Covenant Magazine - [Winter 2003]

The Magazine of Covenant Theological Seminary

COVENANT

Winter 2003-2004

Vol 18, No. 4

The Living Is in the Waiting

What Is Covenant Community?

Proud Parent of a Skateboarder

Volume 18, No. 4 Winter 2003-2004

From the President

2 Jerram Barrs, Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture, writes in his series on “The Christian Mind” that the problem of evil is one of the most perplexing and persistent questions non-Christians ask. Prof. Barrs was consumed with

Why We Need Herod In Our Nativity Sets Embracing the Hope of Christmas DR. ZACHARY ESWINE

the question prior to his conversion and was initially turned off to Christianity by those who told him just to believe and

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not to bother with such issues.

Later Barrs wrote that this ostensibly well-intended instruction fundamentally lacked compassion by not offering him a reasonable basis for faith. If Christians do not have adequate answers to such basic human questions then we should not expect others to respond positively to the truths we espouse.

The Living Is in the Waiting DR. DONALD GUTHRIE

Likewise if we cannot view, in its entirety, the setting into which God’s Son was born, we will miss a crucial truth in proclaiming the hope of the Gospel both to

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ourselves and to those around us. In this issue of Covenant magazine Dr. Zack Eswine, Assistant Professor of Homiletics, takes us back to the moment of Christ’s entry into our world as a babe. Rather than placing the focus on the babe cradled in the arms of his mother, in which we all rejoice, he reminds us of a more exterior picture.

The picture is one of Herod reacting violently to all who would threaten his evil power.

Dr. Eswine’s message is a comfort to us as we realize that this world is not the way

What Is Covenant Community?

Snapshots of Daily Happenings at Covenant Seminary

it ought to be, even at Christmastime. In fact, Christmas at times reminds us more

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starkly of the fallenness of our world. Within this realistic picture of the conflict of darkness and light the birth of Christ shines glorious. Within this picture of competing glories the angels are able most boldly to sing, “Glory to God in the highest.”

Praise the Lord that He did not stand by idle while evil ravaged the world. From the earliest pages of Scripture we see that God intends good, not harm for us. In His mercy he sent His Son to save mankind from the sinful suffering of which man himself is the cause.

Please pray for students at Covenant Seminary – that their training, both inside the

Proud Parent of a Skateboarder Becoming an Advocate of Your Child’s Constructive Interests - YOUTH IN MINISTRY INSTITUTE -

classroom and out, would help them to bring the whole Gospel message to the whole world. Pray that they would be increasingly hopeful regarding the work of God in their own lives and the lives of their families in the midst of competing challenges and that they would be able to bring that hope to others.

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

Alumni News

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Events

19

Intercessor

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Campus News

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Student Profile

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Conference Brings Together Pastors and Ministry Leaders from Around the Nation

The Fall Pastors’ Conference held at Covenant Seminary this past October brought together more than 70 pastors and ministry leaders for teaching and renewal. The conference was themed Reaching Hearts with the Gospel in a Changing World and addressed issues such as Plugged in but Not Connected: Profile of North America’s Emerging Generation, Cross-Cultural Church Ministry, and Profile of Today’s Evangelical Church.

This was the first conference of its kind for Covenant Seminary and gave a wonderful start to a ministry that the seminary seeks to continue.

As Dr. Bryan Chapell noted on the first night of the conference, the seminary does not intend to give students a diploma and then say, “Have a nice life.”

Instead the goal at Covenant Seminary is to continue to develop resources for life-long learning in order to support and equip church leaders for a lifetime of ministry.

BY DR. ZACHARY ESWINE Assistant Professor of Homiletics

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

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Embracing the Hope of Christmas

Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel ever struck out generous fire…he carried his own low temperature always about with him…external heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him…even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!” But what did Scrooge care! It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.

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happy ending. This is why Herod matters for so many of us.

he Scrooge of the opening

But what set him off this time? What angered him this

Christmas seasons was King

Herod. When he was troubled, all Israel

early Christmas scene? The answer is found in the simplicity

was troubled with him (Matt. 2:3).

of an ordinary question.

The searchers longingly and unpretentiously asked,

“Warning human sympathy to keep its distance,” Herod was a man who made

“Where is he who has been born the King of the Jews?”

others afraid while in the presence of the

One can imagine that it was that word “King” that first caused Herod’s eyebrow to twitch. Keeping a tight rein

“low temperature” that he always carried

with him. It is no wonder that Herod is one character we

upon his own power occupied him constantly. Such a simple

choose to leave out of our Christmas nativity sets. I’d like to

question unearthed his inward fear of losing the props he

suggest, however, that keeping Herod in our nativity scenes

used to display his significance. Deep waters are made visible

is required if we are to embrace the depth of the hope that

when such a simple question can unleash a rage so complex.

Christmas intends. Whereas Scrooge was eventually warmed,

You see, we must remember to place Herod in our

Herod never was. And whereas Scrooge was not easily both-

nativity sets lest we picture for ourselves a Christmas with

ered by what others said, Herod the king was easily set off.

no “weeping and loud lamentation” (Matt. 2:18). We must place Herod in the nativity lest we contemplate a Christmas

There are only a few of us who have never tasted the pain of this kind of explosive and broken presence at

absent of the scourge of every two-year-old baby boy; a

Christmas, and many of us have had to endure its annual

Christmas without “Rachel weeping for her children, refus-

repetition with no friendly midnight ghosts to usher in a

ing to be comforted because they are no more”(Matt. 2:18).

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www.covenantseminary.edu

Charles Dickens, Christmas Books in Oxford Illustrated Dickens (Oxford University Press, 1997), 8.

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Training Servants of the Triune God

Christmas speaks to the low realities of destitute lives?

Herod loved the darkness. Like Scrooge he “fastened the door, and walked across the hall, and up the stairs; slowly

For Isaiah said, “they will look to the earth, but behold

too: trimming his candle as he went...Darkness is cheap,

distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they

and Scrooge liked it.” And so did Herod.

will be thrust into thick darkness.” The prophecy speaks

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of something entering gloom. And it is in this setting that

But some who have become accustomed to avoiding the wailing at Christmastime might say, “How dower and

the seekers asked, “Where is the one who has been born

cynical you are to speak of such sinful negativity and human

King of the Jews?”

Only in this darkness can Isaiah’s finished statements

brokenness during a season so merry and filled with joy.”

begin to warmly glow and with heating intensity to shine.

And I agree that one must never describe Christmas in terms that rob the promise of joy to the

Only in this darkened complexity can the

world. But I say to you, the celebration

simplicity of the question discover the

of Christmas for many is far from merry,

beauty which Christmas offers. For Isaiah

far from happy.

said to the displaced and songless ones, “But there will be no gloom for her who

What does Christmas offer these broken ones? How can Christmas songs

was in anguish. In the former time he

find their way into the abandoned

brought into contempt the land of

dark of 3 a.m. eyes, staring, red, through

Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but

the forgotten windows of the night?

in the latter time he has made glorious

No, my friend, we must have Herod in the nativity lest our poor wailing Rachels have a holiday with no promised fulfillment from God amid their pain.

Christmas, you must always remember, exposes the weeping that the prophet had foretold. When Scrooge was asked how much he could contribute to helping the poor and destitute, “Nothing” was his reply. “You wish to be anonymous?”

“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge.

“I support the establishments I have mentioned – they cost enough; and

I’d like to suggest, however, that keeping Herod in our nativity scenes is required if we are to embrace the depth of the hope that Christmas intends.

the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined…for unto us a child is born, to us a son is given”(Is. 9:1,2,6a).

Do you see it? Herod must be in your nativities because Christmas is a gift, not for the rich, not for the well lit, not for the luminary, but for those who live broken by the darkness. Christmas is a song for the songless; a promise for

those who are badly off must go there.”

the ones burned by broken promises; a

“Many can’t go there; and many would

dream for those who have resigned to never, ever, dream again.

rather die,” the collectors replied. “If they would rather

Christmas is God’s testimony that darkness has been

die, said Scrooge, “they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.”

broken! Perhaps the most haunting yet melodious words in

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that first nativity scene are these: “But when Herod died,

We mourn for Scrooge. But we must remember to mourn for those destitute ones whose only choice, if they are to

behold, an angel of the Lord appeared…” (Matt. 2:19).

retain their human dignity, is death. What Christmas song

Beloved, it is only when we see that Herod, for all his

do we have for them if Herod is absent from our nativity?

boasting, treachery, and terror, is nothing more than a man

Isn’t it true, that it is only when Herod is placed back into

trembling and conquered by the spirit of Christmas future.

the nativity scene that Isaiah’s prophecy comes to light and

And our eyes, strained though they may be with the sting

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Ibid. 16.

3

Ibid. 12.

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Winter 2003-2004

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end” (Is. 9:7). The presence of Herod in your nativity

of habitual crying, can begin to look again at life.

testifies to you that the searchers found their answer and

And there in the absence of the man who would be king, there is a king who would, for our poor sakes, be a man.

that the Herods of this world will never have the last word!

The baby, for all of the man’s venom, remains alive! And

Then and only then will those who are in darkness and

now we begin to taste in some small way why the Book tells

gloom truly see a great light. And then, and truly then,

us that “those in darkness have seen a great light!”(Is. 9:2)

we will embrace the hope of Christmas. ■

So we must put Herod into our view so that we can embrace the hope of Christmas. And so, to you who now huddle hidden under the overpasses of this world, terrified and made weary by the Herodian tempests that rage upon you, I say to you, yes especially to you, a son is given!

And His proper name is: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

And who is it that gives the babe this name? Who is it that gives Christmas its proper name? Who is it that speaks peace and good tidings of great joy while Herod still remains in the nativity?

Hear it from the prophet! “And he shall be called, Wonderful Counselor.” Who is it that is doing the calling? It is God Himself! He is the one making this declaration regarding the babe given to you.

Do you now see that what ultimately matters amid the tumult of Herod’s fury is the One who will give the answer to the searcher’s question, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?!”

The stunning fact is that answering this

Christmas is a song for the songless; a promise for the ones burned by broken promises; a dream for those who have resigned to never, ever, dream again.

question brings you who are in darkness face to face with what God Himself believes about Jesus. It is God who has so named the child, “Wonderful.” It is God who has so named the child, “Counselor.” It is God who has said to those orphans in darkness that the name of this child is “Everlasting Father.”

It is God who has declared to those with constant war within, that the name of this child is “Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

While Herod rages it is God who has declared of this babe, “the government will be upon his shoulders, of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no

www.covenantseminary.edu

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Training Servants of the Triune God

DR. DONALD GUTHRIE Vice President for Academics and Associate Professor of Christian Education

The LIVING Is in the Waiting The following devotional was given during an Advent chapel service at Covenant Seminary.

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

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The Living Is in the Waiting

“The living is in the waiting.” “What?” I startled awake. My first child was about to be born and my wife had already been through about 20 hours of labor. I was sliding in and out of consciousness between the hallway and the hospital room. “The living is in the waiting,” the nurse said again.

“Oh, yeah, it sure is,” I managed to reply. If living was in the waiting, I was doing a boatload of living in the hours between December 4 and 5, 1989.

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here is a strange thing about the days of December – they seem to pass more slowly than the days of any other month. As Christmas comes nearer, the days get longer and longer, until at last they drag past so slowly that you wonder if Christmas will ever come.

If this is the way you feel, then I ask you to come with me on a

Yet, whether you are waiting for the birth of your child or the coming of a savior, the living is in the waiting.

Marianne Radius puts it this way in her book A Life of Jesus for Young Readers:

journey – a journey across an ocean to a strange land, a journey back in time to a world that had never heard of Christmas.

How would you feel if you had to wait for Christmas not a few short days or weeks, but hundreds, no thousands of years? You have known whose birthday Christmas is as far back as you can remember.

But in the world we are going to visit, though the people longed for Christmas and hoped for it, and prayed for it, they did not know how or when it would come. For these people it was only a promise. It was a very old promise. It was a promise given by God… …in this world we are visiting, the last person who had actually heard God’s promise spoken was the great-grandfather of the greatgrandfather of the people who lived now. It would have been at least nine generations ago...

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Marianne Radius, A Life of Jesus for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), 13.

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Training Servants of the Triune God

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and

So, would you stake your life on a 300-year-old promise as those saints did? It was even longer for those who went

aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and

before: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.

members of God’s household, built on the foundation

They were people with clay feet who in their living in the waiting looked and longed for a heavenly city (Heb. 11:16).

of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself

They were privileged to witness God’s covenant faithfulness

as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is

on display as they waited for the first Christmas in faith and

joined together and rises to become a holy temple in

with the strength God gave them.

the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God

Consider for a few moments the

lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).

following Scripture regarding the coming

We are dear, secure, and vital to

of Jesus the Christ:

His purpose.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen

“After he said this, he was taken

his glory, glory as of the only Son

up before their very eyes, and a

from the Father, full of grace and

cloud hid him from their sight. They

truth” (John 1:14). ‘“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes

were looking intently up into the sky

And while we wait, the Gospel is our only hope and strength as we live for Him and wait on Him.

of everyone in the synagogue were

as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts1:9-11).

Now, as we, God’s people, wait in faith for Him again, brothers and sisters, how is the wait going? How is the living

fastened on him, and he began

going? People of God, how is living in the waiting going this

by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled

second time around? After talking about Christ’s second

in your hearing’” (Luke 4:18-21).

coming and the time when “everything will be laid bare,”

The wait was over! The Savior had come, and was

Peter asks, “what kind of people ought you to be? You ought

crucified, dead, and buried, and on the third day he rose up

to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of

from the grave! All this accomplished for our benefit!

God and speed its coming” (2 Pet. 3:11,12). Because as Peter tells us…“we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

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Winter 2003-2004

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The living is in the waiting. And while we wait, the

No more crying there, we are going to see the King.

Gospel is our only hope and strength as we live for Him and

No more dying there, we are going to see the King.

wait on Him. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We’re going to see the King.

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longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and

Father, we your people have waited and you

gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). He loved me. He gave

have come and dwelt among us. Even so, come Lord

himself up for me. He loved us. He gave Himself up for us.

Jesus. We are waiting again and you will come again

This is the Gospel. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col.

with power and majesty and authority. Even so,

1:27). There is no better thing! Search far and wide. There is

come Lord Jesus. Strengthen us to

no better way to live and to wait!

live as we wait in utter dependence “Then I saw a new heaven and a

upon you. Teach us to love you and

new earth, for the first heaven and

others. We long for your Kingdom

the first earth had passed away, and

and kingly rule to be fully realized

there was no longer any sea. I saw

on a redeemed earth as it is in

the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,

heaven. Even so, come Lord Jesus,

coming down out of heaven from

in whose name we pray.

God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying

He is the one who makes the living in the waiting bearable and worthwhile and meaningful and joyful.

Amen. ■

or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’”(Rev. 21:1-4).

This promised new heavens and new earth is what our waiting is about. This makes the living in the waiting bearable and worthwhile and meaningful and joyful. Right now we live by the power of the Gospel to equip us to honor God in the now and the not yet. This Lord and Savior in Revelation 21 is who we are waiting for. He is the one who makes the living in the waiting bearable and worthwhile and meaningful and joyful.

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Andrea Crouch, Soon and Very Soon, More of the Best (Platinum Ent., 1993)

www.covenantseminary.edu

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Training Servants of the Triune God

news

ALUMNI If you have information for Alumni News, please mail it to Covenant Magazine or e-mail Alumni News: alumni@covenantseminary.edu L.B. Graham (M.Div.’96) is teaching at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis and writing a series of five novels to be published by P&R Publishing starting in spring 2004. Joanne Graham (M.A.C.’00) is serving with Chesterfield Presbyterian Church’s New Hope Counseling Service in St. Louis as a Licensed Professional Counselor. The Grahams have two children: Tom (6) and Ella (2).

Army Chaplain Dave Schutter (M.Div.’97) is serving as chaplain to the 327 MP Battalion, an Army Reserve unit mobilized in February and deployed to Afghanistan in June. Stationed at Bagram Air Base, his duties include preaching, leading Bible studies, counseling, and supporting other U.S. and foreign military units on the base. His wife, Kim, and sons Jonathan and Luke remain in Naperville, Ill. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church.

Mark Vivian (M.Div.’97) was ordained in the Westminster Presbyterian Churches, Australia, on May 18, 2003. Rev. David Cross, Mark’s father-in-law and MTW church planter in England, preached for the ordination and installation service. The service was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Bull Creek, Western Australia, where Mark serves as Associate Pastor. Mark and his wife Shelly have three children: Kyle (8), Tyler (5), and Aynsley (18 mo.).

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Russ Ramsey (M.Div.’00) and members of the congregation of Oak Hills Presbyterian Church in suburban Kansas City have started a “Saturday Nights at the Institute” ministry modeled after the Francis Schaeffer Institute’s “Friday Nights at the Institute.”

Their Saturday night talks are being held in local Borders Bookstores. Through this series of lectures and discussions, they hope to model for Christians how to respectfully dialogue with people of varying viewpoints while seeking to lay foundations of truth about the world, people, and God. The lectures focus on topics related to culture, philosophy, theology, science and literature. Russ serves as the Assistant Pastor for Oak Hills.

Howard Brown (M.Div.’98) and Giorgio Hiatt (M.Div.’00) visited the Covenant Seminary campus on September 19, 2003.

The above picture was taken during their visit. Howard gave the sermon for chapel and together they led a ministry lunch where they spoke about the church plant they are leading in Charlotte, N.C., called Christ Central Church. Howard serves as Senior Pastor and Giorgio as Assistant Pastor.

Chris Florence (M.Div.’01) was installed as Associate Pastor of Spiritual Life for Severna Park Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, Md., on Nov. 2, 2003. Chris, his wife Suzy, and daughter Bailey moved to Maryland this past October.

Randy Q. McReynolds (M.Div.’00) was installed as pastor of Cornerstone Chapel in Bristol, Tenn., on October 12.

Cornerstone Chapel is an interdenominational church located on King College Road, serving the Bristol community. Randy and his wife, Beth, now have three children: Alex (6), Charis (4), and Kendal (1).

Brad Wright (M.Div.’02) was ordained and installed as Pastor of Youth Ministry at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Va., on July 26, 2003. Greg Thompson (M.Div.’00), R.U.F. Campus Minister for the University of Virginia, participated in the service.

Chris Peters (M.Div.’00) was ordained at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Ala., in October 2002. David Lovell (M.Div.’92) preached for the ordination service. Chris has been serving as the Pastor of Equipping and Assimilation for Covenant Presbyterian Church since June 2002. Chris and Patience welcomed their first child, Cotton Michael, into their family on April 16, 2003.

Winter 2003-2004

John Jones (M.Div.’03) was ordained by the Southwest Presbytery on Sunday, October 5, 2003, as Assistant Pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces, N.M. Mike McLaughlin, Church Planting

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Pastor of Crossroads Fellowship in Albuquerque, N.M., (M.Div.’02) gave the sermon and John C. Pickett (M.Div.’73), Senior Pastor of University Presbyterian Church, presented the vows.

Filling the Quiver Beth (Cooley) Smoak (M.A.T.’97) and her husband, Charles, have welcomed two children into their family in the past two years. Kathryn Claire was born on Jan. 29, 2002, and Caroline Olivia was born, June 18, 2003. The Smoak family lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Chris (M.Div.’98) and Nancy Crain celebrated the birth of Malachi Keith on Nov. 14, 2002.

Malachi joined siblings Miriam and Eden.

Mark (M.Div.’03) and Alice Tucker greeted baby boy Isaiah on July 16, 2003. Mark serves as Youth and Family Pastor for Old Orchard Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Mo. Tucker (M.Div.’03) and Stacy York celebrated the birth of their third child, Titus Owen, on Sept. 7, 2003. Tucker serves on the pastoral staff of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Pa.

What is

COVENANT Community?

André and Heidi Lewis, Covenant Seminary students featured on the back cover of this magazine, said that much of what they have learned at Covenant Seminary has come from the community aspect of their seminary training. “We share burdens, prayers, and responsibilities,” Heidi said. “I have never lived in a community quite like this. It’s not perfect, but our time with people at Covenant has taught me more of living together in Christian community.”

Not all students live on campus, but each one has the opportunity for living and learning together.

The vision for this community is not an end in itself. It is a time to prepare students to minister in a wholistic way and lead others in living and serving Christ together as His body, wherever they are.

Maybe you have never visited Covenant Seminary’s campus, or maybe you have not been on campus recently. Either way we wanted to share with you some snapshots of daily happenings at Covenant Seminary.

– The editors

www.covenantseminary.edu

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Training Servants of the Triune God

Dr. David Jones teaches Spirit, Church, and Last Things. Dr. Jones has faithfully served on Covenant Seminary’s faculty since 1967.

Below:

In the Classroom

Dr. Robert Peterson, Professor of Systematic Theology, takes a question after class.

Above:

Left: Dr. Donald Guthrie, Vice President for Academics and Associate Professor of Christian Education.

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Winter 2003-2004

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The Old and New Landscape of Covenant Seminary Study space made possible through the library renovation.

Right:

Edwards Hall primarily houses student services, guest housing, and a student lounge created in 1998.

Below:

A new archeology display case in Founders Hall includes bones from the rock-cut tombs at Abila of the Decapolis, a site in Jordan where Dr. Herold Mare has been excavating since 1980.

Above:

Left: Students in front of Rayburn Chapel.

Above: Sunset at the Buswell Library tower.

Dr. Greg Perry, Adjunct professor of Biblical Studies, the newest member of Covenant’s faculty.

Right:

www.covenantseminary.edu

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Training Servants of the Triune God

Below: Dr. Richard Winter meets with counseling students to discuss practicum experiences.

Learning and Living Outside of the Classroom Right: This past summer, the chapel underwent a smallscale renovation to reconfigure the space and encourage an atmosphere of community.

Ministry lunches held throughout the school year provide an opportunity for faculty and guest speakers to interact with students on a number of ministryrelated topics.

Above:

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

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Grown-ups Aren’t the Only Ones Learning at Covenant Seminary

The Log Cabin is the place for pre-school, parents’ morning/night out, and ballet lessons! The few hours of childcare provided at the Log Cabin throughout the week help moms and dads take a class together.

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Training Servants of the Triune God

Left: Diane Preston, Associate Dean of Academic Advising, and a small but important member of the Covenant Seminary community.

Eric Richards, Director of Admissions

Right:

Students Wouldn’t Make it Through Without People Like These

Denise Weber, Registrar

Above:

Dr. Bryan Chapell and first-year M.Div. students Josh Brumbaugh and Christopher Barnes.

Above:

Right:

Ellie Brown, Director of Financial Aid

Mark Dalbey, Dean of Students COVENANT MAGAZINE

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Covenant Seminary seeks to increasingly help pastors and other church leaders be rooted in grace for a lifetime of ministry.

This is happening through organized times like the Fall Pastor’s Conference which took place on campus this past October.

It also happens through Doctor of Ministry Courses. In addition, plans are underway for a pastoral retreat center on campus (see page 18).

Right:

Doctor of Ministry Students The Francis Schaeffer Lectures, held twice a year, offer current students, alumni, and local residents a chance to hear noted speakers give a series of lectures on a topic of contemporary interests to the Church and broader community.

Continuing Education and Distance Education

Left: Dr. Donald Guthrie interviews John Porter and James Skillen during Fall 2003 Schaeffer Lectures titled: “Jesus and Caesar: Christian Faith and Political Process Renewal” (see page 28 to learn more).

Below:

Fall Pastors’ Conference

Some ministry leaders have never had the opportunity to attend seminary and it is not possible for them to leave current ministry contexts to do so. For those individuals Covenant Seminary’s Access distance education program offers the opportunity to go to seminary without relocating. Access students can earn an accredited Master of Arts in Theology. Right: Access Residency group, on campus for a one-week course.

Above:

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Doctor of Ministry Students

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Training Servants of the Triune God

Right: Nine acres of land adjacent to the seminary property was purchased in 2003 through generous gifts of ministry partners. Considering the seminary’s suburban St. Louis location, this was truly an opportunity that can be called “once in a lifetime.”

Plans for the Future

Current on-campus student housing. From 1991- 92 38 two- and three-bedroom student apartments were built creating a valuable dynamic for living and learning in community.

The newly purchased property allows more space for student housing.

Above:

The existing house on the property will be turned into a pastoral renewal center.

Left:

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

18

Future student?

EVENTS Gatherings, Conferences Spring 2004 Francis Schaeffer Lecture Series

On Human Dignity

January Lifetime-of-Ministry Lecture Series

Who Gets a Seat at the Table?

enrichment courses designed for pastors and lay-leaders.

Register on-line for any of these two- to five-day ministry

Jointly Sponsored by Covenant Seminary’s

Please join us.

Francis A. Schaeffer Institute and the St. Louis Center for Bioethics and Culture.

DATE: February 27 to 28, 2004 CONFERENCE FEE: $15.00 (free for alumni and current students) SPEAKERS: Dr. Nigel de S. Cameron, Ph.D., Chairman of The Wilberforce Forum and

These events are open to the public and are offered free or for a minimal charge.

To learn more about any of these events please log on to www.covenantseminary.edu or call 1.800.903.4044.

internationally renowned bioethicist Dr. Richard Winter, M.D. Professor of Practical Theology, Covenant Seminary Prof. Jerram Barrs, M.Div. Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture, Covenant Seminary

Some of the most critical cultural issues of the 21st Century all lead to one question: What does it mean to be human? Is a human being defined by productivity or contribution to society? Or age? Or race?

Or intellect? Scientific advances, while offering benefits, can also strike at the core of what it means to value and protect human life in whatever form it comes.

Is the Church prepared for an era when what it means to be human is called into question?

Interact with scholars in medicine, theology, and ethics to become more prepared to confront one of the most pressing apologetic issues of our day. To learn more or register to attend, log on to www.covenantseminary.edu/fsi.

Francis A. Schaeffer Institute Summer Study

Spiritual Formation and the Holy Spirit

Theological Foundation for Urban Ministry INSTRUCTOR: Rev. Mo Leverett, President of Desire Street Ministries DATE: January 16 and 17, 2004

The decay of our inner cities can bring discouragement and despair both to those inside and outside of those communities. How are Christians to live out the Bible’s mandates to care for the poor and to seek the peace of the cities in which we live? Mo Leverett, who lives and ministers in New Orleans in the second largest housing project in the country, will teach a theological foundation for reaching out and addressing the needs of the poor. In doing so, he will explore the lost art of redemptive suffering.

Living in Grace INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Paul Kooistra, President, PCA Mission to the World DATE: January 9 and 10, 2004

Attempting to live as Christians in a fallen world without the power of Christ will leave a person either despairing or self-righteous. Neither is the fruit of the Gospel of grace which is revealed in the pages of Scripture. Dr. Paul Kooistra, former President of Covenant Seminary, will show from God’s Word how all of the Christian life is lived in grace.

Included in his lectures will be teaching on worship, humility, repentance, and prayer.

Relationships in God’s Image

DATE: July 12 to 16, 2004

INSTRUCTOR: Rev. Scotty Smith, Pastor of Christ

INSTRUCTOR: John Armstrong, Director of Reformation

Community Church, Franklin, Tenn.

and Revival Ministries

DATE: January 5 to 9, 2004

This summer take a week of study with the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute to consider how the Holy Spirit works to conform Christians to Christ’s image through various means including spiritual reading, prayer, soul friendships, fasting, worship, and the sacraments. In doing so, consider the means of the Spirit’s work throughout the history of the Christian Church and see how these means are available in your life today. To find out more about registration call the Schaeffer Institute 1.800.864.8064 or log on to www.covenantseminary.edu.

How can Christians live as stewards of God’s grace, especially in relationships? This course will explore the relationship between God’s unceasing love and the way in which believers live out their lives in service and obedience to Him. Based on his new book titled The Reign of Grace.

To register to earn credit towards a degree through these courses, call 1.800.264.8064 or email: admissions@covenantseminary.edu.

www.covenantseminary.edu

19

Training Servants of the Triune God

Building

FAMILIES God’s Way

The Covenant Family Conference

Our

EMERALD ISLE

HERITAGE Tour of Ireland and Scotland

HOSTED BY: Dr. Bryan and Mrs. Kathy Chapell JUNE 22 TO JULY 2, 2004

Take a trip to the Emerald Isle and learn how a very dark and needy land of the 5th century became known as the “Island of Saints and Scholars” in the 6th century. Your Irish journey will include stops in Dublin, Belfast, and Ramelton. Discover the real life of St. Patrick, see the Book of Kells, explore the boyhood places where C.S. Lewis once lived, and more.

The trip will continue on to Scotland where you will explore landmark locations including the Iona Island.

CO-SPONSORED BY: Covenant Theological Seminary

and Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center JULY 26 - 30, 2004 SPEAKERS: Dr. Robert Peterson and Dr. Michael Williams

Plan your family vacation in the North Carolina mountains, surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation and immersed in delightful Bible teaching

by Covenant Seminary professors. This conference provides an opportunity for Covenant families, both parents and children, to explore God’s gracious covenant and what it means for daily living as a family today.

As you take this tour of church history you will be reminded that the greatest need of the Irish and Scottish heart – is the greatest need of the human heart today. Dr. Bryan Chapell will lead the group in FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE TRIPS CALL 1.800.264.8064 OR LOG ON TO WWW.COVENANTSEMINARY.EDU

exploring the history of the Church in this part of the world and in Bible teaching that will expand your vision for the Church today.

NEW@

www.covenantseminary.edu Tap into the Covenant Seminary archives of over 200 text and audio messages from Covenant Seminary faculty and publications. This new online resource can be searched by topic, author, or Scripture.

All resources are downloadable and ready for personal use or with a small group, Bible study, or other teaching time.

Over 200 messages are available now, and more files are added regularly!

Log on to find out more.

INTERCESSOR the

As Covenant Seminary exists to train servants of the triune God to walk with God, to interpret and communicate God’s Word, and to lead God’s people, we recognize the importance of prayer to guide and continue the mission.

While much of our training takes place in one geographic area as students relocate for study, the mission continues in the lifetime of ministry that the Lord grants as people continue on from Covenant Seminary. Therefore prayer for the seminary and its mission comes with a local, national, and global scope.

We are grateful for your prayers for Covenant Seminary.

We hope that this prayer calendar that can be prayed through during the winter months will help focus your thoughts and prayers for the seminary, its students and alumni. As the color key indicates, the dark green squares share campus concerns, the medium green national concerns, and the white international concerns.

Key:

Campus Concerns National Concerns International Concerns

2003 2004 WINTER Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week 1

We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. (Matt. 2:2)

Pray for the Access distance education students taking part in a one-week residency on campus in January.

Pray that this time of gathering together and meeting professors would be fruitful. Praise the Lord for the many ways their training is used in their home contexts around the nation and world.

Praise God for the pastors and ministry leaders who were able to come to campus for the Fall Pastors’ Conference.

Thank the Lord for their service to congregations around the country.

Pray that the conference time would continue to be a blessing to them and their congregations.

Give thanks for the Covenant Seminary Board and Advisory Board as they sacrifice for the sake of training Church leaders for the next generation. Pray for wisdom for the Executive Committee of the Board as they meet Dec. 5 and the entire Board as they meet Jan. 30 and 31.

As the United States enters a presidential election year, pray for the Lord to work redemptively in the political process, using His people to serve as a blessing to their nation.

Thank the Lord for James Skillen’s and John Porter’s recent teaching time on campus (see page 28).

Pray for peace, justice, and stability in the countries of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel. Pray for soldiers like Chaplain Dave Schutter (M.Div.’97) who was deployed to Afghanistan in June. Pray for Christian believers in this part of the world that they would be able to serve the needy in their communities, share the Gospel, and worship in peace.

Week 2

Praise

International

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. (Matt. 2:7,8)

Praise God for the many Covenant Seminary students who have been able to serve Him around the world through L’Abri Fellowship. Pray for alumni currently serving with L’Abri, especially Edith Reitsma (M.A.T.’98) who serves as a worker at the English L’Abri.

Pray for wisdom, stamina, and grace for Covenant Seminary professors.

Rejoice with Dr. Zack Eswine’s family who recently welcomed baby Caleb. Pray for Dr. Hans Bayer as he is concerned for and attends the needs of his ailing parents in Germany.

Pray for alumni who are building upon the example of ministries modeled by the Francis Schaeffer Institute in their own contexts. Pray for Russ Ramsey (M.Div.’00) and the congregation of Oak Hills Presbyterian Church as they reach out to the greater Kansas City region through Saturday Nights at the Institute (see alumni news, page 10).

Pray for the Student Mission Fellowship Conference that will be held from Feb. 9-13.

Pray that all students’ visions of the worldwide church would grow through this time and that some students would grow in a willingness to serve outside of the U.S. context.

Pray for the writing projects of the Covenant Seminary faculty. Pray that these projects would become a blessing to many far beyond the seminary campus. Pray for Dr. Robert Peterson as he works on a book on predestination and free will.

Week 3

Sat/Sun

National

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

(Matt. 1:21)

Pray for Dr. David Jones as he teaches Christian Ethics in, Mérida, Yucatan, from Jan. 18-24.

Pray that Christians of Mexico would be built up in wisdom through this time and serve as salt and light in their country.

Pray for students as the Fall semester draws to a close and they take a brief break from studies. Pray that the Lord would use the things students have learned in their studies to plant His truth firmly in their hearts.

Ask God to clearly guide Covenant Seminary seniors as they seek future callings in which to bring glory to His name around the world.

Pray for the seminary alumni who are making transitions into new ministry positions this winter. Pray for alumni and their families like Chris Florence (M.Div.’01), Kevin Vanden Brink (M.Div.’96) and Elizabeth George (M.Div., M.A.C.’03) who have all moved within the past year.

Pray for those countries which do not even know of Christmas.

Ask God to send His people to carry His light into their darkness.

Week 4

Campus

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said though the prophet “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”

(Matt. 1:22,23)

Pray for the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents for which Dr. Bryan Chapell serves on the steering committee. Pray that this group would be able to encourage each other on in ministry and share as each seminary’s vision grows and develops.

Pray for wisdom for the seminary as its leaders exercise trust in God’s faithful financial provision through the loving support of people around the world.

Pray for individuals and families around the nation and world who are seeking to know whether God is calling them to Covenant Seminary.

Ask God to raise up faithful messengers to a dark and needy world.

Pray for the Covenant Groups in which students gather weekly to integrate their classroom knowledge into their lives and share with one another. Pray that this would increase their ministry preparation and strengthen their seminary experience.

Pray for the students and others who come from around the nation to hear the Spring Schaeffer Lectures on Bioethics (Feb. 27-28). Pray that these lectures would help equip the Church for increasingly complex ethical questions.

M.Div. Master of Divinity; M.A. Master of Arts; M.A.C. Master of Arts in Counseling; G.C. Graduate Certificate; Th.M. Master of Theology; D.Min. Doctor of Ministry

✁ www.covenantseminary.edu

23

Training Servants of the Triune God

PROUD PARENT of a Skateboarder Becoming an Advocate of Your Child’s Constructive Interests

A father taking his son hunting for the first time is an American rite of passage. Of course, it doesn’t have to be hunting – it could be football, basketball, sailing, or car racing, as well as visiting an art gallery, library, or orchestral performance. The likes and dislikes of a father often come to define manhood for sons just as the likes and dislikes of a mother often define womanhood for daughters. It is a pattern with an ancient and troubled pedigree. Consider the tensions of the father-son relationship in Nicholas Evans’ novel, The Loop.

The intimacy of the scope was shocking. Luke could

Thirteen-year-old Luke was now Buck Calder’s only

make out individual hairs on the dark neck. He could

son, his brother Henry had been killed in a tragic

see the grinding of the jaws as the elk chewed, see the

car accident six years before. Luke and Henry had

paler patches around the liquid black eyes that impassively

been as different as Esau and Jacob – Luke with his

surveyed the cows, see droplets of melted snow on his nose…

sensitive nature took after his mother, and Henry with his rugged

Half of Luke’s brain screamed at him to hand his father the

toughness took after his father.

gun right then. But the other half assessed this moment for what

And now Luke’s father had asked him if he wanted to try for his first elk. Luke had been dreading the invitation and yet was

it was: a final chance to be something in his father’s eyes. He

hurt that it was so long in coming. They went off to a hidden

must take this creature’s life for his own to have any value.

1

canyon, barely speaking as they crunched through the snow.

That day was a defining moment for the relationship

Luke could hear the thumping of his heart and prayed crazily that

between Luke and Buck Calder. Luke realized that he was

the elk would fight and save themselves.

not free to be himself and still be appreciated by his father.

The elk hadn’t heard his heartbeat. Across the canyon, there

In using this example, I must underline that I have nothing

was a herd of maybe twenty cows. A little way off, a solitary

against hunting, and in fact, love alpine mountaineering and

bull with five-point antlers was nibbling bark…Luke handed the

off-road driving. Nor is the need for approval and under-

binoculars back to his father and wondered if he dared say that he

standing limited only to fathers and sons. The point of the

didn’t want to go through with it. But he knew that even if he

excerpt is to illustrate that our children are not an extension

were to try, the words would never come out; their effect would

of our own identity.

be too catastrophic…

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

24

Youth in Ministry Institute

Tori Amos sings of a sixteen-year-old saying, “She’s been everybody else’s girl, maybe one day she’ll be her own.”

BY DR. DAVID JOHN SEEL, JR. (M.Div.’81) Headmaster of The Cambridge

2

School of Dallas

Teenagers are crying out to be their own persons. As parents we are responsible to affirm their unique and distinctive individuality – however different they may be in tempera-

5. A particular calling must give

ment and interests from us or from their siblings. In practical

place to the general calling of a

terms, we must become advocates for our teenager’s

Christian when they cannot

constructive interests.

both stand together.

4

At the heart of Perkins’ understanding of personal calling

A Sense of Fit

is the idea of “fit”: “Everyone must choose a fit calling to

We need to become students not only of our teenagers’ world but also of their own unique perceptions on their

walk in, that is, every calling must be fitted to the person

world. We should learn something about their favorite

and every person fitted to the calling.” This process involves

authors, artists, and musical groups. We should seek to

some trial and error and ideally will include wise counsel

understand their passions, whether the environment or

from those who know us well and are themselves spiritually

the plight of political prisoners.

mature. “Fit” includes both what a person most desires as well as the ability to accomplish it.

The Puritans get a bad rap today as being dour, judgmen-

Parents play an important role in helping their children

tal prudes, but they have a great deal to say to us on this matter of lifework. Theologian J.I. Packer observes that

examine their inclinations and aptitudes in light of their life

while we are spiritual dwarfs, they were giants. The patriarch

as a calling before the Lord. Obviously, today parents have

of English Puritanism was William Perkins (1558-1602).

far less say and children have a much wider range of career

Shortly before his death he wrote “A Treatise of the

choices than in Perkins’ day. But the spiritual principles

Vocations or Callings of Men,” in which he sought to help

remain. Frederick Buechner argues that our life’s work will

his parishioners think broadly about the most basic purpose

be found in the intersection of our deepest gladness and the

of their lives. He was instructing them not only to follow

world’s greatest need. Buechner writes,

3

Jesus generally, but to carry out their obedience to Christ in

There are all different kinds of voices calling you

a way that was unique to their individual character. Perkins

to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to

sets the adolescent question “What do I want to be when I

find out which is the voice of God rather than of

grow up?” within this larger conception of calling. He gives

society, say, or the super-ego, or self-interest. By and

us five rules to consider as we think about our own particular

large a good rule for finding out is this: the kind of

calling and that of our teens – the unique place and way we

work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a)

express Christ’s Lordship in our lives.

that you need most to do and (b) the world most needs to have done. The place God calls you to is

1. Without exception, every person of every degree, state, sex, or condition must have some personal

the place where your deep gladness and the world’s

and particular calling.

deep hunger meet.

5

2. Every person must judge that particular calling in which God has placed him to be the best of all Nicholas Evans. The Loop (New York: Delacorte, 1998), pp. 98-100.

Tori Amos, “Girl,” Little Earthquakes (Atlantic, 1991).

3 J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: the Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. 1990), p. 22.

4 Adapted from William Perkins’ excerpt in Edmund S. Morgan, ed., Puritan Political Ideas: 1558-1794 (Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965), pp. 51-59.

5 Fredrick Buechner, Wishful Thinking – A Seeker’s ABC (New York: Harper Collins, 1993), p 118.

1

callings for him: I say not simply best, but best for him.

2

3. Every person must join the practice of his personal calling with the practices of the general calling of Christianity.

4. Those who bear public callings must first reform themselves in private.

www.covenantseminary.edu

25

Training Servants of the Triune God

Proud Parent of a Skateboarder

I couldn’t cradle a lax ball or ollie a curb, but I still had a vital

As parents we must first understand our own lives as a

role to play in understanding and encouraging their pursuits.

response to God’s summons before we help our children see

For my youngest son, Alex, I thought skateboarding was

their lives in this light. As we do so, we have a responsibility 6

to allow our children to explore a wide variety of ways in

a passing fad – like, say, baseball cards were in elementary

which they could serve the common good. When our

school. But the board-sports lifestyle of skateboarding,

children hit the teenage years, they need the space and

snowboarding, and surfing has become Alex’s passion.

freedom to let these develop.

He announced one day that he would not play any sports where coaches yelled. Football – my adolescent dream –

As parents we need to listen to our children’s dreams

was out. I simply needed to accept this as Alex’s way.

and aspirations. At age eighteen C. S. Lewis knew as he

If this was his deal, then I wanted to be totally behind

took his Oxford scholarship exams that “there was hardly any position in the world save that of a don in which I was

it. So off we went to the summer Extreme Games held in

fitted to earn a living, and that I was staking everything on

Newport, R.I., where I was given a crash course in the

a game in which few won and hundreds lost.” Yet his every

adrenaline-rush of alternative sports – sky surfing, bungy

attempt to discuss his dream with his father was met with

jumping, BMX biking, inline skating, skateboarding, street

failure: “His intense desire for my total confidence coexisted

luge, and sport climbing.

7

The day before the event Alex insisted on doing

with an inability to listen (in any strict sense) to what I said.

He could never empty, or silence, his own mind to make

reconnaissance for the best seats. They turned out to be

room for an alien thought.” Similarly, many parents quench

directly behind the official photographers and weren’t

the fire that fuels their children’s dreams.

actually seats – it was standing-room only. So the next

8

morning, two hours before the gates opened, we were there

Of Grinds and Half-Pipes

with our X-Games hats and me loaded down with camera-

Adolescence is a time of growing independence.

gear, looking the part of the official sports photographer.

While this desire must be managed, parents also must be

I was immersed in Alex’s world – the skater aficionados

in favor of it. Dick Keyes warns, “A prepackaged agenda

whose conversation of grinds, ories, rail-slides, and 360-kick

for a child’s life is either a prescription for crushed and resentful obedience or an invitation to outright rebellion.”

flips mixed in with the booming Ska music. I found myself

9

cheering until hoarse, fighting wildly for skateboards

For instance, I studiously avoided becoming a surgeon –

thrown into the crowd, and altogether having one of the

named as I am for my father – though I did later become

most memorable times I’ve ever spent with my son. Alex

a wilderness emergency medical technician.

and I connected – on his terms, in his world.

Likewise, my boys avoided following in my footsteps

I’m not naive to the reputation or injuries of those

athletically; instead, David took up lacrosse and Alex

involved in board sports. More than once, my ambulance

skateboarding. Also, both became active in theater – David

crew has been called out to assist an injured skater who

as a lighting technician and Alex as an actor. This was a

tried to rail slide down a twenty-foot staircase or ollie a con-

long way from anything I ever did in high school. I don’t

crete canyon. Skateboarders are widely viewed as the urban

believe it was a conscious choice on their part, but both boys

outlaws of parking lots and school playgrounds. But mostly,

moved into worlds in which they were the experts, not me.

skaters – and the entire alternative sports world – are simply part of a culture parents have not taken the time to under-

See Paul Marshall’s Heaven Is Not My Home: Living in the Now of God’s Creation (Nashville: Word, 1998) and Michael Horton’s Where in the World Is the Church? A Christian View of Culture and Your Role in It (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1995).

7 C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1955), p. 183.

8 Ibid, p. 184.

9 Dick Keyes, True Heroism in a World of Celebrity Counterfeits (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1995), p. 226.

6

COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

stand or appreciate. I’ve often thought of having a bumper sticker printed that states, “Proud Parent of a Skateboarder.”

True Connection

Your teenager may have more “normal” passions – horses, books, ballet, perhaps even football. Rather than just leaving

26

Becoming an Advocate of Your Child’s Constructive Interests

What does it take to get a note like this from your

our children to their peers, we need to find ways of supporting and encouraging their constructive interests. William

fifteen-year-old son? Connecting – on his terms. The proud

Perkins never dreamed of the Extreme Games when he

parent of a skateboarder, indeed. ■

wrote his advice to parents in 1600. But through these expeThis article is adapted from an excerpt from Parenting Without Perfection by David John Seel, Jr. copyright 2000. Used by permission of NavPress: www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.

riences Alex was learning his “fit.”

I received the following e-mail from Alex, soon after he began his ninth-grade year at boarding school in New York.

*Alex is now a semi-pro skateboarder skating and studying photography in Paris, France.

Dad, I called last night and there was no answer, but I will call again today. Saturday night Tim, John, and I set up a kicker ramp in the gym. It was so much fun. I did this one ollie that almost cleared Tim’s head!! (and you know how big Tim is). I was also landing 360 flips!! Not off the ramp, just on the flat ground, but it was still pretty exciting. My wrist still aches, but it is all right.

Sunday, we had our third SBFL football game. We were playing the first place team. If you don’t remember, the team is made up of almost all soccer players. Our QB is Mr. Hogan and he has only played Australian football. Well anyway, the game went back and fourth for a while until the second half.

There were two minutes left in the game (we were up by two) forth down and the other team had the ball on our ten-yard line. Shep and I were covering Bobby Balister who is incredibly fast. Mr. Hunt threw a high loft to Bobby, Shep, and I both dove for it collided in mid-air and somehow blocked the ball. I’m not sure which one of us blocked it, but, whatever, it was amazing.

We then continued from our ten to drive down the field to their fifteenyard line. Once again it was fourth down, but we had the ball.

We needed about ten to get the first down and keep the clock going. All I did was a simple post pattern and beat my defender. All I remember was jumping up for the ball and waking up on the one-yard line with Mark Simmons and the rest of my teammates huddled around me screaming that I had won the game for us. With about ten seconds left we just ran out the clock. It was really intense and I am extremely sore. I think I did the same thing again to my shoulder, but at least we won. It was worth it to see the look on those football players’ faces when they realized they got beat by a bunch of soccer players and skaters.

Love, Your extremely sore but happy Alex!!!*

www.covenantseminary.edu

27

Training Servants of the Triune God

news

CAMPUS For a campus calendar, log on to www.covenantseminary.edu.

Faculty Itinerary Jerram Barrs, Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture, in St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 23 and 24, speaking for the Christian Medical and Dental Association Conference; in Rochester, Minn., Feb. 6 and 7, teaching for the Rochester L’Abri Conference.

David Calhoun, Professor of Church History, in Columbus, Ga., Feb. 6-8, teaching for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Missions Conference.

Donald Guthrie, Vice President for Academics, in Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 5-7, for Lilly Endowment Forum; in Rochester, Minn., Jan. 9 and 10, for Ransom Fellowship Board Meeting; in Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 12-14, for Evangelical Deans’ Council, in Lancaster,

James Pakala, Director of Covenant Seminary’s Buswell Library, serves on the Executive Committee of MOBIUS, a consortium which links Missouri’s academic libraries. James Pakala is shown above with M.Div. student Ty Busbice.

Interlibrary Sharing Growing Exponentially During the 1984-85 school year a mere 15 books were lent to other libraries by Covenant Seminary’s J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., Library and 31 were borrowed by the library on behalf of students, faculty, and staff. Since then, new library systems in the 1990s and a new consortium in 2001 have made it possible for that number to grow more than 130-fold, with 1,971 books lent through interlibrary loan during the 2002-3 school year and 1,943 borrowed from other libraries as a service to students and others at Covenant Seminary. The Buswell Library

COVENANT MAGAZINE

has several collections besides the main book collection, including periodicals such as journals and ecclesiastical magazines, CDs, DVDs, audio and videocassettes, microforms, atlases, oversize books, and the Tait Rare Book Collection with hundreds of volumes published mostly between 1500-1799.

served as keynote speakers for the Francis Schaeffer Lecture series titled: “Jesus and Caesar: Christian Faith and Political Process Renewal.” Their lectures helped conference attendees become more equipped to seek justice in local, national, and international affairs and to understand with depth the meaning of Christian citizenship.

Downloadable audio messages from this lecture series are available on-line by logging on to www.covenantseminary.edu/resource and typing the series title in the search box.

Fall Schaeffer Lectures Available On-Line This past Fall, James Skillen, President of the The Center for Public Justice, and John Porter, Director of the Center for FaithBased and Community Initiatives, U.S. Department of Education,

Winter 2003-2004

28

Penn., Feb. 27-29, leading Teacher Training Conference for Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Zack Eswine, Assistant Professor of Homiletics, in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 7, 14 and Jan. 4 preaching for the Chinese Gospel Church; in Bucharest, Romania, Jan. 19-25, teaching homiletics, in St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 1 and 8, preaching for the Chinese Gospel Church.

David Jones, Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics, in Yucatan, Mexico, teaching Christian Ethics, Jan. 18-24.

Robert Peterson, Professor of Systematic Theology, in St. Charles, Mo., on Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, 21, and 28, preaching for Grace Presbyterian Church.

Doctor of Ministry Courses This January, pastors will sharpen their skills and receive spiritual encouragement through studies in pastoral counseling, apologetics, grace-centered discipleship, and church renewal. Weeklong summer courses begin May 24.

For more information on Covenant Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program call 1-800-264-8064.

Briefly Stated

Covenant is published by Covenant Theological Seminary, the National Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America.

The purpose of Covenant Seminary is to train servants of the triune God to walk with God, to interpret and communicate God’s Word, and to lead God’s people.

Grace

& PEACE

Volume 18, Number 4. ©2003 Executive Editor David Wicker Managing Editor and Writer Eileen O’Gorman Copy Editors Huntley Cooney Betty Porter Circulation Paul Rawlins Photography Nichelle Hardy Robin Dawson Grant Beachy LaCour-Niesen Visuals, Inc. Ed Eubanks Design and Production 501creative, inc.

Covenant Theological Seminary 12330 Conway Road St. Louis, Missouri 63141 Tel: 314.434.4044 Fax: 314.434.4819 E-mail: covenant@covenantseminary.edu Visit Covenant Seminary on the Internet at www.covenantseminary.edu Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News publishers.

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This “grace and peace” wording appears so often at the opening of Paul’s epistles (with only slight variations) that its importance cannot be overestimated. When persons become absolutely convinced that their standing before God is based entirely on his grace and not on any goodness in themselves, peace comes…We become equal members of the fellowship of those whose condition is desperate apart from Christ, and this humbling realization is the foundation for Christian harmony.

– Dr. Bryan Chapell from 1&2 Timothy and Titus (page 278), co-authored with R. Kent Hughes, 2000 Crossway Books

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Student Profile

Church Planting in Seattle Neither André nor Heidi

When Michael Kelly (M.Div.’91) moved to Seattle, Wash., from

anticipated church planting as their

Yorktown, Ind., in 1995 to pastor

role in ministry following seminary

Greenlake Presbyterian Church, he

graduation. They served in college

began to unpack the seeds of a dream.

ministry prior to coming to seminary

The dream was to see churches planted

and assumed that they would continue

throughout this boomtown of the late

on in some type of college ministry.

20th century, which has volumes to

But hearing the testimonies of church

offer in the way of technology, art, and

planters who visited Covenant

natural beauty, but little grounding in

Seminary’s campus helped André

the grace of God in Christ.

and Heidi begin to consider a future in such uncharted territory.

Michael soon found that he was not alone in that vision and joined with a number of other PCA

André and Heidi Lewis with their children Karter (5), Warner (3), and Landon (5 weeks).

A summer internship at Greenlake Presbyterian in 2003 helped the

churches to form the Puget Sound Church Planting Network.

Lewises gain a better picture of the area and confirm this as the next step.

As the network got off the ground, they knew they must pray to

“It was a real step of faith for me to come to seminary with two small

the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest field.

children,” Heidi says. “And that prepared me for another step of faith

An e-mail sent to Michael by current student André Lewis (M.Div.’04) three years ago is now seen as a part of an answer to

which will be moving to Seattle to begin church planting.”

André and Heidi say that one of the primary reasons they chose

that prayer. Michael replied to André’s e-mail within five minutes

Covenant Seminary for ministry training was the opportunity for

of receiving it. Thus the dialogue began and the vision grew.

them to be trained together. As Andre has pursued full-time Master of Divinity studies, Heidi has taken one class a semester with long-term

Today André and his wife, Heidi, are planning to move to Seattle with their three children upon graduation next May in order for André to begin serving as a PCA church planting pastor in the

plans to finish a Master’s Degree in Counseling in Seattle.

“Covenant Seminary has done a great job of showing us that,

Redmond area just outside of Seattle. Redmond is the home of 50,000

if you are married, ministry is a joint venture,” André says. “I feel

people, most of whom are part of young families and many of whom

like we are a stronger team because we are learning together.”*

work for software giant Microsoft. As André says, “What was once a rough-and-tumble settlement is now a high-tech city.”

Andre, Heidi, Michael, and all those who are part of the Puget Sound Church Planting Network are dependent on the Lord of the

While many are drawn to Seattle for its beauty and opportunity,

Harvest to continue this work. They ask for your prayers for hearts

the Lewises are drawn because of need. “Less than ten percent of

to be receptive to the Gospel and that a core group would be estab-

people attend church of any kind,” André says. “It’s the most

lished to help lead the Redmond church plant. “The good news of the

unchurched major city in the U.S.”

Gospel is about a whole new life, a new object of worship,” André says.

André is quite familiar with the Seattle cityscape. He is a native

“This good news can transform any person and any culture.”

of Washington and a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle. Heidi, a native of Colorado, shares with André a desire to see evangelical churches planted and vibrant in the western U.S. COVENANT MAGAZINE

Winter 2003-2004

*André and Heidi, like many Covenant Seminary couples, are supported in training together through Covenant Seminary’s Spouse Tuition Scholarship.

www.covenantseminary.edu

Training Servants of the Triune God