Greetings to UTS alumni far and near! The term has been a rich and rewarding one for all of us here at UTS. The weather has been unseasonably cold with snow in the mountains around us. The sunny fall days have been few, but I caught a few photos of the foliage last week and share one with you.

The theme this fall for me has been worship. With the able leadership of Mr. Tzau-Hwei Lee, Dean Jang Hoee Kim and I created a great Worship Committee, consisting of Rev. Ichinori Tsumagari (theme development), Mr. Hiroshi Umemoto (music), Mrs. Goya Ordonez (outreach and hospitality), Rev. Jong Ho Jeong (tech and set-up) and Mr. Mark Callahan (modes of expression). With this team's support we had excellent programs commemorating 9-11, with a Muslim leader, Christian clergyman and Unificationist pastor, and celebrating the 26th anniversary of the UTS convocation.

In those events we pioneered the use of the main chapel as a light show space. With a computer and projector, one can cast an image 40' square on the front wall, strong enough to work even with the concave apse and brass ring. At the 26th anniversary we used two projectors, superimposing an iTunes visual image program and Mr. Callahan's incredible powerpoint compositions. We add a musical track to complete the environment, then move into live music and spoken word. It's not something one wants to do every week, because it takes a good deal of preparation and set-up, but it is a striking experience once or twice a term.

The Worship Committee has also pitched in to support the local Red Hook Family Church, which worships in our chapel. With an intergenerational band (giving an old fogy like me a second childhood), and upgrading lyric projection, ushering and set-up, the whole community is positive about new vitality in worship. And, perhaps most exciting, Dean Kim, UTS student body President Jong Jin Kim, and the Committee are researching and developing the tradition of Hoon Dok Hae. Hoon Dok Hae means, in the English translation, "gathering for reading and learning." As I count it, there are three different things to accomplish. We aren't very good at gathering. We have perfected one way of reading, but there are others. And as far as the learning part, we could use some investment there as well.

Meanwhile, the students in the Worship and Liturgy course developed three unique worship events, expressing three worship styles. The first was "contemporary style" worship. Mr. Craig Williams and Mr. Joe Taylor energized the congregation with their song leading and Rev. John Jackson gave a stirring message about father-son love. It was the best (and first) evangelical sermon I've heard in the Unificationist context. We were ready for an alter call.

The next week we enjoyed worship in a "new age style," a greater leap for us. The service featured variations of lighting, incense, candles, water sprinkling, scriptures, music, a flower offering and a message from Rev. Terry Walton. Well, we had never seen anything like it, let me say that. It was invigorating, thought-provoking and introduced new modes for the expression of the love of True Parents. Tonight we will experience a worship "traditional Unificationist style," featuring a message from Yeon Ah Nim.

Another dimension of worship was introduced by Kieth McMurdie last year, when he constructed a fireplace on the pond. He and a few comrades would light a fire there around midnight in the dead of winter, and pray, share, and meditate on the stars. Pretty soon it became a Thursday night tradition, with 12 to 20 people gathering. Unfortunately, the fireplace began to crumble from the intense heat. Over the summer, our beloved physician and Trustee, Dr. Jaekil Park, built a new, much bigger fireplace of stone, iron and concrete, that will last a century. As Kieth has interrupted his studies to take on a World CARP mission in Montana, Mr. Eiji Tokuno has taken up the leadership of the Thursday night fireside prayer. It is a wonderful experience of sharing heart, song and story around a crackling fire. There's nothing like a campfire out in the woods, is there? Of course we did our Holy Burning Ceremonies there. I can envision a beautiful development of our pond area, balancing the natural beauty with recreational and spiritual use.

Last weekend UTS hosted what was, in my opinion, a landmark conference for educators. It was organized by Tony Devine and Brian Sabourin for World CARP. It gathered over 100 folks from throughout America who are doing education in various formats, from Sunday school to summer camp to formalized schools. The energy and creative development was a joy to behold; to see the enthusiasm of our educators when they get together gives one great hope for our movement in America. (see photo)

We have almost finished the transformation of the middle dorm from open-space cubicles to eleven private, double-occupancy rooms. They will be up and running for the winter term, offering students an alternative to the cubicle lifestyle.

Our faculty from the main campus and extension center engaged in a case-study workshop led by Dr. Winings in September. Case-study is a teaching method that has enjoyed great success in medical, business and law schools, and is now entering into the teaching of spiritual leadership. I anticipate the inclusion of case studies by our UTS faculty over the coming terms.

Groups of students, community members, faculty and administrators have been meeting over the summer and fall in a guided endeavor to develop a long-term facilities master plan for UTS Barrytown. Mr. Chad Hoover, a Trustee who has worked on campus and community master planning in Ithaca, is walking us through an enlightening path toward determining the broad outlines of the development of our beautiful land and buildings. Next weekend a group of us will be visiting a number of other campuses to do comparative research.

The Goals and Objectives work has also progressed and has expanded, through the creative input of Dr. Mike Mickler, into a review and renewal of the UTS Mission Statement. I will share here the draft mission statement. It is being reviewed by the students, faculty and staff as we speak, and will go to the Trustees at a retreat later this month.

Unification Theological Seminary provides graduate-level theological education that enables students from diverse faith traditions to prepare for leadership in a broad range of religious ministries or to pursue further studies. The Seminary also provides theological and moral grounding for students preparing to enter secular occupations or seeking academic and personal enrichment.

UTS contributes to the development of the Unification tradition and to the religious community at large by carrying out instruction and research in an interfaith setting for ministries that foster faith and character development, God-centered families, vital churches, and communities of peace and justice. We are committed to work with all churches, seminaries and our alumni for the practical implementation of these ministries.

UTS offers its programs within an environment of excellence characterized by the highest professional standards yet shaped by personal attention to individual student development. We provide fair compensation and opportunities for advancement to our employees and are committed to responsible stewardship, continually upgrading our efficiency and maintaining financial health while protecting and improving the resources we are privileged to use.

As stakeholders in the future of UTS, we welcome alumni input on this statement and will report it to the Trustees. If you are interested in the Goals and Objectives as they stand at this point, let me know; it is a much longer document.

There is much more to share with you: the progress of the spiritual formation and placement track; the expansion of the Foundation Program to the Japanese language; the new Field Education Director and greater emphasis upon the importance of field work; the graceful presence of Yeon Ah Nim on campus; the creation of married student housing for two more families in Massena House; a new and economical phone system; the framing of Jan Parker paintings in the dining room; the installation of a "remnant of the cross" in a library display; the oratory contest; the golf and tennis tournaments; the blessing of having Reverend and Mrs. Sam Masili money from Hawaii with us for several weeks‹hey, I need a staff to write all this.

First, we give an ongoing thanks to our HSA-UWC National HQ, centered on the leadership of Dr. Chang Shik Yang and Rev. Michael Jenkins. While they are making great strides with the Christian clergy education, they are continually and sacrificially supporting the UTS Extension Center. It was reported that $228, 000 has been invested in the Extension Center over the past two year plus, covering our rent, most utilities and providing staff support. We are both grateful to HSA HQ and to all the members of HSA, and gratified that the support from the church that this represents is about 7% of what HSA provided a mere four years ago.

We also would like to thank Kook Jin Nim and the Young Jin Moon Charitable Foundation for their generous grant of $80,000 toward scholarships. This grant will be disbursed among continuing students and new students. UTS is committed not only to bringing the best students here, and enabling you to get started, but to helping those who are sacrificing family and immediate needs for the sake of your future contribution to God and the world. We want to see everyone graduate at the soonest possible time, and we are committed to helping those who are near graduation complete their degree expeditiously through strategic financial aid.

We challenge and encourage other supporters of UTS to meet the heart and substance the leadership of HSA-UWC and the Young Jin Moon Charitable Foundation by supporting UTS financially. There are those Trustees and alumni who contribute regularly, and for you we are grateful. From a distance, you are a vital component of UTS life.

For information on admissions and financial aid, please contact Godwin D'Silva at god1wins@uts.edu or Gillian Corcoran, at admissions@uts.edu (845-752-3000 ext 200). Students on leave of absence, contact Dean Jang Hoee Kim at utslife@uts.edu (ext 220). Me, I'm at th@uts.edu.

That's the news from Barrytown. Be well, do good work and stay in touch.

Tyler Hendricks

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