Into the Deep End

2013 ADRIEL SANCHEZ

INTO THE DEEP END I t’s hard to imagine where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for the training I received and the people who befriended me at Westminster Seminary California. I began my studies in 2010. To be honest I was intimidated. Not having a background in confessional Reformed theology, I felt like a bad swimmer pushed into the deep end of a pool. I was grasping for concepts to grab onto that were familiar. As an elective during my first semester, I took a seminar course called Union with Christ. It sounded easy enough! I didn’t know that union with Christ was a theological concept that was the center of no little controversy. The class that I assumed would be a cinch had me sweating, especially when I had to speak up during group discussions!

Looking back, the “sweating” that came because of the academic rigor of the program is what I’ve come to appreciate most about Westminster. Finishing seminary felt like a true accomplishment, and in the process I had changed. There’s that caricature of seminary that it’s where people go to get puffed up or lose their faith. God used Westminster to accomplish the opposite in me. I was constantly humbled to share the classroom with men and women who were tremendously gifted and wanted to serve Christ. Having brilliant professors whom I looked up to as theologians, but whom I could also speak with and befriend, made me feel privileged. My own faith grew through Hebrew, and Greek, exegetical papers, and history classes. I’m so grateful for the hard work that was required of me that helped get me ready for the trenches of ministry. Now serving as a pastor, I’d like to share a couple of the ways WSC continues to impact my ministry.

First, the training I received at Westminster gave me confidence to interpret the Bible. I’m proud to have gone to a seminary that doesn’t take short cuts when it comes to theological languages. Having undergone exegetical boot camp, I don’t feel intimidated when working through a passage in order to preach it. At least for me, the most difficult part of preparing a sermon isn’t the interpretation of the text, but wrestling with how to apply the exegetical work to my own congregation. The seminary education I received helped me to understand the Scriptures well enough to exegete them so that I could share God’s word in a way that is faithful, and thereby effective at bringing about transformation in God’s people. Furthermore, seeing how our theological convictions aren’t invented, but grow out of the rich soil of Scripture, has encouraged me to boldly “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2).

Second, Westminster taught me about the role of the ordinary means of grace in gospel ministry. This has been a lifeline for me in difficult moments pastoring. We planted our church nearly six years ago, and in the early days there were times of discouragement. Resting in the fact that the church was Christ’s and that he was going to build it his way kept me from trying to create a church in my own image. Knowing that the mission of the church (the Great Commission) isn’t severed from the marks of the church (preaching the gospel, administration of the sacraments, and discipline) has saved me from countless hours of trying to re-invent the wheel as a church planter. I’m comforted by the fact that I don’t need to figure out how to build the church; that’s Jesus’ job. Our work is to be faithful to the means by which he fulfills his promise. In our labors, we aren’t alone either! Westminster introduced me to a network of men and women with whom I would be able to labor side-byside in the gospel. These brothers and sisters have been a source of encouragement for me since having graduated, and I’m so grateful for their influence in my life as well as the seminary’s.

As a seminary, WSC accomplished exactly what I hoped training for ministry would. It grounded me in God’s word and gave me the confidence needed to proclaim the Scriptures boldly, and the comfort of the gospel to sustain that kind of ministry for a lifetime.

ALUMNI NEWS

Send your recent updates for future magazine issues to alumni@wscal.edu.

1984 Robert Meissner (M.Div., 1984) retired as an Air Force Chaplain after serving 33 years and is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Talbot Seminary (La Mirada, CA). 1988 Tom Carter (D.Min., 1988) is retiring after 38 years as the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dinuba, CA. He served a total of 44 years in three churches. He recently launched TomCarterSermons.com. Sung Park (MAR, 1988) has been practicing neurology over 25 years as well as serving in the church as volunteer assistant pastor and is finishing a Th.M. degree at Westminster Theological Seminary, under the mentorship of Dr. William Edgar. 1997 Don Collett (M.Div., 1997) has been teaching in the Bible department at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA, since 2008 and in January 2020, he was appointed interim academic dean. His book titled Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice will be published in April 2020 by Baker Academic. 2003 David Barcelo (MA, 2003) is publishing his first book (to be released in June 2020) Su Gracia es Mayor (His Grace is More). In it biblical theology and biblical counseling meet to talk to the heart and point to Christ when unfolding the gospel in the life of Joseph. David is married to Elisabet, father of four children, pastor and church planter in Spain. 2006 David Zadok (MABS, 2006) is Pastor of Grace and Truth Christian Congregation in Gedera, Israel, and Director of HaGefen Publishing. David recently published Dr. Julius Kim’s book, Preaching the Whole Council of God, in Modern Hebrew. This is the first book on preaching ever published in Modern Hebrew. 2008 Stephen Roberts (M.Div., 2008) has been assigned to Fort Bragg, NC, to work with psychological operations soldiers. He will be moving there with his wife, Lindsey, and kids, Seth and Tabitha, in July. 2010 Matthew Mills (M.Div. 2010), his wife Lisa, and big brother Ian welcomed Eliana Elizabeth Mills on April 19, 2019. He is serving as an English as a Second Language Instructor. Las Positas College in Livermore, CA. Peter Mulinge (MABS, 2010) completed a Doctor of Ministry (DMIN) program in Organic Leadership Development at Bethel Seminary San Diego in 2015 before returning to Kenya, Africa, where he started leadership development programs tailor-made for church and emerging leaders. He will complete a Ph.D. in leadership studies at the School of leadership studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, in May 2020. 2010 Thomas Knox Myrick (M.Div., 2010) and his wife, Abigail, welcomed the arrival of their second daughter, Mary Arden Myrick, last summer. Tommy serves as Associate Pastor to Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, a Washington, D.C. suburb. 2013 Shane Bennett (M.Div., 2013) was called as a church planter at Reformation Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September 2019. 2013 Steve Moulson (MAHT, 2001, M.Div., 2013) planted Church Hill Presbyterian (PCA), in Richmond, VA, in September 2019. Jiwon Helen (Shin) Wyman (MATS, 2013) will be completing her general psychiatry training and going on to additional training in child and adolescent psychiatry in June 2020, when we will be relocating to Los Angeles. 2014 Joshua Schendel (MAHT, 2014) has been hired as the Executive Editor at Modern Reformation Magazine. Joshua is a Ph.D. candidate in Theology at Saint Louis University. His dissertation is entitled, “’A Learned Dispute Among Friends’: William Twisse and John Owen on the Necessity of the Christ’s Satisfaction.” He is also pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). 2015 Kennedy M. Gondwe (MATS, 2015) works for the Centres for Apologetics Research in Africa and in 2018 relocated to Zambia where he works with ministers teaching on cults and holds seminars every three months for pastors and university students equipping them with biblical knowledge to better equip and serve their members and families. Adrian Crum (M.Div., 2016) and his wife, Rachel, welcomed their third daughter (Lucy Elinor) in September 2019. Adrian is serving as Associate Pastor at Reformation Fellowship (OPC) in Roseville, CA. Dabney Olguin (M.Div., 2016) was ordained to gospel ministry and called to serve as pastor at Grace Covenant Church in Parma, Ohio, in 2019. His wife, Lauren, is homeschooling their four children; Isabela (11), Caleb (10), Isaiah (7), and Isaac (5). Brian Onstead (M.Div., 2016) started a new call as preaching pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Powell, WY, in September 2019. Adam Smith (M.Div., 2016) began a new position as the Director of International Operations and Chief of Staff at the White Horse Inn in January 2020. Daniel Cortez (M.Div., 2018) has passed the URCNA Candidacy Exam and is in the process of pursuing military chaplaincy as a United States Air Force Reserve Chaplain. Tedd Sutton (M.Div., 2018) was ordained and installed as the associate pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Hol land, MI, in June 2019.

As any seminary graduate will tell you, a seminary education is only the beginning of one’s education and preparation for ministry. As the saying goes, the more you know, the more you know how much you don’t know! Westminster Seminary California encourages its students to be lifelong learners as specialists in the Bible. In order to promote the continuing education of its students, WSC allows its alumni to audit any course for free. Hundreds of alumni have taken advantage of this opportunity over the years.

Each January, WSC alumni return to their alma mater for the Annual Conference, Alumni Winter Refresher, and, of course, the Southern California sun. Churches often grant their pastors a brief sabbatical in order for them to return to campus for spiritual and intellectual refreshment and to reconnect with former professors and classmates. These alumni usually take advantage of the January sunshine by taking in a round of golf or a trip to the beach. Some of these alumni return every year for this time of pastoral refreshment and fellowship.

This tradition continued in the 2020 Winter term, which featured 11 intensive courses held through January. This year’s course offerings included “Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Biblical Motifs,” “The Ascension of Christ in the Ancient Church,” “Ministry to University Students,” and “Urban Apologetics.” A combination of full-time WSC faculty and visiting professors taught these January courses. Most Winter term courses are one-week intensives, which provides an ideal opportunity for alumni auditors without having to miss too much time from their church or other jobs. In addition to the 95 current students taking these courses for credit, 19 auditors participated in Winter term courses, including 11 alumni, 2 alumni spouses, and 3 current student spouses. Several WSC Trustees also remained on campus after Board meetings in order to sit in on classes.

We hope our alumni plan to join us on campus for next year’s Annual Conference and winter classes, which include an exciting slate of offerings. Stay tuned for the Winter term course schedule to be published on the WSC website and social media accounts this summer.

2020 ALUMNI WINTER REFRESHER

SEMINARY for a DAY

V I S I T . M E E T . LEARN. EXPLORE.

This is a free, campus-wide event that is all about prospective student visitors and offers a unique opportunity to experience seminary life. Join us at one of our upcoming events!

OCTOBER 23, 2020 JANUARY 15, 2021 MARCH 12, 2021

LEARN. RECONNECT.

REFRESH.