The Words of the Corcoran Family

Unification Theological Seminary Alumni Relations E-News February 2006

Gillian Corcoran
February 7, 2006

In this issue

* Four Core Issues: A Reflection by Rev. Mike Yakowich
* Top Ten Reasons to Come to UTS - the Voice of Students
* New Courses Added for Winter Term
* Conversations in Ministry Series Launched at UTS Extension Center

Greetings!

It’s with great joy that we bring you this new and improved version of our alumni e-news. We have been pleased with responses we’ve received to our communications in the past, but longed to be able to include pictures and links to resources, longer articles, etc. We want you to enjoy hearing from us, and – most of all – we want to have an avenue for good communication with all of you. We will be sending this full-color e-letter regularly, and over time hope to expand its scope. We welcome your comments and suggestions. God bless you and your family,

Gillian Corcoran


Four Core Issues: A Reflection by Rev. Mike Yakowich

1. Trust:

Create Teambuilding and honor the church leader in the field with respect, honor and dignity. Trust your leadership to do the right thing. (If you do not trust them, remove them, build the team you wish and then trust them.) Treat the leader as a leader, building self-esteem, (love one another) confidence and the capacity to do his or her mission successfully.

2. Listen and Learn:

Find out what the needs, thoughts, ideas and suggestions are from the grassroots. Communications between HQ and the field in terms of information is excellent. However, encourage more feedback from the field to HQ in terms of what is needed, what they want, what can be done to help them. Listen and learn from them and implement these whenever feasible and possible.

3. Offer more curriculum and less strategy:

The field needs public relations materials, many kinds of educational materials, such as Sunday School, counseling, marriage enrichment materials. Allow the field to use the resources and develop their own strategies for outreach, witnessing and development. Encourage more education through long distance learning, local schooling and reading other sources. Give them the tools they could use for successful ministry.

4. Career Building:

Begin to research more and study what other churches do for their pastors and leadership. What do other churches have in place regarding the salary, career guidelines, health insurance, retirement, stipends, housing and etc? Make and develop clear guidelines as what is expected from HQ for those in the field. Offer a clear compensation plan for all levels of leadership, be fair and be true. When others seek such a career it is clear. This enhances the image of the church leader, develops self-esteem, lays the groundwork for those observing such a position to be more attracted and willing to go to UTS and choose such a career.

Michael Yakawich (UTS '87) Billings, MT


Top Ten Reasons to Come to UTS - the Voice of Students

10. To undertake advanced study of Father Moon's teachings

9. To gain self-confidence to relate with ministers, professors and other professionals

8. To learn and study new possibilities in educational ministry, management and leadership based upon biblical and DP traditions

7. To question and resolve questions about my theology and philosophy of life in an environment that supports such questioning

6. To gain the qualifications to be respected by peers in my chosen ministry

5. In response to God's call

4. To attain an international perspective and encounter diverse cultures

3. To prepare to fulfill a higher calling, beyond my limited locale

2. To find a clear identity, become self-directed, self reliant and independent, and find my own calling among a wide range of possibilities for service

1. To become a person whom God can use to fulfill a great mission


New Courses Added for Winter Term

The UTS faculty continues to develop valuable new courses that will strengthen students' ministry and educational skills. Added this winter term are:

Spiritual Mentoring (Dr. Therese Stewart)

Spiritual mentoring, also called ‘spiritual direction,’ is the art of guiding individuals in their spiritual growth. It differs from pastoral counseling, which arises when a person goes to the pastor for help with a problem. From the Roman Catholic monastic tradition to Unificationist center life, spiritual mentoring is an important skill for any religious leader who takes direct responsibility for the daily life of a religiously committed person.

Religion and Economics (Dr. Mark Isaacs)

What is the ideal economic system? What does religious teaching say about capitalism, socialism, the free market, and government economic policy? Is capitalism essentially selfish? How can economic opportunity best be distributed to poor nations? In this course, students will study great economic thinkers and religious voices, from Adam Smith to Pope John Paul II, to help them better understand how economic systems work and the religious and moral issues at stake.

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon (Dr. Andrew Wilson)

The focus of this course will be Reverend Moon's speeches and Hoon Dok materials. A major theme will be continuities and discontinuities between his teachings and the world’s religions, through the study of the forthcoming text entitled The Path to God, which connects Reverend Moon's words with the content of World Scripture. We will also study portions of the Cheon Seong Gyeong in English and Korean.

Pronunciation (Jeannie Snyder)

Foreigners working in the United States often find that poor English pronunciation is an obstacle to success. In this course, students will work on identifying and correcting errors in pronunciation, using the most up-to-date methods and technological aids.


Conversations in Ministry Series Launched at UTS Extension Center

Dr. Jacob David, professor at the UTS Extension Center, launched the UTS Student Advocacy initiative, The Conversations in Ministry Series.

Dr. David was the featured speaker for the first "Conversation" on the topic, "Spiritual Formation and Community Building." He is Rector of Saint Paul’s & Resurrection Church in Woodridge, NJ. He is a member of the UTS faculty in Ministry and Homiletics, teaching largely at the New York City Extension Center.

Dr. David is well beloved for his intelligence and heart. He is a visionary preacher, teacher, pastor and writer, who has dedicated his life to the preaching of God’s Word and the doing of God’s Will.

The UTS Student Advocacy is led by Rev. Leander W. Hardaway, JD, UTS EC student. Rev Hardaway is former Associate at Triedstone Baptist Church and the founder of "3 in 1 Urban Ministries."


Young Oon Kim Initiative

Grassroots connection:

Look in the mail for your letter about the exciting Young Oon Kim Initiative to find and fund a new generation of UTS students.

Follow up information coming soon...

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