Student Groups
The Boston University Theological Students Association (BUTSA)
The Boston University Theological Students Association (BUTSA) is made up of all students enrolled at the School of Theology. Its purpose is to assess and advocate for the needs of the students through its own activities and by working with other student organizations, the faculty, and the administration. BUTSA is also responsible for distributing funds from the Student Activities Fee to student constituency groups. The BUTSA Council represents the student body. The Council includes elected officers, student constituency group representatives, elected at large representatives, and ex-officio members. All STH students are encouraged to attend BUTSA Council meetings to be informed and active community members.
Kelly Drescher, President (deacon2b@bu.edu)
Ross Ponder, Vice-President (rponder@bu.edu)
Ryan Harrison, Secretary (ryah83@gmail.com)
Brian Hall, Treasurer (bhall80@bu.edu)
Black Seminarians
This group is comprised of black seminarians from the African Diaspora – such as those from the Americas, Africa, the Caribbean – and their advisor. The Black Seminarians meet to share their common heritage. They provide support for each other in scholarly and vocational endeavors. The group offers opportunities for the discussion of relevant topics related to the diversity of theological concerns in the global theological community. The organization also seeks to develop and maintain a community committed to a sound theological education that includes a relationship to the black experience.
Contact Person: Tamecia Jones (tamecia@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor: Dean Newsome (inewsome@bu.edu)
Korean Students Association
KSA recognizes the concerns and needs of Korean students in the School of Theology through community and support. Most of the Korean Students in the School of Theology originally come from Korea and share the same cultural identity. To retain our culture and friendship and also to express common concerns, the Korean Student Association (KSA) provides students with comfort and safety so that we can feel at home. Furthermore, KSA tries to help those who need information on studying tips, life in Boston, etc. KSA is open to other ethnic group students and is pleased to invite those who are interested in Korean culture, sports days, movie days, etc. KSA expects to see more friends beyond boundaries of ethnic, language, and cultural differences. Come and join us!
Contact Person: Sangduk Kim (sdinjc@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor:
Order of St. Luke
The Order of St Luke is a group of BU students, faculty, staff and area pastors who have a passion for worship. With roots in the Methodist tradition and the liturgical renew movement and an openness to the Spirit of God we gather for monthly worship, prayer and fellowship and
hold a yearly Lenten retreat.
Contact Person: Sarah Mount (smount@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor:
Christian Activists United for Social and Environmental Justice (CAUSE)
Christian Activists United for Social and Environmental Justice is concerned with affirming that faith and action are inextricably linked; believing that theological education necessitates social engagement; and valuing the influence that persons of faith can have on abolishing powers of oppression and establishing a just society.
CAUSE is a group of student and faculty activists who champion social and environmental causes as they bear witness to the kingdom of God entering and confounding our world. Fired by the Spirit, each member brings passion and unique gifts. Together in humility they lift their prophetic voice. Following the Gospel example of Christ, members aim to build more merciful communities and a more just society.
This past year CAUSE revived its prison ministry, sending a team of academic mentors to MCI-Norfolk to support an inmate earning his bachelor’s degree through the BU Prison Education Program. Members participated in antiwar demonstrations in Washington and organized a community forum about the impact of war on soldiers, ministers, and their communities. The group also partnered with the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice to advance local and national campaigns for workers’ rights.
The group plans to carry forward projects for criminal justice system reform and worker justice in 2007-08. In addition, CAUSE is organizing a service trip to New Orleans, scheduled for January 2008. Many more activities are being planned, and we need your passion. Bring your cause to CAUSE.
Contact Person: Carolyn Frantz (carolynj@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shelly Rambo (srambo@bu.edu)
MTS Club
The MTS Club is a social organization that meets weekly at the conveniently located BU Pub. The MTS Club specifically caters to MTS students but also welcomes students from other degree programs.
While primarily a social organization, the MTS Club provides an atmosphere where students who are planning to enter into career paths, such as working in a non-profit setting or pursuing further academic studies, can share questions, concerns, and ideas to further professional development and personal growth. MTS Club participants tend to have an academic/philosophical interest in theology.
The weekly meetings provide an environment for students to continue exploring, discussing, and processing topical subjects presented in the classroom. Additionally, MTS Club offers a chance to interact with our fellow pub-visiting professors in a non-classroom setting.
Contact Person: Ashley Benner (abenner@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor:
UCC Student Group
“The UCC (United Church of Christ) Student Organization invites all UCC students and all those interested in the UCC to join us as we encourage a unified community.”
They meet informally, and have benefited from discussions about UCC issues, meetings with UCC staff, a “mock Ecclesiastical Council, and coming together around community issues. We are happy to answer questions about the ordination process and other opportunities for seminarians within the Massachusetts Conference or the wider UCC.
Contact Person:
Faculty Advisor:
Sacred Worth
Sacred Worth is the School of Theology’s student group committed to the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgenders (GLBT) persons in the church, academy, and wider society.
Sacred Worth exists because GLBT persons, like other minorities, represent a population of God’s beloved children historically marginalized by the church and society. Sacred Worth serves as a community of support for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities wishing to partake in God’s creation and building community, as well as working for the full inclusion and recognition of its liturgical traditions and other ecclesial gifts in the academy and the parish.
If you have questions, or are interested in being a part of this group, please contact Annie for further information – including meeting times and locations. All contact is confidential and protected.
Contact Person: Rev. Annie Britton (anniebme@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bryan Stone (bpstone@bu.edu)
Religion and Science
The human quest for meaning—the irrepressible drive to see oneself as part of a cosmos, rather than a chaos—is among the primary motivators of human action. Indeed, beyond the fulfillment of life’s basic necessities, virtually all human decisions, actions, and goals may be seen as ultimately directed toward the generation of meaning, from the pursuit of hobbies and human relationships to the search for God and understanding of the universe.
Since the Age of Enlightenment, the latter two missions, the quest for comprehension of the divine on the one hand and the “natural” world on the other, have diverged significantly, creating in the minds of many a rift between the methods and aims of science and those of religion. It is the belief of the founders of the Boston University Religion and Science Club, however, that such rigid compartmentalization is unnecessary for accurate understanding, undesirable in the face of our human need for meaning and destructive to our common identity as integrated beings. To that end, the Club seeks to foster honest inquiry, informed by the methods of both theology and the humanities, bolstered by unflinching and academically scrupulous examination of contemporary theories, hypotheses, and developments in science, into the potential interaction of these two realms of human endeavor.
Contact Person: Connor Wood (connorwood@yahoo.com)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kirk Wegter-McNelly (kwm@bu.edu)
STH Fitness Fellowship
STH Fitness Fellowship is an opportunity to experience classes at FitRec, promote physical fitness for every level, and enjoy the fellowship of friends and colleagues. In its first semester, we experienced cardio kickboxing, spinning and yoga, and we hope to expand the classes offered in this next year.
Contact Person: Jeri Katherine Warden (jkwarden@bu.edu)
Faculty Advisor:
ThEcology
The ThEcology Club seeks to discern an ecological vision of prophetic discipleship in the face of ecocide and issues of eco-justice. Incorporating spiritual discipline, personal transformation, and community/political activism, the recently formed THecology Club wants BUSTH to lead and support a prophetic witness for the dying planet, including the disproportionate effects of toxins and climate change on impoverished and minority communities, both locally and globally. We are establishing mutually supportive relationships with other BU groups and with local parishes and communities, as we also seek to promote green curricula and awareness at the STH, and to transform the STH into a beacon of ecological justice. We also have a lot of fun!
Contact Person: Tallessyn Grenfell-Lee (tallessyn@gmail.com)
Faculty Advisor: