Welcome to our Incoming Seminarians and Seminarian Director!
The Brick Church has a rich history of pouring into seminarians each year through our Seminarian Field Education program. This year we are excited to welcome Joshua Garry and Sean Baz as incoming students. In addition to this year’s seminarians, we are also welcoming Rev. Dr. J. Thomas Kort as Director of Seminarians. You may get to know Rev. Dr. Kort and the seminarians by reviewing their short biographies below. When you see these faces in Worship and at Brick events, be sure to introduce yourself and help make them feel at home!
Rev. Dr. J. Thomas Kort
The Reverend Dr. J. Thomas Kort received his formal theological education at Princeton Seminary and was a classmate and friend of Michael Lindvall. Prior to seminary, Tom attended Slippery Rock State University and graduated with a major in education and taught school for two years before answering a call to attend seminary. Tom was ordained in 1973. Over the course of his 47 years as an ordained Presbyterian pastor, Tom served congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and most recently a long run of 27 years as the Senior Pastor of the Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC, which had a membership of 2,300. Under his leadership the congregation was known for their commitment to meaningful worship, pastoral ministry, education for all ages, and an unwavering devotion to outreach and mission. Two weeks after retiring from the pulpit, he accepted an invitation to be the Associate Vice President for Advancement at Princeton Seminary and served in that role till 2021. Tom searched the Scriptures and realized that when it comes to loving the Lord and serving others, there is no retirement policy in the Bible, it is a lifelong journey of faith. Tom and his wife, Corrine, met the first day of college and celebrated 54 years of marriage this August. They have two adult children. Sarah designs and makes jewelry. Andy, and his wife Mihee Kim-Kort, serve as Co-Pastors of the First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, MD. Tom is a sports enthusiast. Loves all things Pittsburgh, especially the Steelers, Pirates, and Primanti’s. He enjoys spending time with his family and keeping up with the three grandchildren. Cooking has become a new passion but at the end of the day, after cleaning up the mess he made of the kitchen, nothing beats a quiet evening with a good book. Tom is looking forward to this new page of ministry at Brick. His greatest worry is trying to figure out the subway.
Hi all! My name is Sean, and I was born and raised in central Florida, halfway between Tampa and Orlando. My mother raised me in a PC(USA) congregation in the area, so I have a deep connection to and love for the denomination. Currently, I am a certified candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church, a church I came to love at Florida Southern College, and the alma mater of both my mother and grandmother. At Florida Southern, I majored in religion with a focus on theology and ethics, and I’ve continued to explore those interests in the Mdiv program at Yale Divinity School. I hope to pursue doctoral work after completing my Mdiv, but I am unsure about what I will do after that. I’m hoping either parish ministry or theological academics. I am confident that my time at Brick will help to give me clarity in that regard, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve God and others with you all.
I was born and raised in a Scots Presbyterian Minister’s household. I grew up in rural and small-city church communities in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast. I moved to Princeton last year with my family (wife, 3 children, and 2 dogs) from Northern New York. I have never had the opportunity to regularly attend a metropolitan church and I am very excited to complete my field education with Brick over the course of the next year. In my free time I love to play sports, read, watch classic films, and travel with my family.