- Collection:
- Atlanta Funeral Programs Collection
- Title:
- [Funeral program for James H. Costen]
- Date of Original:
- 1886/2019
- Subject:
- African American men--Georgia--Atlanta--History--20th century
African Americans--Funeral customs and rites--Georgia--Atlanta--History--20th century
Funeral rites and ceremonies--Georgia--Atlanta---History--20th century
Funeral service--Georgia--Atlanta--History--20th century
Mourning customs--Georgia--Atlanta--History--20th century
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta--Genealogy - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- church records
programs (documents)
records (documents) - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Funeral program for James H. Costen. Birth date: (not recorded). Death date: (not recorded). Funeral date: (not recorded). Church: Morehouse College (Atlanta, Ga.). The Atlanta Funeral Programs Collection is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia in association with the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History as part of Georgia HomePLACE. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:aarl_afpc_costenjamesh
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:aarl_afpc_costenjamesh
- Language:
- eng
- Extent:
- 1 page
- Holding Institution:
- Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History
- Rights:
-
85 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution I Wednesday, April 16, 2003
O BITUARIES
ATLANTA
James H. Coste~)., 71, Presbyterian theologian
By KAY POWELL kpowell@ajc.com
The Rev. James H. Costen Sr. was deft at reconcination, whether it was for the Presbyterian Church (USA) or for the Interdenominational Theological Center, where he served for nearly three
decades. "Jim served the world of the
church. He was one of the leading architects of Presbyterian reunion," said the Rev. Cliff Kirkpatrick of Louisville, Ky., chief ecclesiastical officer of the Presbyterian Church (USA). "He had a global passion as well as a local one."
The Rev. Costen was presiding officer of the northern branch of the Presbyterian Church when it merged with the southern branch in the 1980s to form the present church. I:Ie was pastor of Atlanta's Church of the Master, which he founded, when he became a dean at the seminary in 1969 and was named president in 1983. After retiring in 1997, he became director of development for the Presbyterian Church in East Africa, expanding theological education in the 4 millionmember African church.
The Rev. Costen, 71, of Atlanta died Friday of complications after surgery at Piedmont Hospital. The funeral is noon Thesday at Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. Sellers Bros. is in charge of
arrangements. The theological center,
based in Atlanta, is made up of six collaborating seminaries of six different Christian denominations, seven at the time he became.president.
"Jim was a reconciling spir-
.L ' ' __ !...l ,.,__ n ___ n _ _ _ _ ... -. 1
JOHN SPINK I Staff The Rev. James Costen worked for the Presbyterian Church in East Africa after leading Interdenominational Theological
Center.
McCall of Atlanta, former board chairman. The Rev. Costen forged a unit from the seven denominations with seven boards of directors, each with its own vested interests, and doubled the board size with lay members,
he said. During the Rev. Costen's .
presidency, the nation's largest African-American seminary gained new national prominence. Enrollment gre~ from 310 to 450, the budget increased from $1.7 million to $7 million, and its endowment grew from $3 million to
almost $10 million. Much of that growth was
planned on the track at Benjamin E. Mays High School. In a weekend ritual, the Rev.
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two seminary administrators met to walk three miles on the
school's track. "The first mile, we talked
about world events and national events," said the Rev. McCall. "The second mile, we would raise the question of what do these world events mean for theological education. When we got to the third mile, we were ready to apply
that to lTC." "His philosophy of life was
that God had gifted him with grace and that he had to take that gift beyond himself," said his wife, Melva W. Costen. Survivors include two sons, James Costen Jr. of Kennesaw and Craig Costen of Detroit; a daughter, Cheryl Costen-Clay of Atlanta; seven grandchildren and one {!feat-srrandchild.