s p r i n g
God’s changing world
V a n t a g e
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on the Cover Hidden Worlds I, II, III Seen from afar Suggestions of Earth Inscriptions etched and formed Giving hints to worlds only imperfectly revealed...seen in part. Acrylic and gold leaf 1993 16 × 12 each Sandra Bowden is a painter and printmaker living in Chatham, MA. With over 100 one-person shows, her work is in many collections including the Vatican Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, the Museum of Biblical Art, and the Haifa Museum. Sandra was president of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) from 1993-2007 and has curated many exhibitions and coordinated the CIVA exhibitions program since its inception. She is a founding member and Vice Chair of the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City. She studied at Massachusetts College of Art and received her BA from the State University of New York. In 2005, Square Halo published The Art of Sandra Bowden. For more information on her work go to www.sandrabowden.com.
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lifelong learning
July 15–17 The Role of Religion and Race in U.S. Politics: A Post-Election Conversation on Christian Faith and Public Life (Montreat Lecture Series)
The series is presented as part of the seminary’s Presbyterian History and Reformed Theology program and is sponsored by Columbia Theological Seminary, Johnson C. Smith Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center, and the Montreat Conference Center. The lectures will take place in Convocation Hall at Montreat Conference Center from 9:00 – 11:30 am. The event features Johnny Hill, Mark Douglas and Julia Speller. Deborah Flemister Mullen, Paul T. Roberts and Charlie Raynal, facilitators. Paul Huh, worship leader. Advance registration is not required, and there is no charge for this event.
August 8–11 Discovering God’s Prophecy: Scripture, Wonder, & Response.
Save the date — more info to follow. May receive credit for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation program. Leader: Christen Erskine August 22–25 IMMERSION Experience: An Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life
Discover the key ideas and foundational practices for the grand adventure of life in the Spirit! During this Thursday-Sunday Spirituality Immersion Experience, you will explore the origins of the Christian spiritual tradition, while learning the formative elements of biblical, monastic, and Reformed spirituality. Our schedule includes time for personal reflection through guided meditative journaling — an exercise for exploring your own unique journey with the living God. Getting to know your fellow students, in both small group and one-on-one settings, will support your practical application of the knowledge acquired over the course. This course is the initial program for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation, and is required for the completion of the Certificate. You may participate in the Immersion, however, even if you are not currently enrolled in the Certificate program. September 13–14 Parents: Christian Educators on the Frontlines
Are you a church staff person who is painfully aware of how little time you have with the children in your church, or who wishes for more grounding in equipping parents? A parent who is uncertain about implementing faith practices in your home, or who looks for new tools for being the primary Christian educators of your children? This short course will examine the applicable biblical, theological, developmental and cultural foundations of this conversation. We’ll explore practical ways to equip parents to be the primary Christian educators of their children and to encourage church leaders to support them in this task. We will spend our time moving back and forth between the theoretical and the practical, creating a framework for children’s educational ministry. Leader: Anna Brown. Program Fee discount 2+ from same group. September 19–22 Christian Poetry and the Christian Journey: Illumination and Mysticism in Blake, Hopkins, Merton, Levertov, and Oliver
This class engages participants with poetry as a way to comprehend the universal path of spiritual encounter. As Christians, these poets chart the mystery of the Triune God as encountered through our human senses. Not by rational argument, but through the wonder of “creative intuition” these poets, in the Western tradition, alert readers to the presence of God’s grace. Reading and re-reading them, as in Lectio Divina, can be akin to prayer. Using Blake and Hopkins, we set the stage for prayerful reading. Concentrating on selected Merton and Oliver poems, along with hints about their personal journeys, allows use of poetry to relate to basic questions of journey, understanding, making connections, praying, and becoming contemplative. The class affirms mystical insight. Still other poets such as Whitman, Dickinson, and Levertov will be utilized to demonstrate readings which participants can later pursue in their personal spiritual journeys. May receive credit for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation program. Leader: Victor Kramer. Unless otherwise noted, events take place on the seminary campus in Decatur, GA. For detailed information and registration, go to www.ctsnet.edu > Lifelong Learners > Courses and Events. Then scroll to the dates of events you wish to attend. To call or email: 404.687.4577 or lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu.
Va n tag e Vol. 105, No. 2, Spring 2013 E d i t o r
Michael Thompson Des i gn
Lucy Ke P h o t o grap h y
Craig Thompson, Disciple Design C o ntr i b ut o rs
Rebekah Abel Lamar ’14 Katherine Blankenship ’14 Sandra Bowden Randy Calvo, Jr. ’81 Pam Cottrell Candi Cylar ’14 Mary Lynn Darden C.J. Drymon Sarah Erickson ’03/DEdMin ’10 Robert Gamble DMin ’82 Steve Hayner Paul Junggap Huh Deborah Flemister Mullen Rodger Nishioka Elizabeth Orth John Paik ’14 Brandon Perkins ’14 Barbara Poe Shavon Starling-Louis ’13 Gregg Steuben Doug Taylor Sandra Taylor Diane Thorne Jeff Vaughan This issue of Vantage is available online at www.ctsnet.edu. Go to News & Publications, then Vantage.
P lease
rec y cle After you read this issue of Vantage, pass it along to a friend or colleague, or neighborhood take it to your recycling cent er.
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columbia’s new web site
Our website has been fully re-designed and will be available publicly starting June 1, 2013.Take a moment to explore some of our newest functions including video links and publications by faculty. This will be your best and first source for all of the latest news on campus. Should you have any comments or questions along the way, feel free to contact our Director of Communications Michael Thompson at thompsonm@ctsnet.edu. We offer our best wishes to IT Support Technician Jennifer Gallentine who is moving with her family to West Virginia. We welcome our new incoming IT Support Technician Chris Sidor.
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Va n tag e P o i n t G o d ’ s c h a n g i n g s e m i n a ry
S
ometimes we need to re-orient how we see things to fully appreciate “God’s Changing World”. Our vision can easily be blocked or overwhelmed or clouded by the enormity or speed or complexity of the changes we experience. As we often teach students, our ability to engage well and learn from any experience is shaped by our expectations. We might become sad, frustrated, angry or simply disengage if things do not play out the way we thought they would. But this is not our world; God is changing things to fulfill God’s own purpose. God calls us to pause and observe—and God also calls us to jump in, to learn and to serve. There is so much we could talk about on this topic. After all, “God” and “Change” and “World” are big words to throw around. This issue will focus on technology and culture as measures of some of the great changes taking place here at Columbia. You might find some of the discussion typical of your experience, and other parts far outside your comfort zone. There are ways in which God calls us to specific ministry, but it is important to see what others are doing, too. And there is so much to see with the growth of the internet, the development of mobile devices, and the proliferation of social media platforms. For a small investment, you can now purchase a cell phone which functions as a mobile office and entertainment center—with new applications showing up every day. The Vernon S. Broyles Leadership Center represents this kind of significant leap forward in our overall technical capacity. The improvements in the tools available to us have spurred discussions as to best practices for advancing our educational, communications, and missional goals. Our staff and faculty continue to provide leadership in maximizing our effectiveness for the sake of both our on-campus students and distance learning congregational leaders.
This, in turn, has the potential to open a whole new world to us in learning about the diversity of people and stories in our own country and other cultures in every part of the world. In reality, we are always tempted to find people who are “just like us” and fear difference. Even as millions — billions! — of people join Facebook and Twitter, we at times feel alone because we resist the richness and diversity and simplicity of God’s grace. Christ leads us to be a reconciling presence of past and future, of every people and nation, of female and male, of rich and poor. God calls us to be one! The demographics of Columbia have changed significantly in the last few years. More than 40% of our students are minorities, as is an even greater percentage of our faculty. Over 30% of our students are from denominations other than the Presbyterian Church (USA). We have much to learn about each other which requires great patience and consistent communication. We might not always do things the same way or experience the same things or even talk about similar experiences the same. However, that does not prevent us from gathering around one large Table and carrying out a unified mission for God in Jesus Christ. How well we adapt to change can be quite dependent on the honest quality of the questions we ask: Where is God leading? What is God asking of us? How might God use me? I invite you to pray with us as we ask such questions together. It should be noted that we are not asking these questions and making these changes as an academic exercise or in an abstract effort toward progress. The fact is: the world is changing, and on God’s terms. Are we ready? Joyfully,
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hyper–focus
Educational Technology
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olumbia Theological Seminary has a history of being a comfortable and close-knit residential community with most professors and students living on or near the campus. The interaction here is robust with opportunities for personal mentoring, creative daily chapel services, and ample opportunities to learn about life from a variety of perspectives and contexts. In recent years, our vision has grown as technology has allowed for the digital video recording of chapel services and classes, videoconferencing, and interaction through various social media and rich media outlets. These efforts may be further increased through online access to library resources, additional development of website capabilities, and increased use of videoconferencing to facilitate discussions with students and other mission partners all over the world. As a part of God’s changing world, we have gone through a shift in how technology is used as it relates to instruction even in the short time since the Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center was completed last year. Originally, we thought in terms of teaching being done in the classroom and recorded for the benefit of students not present or as reference for students outside the classroom. Instead, some teachers are recording lectures to be viewed in advance of class, allowing for enriched discussion and time together in the classroom. And this reversal of teaching strategy is just one example of the continually changing ways technology can and is being used to enhance education. Even now, faculty and staff are developing new course opportunities which will engage a global audience through the worldwide web. The capability for virtual communities developing among advanced students, alumni, and other mission partners is astounding. Yet, we are still able to maintain our focus on nurturing the community of students we have here on campus. While many assume that technological progress will inevitably move us away from a community orientation, our experience has been otherwise. I enjoy my work and the opportunities I have to support students, faculty and staff here at Columbia. Facilitating discussion and learning on campus, across the country, or around the world is exciting and amazing. We may always be a small community physically, but our vision and our reach beyond this campus continue to grow.
Jeff Vaughan Educational Technologist
The capability for virtual communities developing among advanced students, alumni, and other mission partners is astounding.
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Progress in Instructional Technology
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few years ago, it became obvious that the world of technology would impact every aspect of our work together in profound ways. TMD Partners was hired as our external consultant to do a broad assessment of our current utilization of technology and to help us create a blueprint for future hardware, software, implementation, and personnel needs. An institution-wide “Technology Committee,” which included administration, faculty, and technology staff, was established to oversee the plan. The budget for technology was increased significantly. This plan resulted in an enhancement of Columbia’s technology hardware infrastructure, the revamping of our institution-wide communication (email, phone, and web) system, the adoption of our first classroom management system (CMS) providing a completely electronic learning platform, and the purchase of the Comprehensive Academic Management System (CAMS from Three Rivers Systems) to integrate many of our support services. Another enormous arena of change has been in how we manage information within our library and research environment. And yet, the utilization of the technology by students, faculty and administrative staff has proceeded at an unprecedented pace. In the next generation of computer hardware replacements, laptops became the standard for Already faculty are faculty because of their portability to the classroom. planning new ways to teach The classrooms themselves were retrofitted as “smart” learning environments with built-in audio-visual and the Seminary curriculum, internet support. Internet connectivity moved from a and are planning new campus Ethernet system to a hybrid system where most courses for both on-campus users connect through a wireless network. The quality, students and for distance size and speed of our Internet connection increased exponentially. learning in churches that The Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center, will focus on leadership dedicated in March 2012, has had a great, positive needs for the future. impact on our students and the entire Seminary community. It is truly an up-to-date teaching and meeting facility which provides the kind of technological resources which younger students have come to expect and which will serve our classroom and seminar room needs long into the future. More importantly, the Center, which includes over $900,000 of technology, provides the opportunity to use the best in learning management software and technological resources to enhance the learning process. Already faculty are planning new ways to teach the Seminary curriculum, and are planning new courses for both on-campus students and for distance learning in churches that will focus on leadership needs for the future. In the current phase of development, we expect to pursue a greater utilization of Internetbased software applications for communication, data storage, security, classroom management, financial aid, and other key services. We also anticipate that campus-wide training in the utilization of these technologies, as well as the values and ethical issues which emerge, will be a significant part of our technological learning. In all of this, we keep asking, “Where will technology take us next?”
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reasonable service
Interview with Tom
Guthrie
Thomas Guthrie is Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Tom’s father Shirley Guthrie was for many years a well-known professor of theology at Columbia. Vantage had the opportunity to interview Tom during his most recent visit to campus. Vantage: Welcome, Tom, and tell us what brings you here. Tom: Thank you! I’m meeting next with George Stroup. We’re teaching a course together this summer for DMin students on Gospel, Culture, and Church Transformation. It’s quite a treat to be back “home” and an honor to be co-teaching with George, as well as Jeffery Tribble. The seminary is an important part of my life. I can remember many days spent as a kid playing on campus, including the large closet in my dad’s office. V: Tell us a bit about the course you are working on together. T: George has taught this course before, and he thought it might be useful to involve an anthropologist. Our hope is that students will become “theological ethnographers” using skills from social science to become better pastors. V: So what does that look like, being a “theological ethnographer”? T: Much of it starts by simply observing culture in new ways. Initially, we try to make familiar things seem exotic, and exotic things seem more familiar. We create a context to ask tough questions about everything from race and gender to poverty and technology. When we put it all together, we want to take Christian practice seriously in today’s world. Hopefully, we will create enough critical distance to think analytically about what that means, and then engage life and ministry all the more effectively. V: So what kind of questions might you ask this summer? T: Well, for example, what is the social and theological meaning of rituals such as baptism and communion for particular congregations? And does our context make a difference in interpreting its meaning? What is the place of technology for a particular congregation? How is the impact of technology different for younger and older generations? Or perhaps for wealthier or poorer communities? How do these things shape our mission to the world around us? V: It sounds like you have a full summer ahead of you. We wish you, George and Jeffery a fruitful journey with the class. T: Thank you. Yes, I’m looking forward it.
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reasonable service
Welcoming Spouses through English Classes During the summer of 2012, several Korean students inquired about English classes for their spouses who were eager to learn. After some discussion and a search for someone with the right teaching skills, the group thought about ways to honor the request. In the fall, a handful of students shyly walked in and sat themselves down. There was an opening tea party with a discussion on the direction and purpose for the classes. The students enjoyed a video featuring English-speaking Columbia students and faculty members who struggled to learn Korean words showing that Columbia was willing to take the steps to understand and accept the difficulties of the native Korean speakers. One of the teachers, Seung Song, has an undergraduate degree in English, as well as several years of experience teaching English to native Korean speakers in both Korea and America. Kyungae Lee also helps lead the class. She plays an integral role as a recent immigrant who learned English and incorporated it into her daily life at work and at school. Kyungae Lee and Seung Song began to teach on Thursdays Top: Seung Song using current issues and social contexts, while playing fun Bottom: Kyungae Lee icebreakers that encompass listening and speaking skills. Students wanted to practice English in a comfortable and conversational setting. Sometimes, their own responsibilities presented a challenge as they came to class with a child in their arms. So Kyungae and Seung found themselves trading responsibilities between leading lessons and caring for children. Seung and Kyungae later offered conversation periods on Tuesdays and Fridays. Once they were comfortable enough, the students began to really open up. Then the teachers witnessed something that they had not considered before: mastering a language is more than grammar and context — it is the ability to express one’s emotions and concerns. Humor also reflects a certain mastery of the language. Kyungae and Seung continued to ask personal questions and find ways to make everyone laugh. The students began to ask questions of the teachers as well, and grew in confidence as they were able to make their own jokes. These classes are loosely structured with lessons and programs, but the students really provide the content and direction. The English classes started as a way to incorporate those into the community who were feeling marginalized by cultural boundaries and circumstances. They have become a way for some spouses to become integrated into the campus life of Columbia comfortably. The classes are less academic and more of a community that has begun to grow. They have turned into an opportunity that allows people to open to one other, to take risks and laugh together, and to use words that will build one another up.
Taking Off into SPACE by Shavon Starling-Louis O n F r i d ay , A p r i l 1 9, we celebrated the take-off of the Sanctuary for Prayer, Art, and Creative Expression (SPACE) with Columbia’s first ever communal art exhibit featuring the God-given visual and performing artistry of our students, staff, faculty, families and friends. We shared an exciting evening around the theme “The Beauty of Pentecost: Each one heard in their own language.” SPACE is a new room on the second floor of Campbell Hall which will serve as an area where students can reflect on God in a creative environment. It is a an invigorating studentinitiated expedition in our effort to educate imaginative and resilient leaders for God’s changing world. If you happen to be on campus, we invite you to come explore with us. Perhaps you might even be called to create a SPACE of your own! VANTAGE Spring 2013
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reasonable service
First Creation Care Sermon Award Announced
(left to right) Drs. Tom and Dabney Dixon with Creation Care Sermon Award Winner Rebecca Zorn Purcell and Columbia professor William Brown
I n anticipation of E arth D ay (M onday , A pril 22), a student group called SAGE (Sustaining Attention to God’s Earth) led worship in the Campbell Hall Chapel around the theme of “creation care”. This year marked a special occasion as students competed for a Creation Care Sermon Award. The inaugural winner Rebecca Zorn Purcell, a Master of Divinity student who will be graduating from the seminary next year, preached the sermon entitled “The Gift of Creation”. The prize was made possible and awarded beforehand by Dabney and Tom Dixon. As part of the service, the whole seminary community was invited to mark Earth Day by participating in an “Energy Sabbath” which started following the end of chapel on Friday and continued through Earth Day on Monday. An Energy Sabbath is an individual or group commitment to limit the use of energy to renewable resources or our own energy. An Energy Sabbath might include such practices as carpooling, walking or riding bicycles to and from school, turning off lights and non-essential electrical draws, eating local foods, and enjoying the natural rhythms of sunlight and darkness. Most of all, an Energy Sabbath gives us a chance to break from our ordinary routines of consumption and compulsion, to remember God’s gracious gifts to us through this creation, and to enjoy rest with one another and with God.
Two Buildings Now LEED Gold Certified C o l u m b i a T h e o l o g i c a l S e m i n a ry now has two buildings which have earned the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the United States Green Building Council. Both were designed by the architecture firm of Lord Aeck & Sargent. The first building, completed in 2009, is the New Residence Hall which uses approximately 50 percent less energy than a conventionally constructed facility. An energy-monitoring system located in the entry lobby allows students and visitors to see real-time energy consumption as compared with an average building performance. The second building, with its distinctive glass and steel tower, is the new Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center which opened last year. The 30,000-square-foot facility incorporates the 80-year-old Simons-Law building, formerly a student residence hall, which has been recycled and renovated for small classroom space, faculty offices, study areas, the seminary bookstore, and an education technology center.
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e x p l o r at i o n s
My Day in Jamaica by Candi Cylar J amaica is a country rich in natural resources , yet deep in economic depression. I admired God’s glory in the hills where we journeyed to a coffee farm. I saw my first coffee plant. It was cool to see the little red berry that eventually makes black coffee. We learned much about the history of the church in Jamaica. I love, love, the fact that people there are so passionate about their history and their culture. You can talk with most anyone and they will share knowledge not only about their society, but what is going on all over the world. A highlight for me was visiting a school in a community of Kingston called Trench Town. The area is in what we would call “the ghetto”. The school was called Boys’ Town as it was originally only for boys, but now accepts girls as well. The kids were so cute and polite! I asked them to sing for me, “The wheels on the bus go round and round...” There were programs from pre-school to 9th grade, several youth development programs and a vocational training center. The vocational training is designed to prepare young people to enter the workforce of hospitality. We were told that some of the older kids were homeless, alone and may have possibly seen a parent murdered. I had so many thoughts and questions. How can I help? How can I organize the troops to come back to Jamaica? We have similar situations in the United States. How can a similar concept work in Atlanta? I love the vocational training aspect, but is there a management and/or an entrepreneurship opportunity? My wheels were turning! I plan to contact the director to dialogue more. On another day, I visited a home called Jacob’s Well with five other colleagues. I was not prepared for what was behind the steel gates. To begin with, I was dressed to sit in at the Jamaican Parliament, but plans changed for us to do the mission work first. Jacob’s well is run by several Catholic “brothers” who have taken a vow of purity and poverty, along with a few female volunteer staff. Together they served 82 women in the home.
We were soon greeted by a host of disabled women. Upon entering, two women charged at me to give big, long hugs. I couldn’t even move. They wouldn’t let me go! As I continued to walk up the ramp, I saw many more women sitting, standing and some waiting to greet me with a handshake. I began to weep. As my eyes swelled up with tears, I looked down to see a lady with deformed legs and feet crawling on the ground like a dog. I grabbed my friend’s arm in fear — not fear of my life, but fear that I could not face the task ahead of me! After some conversation with one of the brothers, we were instructed to gather the women for lunch. I stood against the wall frozen, afraid like a nerd at her first school dance. What do I do? I had a talk with Jesus. He said, “I will be with you always.” It continued to be a difficult day for me emotionally as we served the women, but the experience reminded me of a song by Shana Wilson: “ Today’s my day. You changed my name. I might limp away, but I will never be the same.” Candi Cylar ’14 is a native of Gadsden, AL. She attended the Tuskegee University where she earned a BS in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduating, Candi was employed with Ford Motor Company and later emerged as the Executive Director of her own organization, A Crystal Stair, Inc (ACS). A long time active leader in ministry, she is currently the Program Director for Children and Family Ministries at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, and is a certified counselor under the American Association of Christian Counselors.
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e x p l o r at i o n s
The Edges of Atlanta by Rebekah Abel Lamar A t C o l u m b i a , w e o f t e n ta l k a b o u t “ t h e m a r g i n s ” o f so c i e t y . There is probably some scholarly reason we use this word, but over the course of this class, I have decided that the word “edges” works better for me. The word margin makes me think of an extra space, like “margins for error.” For the homeless, the immigrant, the poor, the refugee, there is no wiggle room, no margin for error. They live on the edge every day: the edge of hunger, the edge of homeless, the very real edge between life and death, and the edge of society. Edges are often sharp, and they can be dangerous. Both of my kids learned the word “edge” very early because of our constant warnings to “look out for the edge!” or “watch the edge!” Our “Explorations” class exposed me to the edges of life in Atlanta: the places where people are lost, the places that are too often unseen when you live near the center. For those of us who are middle class, I think we mostly look toward the center: center of power, center of privilege, center of wealth. And we strive to move in that direction. After all, the edges can be dangerous and, if we are honest, we desire the power, privilege, and wealth that we see at the center. Not only that, but the center is noisy. Whether Hollywood stars, politicians, news media, or corporate CEOs, the center dominates our cultural conversation. The center isn’t all bad. Some of the noise is good and important, but some is not — a lot is not. The problem intensifies when those of us just outside the center take the noise for reality. We push and shove to get closer to the center, and as we do, the racket gets louder and our vision gets narrowed. We begin to think that we are the ones on the edges, the ones who are ignored, the ones who are abused, the ones who are voiceless. What if we turned around and looked away from the center and toward the edges? What if we really saw the people upon whom we have turned our back? What if we saw the people standing there with things to say but unable to speak the language or at a loss for what to say or uncertain anyone is listening or without the time to do anything but survive? What if we realized the mess our voracious rush to the center had left for them? What if we realized what we have that they could use? What if we recognized how much we have instead of what we do not have? What if we realized how close to the center we really are and how dangerous the real edges are? What if we realized that those on the edges have something to give us? And then…what if we walked toward the edge and offered a hand, a rope, a lifeline away from the precipice of hunger or homelessness or helplessness — the precipice of death? What if we helped them gain the language and the voice to speak, shout, and demand? And then listened to what they said? And then listened to what they said! I’m a little scared to read my Bible after these couple weeks. It has a few things to say about edges…and about God’s opinion of those who ignore them. Rebekah Abel Lamar is a part-time MDiv student and plans to graduate in May 2014. Rebekah has served as Director of Christian Education at Decatur Presbyterian since 2002. She is married to Ashley (MDiv ‘05) and is mother to Sam (4 years) and Ann Thomas (2 years).
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Top left: Columbia’s Appalachia “Explorations” group. Right: Stained glass window of “Patroness of Captive Nations” in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Cherokee, NC.
New Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning Appointed At its spring meeting, Columbia Theological Seminary’s Board of Trustees approved Dr. Israel Galindo as the new associate dean for Lifelong Learning. Galindo, currently the dean of faculty and a professor at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, is expected to join the staff in August 2013. Columbia president Steve Hayner stated, “Dr. Galindo is a vital addition to our team because Lifelong Learning is becoming even more central to our work of taking the resources of the seminary to churches and to adult learners everywhere. This is a strategic part of fulfilling our desire for ‘educating imaginative and resilient leaders for God’s changing world.’” Dr. Galindo has received multiple degrees culminating in a Doctor of Education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has an extensive history of experience with both lifelong learning and seminary administration. Dr. Galindo has written numerous books, as well as articles for magazines, journals and blogs. His book The Hidden Lives of Congregations (Alban Institute, 2004) was named one of the “Ten Best Books of 2005” by the Academy of Parish Clergy. He is also a beloved professor and speaker. While at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Dr. Galindo was instrumental in developing the seminary’s distance education program on innovative uses of technology for theological education funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. He also contributes to a blog for deans of theological schools for whom he is leading a colloquy in 2013.
Kelly D. Campbell Appointed Director of the John Bulow Campbell Library and Associate Dean The Board of Trustees also approved Kelly D. Campbell as the new associate dean and director of the John Bulow Campbell Library. Ms. Campbell is currently the Director of Library Services and Assistant Professor of Theological Research Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA, where she oversees general operations of five campus libraries in four different states. Columbia president Steve Hayner stated, “Kelly Campbell has proven to be a superb choice for the position. Her insights into the future of theological libraries, her familiarity with the latest advances in electronic resources, her facility in working with budgets in large and complex systems, and her interests in working with theological faculty and as a theological librarian all speak to the way she will enrich our common life here.” Ms. Campbell’s graduate degrees include a Masters degree in Library Science from Texas Women’s University and Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Seminary. She is currently completing a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. Ms. Campbell has served as a Board member for the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) since 2007, including a term as chair of the Education Committee in 2011. VANTAGE Spring 2013
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sensible horizons
Rodger Nishioka
W h a t ’ s R e a l ly C h a n g e d ? “Do you think young people have really changed that much?” It is a question I often receive when I am out and about preaching and speaking. Over the years, I have come to this conclusion. “I do not believe that young people have truly changed all that much,” I respond, “but I do believe the world around them has changed dramatically and therein lies the challenge for young people in particular and for us all who seek to follow Jesus Christ in these days.” In a helpful illustration of our dramatically changing world, every fall since 1998, staff and faculty at Beloit College in Wisconsin have composed “the mindset list”. This list of 75 statements is an offering to help remind their faculty and staff of the mindset of each new entering class of undergrads. The mindset list has been shared nationwide and variations have appeared around the globe. Last fall, Beloit College’s list reminded us that most of these young adults, many of whom were born in 1994… • Have never seen an airplane “ticket.” • Measure their lives in such fundamental particles as: bits, bytes, and bauds. • Do not know that such terms as “forbidden fruit,” “the writing on the wall,” “good Samaritan,” and “the promised land” are biblical references. • Have never touched a set of encyclopedias. • Have experienced more females as U.S. Secretary of State than males. Thinking of the dramatic changes in technology alone, it amazes that 25 years ago the only creature on the face of the earth that we thought could create a “website” was a spider. Eight years ago the only creature that we thought could “tweet” was a bird. Now we know differently. And no one with whom I am in conversation thinks that change is going to stop or slow down. To be sure, there are emerging movements such as the “technology Sabbath” that are calling into question how we are living our lives, but it seems ridiculous to me to even attempt to claim that the world is not changing dramatically. That is why I am so grateful for the new focus statement that Columbia Seminary has adopted to guide our life together in the next few years. The focus statement begins with the word “educating” which is certainly what we do as a theological institution and a school of the Church. Then the statement tells who we are educating — “imaginative, resilient leaders” — which speaks volumes about our understanding that the whole Church is crying out for leaders. We need women and men who can teach and preach and pastor and counsel and guide and shape and form and, well, lead and more importantly — lead with imagination and resilience. (For more about this, see the last issue of Vantage which discusses thoughtfully what imagination and resilience mean and why they are so important today.) Then the statement describes the context, the setting —“for God’s changing world”. That statement of context is important. We are not educating imaginative and resilient leaders for a romanticized world that seeks to maintain the status quo. We are educating leaders for God’s world that is experiencing dramatic change.
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“...for God’s changing world.” That statement of context is important.
Certainly educating and leading in the midst of momentous change is no easy thing. Nevertheless, it is the task to which we are called in these days. Another question I am asked these days is something along the lines: “Do you think the Church will survive in the midst of all this change?” To be honest, I am always surprised by the question, I guess, because it has never occurred to me. I do understand the anxiety and concern that underlies the question. I suppose the question has never occurred to me because for me, the Church’s survival has never been in doubt. I am certain we will survive. I am certain we will survive not because of us, but because of the God who created us and calls us all into being. We will look different, and we will do Church differently in the days and years to come and even that, I am convinced, is the Lord’s doing. No, I am certain we will survive. What I hope, though, is that we will not simply survive — but that we will thrive! Thrive as we are lead and shaped by the Holy Spirit. Thrive with Spirit-filled imagination and resilience. Thrive knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thrive trusting in the certainty that the God who has brought us safe thus far will not abandon us, but rather will lead us all home. This is, after all, “God’s changing world”.
Then and now: Columbia’s faculty at last year’s commencement ceremonies, and in the 1890s.
We are not educating imaginative and resilient leaders for a romanticized world that seeks to maintain the status quo. We are educating leaders for God’s world that is experiencing dramatic change.
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sensible horizons
brandon perkins
T e l l i n g O ur S tory in G od’s Changing World
Editor’s Note The following sermon was originally inspired as a reflection on the Fall edition of Vantage which developed the theme of “Telling Our Story”. This sermon was first presented at the National Festival of Preachers held in Atlanta, GA last January. Columbia student Brandon Perkins offers this shortened and modified version in an effort to expand discussion about the impact of the Gospel on storytelling and social change.
Stories can whisk us away into worlds filled with fantasy and wonder, they can elicit feelings of jubilee, and they can even remind us that there is some good in this world. However, there are other stories that haunt our existence. These are painful and troubling stories in their hearing that cause homileticians nightmares and congregations shivers. However, they offer us a necessary picture of the unsettling darkness in society— violence, intimidation, and bloodshed. These stories are rarely heard from the pulpit, but these stories in all their complexities and horrors beckon us to listen to them.
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When I think of such stories, I cannot help but hold up a particular story from Scripture as most terrible and terrifying — Exodus 1:8-14. I look at the plight of the Israelites who were strangers passing through a land called Egypt and in their passing through were met with oppression, suppression, discrimination, racism, and religious intolerance. I cannot help but remember how the experience of these Israelites mirrors our own history that we so often try to censor in an effort to sanitize it. This politically incorrect story beckons us to not look away with a sanitizing eye, but instead look intently at the chronicles of those who were kissed by the sun. With our eyes turned towards these people we are invited to employ a hermeneutic to see that from the lens of African Americans our text before us in Exodus shines a light on the horror, shame, and mistreatment that has plagued millions of the Almighty’s children for over four centuries. This Exodus narrative not only beckons us to continually look at the stories of horror in our past, but also beckons to look at the stories that govern our present existence. As our eyes and ears are fixed upon the news of the day, we see and hear of stories where cruelty, injustice, and subjugation prevail in our global society. While we sit and watch in our seats of unchallenged comfort, are we asking ourselves if the stories of our sisters and brothers matter enough for us to join with them in the fight for justice, peace, and equality? Are we speaking truth to those with power in government and business in defense of our weakest and poorest citizens? Are we ignoring how basic rights for food and education throughout this country remain under attack as our young children — especially our inner-city, minority children — pay the price? Are we so quick to affirm our own rights that we ignore the impacts of our decisions about guns, drugs, and law enforcement on others? The temptation is to skip to our own solutions. Instead we must look to a God, who we trust will liberate us into the bright morning of a new story. However, let us not sanitize our Bibles, history textbooks, and blogs to favor a comfortable hermeneutic devoid of oppression. We cannot skip references to
The temptation is to skip to our own solutions.
the slaughter of newborn Israelite males to get to the burning bush anymore than we can skip over references to the New Jim Crow in an effort to call these United States “post-racial”. We cannot skip four hundred and thirty years of slavery to get to the Red Sea anymore than we can ignore the history of slavery in our own country to arrive at easy solutions today. If we sanitize the story of these moral, ethical, physical, and spiritual evils, our society will miss how our God was intimately involved in the liberative act through it all. This God, who always exists in three distinct periods of time, intimately understood the plight of God’s children in Egypt. The God of the present was there with those oppressed sun-kissed slaves as they suffered through the plight of a Pharaoh “who remembered not the faithfulness of Joseph”. The God of the past stood back in the land of Ur of the Chaldees and spoke to a meandering Mesopotamian called Abram and told him that a liberating and fruitful covenant would be established with his seed forever. Lastly, the God of the future filled the summit of that mountain called Sinai, and as that God remembered that ancient covenant that God had sworn to honor in the past, and as that God looked upon the present suffering of God’s people, God issued an edict of liberation that would come to pass. Until we reach our own Sinai filled with the promise of God’s enduring presence let us not grow weary in the fight against our stories of terror and oppression. May we continue to work, cry, struggle, and pray together so that our story — our collective story, our redeeming story, our comforting story, our salvific story, our liberating story — can be TOLD! We are those who being neither naïve nor foolish can look at our present, can look at our past, but can also look to our future and say in the words of that great lyrical poet James Weldon Johnson: Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast’ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
Brandon J. Perkins (MDiv/MAPT ’16) was born in Nashville, TN, to Rev. and Mrs. Byron Perkins, and was licensed to preach the Gospel at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at the age of seventeen. As a Cum Laude Graduate of Fisk University with degrees in History and Religion and Philosophical Studies, and as a Master of Arts in Teaching recipient, Brandon has been a diligent advocate for causes of social change concerning minority youth as a part of the holistic salvation Christ promises us. His article published in the African American Lectionary in November of 2011 entitled, Reclaiming Our Past Values and Engaging Our Present Challenge: The Church’s Charge in Helping Save Urban Education, expounds upon these ideas of a holistic ministerial focus.
James W. Johnson and John R. Johnson, Lift Every Voice and Sing http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/liftevry.htm (accessed January 2, 2013).
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sensible horizons
j o h n pa i k
b u y i n g i n to g o d ’ s v i s i o n When I decided to study theology and apply to seminaries, I was in a Master’s degree program at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. My colleagues, most of whom were international students, were not familiar with Christianity and the word “seminary”. Someone asked why I suddenly became interested in funerals and had redirected my career in such a unique area. He thought I was talking about going to a school related to “cemetery”. So I had to explain what Christianity was, and what it means to be a minister, and even shared the Gospel. For most of my fellow students who were used to discussing the recession, global trade, world politics, and human rights in class with me, the question was, “Why are you doing this again?” To them my decision didn’t make any sense when jobs were decreasing and the financial market was falling, and frankly I didn’t have a satisfying answer myself. Last spring, I was reading Jeremiah 32 to prepare a sermon for my preaching class. It was a scene where Jeremiah was buying land from his cousin Hanamel when Judah was about to be conquered by Babylon. I couldn’t stop imagining the people around Jeremiah asking, “Why are you doing this again?” in the midst of a hopeless battle. The Babylonian army was just about to break down the gates and take the people of Judah as captives. Jeremiah’s transaction did not make any sense to them at all. During this same week, I learned about an interesting man who graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary almost a century ago. William A. Linton was a Georgia native, who graduated Georgia Tech in 1912 and became a missionary dispatched by the Presbyterian Church (PCUS) to Korea when he was twenty-two years old. At that time, Korea was under Japanese occupation and many missionaries were undergoing hardships with the different culture, diseases, and the Japanese government interfering with their mission work. During his sabbatical, he earned his Master’s Degree at Columbia Theological Seminary. For thirty years, along with other missionaries from the PCUS, Linton envisioned and worked to establish a College of Liberal Arts & Science in Daejon, Korea. After the Japanese left Korea, the PCUS gathered the funds to buy land to establish the school. In 1950, however, the Korean War broke out and the Korean peninsula was devastated. Experts and press from around the world announced that Korea would not be able to recover its economy for at least a century, but Linton did not let go of his vision from God. You can imagine those around him asking him the same question, “Why are you doing this again?”
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“Why are you doing this again?”
After half a century, Korea has not only recovered from its tragic past, but has grown radically economically. As a country, it sends out the second greatest number of missionaries throughout the world. The school which was established by the PCUS had Linton as its first president. Now called Hannam University, it is one of the most prestigious universities in Daejon teaching students about Truth, Freedom, and Service — the founding principles of the school. This is the same school from which I graduated four years ago before coming to the U.S. You can imagine how astonished I was to learn that a Columbia graduate was the founder and the first president of my alma mater. Unfortunately, the sermon I gave for my preaching class didn’t go as well as it could have because I spent too much time reading about Linton’s family. However, I cannot express enough how grateful I am to God for allowing me to witness a modern prophet who had to answer the same question I am facing today, “Why are you doing this again?”
Above: John Paik (MDiv ’14) with his son Kevin (19 months). In addition to the United States and Korea, John has ministry experience in the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Canada and Uganda. He lives in Decatur with his wife ShinAe Kim. He is also an avid Colorado Rockies baseball fan. Right: The statue of William Alderman Linton (1891-1960) MDiv ’30, the Founder and First President of Hannam University, Korea.
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This Child Here by Robert Gamble
“Photo, photo!” Jana shouts, motioning with her hand for me to follow. She wears a t-shirt and jeans that are gathered by a belt at her waist. Even in the dark, I can see her dirty hands, the black beneath her fingernails, and filth across her face. Her breath reeks of glue. She leaps to the platform and disappears down a hole. I crawl up on the concrete, dragging my camera bag, grab the sides of the rails, and go below. The room is ten by fifteen feet. In front of me are several massive steel sewage pipes too large to put my arms around. Smaller pipes run parallel and up; valve handles are the size of steering wheels. It looks like a jungle gym. Jana stands in the corner, her hand on her hip. I raise the camera. She does not smile. Outside, two streetlights, a nearby gas station and darkness are the backdrop. I shoot rapidly, glancing always at the screen on the back of my camera. In forty minutes, I take two hundred images of boys and girls from age eight or nine to fifteen, hugging each other or climbing on top of each other to get in front of the camera. Their faces pressed against the yellow dog that sleeps on top of the platform — faces which are solemn, smiling, wide mouthed, closed, intimate, distant. Jana’s face has changed. The images I took in
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When you get hit with forsakenness at this level, it changes you.
February showed her clean cheeks, ice blue eyes and shy smile. Now it is fall and, at fifteen, they tell me she has become a prostitute. I photograph her shrunken frame, her eyes dimmed by life on the street. I know these children. Their lives are horrific, and photographing them is compelling. Ukraine is a country suffering from a crisis of care for her indigent children — children in orphanages, children on the streets, children living in and leaving broken homes suffer tragically. In the PBS documentary “The Road to Matveevka,” statistics are given that, after leaving the government facilities of Ukraine, one in ten children commit suicide. The percentages of those who turn to drugs and prostitution are much higher. When you get hit with forsakenness at this level, it changes you. It is through the pain of a thing that you begin to feel. When you feel, you listen. That pain you feel about something and for someone, pay attention to that. That cry you hear from some place, pay attention to that. That awkwardness you feel when you look at the way things are, pay attention to that. It is in these things, God is speaking.
Ukraine is a country suffering from a crisis of care for her indigent children— children in orphanages, children on the streets, children living in and leaving broken homes suffer tragically.
Robert Gamble (DMin ’82) was recently awarded the Pioneer in Ministry Award at Columbia’s annual Alumni/ae Association Meeting. His ministry “This Child Here” is a registered 501c3 Non Profit supported primarily by the Presbyterian Church (USA). The mission of This Child Here is to guide and encourage street children toward a life with a family, in a shelter, or orphanage, and to provide resources for such children to lead healthy emotional and spiritual lives. Robert is available to speak to churches about his work with This Child Here by phone at 828-318-2149 or by email at robertgam@gmail.com. For more information about This Child Here, visit the website at www.thischildhere.org.
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T a u ta P a n ta
tauta panta 22
VANTAGE Spring 2013
Tauta Panta is Greek for “all these things” as in Matthew 6:33 — “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In our case, it is the section of Vantage which serves as a living tradition of what is being done by students, alumni/ae, staff and faculty. Come and see what God is doing in the life of our community to serve God and God’s changing world.
The Artful Life of Aimee Wallis Buchanan (MDiv ’96) by Katherine Blankenship
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here is a constant theme in conversations about the life and ministry of Aimee Wallis Buchanan, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. Many who remember her may recall her love of service, faithful discernment of Scripture, and joyful disposition. For many, it was her creativity and love of art in worship that lives on. It takes a real gift to be able to look at a few strips of paper and see a way to weave together psalms of lament and praise. There is a certain beauty present in the ability to look at a space filled with trash and brush, and see a space where people can come to pray and find comfort. These acts and insights shaped the ministry and life of one woman who over the course of her life touched the lives of thousands, working to reveal God’s beauty and grace in a world that is often overshadowed by pain and brokenness. Part of what made Aimee’s love of art in ministry so powerful was that it allowed believers of all ages and walks of life to reflect in a way that was tangible and creative. Aimee Buchanan sought to weave together stories from the biblical narrative with real-life experiences in a way that was tangible through the use of art and music. Since 2009, youth have traveled from all over the country to work with Asheville Youth Mission, a non-profit Aimee co-founded with her husband, Bill Buchanan. While Asheville Youth Mission’s primary focus has been its Mission Immersion program, working with non-profits in Asheville, NC who help those on the margins of society, even there Aimee’s artistry comes through. Each participating youth group reflects theologically on their mission experiences through an art project, and some of the service projects involve sitting alongside the poor and homeless doing art together. Aimee’s artistic ministry also came alive in her work and direction of Many Voices, a live art piece that is built on relationships with local teenagers which aims to name and engage the issues of celebration and difficulty present in their lives. In her own life and together with Bill, Aimee cultivated and built a ministry which continues today, honoring her memory and ministry. It could be said of Aimee that her entire life was a work of art. She painted with experience, like a potter she helped to shape the spiritual lives of countless youth, and sat at the loom of life, working to weave together all of this into a piece of art that reflected God’s love for us all. Katherine Blankenship (MDiv/MAPT ’14) knew Aimee as her associate pastor for several years at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC. Katherine also interned at the Asheville Youth Mission during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Another Columbia Student Lisle Gwynn will intern there this summer. Aimee’s legacy continues today through the work and ministry of Asheville Youth Mission. To find out more, visit ashevilleyouthmission.org.
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T a u t a P a n t a | Alumni/ae News & Notes
CTSeminary
resilience and imagination Forward Bouncing Back in Life and Ministry
Colloquium 2013 | April 15–17, 2013
< Distinguished Service Award winner Coy Franklin ’64 and Ann Kelly ’92.
> Class of ’63. Front row: Jack Taylor, Ann Bullard, Bill McElveen, Joseph Holt and Morris Taylor; 2nd row: Ed Lewis, Bob Armistead, Bob Matthews, Ray White and Bill Russell; Back row: Marty Harkey and Leon Jeffords.
< Distinguished Service Award winner Roland Perdue ’59 and his wife Jane.
Class of ’03. Front row: Cindy Benz ’03, Wendy Yow Cochran ’03, Kelly Ellicott ’04, Kate Richmond Rascoe ’03 and Sarah Erickson ’03; Back row: Ken Sikes ’03, Meghan Graham Watson ’03, Troy Bronsink ’04 and Clayton Rascoe ’03. VANTAGE Spring 2013
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T a u t a P a n t a | Alumni/ae News & Notes
Alumni/ae News & Notes 1 9 6 0 ’s G. Dan McCall ’60, ’87 (DMin) continues in his 52nd year of ordained ministry, serving as minister of pastoral care at Fairview Presbyterian Church, North Augusta, SC. 1 9 7 0 ’s John Larson ’71 was honorably retired from interim pastor, Buntyn Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN. . . . . Douglas Stearns ’72 was honorably retired from Lackawanna Presbytery. . . . . Michael Winters ’76 was honorably retired from Chicago Presbytery. . . . . Thomas Atkins ’77 was honorably retired from St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX. He has moved to Lebanon, NH. . . . . Anna Case-Winters ’78 is finishing a restorative sabbatical and after 26 years continues as Professor of Theology at McCormick Seminary. . . . . Royce Browder ’79, ’92 (DMin) was honorably retired from general presbyter, Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery, Wheeling, WV. 1 9 8 0 ’s Grady Perryman ’82, ’96 (DMin) was recently married. He and his wife, Linda, live in Pinehurst, NC . . . . . J. David Speering ’83 was honorably retired from pastor, Troy Presbyterian Church, Troy, NC . . . . . Charles Williamson ’84 (DMin) was honorably retired from Philadelphia Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC . . . . Carol Byrd ’88, ’02 (DMin) and Joey Byrd ’87 have relocated to Fort Jackson, Columbia, SC . . . . . Doug Hood ’87 received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in March, 2011 . . . . . John Gleason ’87 (DMin) has authored an article, “Can Chaplains Survive and Thrive with P4P?” in Chaplaincy Today 28:2, Autumn/ Winter 1012.13-19 . . . . . Drew Tomberlin ’87 is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, College Station, TX . . . . . Jon Faraone ’88 is pastor of Center Presbyterian Church, Tellico Plains, TN . . . . . Judith Gabel Roeling ’89 retired from South Louisiana Presbytery. She assists her husband, Ted Roeling at the Church of the Way Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge.
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1 9 9 0 ’s Peg Brinck ’95 has moved to Sioux City, IA where she is doing some supply preaching . . . . . Greg Lund ’95 is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rome, GA . . . . . Tim Slemmons ’95 has published a volume of poems, The Just, Quiet Wind . . . . . Susan Bennett ’97 was pictured and featured in an article in the “Snapshot” section of the January 12 issue of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The article highlighted Stockbridge Presbyterian Church, Stockbridge, GA, where she serves as pastor . . . . . Marianne McMasters Romanat ’97 is pastor of Light of Christ United Methodist Church, Charlotte, NC . . . . . Joe Hinds ’99 is Teen Leadership Director for the Miami County, OH, YMCA and is responsible for the youth center and two teen leadership programs: Leaders Club and Youth in Government. 2 0 0 0 ’s Janet Looby ’00 was honorably retired in Acworth, GA . . . . . Agnes Norfleet ’01 (DMin) is pastor of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, PA . . . . . Mary Cunningham Gause ’02 has moved to Columbus, OH, where her husband, Bill, is serving as head of staff at Overbrook Presbyterian Church. Mary is currently seeking a call. . . . . Carol Wade ’03 retired from Faith Presbyterian Church in Blue Ridge, GA. . . . . James Gale ’04 has joined the staff of the Synod of Mid-America as Director of Operations and Program Assistant. . . . . Teri Peterson ’05 is pastor of The Presbyterian Church of Palatine, Palatine, IL. . . . . Joe Evans ’06 is the featured speaker on Day 1 radio February 24th, and March 3rd. . . . . Daren Hofmann ’07 is pastor at White Lick Presbyterian Church, Avon, IN. . . . . Jeremy Wilhelmi ’07 is associate pastor for youth at Salisbury Presbyterian Church in Midlothian, VA. . . . . Sarah Chamberlain Hooker ’08 was ordained January 27, 2013 and installed as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Delhi, NY. . . . . Rob Jackson ’08 is interim pastor at Hilliard Presbyterian Church, Hilliard, OH. . . . . Kate Giguere Morris ’08 is associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moline, IL. . . . . Kathryn Schneider Halliburton ’08 was recently married and has moved to Baker City, OR.
After the April board meeting, four members of the Class of 1993 went to Big Canoe — “to reconnect, reflect on our ministries, and seek renewal”: (from left to right) Scott Huie, Ron Nelson, Dan Milford, and Todd Speed.
2 0 1 0 ’s Lauren Scharstein ’11 is associate pastor at Upper Montclair Presbyterian Church in Upper Montclair, NJ . . . . . Kyle Walker ’11 (DMin) is interim pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX . . . . . Zachary Wolfe ’11 was ordained November 18, 2012 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, NE, and is the associate pastor of youth and contemporary worship at First Presbyterian Church, Jefferson City, MO . . . . . David C. Adams ’12 is associate pastor at Newnan Presbyterian Church, Newnan, GA . . . . Alex Barnes ’12 is pastor of Milton Presbyterian Church, Rittman, OH. . . . . Anna Fulmer ’12 is participating in the 2-year Lake Fellow Residency Program at Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, IN. . . . . Mark Hults ’12 is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Green Cove Springs, FL. . . . .Dawn Martin Hyde ’12 is pastor of Mission Bay Community Church, San Francisco, CA. . . . . Sheldon Steen ’12 is youth director at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, Decatur, GA . . . . . Elizabeth Toland Smith ’12 is associate pastor, Second Presbyterian Church, Roanoke, VA . . . . . Rob White ’13 is pastor of Covington Presbyterian Church, Covington, LA.
In Memoriam Richard Braun ’46 . . . . . . . . November 22, 2012 Aimee W. Buchanan ’96 . . . . . February 4, 2013 Mary Alice Haynie ’03 . . . . . . December 28, 2012 John F. Mercier ’63 . . . . . . . . January 10, 2013 Joseph Orehosky ’83 . . . . . . . December 8, 2012 Rueben J. Wallace ’53 . . . . . . January 6, 2013 Gordon West ’77 (DMin) . . . . July 12, 2012
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Celebrating 25 Years in Partnership with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa Dr. Deborah Flemister Mullen, Dean of Faculty and Executive Vice President, recently spent a week in Kenya as the Bible Exposition leader for the annual meeting of the General Administration Committee (GAC) of the Presbyterian Church in East Africa (PCEA). Dr. Mullen was invited to present four Bible studies during April 23-28 at the Busara Academy in Laikipia Presbytery, Nyahururu, Kenya. Each day, the 450 commissioners and ministry leaders gathered from 8 to 9 am to reflect on the lessons Dr. Mullen presented on the chosen theme, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) The invitation was extended in appreciation and gratitude for Columbia Theological Seminary’s long-standing and historic relationship with the PCEA. For nearly a quarter of a century, Columbia and the PCEA, comprised of 51 presbyteries spread throughout Kenya and parts of Tanzania and Uganda, have been deeply and mutually committed to the student exchange. It was initiated by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in cooperation with Columbia beginning in 1989 with the Rev. Charles Kibisi, a distinguished leader of the PCEA. Almost every year since then, the PCEA has sent a local church pastor to Columbia for one year of study to complete an advanced degree, ordinarily the Master of Theology (ThM), as the denomination has sought to further equip its best and brightest for critical leadership posts across the PCEA. The former Deputy General Secretary, who is now the Director of the PCEA’s Lay Training and Conference Center in Kikuyu, Kenya, Rev. Njoroge believes that Columbia has had a hand in the formation of more than fifteen PCEA pastors who have gone on to serve as moderator, secretary general, deputy secretary general, and as directors of denominational offices and programs. An updated roster of Columbia alumni is being prepared at the PCEA office which will facilitate closer communications between Columbia and the PCEA. Likewise, over the past twenty years close to two dozen Columbia students have spent summers living in Kenya, studying and working under the supervision of a Kenyan pastor and parishioners in the PCEA. During her brief time in Kenya, Dr. Mullen was graciously hosted by the Rev. Francis Njoroge and family. Mullen was introduced to several Columbia alumni, all proud graduates who call themselves “the Columbians.” One especially poignant meeting took place in the family home of the Rev. Martin Mwangi (Columbia exchange student, 2007-08), beloved by all, who continues to make miraculous progress in his recovery from a near fatal automobile accident in 2012. As is typical of Kenyan hospitality, the Sunday visit began mid-afternoon and lasted well into the latter part of the evening, complete with refreshments, spirited fellowship, and ending with Martin’s spontaneous invitation to “have church” before leaving for the night. This gathering of 15 or so included “Columbians” the Revs. Martin Mwangi, Francis Njoroge, Henry Kiara, Paul Kariuki, and their families. Before it was all over, the idea had been sparked to establish a PCEA Columbia alumni chapter in Kenya. 26
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T a u t a P a n t a | Faculty & Staff
Faculty Publications and Events David Bartlett, Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of New Testament, hosted a forum at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta to discuss gun violence on May 9. Government representatives, law enforcement officers, attorneys and theologians talked about the role of guns in the United States and suggested possible ways forward to a better solution . . . . . William Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, has a sermon titled “The Ecology of Resurrection” featured in the latest issue of Journal for Preachers (Easter 2013), pp. 20-23, and has published a sermon “Wonder: Stewards of God’s Mysteries” in the Pentecost issue of Journal for Preachers (2013). He gave a lecture “Fifty Shades of Green” and preached at Church of the Covenant in Cleveland, Ohio on April 13-14. Bill presented “The Cosmic Christ and Deep Incarnation” for the Institute of Reformed Theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary on April 15. He participated in a review panel discussion on Simon Conway Morris’s book Life’s Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe at the Center of Theological Inquiry (Princeton) on May 2 . . . . . Brennan Breed, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, is editor for a new website, Marginalia Review of Books (themarginaliareview.com) that launched this year. On the website he wrote a review essay titled “Mapping the World beyond the Garden: Is the Bible Ever Read in its Context?” (http://themarginaliareview.com/archives/1389). Brennan taught a four-week course during February at Church of the Epiphany in Decatur, titled “A Fresh Approach to Scripture: The Bible in the 21st Century”. On March 3, he also taught on the book of Job at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA . . . . . Anna Carter Florence, Peter Marshall Associate Professor of Preaching, presented for a UCC Ministers’ Event in FL on January 14. On January 20, she was preacher for the Ecumenical Ministers Conference of SE Alabama. On February 2-3, she spoke at a women’s retreat and preached at the Community Church of the Verdes, Rio Verde, AZ. On February 11-13, Anna was a lecturer and teacher at “Language for Interfaith Dialogue”, Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN. On February 15-18, she gave the Britt Lectures at First United Methodist Church, Honolulu,
F a cu lt y P r o m o t i o n s Congratulations to Dr. Mark Douglas, Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the MATS Program, on being promoted to full professor.
Congratulations to Dr. Kimberly Bracken Long, Associate Professor of Worship, on being awarded tenure.
HI. On March 4, Anna lectured to students for the Fund for Theological Education. On March 10, she gave the Barbara Noojin Walthall Bible Studies Series at Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL. On April 3-4, Anna gave the Berger Lectures at Dubuque Seminary, Dubuque, IA. On April 15-17, she presented a workshop for Princeton Theological Seminary Alumni/ae Conference at First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA. On May 15, Anna was preacher and lecturer for the Festival of Homiletics in Nashville, TN. On May 22, she will be at a Continuing Education Event for the Colgate Rochester Divinity School. Upcoming events
for Anna include June 13-15 when she will lecture at Pastoral Institute, University of Uppsala, Sweden. On July 26-August 4, she will be the evangelist for Berwick Camp, Nova Scotia (United Church of Canada) . . . . . Pamela Cooper-White, the Ben G. and Nancye Clapp Gautier Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care and Counseling has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to do research and teach a seminar at the Sigmund Freud Foundation and Museum in Vienna, Austria 2013-2014 academic year. Dr. Cooper-White will hold the title of Fulbright-Freud Visiting Scholar of Psychoanalysis. She is the first theologian ever to receive this award. Her proposed research project is entitled “Existential, Humanistic, and Religious Themes in the Writings of Freud’s Vienna Circle and the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society,” and she will also teach a course at the Freud Museum, sponsored by the University of Vienna’s Institute for Practical Theology and psychology of Religion, entitled “Freud, Psychoanalysis and Religion: Critiques and Counter-critiques.” She published “The Power that Beautifies and Destroys: Sabina Spielrein and ‘Destruction as a Cause of Coming into Being,’” for the C.G. Jung Society of Atlanta Quarterly News, Spring 2013, p. 11. She preached two services at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Omaha, NE, on IV Easter, April 21. In addition, she will teach a week-long seminar at the University of Bern based on her recent books Shared Wisdom: Use of the Self in Pastoral Care and Counseling (2004); Many Voices: Pastoral Psychotherapy in Relational and Theological Perspective (2007); and Braided Selves: Collected Essays on Multiplicity, God, and Persons (2011) . . . . . Pamela contributed a chapter “Clergy Sexual Exploitation of Adults” to When Pastors Prey: Overcoming Clergy Sexual Abuse of Women, edited by Valli B. Batchelor (Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches/World Student Christian Federation, 2013), with a Prologue on “The Global Scourge of Violence against Women” by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The book was launched on March 7 at the 57th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women NGO Parallel Event in New York. She also presented the annual endowed Lectures in Spirituality and Psychotherapy on the topic “Shared Wisdom: Intersubjectivity and Use of the Self in Pastoral Psychotherapy,” March 8-9 at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN. On February 1-2, she was the featured soloist in a cabaret show “With Love from Gershwin” to benefit the Gettysburg Community Theatre/School of Musical Theatre, and on Mar. 15 performed in the theatre’s annual gala “That’s Entertainment!” On June 15, Pamela
will be presenting “Beyond ‘A Dangerous Method’: Sabina Spielrein’s Groundbreaking Contributions to Psychoanalysis” for the Jung Society of Atlanta . . . . . Mark Douglas, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, attended the Society of Christian Ethics annual meeting in January where he presided at the Presbyterian Ethicists reception. In February and March, he helped lead a 2-week pilgrimage to the Holy Lands for First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, GA. In March, he gave the Flora and Murray Spencer Lectures at First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, LA. In April, Mark will teach a weekend seminar on the New Testament for “Teens 4 Christ” in Mobile, AL. He has also taught at Holy Trinity Episcopalian Church, Decatur, GA; First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA; Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA; and St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, Dunwoody, GA . . . . . Sarah Flynn Erickson ’03/DEdMin ’10, Director of Lifelong Learning, served on the planning team for “Learning Without Borders” during the April 8-10 conference and annual meeting of the Association of Leaders of Lifelong Learning for Ministry (ALLLM), formerly the Society for the Advancement of Continuing Education for Ministry (SACEM). The keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. Eric Law, an Episcopalian priest, as well as founder and director of the Kaleidoscope Institute. The event included immersion experiences in Tucson, AZ and Nogales, Mexico conducted by Borderlinks. At the meeting, Sarah was elected to serve on the 6-member leadership team and subsequently elected vice-president of the organization. Sarah served as part of the confirmation leadership team for North Decatur Presbyterian Church, including accompanying the group to worship on February 17 at Providence Missionary Baptist, where Damon P. Williams (’11) is senior pastor. She also preached on April 7 at North Decatur Presbyterian. On April 25-26, Sarah will attend a seminar on “Developing Strategy in the Midst of Change,” Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School, and a gathering of selected leaders from the Transition into Ministry and Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiatives on May 20-22 in Indianapolis sponsored by the Pastoral Excellence Network (PEN). Sarah will preach and lead worship at Ray Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church, Marietta, GA on June 23 and 30 . . . . . William Harkins, Senior Lecturer of Pastoral Theology and Care, spoke as Vestry Retreat Leader for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Newnan at the Kanuga Conference Center, Hendersonville, NC on February 1-3 and for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Milledgeville, GA on February 23. He made a presentation at a Columbia Seminary Forum “Resilience and Imagination” on March 6, as well as Colloquium 2013 on “Resilience and Imagination: Bouncing Back in Life and Ministry,” on April 17. Bill was a workshop leader for Journey Into Wholeness presenting “Family Systems Theory” at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church on April 20. He also wrote “Fireweed, Resilience, and Transition,” for the Winter edition of @thispoint posted by Columbia Theological Seminary (www.atthispoint.net). Upcoming Events for Bill include Guest Lecturer, Sewanee/University of the VANTAGE Spring 2013
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South, School of Theology, DMin Summer Program in June. He will be Faculty at College for Bishops’, Living Our Vows Residency on June 17-21 at Roslyn Conference Center in Richmond, VA. He and Martha Stern will present “Finding One’s Voice in Sacred Matters” at the Cathedral of St. Philip in June. Bill also published “Transition and Resilience in Ministry and Life” for Pathways, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, Winter 2013 . . . . . Beth Johnson, J. Davison Philips Professor of New Testament, spoke at Colloquium 2013, and will preach at the Holden Beach Chapel, Holden Beach, NC on June 2 . . . . . Kimberly Bracken Long, Assistant Professor of Worship, served as faculty and worship leader at the January Seminars during January 28-30 for The Center of Lifelong Learning. She was preacher and workshop leader at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Professionals’ Conference in Charlotte, NC during February 7-9. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion, Year C, Vol. 2, Trinity through Reign of Christ (ed. KBL) was released from Westminster John Knox Press. Kim presented a plenary lecture and led a workshop at the Valparaiso Institute of Liturgical Studies on April 8-10 (http://www.valpo.edu/ils/plenaries. php). She will also be serving as liturgist and faculty for the Montreat Worship and Music Conference during June 16-28 . . . . . Martha Moore-Keish, Associate Professor of Theology, attended the North American Academy of Liturgy in Albuquerque in January with colleagues Kim Long and Paul Huh where she stepped down after a two-year term as Delegate for Membership. Martha began her sabbatical in February with a two-week trip to Israel/Palestine with her brother and members of his congregation, the (Episcopal) Church of the Nativity in Burnsville, MN. She returned to begin sabbatical research in sacramental theology and comparative theology. In March, she celebrated communion at First Presbyterian Church, at the Five @ First contemporary service as well as one of the Maundy Thursday in-home communion services, and taught a Sunday school class via Skype with St. Mark’s Presbyterian in Rockville, MD. On April 7-13, Martha attended, as Reformed co-chair, the third annual meeting of the international ecumenical dialogue between the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. They met this year on the campus of Notre Dame University discussing themes of justification and sanctification in our traditions. On April 18, she preached for “Come See Columbia Day” on campus. Upcoming events for Martha include participating in the second year of the Luce-funded AAR summer seminar on comparative theology meeting in Atlanta, GA during May 29-June 5. She 28
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will also participate for the second year in the Christian Leadership Initiative (CLI), a jointly sponsored program by the American Jewish Committee and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem during July 15-26. The Christian Leadership Initiative (CLI) Fellowship offers participants an opportunity to study the intellectual foundations of religious pluralism and interreligious studies, the central ideas of Jewish ethics and faith, and the diverse ideologies and practices within contemporary Jewry in a dynamic and internationally acclaimed educational setting. Christine Yoder was previously a participant in the CLI initiative. Martha will have an article published in the spring newsletter of the Association of Reformed and Liturgical Worship on “This Bread of Life,” one portion of the report from the U.S. ecumenical dialogue between the Reformed and Roman Catholic churches on baptism and eucharist . . . . . Michael Morgan, Seminary Musician, gave lectures and hosted book exhibits on Psalms at the University of Alabama and Tallahassee Church Music Conference Psalm festivals at First United Methodist Church, Montgomery, AL and First United Methodist Church, Troy, AL. He also did Bible exhibits and lectures for Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain, GA and Silver Creek Presbyterian Church in Rome, GA . . . . . Raj Nadella, Assistant Professor of New Testament, published “Postcolonialism, Translation, and Colonial Mimicry” In Ideology, Culture, and Translation, edited by Scott Elliott and Roland Boer, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2012 . . . . . Rodger Nishioka, Benton Family Associate Professor of Christian Education, spoke at the baccalaureate service for Monmouth College (IL) on May 11. He is also speaking at the Presbyterian Cross Cultural Network gathering as part of the Big Tent conference on August 3 and meeting with their young adult network following the event . . . . . Charles Raynal, professor emeritus, was asked to give the James McDowell Richardson Lectures by Rev. Achim Daffin (’81), Chaplain at Presbyterian Village in Summerville, SC. Charles gave three talks April 21-22: “The Indispensable Psalter: Psalms for Prayer, Song, and Devotion” . . . . . Marcia Y. Riggs, J. Erskine Love Professor of Christian Ethics, led a four-week series entitled, “Finding Your Zones of Inspiration,” connecting artistic practices and spirituality at Still Waters: A Center for Ethical Formation and Practices, Inc. She was an invited guest at the premier of Tyler Perry’s movie, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, and for a discussion with black religious leaders from across the country about the movie’s potential as an educational tool in congregations. Marcia will attend the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race in Accra, Ghana in July . . . . . Jeffery Tribble, Associate Professor of Ministry, preached at Redemption Fellowship Church in Fayetteville, GA, where Rev. Stephen
Cobbert (’97), serves as pastor on February 10. On February 17, he conducted a leadership conference at Smith Chapel A. M.E. Zion Church in Girard, GA. Dr. Tribble delivered the quadrennial address on the topic, “Are We There Yet?” to the International Ministers and Laymen Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which met in Houston, TX on February 20. He was elected to the Executive Board of the Presiding Elder’s Council for 2013-2017. He preached the 17th Church Anniversary of Unity A.M.E. Zion Church in Merrillville, Indiana on March 3. He attended the “Re-Thinking Mission” Conference sponsored by the World Methodist Evangelism Institute at Candler School of Theology on March 23. He preached one of the “Seven Last Words of Christ” for the Good Friday Service of the Augusta District Conference held at Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church in Augusta, GA on March 29. He preached the Easter morning message at New Vision A.M.E. Zion Church in Stone Mountain, GA. Dr. Tribble preached and administered communion for the United Ghana Christian Church in Atlanta, GA on April 7. He attended the Board of Trustees meeting of Clinton Junior College in Rock Hill, SC on April 12. He shared preaching and worship leadership with Columbia student Coenraad Brand (’13) at the Presbyterian Village in Austell, GA on April 21. His lecture to the International Ministers and Laymen Association, “Are We There Yet: A Call to Reflective Leadership” was published in the Star of Zion newspaper. The online version may be found at http://thestarofzion.com/ are-we-there-yet-a-call-to-reflective-leadership-p300-1.htm. Upcoming events for Jeffery include preaching at New Hope Baptist Church in Covington, GA on June 1. Dr. Tribble will continue his collaborative research on Integration in Theological Education at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, located at St. Johns University in Collegeville, Minnesota June 24-26. He will participate in ministerial workshops at the Bishop Arthur Marshall Faith and Order Institute June 27-29 in Augusta, GA. The projected release date of the second edition (first paperback edition) of his book, Transformative Pastoral Leadership in the Black Church is August 1. Dr. Tribble will preach and preside over the 146th Session of the Augusta District Conference on August 10-11, which will be held at Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church in Augusta, GA. He will have an essay, “Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany,” published this summer in Preaching God’s Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary, Featuring 22 New Holy Days for Justice, Year A, edited by Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, Dale P. Andrews, and Ronald J. Allen and published by Westminster John Knox. Jeffery and Cherlyn will renew their wedding vows in a 30th year celebration service and reception at the Greater Walters A. M.E. Zion Church in Chicago, IL on August 24 . . . . . Haruko Nawata Ward, Associate Professor of Church History, developed a new curriculum for an online church history course, “Christianity through the Ages,” for PATHWAYS, a long distance learning theological educational program for licensing ministers of the Southeast Conference, United
Church of Christ, at the request of Rev. Dr. Sarah Kim, ThD (’10), who is the Executive Director of Theological Education and Dean of PATHWAYS. Haruko preached for the opening worship and a plenary lecturer for the triennial gathering of National Asian Presbyterian Women in Houston, TX during April 26-28 . . . . . Ralph B. Watkins, Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth was the keynote speaker at the Coffee County Martin L. King Jr. Annual Community Worship Service at Greater Destiny International Ministries, Douglas, GA on January 13. On February 1-3, Ralph led a church leaders retreat in Myrtle Beach, SC for C. N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. On February 12, he was a speaker for Men of Zion Hill at Zion Hill Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA. On February 22-23, Ralph led Leadership Development Conference for the Salem Presbytery African American Clergy Caucus, host pastor Rev. Olen Bruner, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Salisbury, NC. On February 24, he was the morning worship preacher, New Life Presbyterian Church, College Park, GA. On March 24, Ralph was morning worship preacher, Family and Friends Day at Beulah Grove Baptist Church, Augusta, GA. On April 7, he was morning worship preacher, Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA. For the April 2013 edition of Christianity Today he published an article, “The N-Word: Real Talk in Real Rap by a Real Artist: Sho Said It”. Ralph continues to host his biweekly television show, Religion Roundtable on the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting Network: January 25, “The Church and Poverty in American and Atlanta” with guest Anita Beatty, Executive Director, Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless; February 8, “The Future of the Church in the African American Church and Poverty” guest Yani Davis, local hip hop artist and Pastor Marlin Harris, Sr. Pastor of New Life Church, Decatur, GA; February 22, “Reflection on the Resignation of the Pope” guest Dr. Mark Ellingsen, Professor of Church History at The Interdenominational Center and Father Paul A. Burke, Chair of the Faculty of Theology at The Holy Spirit Catholic College; March 8, “Women in Ministry and Seminarians Perspective” guest Rev. Juanita Vinson as student The Interdenominational Center and Columbia student Lucy Strong (’13); March 22, “Guns, Faith and Violence: When is Enough, Enough?” guest Dr. David Gushee, Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University and Rev. Frank Brown, President of Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta, GA; April 5, “The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence” guest David Barnhart, film maker with the Presbyterian Church USA; and April 19, “Faith and Leadership: The Future of Atlanta” guest the honorable, Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta, GA. On March 11, Ralph produced and directed a full length documentary, “She’s The Pastor and Like a Tree Planted by the Water She Shall Not Be Moved”. The documentary aired on the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting Network. The women included in “She is the Pastor” were as diverse as their ministries: traditional, contemporary and in-between. “She is the Pastor” included VANTAGE Spring 2013
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National Events for New Hymnal Planned Speakers and Preachers Announced Bishop Barbara King, Founder and Spiritual Leader of Hillside International Truth Center, Teresa Angle-Young, Pastor, Sacred Tapestry, Sonya Williams, Pastor Restoration Inclusive Ministries, Toni Belin Ingram, Pastor, Greater Smith AME church. Upcoming events for Ralph include a chapter, “A Black Church Perspective on Minorities in Evangelicalism”, to be published in the book Aliens in the Promised Land edited by Anthony Bradley for Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company on May 6. He will also travel to Israel and Palestine with Interfaith Peace Builders during May 24-June 7 to shoot, produce and direct a feature length documentary, “Its-Real: The Story of the 46th Delegation of Peace Builders” to be aired on Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting Network . . . . . Monica Wedlock, Director of Admissions and Recruitment, received her ThM from Columbia this May . . . . . Christine Yoder, Professor of Old Testament Language, Literature, and Exegesis, gave a presentation on Psalms at Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. She taught and preached for the “Weekend in the Word” at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX. Christine taught a six-week series on wisdom literature at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. She was on a panel at ITC with Beth Johnson and Kathleen O’Connor to celebrate the publication of the Women’s Bible Commentary, Twentieth Anniversary Edition (WJK, 2012). Christine presented a paper at the Old Testament Research Colloquium, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ. She also wrote the introduction to Proverbs that was just published in the Anselm Academic Study Bible (Anselm Academic, 2013). In July, Christine will present a paper as part of a panel at the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in St. Andrews, Scotland.
T
he Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) is pleased to announce six national conferences around the publication of its new hymnal, Glory to God. These two-day educational events are being designed for pastors, musicians, worship committees, and ecumenical friends. Focus topics include global music, how to teach a new hymn, liturgy in Glory to God, and much more! Nationally-recognized musicians, preachers, and theologians will be featured at each event. Here is a list of locations, dates, speakers, and preachers for each event. Wayne Presbyterian Church (Wayne, PA) October 18–19, 2013
Plenary speaker: Walter Brueggemann Preacher: Kimberly Bracken Long First Presbyterian Church (Albuquerque, NM) November 1–2, 2013
Plenary speaker: Michael Hawn Preacher: Margaret Aymer First Presbyterian Church (Salt Lake City, UT) November 4–5, 2013
Plenary speaker: Marva Dawn Preacher: Gláucia Vasconcelos Wilkey First Presbyterian Church (Ft. Worth,TX) January 9–10, 2014
Plenary speaker: Don Saliers Preacher: Laura Mendenhall Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, GA) February 21–22, 2014
Plenary speaker: Craig Barnes Preacher: Theresa Cho Harvey Browne Presbyterian Church (Louisville, KY) March 14–15, 2014
Plenary speaker: Martha Moore-Keish Preacher: John Wurster Information is available online at http://www.presbyterianhymnal.org/launch/. Registration will open in May 2013.
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The hymnal will be published in September, in a variety of print and digital formats. For more information or to order the hymnal, visit www.presbyterianhymnal.org. News and resources are also available on the blog, which can be found at blog.presbyterianhymnalproject.com/.
candlelights
A different world cannot be built by indifferent people. — Peter Marshall (MDiv ’31) Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. — Harriet Tubman Fear imprisons us and stops us being fully human. Uniquely in all of human history Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the one who as living love liberates holy courage. — Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury Beyond the veil lies an undiscovered country, a land of new things, of change, of experiment, of wild hope and somber realization, of superlatives and italics of wondrously blended poetry and prose. — W.E.B. DuBois The world is made up of those who move and those who do not, and increasingly it’s populated by the former. — Andrew Lam The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. — Alan Watts
My God calls to me in the morning dew The power of the universe knows my name Gave me a song to sing and sent me on my way I raise my voice for justice I believe — Sweet Honey in the Rock (I Remember, I Believe) Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it. — Harry Emerson Fosdick How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — Anne Frank At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in. — Rosa Parks I am here and so are you. And we matter. We can change things. — Ella Baker
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Spring 2013
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Contents Lifelong Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Columbia’s new web site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vantage Point: President’s Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Hyper-Focus: Educational Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Reasonable Service (News). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 An Interview with Tom Guthrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Welcoming Spouses Through English Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 First Creation Care Sermon Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Two Buildings Now LEED Gold Certified. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Explorations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My Day in Jamaica by Candi Cylar ’14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Edges of Atlanta by Rebekah Abel Lamar ’14. . . . . . . . . A Window into Appalachia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning Appointed. . . . . New Director for the John von Bulow Campbell Library. . .
11 11 12 13 13 13
Sensible Horizons (Features). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What’s Really Changed by Rodger Nishioka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telling Our Story in God’s Changing World by Brandon Perkins ’16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buying into God’s Vision by John Paik ’14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Child Here by Robert Gamble DMin ’82. . . . . . . . . . . .
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Tauta Panta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22–30 The Artful Life of Aimee Wallis Buchanan MDiv ’96. . . . . . 22 Colloquium 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Alumni/ae News and Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Celebrating 25 Years of Partnership with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Faculty/Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 National Events for New Hymnal Planned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Candlelights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Look inside for our new section “Candlelights”! Each issue, we will highlight inspirational quotes and artwork reflective of our theme. Our next issue will be about “Faithful Disciples”. Feel free to submit your own ideas to thompsonm@ctsnet.edu.
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Photograph provided by Gregg Steuben using ignited 000 grade steel wool inside a kitchen whisk attached to a chain.The shutter was open for 10 seconds while spinning the chained assembly.