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Just returned tonight from Atlanta, where I was for the past week. I was at the 2008 Ministry Conference of The Fund for Theological Education. I have been fortunate enough to receive a fellowship from these folks, and this conference was the first step of what I expect to be a really wonderful relationship with them over the next year. The Fund is supported primarily by the Lilly Endowment, and their aim is to support and equip young people for church leadership.

The best part of the conference was the new friends I met from all over: the conservative Lutheran from Canada, the Catholic-turned-Unitarian from Denver, the women who had moved from (or remained in) denominations that would not ordain them. And my roommate, who was an undergrad at Howard while I was living a mile away in Columbia Heights.

I did a lot of thinking and writing while at the conference, and so the experience may yield a couple posts here during the week. I also did an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but I'm not sure if/when that story might run. We'll see.

For the record, past FTE Fellows of note include: James Forbes, Michael Battle, L. Gregory Jones, Walter Brueggemann, Frederick Buechner, Robert Franklin, Peter Gomes, Jesse Jackson, and Jeremiah Wright. There are also lots of female alums who I'm sure are very distinguished, but I didn't recognize their names.