On the Front Porch

Last week, I served as chaplain of the United Methodist House at the Chautauqua Institution. Chautauqua is a summer retreat campus in New York, blending education, recreation, religion, and the arts. The grounds include private homes, historic hotels, and programming spaces. Campus also has denominational houses, each serving a dual function as both bed and breakfast and religious community. Nearly all Chautauqua dwellings share one prominent feature: an inviting front porch.

These porches facilitate Chautauqua’s legendary porch culture. "Porches," wrote Chautauquan Daily reporter Sarah Holm, "are the threshold that connects those you came with and those who pass by on the street." At the United Methodist House, the front porch frequently features coffee and cookies, newspapers, and rocking chairs where house guests and passersby can meet to chat about the state of the world, reflect on the morning’s lecture, and share life together. As chaplain, my primary responsibility was hospitality—including daily sweeping and clearing the porch of spider webs!

This is similar to my position at PTS: cultivating a liminal space in which practical theological scholarship is extended into the neighborhood. On Continuing Education’s front porch, everyone can engage relevant ideas alongside neighbors—those you come with and those you meet here.

As we reimagine the CE department, we have identified four core values. In May, we shared our first core value: CE is Collaborative. Our second core value is:

Value 2: CE is Hospitality-Driven and Neighborly in the Spirit of Mister Rogers

We believe hospitality isn’t just about logistics, food, or campus maps. It's about how a host makes people feel. Like our most famous alumnus "Mister" Fred Rogers '62, we hope to create a place of belonging for every neighbor. We strive to meet specific needs, including considerations of accessibility, disability accommodations, and dietary needs. And whether on campus or connecting online, we want everyone to be included and engaged as fully as possible in all conversations.

We hope you'll visit with us this coming year, whether as part of our endowed lecture series or through one of our classes or workshops. We've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you! Won’t you be our neighbor?

Peace,
The Rev. Erik Hoeke
Director of Continuing Education
McNaugher 211
412-924-1346
ehoeke@pts.edu

Henderson Leadership Conference – don’t miss early bird deadline – register by July 31!

Faithful Resistance: Choosing Christ Over Empire

Sept. 22-24, 2024

With Dr. Diana Butler Bass and the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade

National elections and concerns about extremism and election-related violence can bring conflict, anxiety, and fear. How should Christians respond? Faithful resistance is the challenging work of peacemaking amid partisan polarization. With inspiring lectures, strategies for preaching across the divide, and creative exploration of what resistance can look like, this year’s Henderson Leadership Conference will equip Christians to choose the way of Christ over the empires of the world. Join us in person or online!

Conference Highlights

Three lectures with Dr. Diana Butler Bass*

Two workshops with the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade

Participatory art installation on campus

Optional trips to the Maxo Vanka Murals in Millvale

Register by July 31 and save!

*These lectures will not be recorded and must be seen in real time. They will not be available at a later date.

Clergy Study Stays

An invitation for spiritual and intellectual renewal

Need some time away for study or planning? This new program, meant for those in full-time ministry leadership, is an invitation to stay on campus mid-week for self-directed study and learning in our beautifully renovated Barbour Library. You'll also have access to lunch in the campus dining room and mid-week worship in Hicks Chapel.

Cost: $75 first night; $50 for each additional night. Dates are currently available October 2024 through April 2025.

Included:

Accommodations in Calian Hall

Welcome basket with snacks and PTS goodies

Barbour Library card and borrowing privileges (if you do not already have access, the $15 annual fee will be waived for the first year)

Lunch in the Kadel Dining Hall*

Opportunity to reserve a private study carrell in the Barbour Library*

*based on availability

Reserve your dates today!

Elsewhere in the Neighborhood

Dementia Caregiver Training with UPMC Senior Services, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, 2024, In-person

The WMI Conference and W. Don McClure Lecture, Oct. 11-12, 2024, In-person and Online

PTS News and Resources

Clifford E. Barbour Library

Our Clifford E. Barbour Library welcomes PTS students, faculty, and staff, as well as local clergy and neighbors, to explore our extensive collection of theological resources.

The collections are housed in a large three-story building dedicated in 1964 and completely renovated in 2018. On display are the desk and chair of Dr. Karl Barth of Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Markus Barth, son of Karl Barth and PTS faculty member from 1963-1972, presented these treasures to the Seminary in 1964. Included with the gift of the desk at which Karl Barth wrote his theological works is an autographed copy of his Kirchliche Dogmatic I/1.

Continuing Education is part of the PTS Neighborhood Collaborative, which includes the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, Continuing Education, Faith Forming Families Network, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology, Metro-Urban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission Initiative. Together, in their respective and collective work, these programs foster vocational discernment, co-learning, and transformative action for the common good by connecting diverse neighbors locally and globally.