We're excited to introduce to you some of our new students joining us for the spring semester of  the 2012-13 school year. Today's featured student is Michelle Wood, who is an MDiv student from New Castle, IN.

My life’s passion is missions work.  I like to encourage everyone to go on at…

Entering seminary at ESR in this season of life is wondrous.  While I, like others here, always felt a leading to pursue formal vocations in ministry, I don’t regret for a moment the time of preparation, wandering and growing that preceded this particular moment.  I am certain that God in God’s wisdom had a calendar notation that Marshall would enter seminary in…

When in 2010 I was asked to join the Board of Advisors I accepted without hesitation.  Any opportunity to pursue a deeper spirituality is welcomed but when it also offers a way to bring healing within our various denominations—yes Quakers have denominations—it should be seized.  My colleagues on the Board of Advisors are more than healers they are also cheerleaders in…

Below is an excerpt from ESR student Brent Walsh's devotional for LifeJourney Church on the theme of "Overcoming Our Fear of God's 'Disruption'" and the scripture passage Acts 8:1-4:

I woke up in a Memphis…

The following is an excerpt from a message delivered by ESR student Abbey Pratt-Harrington at worship on November 29:

The following is an excerpt from a paper presented by ESR student Diane Reynolds at the June 2012 conference of the Friends Association for Higher Education. The paper was originally written for a History of Christianity II course with Ken Rogers:

Although separated by nationality and…

Below is an excerpt of a message delivered by ESR student Leigh Eason at West Elkton Friends on  November 11, 2012:

Change is so very uncomfortable, that many times we just stay with what we have, even when we know it isn't working for us.  Take the state of Quakerism, for instance. Today in the United States of America the number…

Below is an excerpt of a reflection by ESR student Josh Seligman on a message delivered in worship on November 8, 2012:

In today's programmed worship service at ESR, Michael Sherman preached from Hebrews 10 about sacrifice.  Michael argued that Jesus' death on the cross was the final sacrifice and that God no longer desires Christians to…

ESR alum Scot Miller shares his thoughts on Quakers and apocalyptic, utopian, and heterotopian streams of thought:

Our separate space, set aside for worship and the living out of testimonies, can only be maintained over time if we reassess our role and participation in liberal democracy, and how such participation…

I felt I…

ESR student Craig Goodworth was the presenter for this past week's Peace Forum. He presented his project Liminal Ground, which is an art installation in his home state of Arizona.

To read more and watch a video about the project, please visit:…

ESR Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies and Williamsburg Friends pastor Phil Baisley shares about his travels to attend Soulreaper gatherings in Vienna and Budapest in this recent sermon:

Just for fun, not really expecting anything, I talked to Jay Marshall, dean of Earlham School of Religion. I told him about Soulreaper, about the March gathering, about the…

ESR student Anna Woofenden delivered this message at Joint Worship for Earlham School of Religion and Bethany Theological Seminary on September 14. Below is the video from the service and an excerpt:

"[A]t the end of the day, we are vessels, vessels infused with Divine Light, urging and pressing to be received and to flow through us. We are vessels that are cracked and broken, broken wide open to receive God’s ever-flowing energy and love. We…