Issue #104 | March 24, 2011 |
RTS/ORLANDO STUDENTS ARRIVE IN JAPAN!
Danny Iverson, RTS M.Div. student, along with his team, has arrived in Japan to help his father, Rev. Daniel Iverson, III (M.Div. '84) and his church, Oyumino Church in Iwaki, Japan, as they deliver supplies to victims of the tsunami. Danny is with Tim Bentson, also an RTS M.Div. student and Mike Costanzo (MAC '10) and they are a part of a group of eight people including a doctor. Click here to read more and click here to read updates and watch a video of Danny and a video of the plans ahead. Please keep them in your prayers.
IT’S HERE – THE NEW RTS WEBSITE
A big thanks to Mike Copening, Institutional Director of Technology for his hard work getting the new Web site launched. Also thanks to Brad Haden Design for Web site design and the committee members, Lyn Perez, John Sowell and Andy Peterson. Thanks also go to staff who contributed; Thomas Nelson, Kim Trouten, Stephane Jeanrenaud, Holley Gregory, Brian Gault; Matt Koehn, Hugh Whelchel, Geoff Sackett, Jim McAlhaney, Mike Garvey, Josh Drake, David Braddy, Robert Emeott, and many others. Click here to see the new RTS.EDU.
RTS/ORLANDO PROFESSOR NAMED A 2011-2012 HENRY LUCE III FELLOW IN THEOLOGY
Dr. Charles E. Hill, New Testament professor at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, has received the prestigious Henry Luce III Fellowship in Theology, funded by the Luce Foundation and administered by the Association of Theological Schools. He is the first RTS professor in the 17 year history of the fellowship to receive such an award. This fellowship, which is open to faculty members at any of the over 250 ATS member schools and is awarded as a grant of up to $75,000, provides for the recipients to work for a year on an approved research project that will benefit the academy and the church. Click here to read more.
JACKSON LECTURE SERIES
RTS/Jackson is currently hosting several notable lectures on campus: T. David Gordon spoke on March 1st, Bryan Chapell will speak on March 31st, and Alistair Begg will speak on April 5th. The schedule is as follows:
Preaching in Grace Chapel at 10:00, Question and Answer over lunch at noon at our Patterson’s Porch, Lecture in Grace Chapel from 1:00-3:00. These is no cost, and the public is invited. RSVP is requested to jgrant@rts.edu. Lunch can be purchased on site.
MORE EXCITING NEWS ON THE ESV BIBLE ATLAS
Crossway ESV Bible Atlas, written by Dr. John Currid has been named as a finalist in the ECPA Book Awards. Congratulations John! Click here for a list of all the finalists.
DENNIS FUSARO NEW EMPLOYEE
Welcome Dennis Fusaro to RTS! Dennis will fill a new position at RTS/Washington D.C. as vice-president of development. He has been the executive director of the National Right to Work Committee, for the State of Iowa since 2007 and was the executive director and director of communications of the same for the State of Delaware prior to that position. He graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., with a B. S. in Economics. He resides in Virginia with his wife and they have six children. They attend Eagle Heights Presbyterian Church in Winchester.
LILLY GRANT FOR RESEARCH INTO THE PSALMS OF ASCENT
Read an article on the Lilly grant project that Scott Redd, assistant professor of Old Testament and dean of students at RTS/Orlando, was working on with his prior church last year. It was offered through the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. RTS alumni Bruce Benedict (M.Div. '03) and Elliot Grudem (M.Div. '03) were in charge of the project. Bruce Benedict says that using the Psalms of Ascent or ancient Christian creeds helps his congregation “connect with the church universal.” Which worship elements help your church do that? Click here to read more.
FACULTY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS ARE ONLINE
Click here for the latest information on where the faculty will be speaking in the U.S. and overseas.
JACKSON FACULTY/STAFF SCHOLARSHIPS ANNOUNCED
On February 18, the RTS/Jackson faculty/staff scholarships were awarded to Peter Anderson, Noah Roberts and Kelley Baldridge.Congratulations to these students. The RTS/Jackson faculty and staff have contributed over the years to their own scholarship fund. Each year they select students to support. Then, the scholarships are announced at a luncheon, where students share their stories.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY REVIEWS NEW MILTON CD
Christianity Today, one of the largest Christian magazines in the U.S., has reviewed Dr. Michael Milton’s new CD, Through The Open Door. Read the review by clicking here. If you wish to purchase a copy, the sale of the CD is being handed by Music for Missions and you can order your copy by clicking here. RTS benefits from the sale of each CD on the Music for Missions Web site.
DR. DON SWEETING ELECTED TO NAE BOARD
RTS/Orlando President Don Sweeting has been elected as a new board member to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).The NAE, which today represents more than 45,000 local churches from more than 40 different denominations, has spoken as a united voice for millions of American evangelicals since 1942. Read more here.
FAITH FOR LIVING RADIO EXPANDING TO OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY
Listen to Faith for Living with Dr. Mike Milton on the following local stations:
NORTH CAROLINA
| WEGG, 710 AM | Jacksonville, NC | Sunday, 10:30 AM |
| WSTK, 104.5 FM | Bel Haven/Washington, NC | Sunday, 10:30 AM |
| WHVN, 1240 AM & 104.3 FM | Charlotte, NC | Sunday, 10:00 AM & 9:30 PM |
TEXAS
| KKHT, 100.7, The Word | Houston, TX | Sunday 9:00 AM |
FLORIDA
| WAFG, 90.3 FM | Fort Lauderdale / Miami, FL | Sunday 7:30 PM |
| WKZG, 88.3 FM | Key West , FL | Sunday, 7:30 PM |
MISSISSIPPI
| WFMN 97.3 FM | Jackson, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WFMM 97.3 FM | Hattiesburg, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WRQO 102.1 FM | Brookhaven/McComb, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WTCD 96.9 FM | MS Delta | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WTNM 105.5 FM | Oxford, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WWMR 102.9 FM | Tupelo, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WXRZ 94.3 FM | Corinth, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
| WKBB 100.9 FM | Golden Triangle, MS | Sunday, 8:30 AM |
Listen to Faith for Living anytime, anywhere, 24/7 on accradio.com; on iTunes U; and on sermonaudio.com
Watch on TV:
Faith for Living Television is broadcast on DirecTV on the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) Network Mondays at 8:30 EST and Fridays at 7:30 EST on channel 378.
View anytime/anywhere at FaithforLivingTV.com; or on iTunes U.
CAMPUS EVENTS
RTS/ATLANTA
This spring, the class “Acts & Romans” will be held at the historic First Presbyterian Church in Rome, GA. Dr. Bruce Lowe will teach on two more Saturdays, April 9th and 30th.
RTS/HOUSTON
RTS/Houston meets at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Houston. Contact Tim McKeown here admissions.houston@rts.edu for more information about classes, or call 800-752-4382.
RTS/ORLANDO
March 30 - President's Community Forum with Dr. Michael Milton (Dr. Milton will also speak in chapel).
April 6 - President's Community Forum with Kezlon Semanda.
April 14 - International Student Lunch
April 19 - Town Hall
April 30- Women In Ministry Brunch
RTS/CHARLOTTE
April 1-2 - Fourth Annual Women's Conference: “Women to Women: Ministering to Women’s Hearts, Minds and Souls” will be held at RTS.
April 8 - Spring Picnic
RTS/VIRTUAL
Upcoming dates for Orientation Seminars are:
April 18-20, 2011
June 20-22, 2011
RTS/JACKSON
March 22 - Pizza Lunch and Muslim Discussion (for students) with Rev. Bill Nikides, a retired military officer who has worked in the Muslim world for the last 12 years.
March 22 - Chic-Fil-A Spirit Night for Noah Roberts and the Mississippi March of Dimes
March 25 - Mystery Dinner/Supper Theater
The Summer Institute for Biblical Languages (SIBL) has been created in order to provide thorough, intensive introductions to all three biblical languages. Hebrew and Greek will be offered each year during the summer, five days a week, three hours per day, for seven weeks. During this seven week period, students will complete a full year of language study (Hebrew 1 and 2 or Greek 1 and 2). Aramaic can be offered every other year or as needed by request (two hours a day, five days per week for three weeks – 2 credit hours). Read more here.
ALUMNI SNIPPETS
Do you have an alumni snippet to share? Have you published a new book? Send it to the editor, here.
Josh Creason (M.Div. '09), pictured with Dr. Michael Milton (right), has just been called as associate pastor of Covenant Community Church, in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Justin “Jay” Denton (M.Div. ‘10) and his wife Bet are happy to announce that they are expecting their first child in September of this year!!! They have moved into a condo in downtown Raleigh, and host a community group of young adults at their home each Thursday. As assistant to the minister at Midtown Community Church, Jay loves being able to pastor those searching for a church home as well as those searching for the Truth. He also helps to lead a number of ministries at Midtown, and since December they have financially supported four different ministries: RUF at NC State, RUF at UNC, Faith Community Church in Prague and Leanne Barnard who is working for Envision in Gabon, Africa. He and Bet have raised about 85% of the total amount that they need for their first three years at Midtown and need just over $20,000 to reach their support goal.
Chad Grindstaff (M.Div. ’05) and his wife Erin are going to plant a church in Cincinnati. In this first year in Cincinnati, Chad is interning at North Cincy Community Church where Walter Wood (M.Div. ’82, D.Min. ’92) is pastor. During this year his goal is to learn as much as he can about church planting. He asks for prayer for his family and their adjustment to Ohio, especially the kids adjusting to a new place and meeting new friends. Currently they have 14% of their budget for the year left to raise; which amounts to around $12,000.
Mark Hansen (M.Div. ‘04) and his wife Rachel announce the birth of their daughter Alaythia Grace Hansen ("Ally") on February 21, 2011. Congratulations!
Kent Muhling (M.Div. '01) - and his wife Yuko, serve in Japan with Asian Access with their three children. Kent says "We're 
OK," in the midst of the 8.8 earthquake that hit the east coast of Japan. He says "God's timing is strange. Last Saturday I attended an all-day training to help Christians in Japan be prepared to respond in case of earthquake. On the ride home I was wondering how the Lord would want us to respond, but I really felt a desire to be part of relief efforts the next time a disaster struck.I had no idea the next disaster would be one week later!"
Update: Kent and his team have visited two churches, involved in distributing support.
The first church was so surprised and happy to see them! They have been sending their church members out with supplies to help people in their own communities. They left them what they said they needed: diapers, adult "diapers," wipes, and baby formula. Now that they've made contact they can continue to supply them with materials.
The second church they visited had been going out to areas where government personnel have not yet reached. One place was waist deep in water, with no drinking water supply and little food. They put them in direct contact with one of the main volunteer relief supply points, so they can hopefully stay supplied with what they need. They gave them all the food and water they had brought - a couple hundred pounds of rice, several hundred packets of soup, a couple crates of fresh carrots. They were very grateful.
Rocky McElveen (M.Div. ‘82) has written a sequel to his first book. It is titled Wild Men Wild Alaska II.
Frank Newell (M.Div. ‘98) and his wife Sheree ask you to click here to read a letter written by the Bible Society of Egypt. He says the director is a very godly man and the Bible Society has a very effective ministry in Egypt. “It is a good perspective and provides some good points for prayer.” He asks that you be much in prayer for Egypt these days as this time of governmental transition is important for the church there.
Chris Probst (MABS, '02), adjunct faculty in the Social Sciences Division at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., has written a book titled Demonizing the Jews: Luther and the Protestant Church in Nazi Germany (Indiana University Press) which examines the responses of German Protestant pastors and theologians to Luther's writings about Jews and Judaism during the Nazi era. It is under contract and is expected early 2012.
Jolly Rimai (D.Min./ICS ‘05) recently returned from a conference, the 30th annual gathering of the 28 churches at Mirem Baptist Church. The first night he spoke about unity in the church, the second sermon was on love and forgiveness, and in the last service he spoke about the "mercy of God that endures forever" based on Psalm 136. He explained to them how thankful we need to be for His grace. He said almost all the congregation cried and thanked the Lord for what He has done for us, and Jolly joined them too. They all had a time to rededicate our lives to the Lord and Jolly never expected this would happen during the annual gathering, but the Spirit of the Lord led to that point and they had meaningful time with the Lord. "Oh the Wonder of His love".
Bob Roane (D.Min., ‘00) teaches OT Survey, NT Survey, Acts & Paul, and Leadership in Business for Belhaven University in Houston, Texas. Belhaven holds classes at Windsor Village Methodist Church which is the largest Methodist Church in the nation with 15,000 members (mostly African-American). Windsor began in 1982 with 25 people, led by Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell (friend of President G. W. Bush). Bob counts teaching at Windsor Village a great privilege since he is an Anglo who has only served in smaller churches! Since Belhaven offers the Bachelor’s in Business or Healthcare Administration, teaching there draws on Bob’s MBA/CPA experience and his 30+ years in gospel ministry. Bob also serves as teacher-pastoral counselor-evangelist with Words of Hope Bible Ministries in Houston.
Cynthia Ruble (MATS ‘00) is currently serving in Nagoya, Japan, where it is ‘business as usual’. In her Bible study recently, the earthquake seemed to have caused no soul searching or fear that tomorrow it could be Nagoya (which has long been predicted). She wondered, ‘What will it take for people to care about their souls and eternity?’ Her biggest concern is for those suffering that they will have relief soon. Her hope is that the church in Japan will respond in a lay-down-one's-life kind of way, and that the people of Japan will wake up to the fact that this life is short, and eternity is long. “Watching all of those nice cars piling up on each other is a grim reminder that all of the ‘stuff’ that we treasure so much can be gone so quickly. How much wiser to lay up treasure in heaven!” She has put out an offer on our her LHN cell-phone blog of housing for pregnant women displaced by the earthquake. She would love to be able to help in a tangible way during this tragedy. She says, “If I don't, what am I doing here?”
Louis Surprenant (current student) gives an RTS shout out – “On the home page of The Gospel Coalition website they have recommended books for how to preach through the OT. Richard P. Belcher Jr. is among the four featured authors, along with Clowney, Greidanus, and Tchividjian.” Click here to see the books.