Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education
3401 Brook Road
Richmond, VA 23227
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Glenn Birch
Phone: 804.278.4306
FAX: 804.355.5648
E-mail: gbirch@union-psce.edu
Union-PSCE Will Inaugurate President Brian Blount
Brian K. Blount will be inaugurated as President of Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Wednesday, May 7, at 4 p.m.
The service of installation will be held on the seminary quadrangle, 3401 Brook Road in Richmond.
A native of Smithfield, Va., Blount served as pastor of Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Va., from 1982 to 1988. From 1992 - 2007 he taught as a professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was called as president on March 30, 2007, following a national search. He began his service as president of the seminary July 1.
Blount is the author, co-author, editor, or associate editor of numerous books including
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary, for which he was the general editor;
Can I Get A Witness? Reading Revelation Through African American Culture; and
Preaching Mark in Two Voices, a book he wrote with Gary Charles, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. He has also served as the associate editor of the The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, published last year.
A gifted preacher, teacher, and writer, Blount has also authored numerous book reviews, sermons, articles, and academic presentations. He will preach at the inaugural service from the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John.
A choir from Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News will participate in the inauguration service. The service will be accompanied by a brass ensemble. Members of the Board of Trustees, alumni and students from the seminary, and President Blount's father, R. Edward Blount, will have leadership roles in the worship service.
Blount will be the first African American to serve as president of a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is the second president since the federation of Union Theological Seminary with the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in 1997. Blount succeeded Louis B. Weeks who served as president from 1994 – 2007.
Founded in 1812, the seminary is located in Richmond, Va. It operates a thriving extension program in Charlotte, N.C., opened in 2002. Union-PSCE has approximately 375 students.
An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Blount is a member of the Presbytery of New Brunswick. He holds degrees from the College of William and Mary (bachelor of arts – religion and psychology), Princeton Theological Seminary (master of divinity); and Emory University (doctor of philosophy). His areas of academic interest include the Gospel of Mark, the synoptic gospels, the Book of Revelation, and interpreting the Bible through the lens of the African American church.
The inauguration comes at the conclusion of the seminary's annual alumni event. A simultaneous event for African American theologians is being organized in Richmond this year by Union-PSCE professor Katie Geneva Cannon. Large numbers of alumni, church members, and academic colleagues are expected to be present for the inauguration service.
