Eastern Mennonite Seminary

Recently, twenty-three clergy from the Staunton-Augusta area have signed a joint statement speaking out against Christian nationalism, and this Friday, June 5, the conversation is coming to Trinity Episcopal Church.

Dr. Jacob Alan Cook, professor of Christian Ethics at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, will give a talk and take questions on the question at the center of it all: What is Christian nationalism, and why does it matter?

The event is free, open to all, and co-hosted by Trinity Episcopal, Christ Lutheran, and Christ United Methodist.

>> What is Christian Nationalism? Community in Conversation
>> Friday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m.
>> Trinity Episcopal Church, downtown Staunton
>> Light refreshments to follow.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-in-conversation-what-is-christian-nationalism-tickets-1989912156828

This month, EMS hosted something we've been excited about for a while.

Two days of pastors, chaplains, and lay leaders digging into family systems theory and what it means for ministries across the country. We co-hosted with The Bowen Center, with support from the Lilly Endowment.

Dr. Robert Creech and Dr. Dan Papero gave the keynotes. Creech on where systems thinking meets pastoral care and preaching. Papero on the neuroscience of stress and what it does to us. Workshops covered preaching, biblical studies, parenting, the daily stuff.

It was the kind of room where people actually exhaled. That's the work.

Read more: https://emu.edu/now/news/2026/seminary-hosts-thriving-in-ministry-conference/