By the Rev. Michael DeLashmutt, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of GTS and Dean of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd

The Close continues to undergo a remarkable transformation through our partnership with Vanderbilt University. This fall, VU welcomed 90 undergraduates participating in a variety of semester-away programs. They have now completed nearly three-quarters of their semester on the Close, and we look forward to welcoming another group of approximately 90 students in the spring.

The ongoing restoration of the campus has brought significant improvements to several buildings. New accessible ramps have been installed at the Sherred Classroom Building, Hoffman Hall, and the Seabury Building. The Seabury Auditorium and first-floor Welcome Center have been completely refreshed, along with the classrooms in Sherred.

Looking ahead, major projects include structural repairs to the Chapel Tower and the relocation of the Seminary’s offices into the tower, with completion anticipated by May 2027. By that time, we also expect to have installed the Seminary’s teaching library in the Keller Student Center. This collection will be accompanied by an interpretive display telling the story of the Seminary’s history and its enduring presence on the Close.

In 2027, Hoffman Hall is slated for a comprehensive restoration, and plans are taking shape for a major restoration of the Chapel itself in approximately three years, including work on its magnificent stained glass and historic organ.

Reflections on a Door

Does anyone recognize this door? It’s the door to the tower room in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Almost everyone who has studied at General Seminary has passed through it, and over my eleven years here I can only imagine how many thousands of times I’ve gone in and out of it myself.

During the second of our two August intensive weeks, as we welcomed Cohort 5 into the M.Div. program, Vanderbilt’s campus crew spent nearly an entire week stripping, sanding, repairing, and refinishing this one door. Every day, one or two carpenters were at work on it, attending to it with extraordinary care.

I found myself unexpectedly moved by this small example of stewardship. Maintaining old church buildings is a constant struggle. We love these places and do our best to care for them, but few of our institutions have the resources to give them the attention they deserve.

There are surely hundreds of similar stories unfolding across the Close right now as Vanderbilt prepares the campus for its programs later this month—work making this place safer, more accessible, and more beautiful for the next century of GTS and Vanderbilt students.

I give thanks for the quiet, faithful work that reminds us that caring for sacred spaces is never only about preservation—it is about love made visible in wood, glass, and time.