understanding of religion and spirituality as they are lived out in daily life, to the exploration of issues of gender, race and class, and to education that integrates the many dimensions of human experience.”

But we acknowledge that reaching this worthy goal requires sustained commitment. Further, we cannot accomplish these deeply held hopes and goals without you. We ask you to join the Hartford Seminary community in our mission and in praying for our country. The world needs us and the servant leaders we are sending out, into our country and world, through our critically important degrees and programs.

These are truly trying times, ones where we need to stand and work together. I wish you and yours safety and endurance as we work together to build a better and more just world.

Sincerely yours, in prayer and service,

Joel N. Lohr, Ph.D.

President