Columbia Theological Seminary Vantage, 80, number 1, Spring 1988

CO LU M B I A
THEOLOGICAL

SEMI NARY

Vantage

SPRING 1988

Columbia completes
successful campaign

JOHN A CONANT, chairman of
Columbia Seminary's Toward 2000
Capital Campaign and vice-chairman
of the seminary's Board of Directors,
has announced the successful and early
conclusion of the capital campaign.
This campaign, which was scheduled
to last three years and raise $6
million, was completed in two years
with $6.7 million raised. Begun in
January 1986 and concluded in
December 1987, it was the largest
"quiet" capital campaign in the
seminary's 160-year history.

Commenting on the campaign,
Mr. Conant, who is a senior vice
president of the John Harland
Company, said, "The successful
campaign is a clear vote of confidence
for Columbia Seminary. Many of us
who worked and responded saw it as
a meaningful way to express
appreciation to President Emeritus
Davison Philips for his outstanding
service and to President Douglas
Oldenburg for an excellent beginning
of his administration."

Because this was a "quiet"
campaign, no churches were solicited.
The campaign committee raised funds
from individuals and foundations. As
a result of this fund-raising drive, two
seminary buildings were renovated,

money was received toward
construction of a continuing education
building, and significant endowment
funds were received for scholarship aid
and the J. Davison Philips Chair of
New Testament.

J. Davison Philips, who was
president of Columbia from 1976
until his retirement at the end of
1986, said, "The generous response to
the Toward 2000 Campaign objectives
is cause for great thanksgiving. The
mission of Columbia Theological
Seminary will be greatly strengthened
through these gifts as we move
toward the twenty-first century."

Douglas W. Oldenburg, who
became president in January 1987,
said of the campaign, "It is gratifying
to assume the presidency of Columbia
toward the completion of a successful
campaign. To exceed our goal in such
a short time is a strong witness to the
outstanding leadership of Chairman
John Conant, President Emeritus
Davison Philips, Vice President James
Dickenson, and the members of the
campaign committee. It also shows
the high regard which many people
have for the seminary. We are
profoundly grateful to all who
contributed to the success of the
campaign. We promise to be good

Left to right: President Emeritus Davison Philips, Campaign Chairman John
Conant, and President Oldenburg led the seminary's $6 million "quiet" campaign
to its early conclusion.

stewards of their gifts and worthy of
the confidence they have placed in us.'

Members of the Toward 2000
Campaign Committee were: Mr.
Conant, Howell Adams, Howard
Ector, Florida Ellis, Edward Gould,
and the late Erskine Love of Atlanta,
Georgia; Joseph Patrick, Hansford
Sams, and John Weitnauer of
Decatur, Georgia; William Bryant of
Nashville, Tennessee; John Chambless
of Montgomery, Alabama; Ludwick

Clymer of Ft. Myers, Florida; Langdon
Flowers of Thomasville, Georgia;
James Johnson of Columbus, Georgia;
Randolph Kowalski of Greenville,
South Carolina; Sloan McCrea of
Miami, Florida; and William Noonan
of Pensacola, Florida. Ex officio
members were: William Adams,
Chariman of Columbia's Board of
Directors; James Dickenson, Vice
President of Development and
Seminary Relations; Douglas
Oldenburg; and Davison Philips. D

Columbia's 160th birthday

The seminary archives contains such items as diplomas, catalogues, bulletins, books,
class pictures, furniture, maps, and more.

Columbia Seminary's 160th
BIRTHDAY is an appropriate time to
celebrate the new home of the
seminary archives, a room in the John
Bulow Campbell Library especially
renovated for the purpose of housing
the seminary's archival collection.
Previously, these pieces had been
stored in a number of places on the
seminary campus. Bringing them
together, however, not only facilitates
their preservation, but results in easier
access, as well.

For many years the seminary
made no concentrated effort to collect
the papers and other memorabilia
relating to its past, choosing instead to
forward such material to the
Presbyterian Historical Foundation at
Montreat. While the connection with
PHF will remain an important one for

the seminary, there is a growing
realization that, as an institution, we
need to claim important parts of our
own history and to preserve these in
our own facilities. The present new
home for the archives is an important
part of that effort.

In addition to the type of
materials one would expect to find in
such a archive (official records, faculty
papers, and the like), there are a
number of curiosities. Among these
are the following:

The old bell from the South
Carolina campus. When the seminary
was in Columbia, this large brass bell
was mounted atop a post behind the
main building (now known as the
Mills House) where it was routinely
rung for classes and meals.

Continued on page 7

From the President

Douglas W. Oldenburg

Columbia Theological Seminary has
some outstanding students! As I havi
come to know them, I am impressed
with their diversity, their
commitment, and the depth of their
caring. Many of them have a pastor's
heart and a scholar's mind and will
make wonderful pastors and preachers
and leaders in the church.

Some are concerned today,
however, that we are not drawing to
the ministry the same "quality" of
person we have had in the past. That
is hard to measure, of course, but all
of us agree that we should challenge
the very "best and brightest'' to
consider God's call to ministry.
Among the qualities we need in our
candidates for ministry are these:

1. Commit nnt We need students
who are growing in their commitment
to Almighty God, to Jesus Christ as
Lord, to the church, and to
discovering God's will for their lives.
Amid whatever doubts or uncertainties

they may have, we need folks who are
willing to make commitments and
take a stand. But that quality needs
to be matched with an. . . .

2. Open mind and heart. We want
students who bring to the seminary
their own experience in the church
and the gospel, but who are open to
new insights and other points of view
and are willing to challenge their own
presumptions. We want students who
have an eagerness to grow in their
spiritual life, their theological
understanding, in their knowledge of
Scripture, in their awareness of the
world, and in their capacity to care.

3. Seriousness about hard study:
We don't expect all our students to
become authors of scholarly tomes,
but we do expect them to be very
serious about hard work, about giving
their studies the very best they have,
about loving God with their minds.
Seminary work is not easy and
requires a high level of self-discipline,

particularly when students have to
luggle commitments to spouse and
family (and sometimes job!) with their
commitment to their studies.

4. Emotional maturity. Life itself is
stressful, and seminary life presents its
own set of tensions, frustrations and
anxieties. We want students who are
well on their way to becoming
emotionally mature and stable, and
who "have their heads together."
Although most of us find the
seminary to be an environment which
engenders health and wholeness, it is
not a therapeutic clinic.

5. Caring spirit. We want
students who have active minds and
big hearts - caring for one another
within the seminary community,
caring about the hurts of the world,
caring about injustice and poverty and
all the other distortions of God's good
creation. We want students who care
passionately about the gospel and
Christ's church and its potential for
making a difference in individual lives
and in the life of the world.

6. Unsurpassed joy\ We want
students who have already tasted and

are eager to drink more deeply of that
inexpressible joy that comes in
discovering new insights about our
faith, in sharing with others some
tremendously good news, in
worshipping Almighty God, in
knowing they have made a difference
for someone else, and in "losing your
life" for Christ's sake.

7. Leadership potential: The
church needs leaders who believe
deeply in what they are doing, who
are filled with energy and enthusiasm,
who take the initiative, who have the
courage of their convictions, and who
know how to work with people.

We currently have at Columbia
many students who have these
qualities, thank God. But we're
always searching for more. Help us
find them!

With warmest regards,

Miss Harrison was honored on her
retirement in 1961 by the Alumni
Association.

C.V. Harrison
1893-1988

Graveside services were held for
Miss C. Virginia Harrison on March
3, 1988, in Johnston, South Carolina.
Dr. Robert Tapp and the Rev. F.
Sidney Anderson officiated. At the
time of Miss Harrison's death on
March 1, she was in her ninety-fifth
year.

She was born Carolina Virginia
Harrison on August 25, 1893, in
Johnston. After attending Winthrop
College for two years, she was
persuaded to come to Atlanta,
Georgia, in 1925 to work with Mr.
Thomas Law, an attorney. Mr. Law
was involved in the capital funds
campaign to move Columbia
Theological Seminary from Columbia,
South Carolina, to Decatur, Georgia.

In those early years of the
seminary's existence in Decatur, Miss

Harrison was not only responsible for
collecting the campaign pledges but
found herself involved in all aspects of
the life of the seminary. Dr. Gillespie,
the seminary's president, found his
health failing, so he gave much of the
day-to-day responsibility of operating
the seminary to her. During the rwo
years following his death when the
seminary was without a president, she
provided stability to the operation of
the school, and she gave much help
to Dr. J. McDowell Richards, the
newly elected president. She continued
to work for Columbia Seminary until
her retirement in August 1961.

Dr. Richards, at the time of Miss
Harrison's retirement, wrote her a
letter which remains a classic tribute
to her life and work. Said he in that
letter, "I am quite sure that no one
else is in quite so good a position as I
am to know the real magnitude of the
contribution which you have made to
the life of Columbia Seminary. In the
light of personal observation and
experience, I can assert with
confidence that few institutions have
ever had an equally efficient employee,
and that no institution has had one
who labored with greater devotion,
faithfulness, and usefulness than C.
Virginia Harrison. I am grateful for
the fact that, having served the
seminary in days of great adversity
and in many difficult circumstances,
you have lived to see this school enter
upon brighter times and that you
leave it standing upon the threshold
of even greater usefulness. For what
has been accomplished here during the
past 36 years, no one deserves greater
credit than yourself. Indeed the real
significance of what you have done for
countless individuals and for the
church will be manifest only in
eternity.

"My own work during these years
could never have been done without
your assistance. No man ever had a
better secretary or a more loyal and

helpful friend than you have been.
When I reflect upon the fact that
during most of this time, in addition
to being my personal secretary and
counselor, you have also served the
seminary as treasurer, registrar,
supervisor of buildings and grounds,
purchasing agent, manager of the
bookstore, publisher of the catalogue
and bulletins, postmistress, keeper of
alumni records, and assistant-secretary
of the board, I am filled with
amazement and admiration. Your
retirement will leave a gap in the life
of Columbia Seminary which no one
individual can ever fill again, and I
personally feel almost as if I were
losing my right hand."

Her life was appropriately honored
by the student body of the seminary
when she was presented a bronze
plaque with the request for it to be
attached to the wall of the seminary's
business office. The inscription on the
plaque reads as follows:

In honor of Miss C. Virginia
Harrison, from 1925 to 1961 a faith-
ful servant of her Lord and church at
Columbia Theological Seminary in
innumerable administrative capacities,
the student body on her retirement
devotedly erects this plaque. "For her
price is far above rubies." Prov. 31:10
Miss Harrison really never retired!
After leaving the seminary, she
remained in Decatur for about 12
years, during which time she worked
with United Way of Atlanta and gave
her services to other organizations.
Even after moving to the Presbyterian
Home in Summerville, South
Carolina, until her health failed, she
worked in the offices there.
This tribute to Miss Harrison was
written by F. Sidney Anderson '44,
former Vice President for Business
Affairs at Columbia.

'88 Commencement

Columbia Theological Seminary will
hold its 1988 Commencement
exercises at Peachtree Presbyterian
Church on Sunday, May 29, at 4:00
p.m. The majority of students will
receive the first professional degree:
the Doctor of Ministry in Sequence,
the Master of Divinity, the M.A. in
Youth Ministry, or the M.A. in
Theological Studies. The remainder of
the graduates will receive the Master
of Theology or the Doctor of Ministry
in Ministry degrees.

The Rev. Ashley Smith is the
speaker for this year's commencement
exercises. Dr. Smith serves as
president of the United Theological
College of the West Indies in
Kingston, Jamaica. He has been
moderator four times for the United
Church of Jamaica and Grand
Cayman (a union of Presbyterian and
Congregational churches). Dr. Smith
holds degrees or diplomas from
U.T.C.W.I., London University,
Lancaster Seminary, and Princeton
Theological Seminary. He is the
author of articles and a book, Real
Roots and Potted Plants: Reflections on
the Caribbean Church.

Dr. William A. Adams will
preach the Baccalaureate sermon on
May 29 at 11:00 a.m. at North
Avenue Presbyterian Church. Dr.
Adams is a graduate of Davidson
College and Columbia Seminary. He
served as a pastor for 16 years before
becoming executive presbyter for the
Presbytery of Greater Atlanta in 1973.
Dr. Adams currently chairs the Board
of Directors at Columbia.

On Saturday, May 28, President
and Mrs. Oldenburg will hold a
reception for graduates at their home.
Saturday's highlight will be a dinner
for graduates, their families and
friends, and the faculty in the
Richards Center.

VANTAGE

Internationals at Columbia 1 UBBflJH

A typical LUNCH SCENE at Columbia's
refectory is an international gathering.
Students and professors from countries
such as Scotland, India, Jamaica, and
the United States refill their coffee
cups and return to the tables to
discuss issues and questions together.
Columbia's international program,
which was begun in 1980 with the
Women of the Church Birthday
Offering, has grown and expanded
and now includes representatives from
these countries; West Germany,
Hungary, Haiti, Scotland, South
Korea, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia,
Jamaica, Costa Rica, Taiwan, the
Island of Mauritius, India, and
Liberia.

Students and professors from other
countries bring valuable contributions
to Columbia's classrooms and
community activities. While they
benefit from Columbia's programs and
resources, international visitors greatly
enrich and challenge our perspectives
of the church and the world. They
share different ideas and traditions
and broaden Columbia's
understanding of the world-wide
communion of the church.

Dr. Sylvia Babu came to
Columbia from Bangalore, India,
where she works in the slums as a
pediatrician for the State Council for
Child Welfare. She has studied and
worked in the U.S. previously and
received a master's degree in public
health from Johns Hopkins University
in 1978. At Columbia Dr. Babu is
studying for the M.A. in Theological
Studies. She says, "The theology and
ethics are more relevant for my
situation than research in academic
pediatrics. I am working to meet
basic needs in Bangalore." She
continues, "Poverty is an ever present
reality in India which you cannot
escape. In the U.S. you have to make
the effort to see it." She sees the
church beginning to be involved in
economic and justice issues, but she
hopes that theological education will
allow the real world to impinge more
on the classroom. Dr. Babu cited
Columbia's alternative context
program as a good step toward greater
involvement in the world. She
explains, "The program allows you to

then took the chair of homiletics and
liturgies. He also spent six years
teaching in Kenya between 1970 and
1976.

Speaking of her various jobs, Mrs.
Pasztor comments, "There are no
housewives in a socialist country;
everyone works." She was a librarian
at Debrecen for 12 years and
volunteered her time in Kenya to
catalog books in the theological
library. Mrs. Pasztor later became
general secretary for the college in
Debrecen. She handled the business,
ecumenical, and supporting
relationships for the complex. This
included the theological academy, a
high school, a huge library, and a
celebrated museum.

The Pasztors speak with deep
feeling of the 400 years of suffering
the Reformed Church has endured in
Hungary. Mrs. Pasztor states, "In
America it is more fashionable to be
Christian. In Eastern Europe, you go
against the stream as a Christian."
Dr. Pasztor explains that the
Hungarian church does not face as
much persecution as the Romanian
church, whose leaders often disappear
without explanation. He adds,
"Despite some advances, the
Hungarians still must make a definite
decision to be Christians. They inherit
a poor church which struggles for
survival."

Both Pasztors stress the
importance of biblical teaching and
preaching for today's Christians. Dr.
Pasztor thinks of himself primarily as
a preacher and will return to full-time
parish work when they return to
Hungary. Mrs. Pasztor claims, "We
must bring the text and the present
situation together. The Bible is tied to
peoples suffering. We must go in
Christ's name and preach the text."

The Rev. Maake Masango has
been the director of the Department
of Christian Education for the
Presbyterian Church in Southern
Africa. He studied at Columbia
between 1978 and 1981 and has
returned to work on the Doctor of
Sacred Theology degree in pastoral
counseling, so that he can meet the
need for pastoral care in South Africa.

In speaking of his vision for the

'We all need to be involved in mission which
educates. We need to listen, learn, and become
sensitive to other situations."

listen to people to analyze and to
learn from your experience. That is
how we train health care workers in
order that they may meet the needs of
the people."

Dr. Janos Pasztor and his wife,
Judith, came from Hungary to spend
a year at Columbia teaching and
speaking in churches. Dr. Pasztor
served in a parish of the Reformed
Church of Hungary for many years
before he began teaching at the
Reformed Theological Academy at
Debrecen. He was professor of
practical theology for five years and

church, Mr. Masango says, "I would
like to see the church become a
vehicle for justice issues. We need to
educate people for a change of
attitudes so that we may worship
freely together without hate or fear."

Mr. Masango points to a need for
partnership between the church in
America and the church in Africa. He
says, "Americans have given much
love and now they need to receive.
We all need to be involved in mission
which educates. We need to listen,
learn, and become sensitive to other
situations. As Christians, we can share

Columbia's internationals this year include {front row. l-r): Sylvia Baku, India;
Stanley Redwood, Jamaica; Jennifer Ahlhaus. \X i my; Judith Huggctt.

Scotland. (Second row): Mac Kumt, Ghana; Judith Pasztor, Hungary; Martin
Song, Taiwan; Chang Whan Park, South Korea. (Third row): Adolfo Ruiz, Costa
Rica; Raphael Dessieu. Haiti; Janos Pasztor. Hungary.

and become a walking news media for
each other, relying on each other for
information about our countries."

Dr. Chang Whan Park is a
visiting scholar from South Korea. He
has been teaching New Testament
courses for 40 years and has served is
president of the Presbyterian
Theological Seminary in Seoul for the
past four years. He is teaching classes
at Columbia and preparing Bible
study materials for lay people in
South Korea.

Dr. Park believes that the Korean
Presbyterian Church is too much like
the Presbyterian Church (USA), whose
missionaries planted the Korean
church. Dr. Park explains, "We are
not an indigenous church, and we
have imitated the West. This is
beginning to change very slowly. Both
the American and Korean churches are
clothed with European civilization. As
Koreans, we must peel back the layers
and discover real, pure Christianity.
Then we must combine Christianity
with our own culture."

The Rev. Adolfo Ruiz teaches
sociology at the University of San Jose
in Costa Rica and also teaches at the
Biblical Seminary in San Jose. He is
studying at Columbia to gain a better
understanding of North American
churches, religion, and politics. Mr.
Ruiz will write about his experiences
and share them in classrooms and
churches in Costa Rica.

Adolfo's time in the U.S. is a
model for his own vision of the global
church's mission. He says,
"Reciprocity is necessary between the
church in Central America and the
church in North America. We need
to support each other, develop
friendships, and become partners in
mission." Adolfo believes that
churches and seminaries should initiate
more exhanges to develop new
information, fresh interpretations, and
ongoing dialogue between Christians.

Mr. Ruiz claims, "Christians must
work together to meet today's
challenges. People in Central America
are discovering that the Christian faith
is a real response to their experience.
We must accept the risks and stand

in solidarity tog< thei

These Christian brothers and
sisters strengthen the life of Columlu.i
Seminary and present a vision for the

church which is global and unifying.

i in v emphazii the need foi < hristiaru

to live- out thi gospel in partnership

with eai h othei The chaUengi s foi
thi i hur< h arc great in this global

village which we share. However, we
can rind hope in our efforts to

understand each other and to ai i

faithfully as the church of Jesus

Christ.D

Sarah Speed, the writer, is a senior from

Marietta, Georgia.

Plato Henderson
dies

PLATO HENDERSON, WHO served
Columbia Seminary as chef for some
46 years before retiring in 1963, died
in Atlanta on July 15, 1987. In
l'i lining health for some years, he
was living in the Cosby Spear
Memorial Towers, just across North
Avenue from the Presbyterian Center
in Atlanta.

Mr Henderson began his work as
chef in 1917, when the seminary was
located in Columbia, South Carolina.
When the seminary was moved to
Decatur in 1927, Plato was asked,

a few months, to come to
Decatur and take up his duties on the
new campus, A faithful and valuable
member of the staff, he was liked and
respected by many generations of
( olumbia students and faculty. He
was a charter member and elder of
Trinity Presbyterian Church in
Decatur.

He is survived by a sister, a
brother, several nieces and nephews
and other members of his extended
family. Funeral services were held July
18 ill Trinity Presbyterian Church,
with the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Bottoms
officiating. Interment was in Kennedy
Memorial Garden in ElIenwood.D
The Rev. Harold Prince, Librarian
Emeritus, wrote this tribute to Mr.
Henderson.

SPRING 1988

Continuing

Education

Calendar

Fellowship
at Montreat

For further information or to register for courses, call or write:

Douglas W. Hix, Director of Advanced Studies, or

Sara Covin Juengst, Director of Continuing Education

Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA 30031 / 404-378-8821.

May 1-6 A Contemplative Retreat for Men at the Monastery of
the Holy Ghost An opportunity for rest, renewal, and quiet
refreshment, spiritual discipline and inspiration. Leader: Doug Hix. Cost:
$100.

May 31-June 16 PEOPLES AND CHURCHES OF THE USSR Travel to
Moscow, Kiev, and Leningrad during the 1,000th anniversary of
Christianity in Russia. Leaders: Douglas and Claudia Oldenburg, Sara
Juengst, Tom Remington. Cost: $3,150.

July 11-15 On the seminary campus.

1. How TO TEACH Crisis as Opportunity: Challenges in the Elijah Stories,
THE Women"S STUDY BOOK FOR 1988-89 Taught by Mary Boney Sheats,
Professor Emerita of Bible and Religion, Agnes Scott College. Cost: $25.
2 Thhodicy in the Wisdom Traditions Taught by Walter
Brueggemann, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia. Cost: $50.

3. Images of God and Family Relations Taught by Diane Tennis,
Women's Ministry Unit Staff, GAC, PC(USA). Cost: $50.

4. The Theology of Stewardship Taught by Douglas John Hall,
Professor of Christian Theology, McGill University. Cost: $50.

5. Human Sexuality and Ministry Taught by Marilyn Washburn '81,
M.D., and Jasper Keith, Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at
Columbia. Cost: $50.

July 1 1-22 On the seminary campus. Credit courses.*

1. Building Christian Community through Small Groups Taught by
Robert Ramey, Professor of Ministry at Columbia.

2. The Theology of Stewardship Taught by Douglas John Hall, Professor
of Christian Theology, McGill University.

July 18-22 On the seminary campus.

1. How TO TEACH Crisis as Opportunity: Challenges in the Elijah Stories,
the Women's Study Book for 1988-89 Taught by Rebecca Skillern
Parker, Director of Admissions at Columbia. Cost: $25.

2. APPROACHES TO Paul Taught by Beverly Gaventa, Professor of New
Testament at Columbia. Cost: $50.

3. Personality and Pastoral Care Taught by William Arnold, Dean of
the Faculty, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. Cost: $50.

4. Getting the Most out of Modern Bible Translations Taught by
Keith Crim, Presbyterian minister and a translator of the Old Testament
for Good News Bible. Cost: $50.

5. Preaching on Advent and Christmas Taught by Lucy Rose,
Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Columbia. Cost: $50.

July 25-August 5 On the seminary campus. Credit courses.*

1. Sociological Study of the Church and the Community Taught by
Harvey Newman, Professor, College of Urban Life, Georgia State
University.

2. The Gospel of John For the Teacher and the Preacher Taught
by Will Ormond, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Exposition at Columbia.

3. Faith and Righteousness: A Theology of H Richard Niebuhr.
Taught by C. Benton Kline, Professor of Theology at Columbia.

August 5-6 Conference on the Korean Church in America. For
Korean pastors and church members and anyone interested in the mission
of the Korean Church in America. Cost: $25 per person, $15 for each
additional person from the same church.

September 18-23 Study/Retreat at the Beach A time to read,
reflect, and relax at Sunset Beach, NC. Cost: $100, plus books. Leader:
Doug Hix.

October 9-14 A Week at Koinonia and Habitat for Humanity A
working/learning week of renewal. Cost $100. Leader: Sara Juengst.

Two-week credit courses: prerequisite M.Div. or equivalent degree.
You may take ONE of the credit offerings in each two-week period and
thus earn three semester hours credit in each two-week period. Cost per
course is $420.

"Meeting the Master in the
Mountains," a fellowship gathering of
Presbyterians sponsored by Columbia
Seminary, will be held at Montreat
May 20-22. Participants will find this
conference a place and time prepared
to broaden and deepen their journeys
of faith.

Leaders for the weekend will be
President Douglas Oldenburg; Dr. Ben
Johnson, Professor of Evangelism; Dr.
Robert Ramey, Professor of Ministry;
and Dr. Robert Smith, Director of the
Lay Institute of Faith and Life.

The first session of the weekend,
" The Touch of the Master," will be
led by Dr. Johnson at 7:30 p.m.
Friday. Dr. Ramey will begin
Saturday's events with "The Tie with
Each Other," and Dr. Smith will
conclude with "The Towel in Our
Hand."

Mid-morning electives will be
offered, and participants may choose
from Christian Family Life with Dr.
Ramey; Ministry in Your Workplace
with Dr. Smith; Prayer with Dr.
Johnson; or Witness in the World
with President Oldenburg. Saturday
afternoon offers the chance for golf,
tennis, hiking, and conversation with
the leaders.

On Sunday morning, reflection
groups will be held, after which
President Oldenburg will lead the
concluding worship service.

To register, contact the Montreat
Conference Center, Box 907,
Montreat, NC 28757 for room
reservations and meals in Assembly
Inn. An advance reservation fee of
$20 is required when reservations are
requested. Participants are asked to
notify Columbia's Lay Institute, Box
520, Decatur, GA 30031, when
reservations are made.D

Autumn Lay
School offered

Due to the success of the January
Lay School of Bible and Theology, the
Lay Institute of Faith and Life has
made this a semi-annual event. The
first fall session will be held on four
consecutive Monday evenings:
September 19 and 26 and October 3
and 10. Each participant may choose
one class from the following:

Christian Ethics in an Election
Year Dr. Fred Bonkovsky

Family Systems Dr. Brian
Childs

Old Testament: Discovering
Biblical Narrative Dr. David
Gunn

New Testament: Philemon and
Philippians Dr. Will Ormond

The registration fee for each
course is $25. To register, please call
404/378-8821, or mail your name,
address, choice of class, and $25 to
Lay School, Columbia Seminary, Box
520, Decatur, GA 3003 l.D

Seminary says
goodbye
to four

The Columbia community is saying
goodbye to four members of its staff.
Dr. Olin Whitener, Regional Director
of Development, will be moving to
Darlington, South Carolina, to assume
the pastorate of the Darlington
Presbyterian Church. The Rev.
Caroline Leach, Associate Dean of
Students, will have completed her
three-year term at Columbia. Daryle
Maroney and Cathy Carlson are
leaving the John Bulow Campbell
Library staff.

Dr. Whitener, who joined the
seminary's development staff four years
ago, received the D.Min. degree from
Columbia in 1976. He has served as
pastor of the Shiloh and Dixon
Presbyterian Churches in North
Carolina and the Allison Creek
Church in South Carolina. His areas
of responsibility at the seminary, in
addition to general development
duties, have been the Alumni/ae
Association, the annual fund, and the
Columbia Friendship Circle.

Ms. Leach, who received the
M.Div. from Columbia in 1972, has
been associate dean, half-time, since
1985. Her primary responsibility has
been with the women of Columbia,
both students and spouses. Ms. Leach
is also assistant pastor at Oakhurst
Presbyterian Church in Decatur.

Ms. Maroney, technical services
librarian for seven years, will be
joining the staff of the Georgia State
University Pullen Library. Ms. Carlson,
who joined the library staff a year
ago, has served as assistant librarian
for circulation.

The seminary community will
miss these members of its staff and
wishes them and their families well.D

Mary Wallace
succumbs

The Columbia Seminary community
was saddened to learn recently of the
death of Mrs. Mary Wallace, wife of
Professor Emeritus Ronald Wallace.
The Wallaces came to Columbia from
Scotland in 1964 and remained until
Dr. Wallace's retirement in 1977.
During that time, they lived in an
apartment in Simons Law Hall which
they turned into a warm and
hospitable gathering place for students
and faculty. Mrs. Wallace was a
friend and counselor to many students,
especially those faced with some
special difficulty. She was a daughter
of missionaries to China and a sister
to the distinguished Scottish
theologians, Thomas and James
Torrance. She pursued many scholarly
interests herself and was often a visitor
to Columbia classrooms and the
library. Special tribute was paid to her
memory by Professor Wade Huie at a
recent faculty meeting.

VANTAGE

Forum 1988

The Alumni I ae Association Council met for its annual meeting on February 1.
Officers elected for 1988-89 are: G. Daniel McCall, president; Elizabeth McGregor
Simmons, president-elect; Ralph Aker, vice president; Charles Cook, secretary I
treasurer. The Association expresses appreciation to B.E. Pettit, outgoing president,
for his leadership during the past year. Council members shown are (front row, l-r):
President Oldenburg, B.E. Pettit 62, Elizabeth McGregor Simmons 79, G. Daniel
McCall '60, Ralph Aker '75. Second row: Joan Gray '76, Alice Johnson 77,
Anna Case Winters '78, Steve Vance '81, Fred Woodward 48, Herb Barks '59.
Third row: Thomas J. Reeves '64, Tyler Downing '84, David Bailey '82, John
Sharp '71. Fourth row: Winona Jones DuCille '76, Hugh Eichelberger '62,
William Wade '80, William Lancaster '73, Charles Cook '59. Fifth row: Dana
Waters '58, Roy Wat kins '58, Ralph McCaskill '59, Lane Alderman '80, James
K. Thompson '58, Clayton Bell '58, A.A. Markley '62.

On April 12 during the spring meeting of the Board of Directors, Professor
Emeritus J. Will Ormond "43 preached in a special seminary worship service at
Columbia Presbyterian Church. Dr. Ormond had been scheduled as the Forum
preacher but was unable to preach because of illness.

Phyllis Trible, Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature at Union Theological
Seminary in New York, was the Smyth Lecturer. The overall title for her lectures
was "Scriptural Subversion."

Joanna Adams '78, pastor of North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Frank
Harrington '60, pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, and President Oldenburg
preached during Forum.

James Sanders, president of the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center for Preservation
and Research in Claremont, California, and Professor of Intertestamental and
Biblical Studies at the School of Theology at Claremont, was the Alumni/ae
Lecturer. He spoke on fundamentalism and the church and reading the Bible on its
own terms.

The Class of '53 had the largest turnout for its reunion with over 30 people
attending. Reunion Chair Doug Hix, Director of Advanced Studies at Columbia,
and his wife, Pat, hosted a reunion supper at their home. (L-r): Bob Dobbins, John
Sadler, Bill Shotanus, Arleen Shotanus, Nancy Sadler, and Sue Dobbins enjoyed
the get together.

SPRING 1988

For the Record

If you have recent news you would like to contribute to this section,
please send it to the editor.

Fred McDaniel '58 is a licensed
representative with A.L. Williams and
Co., pan-time. He has been named to
the National Distinguished Service
Registry for distinguished service in
medical and vocational rehabilitation.
In November he received the
Delaware Counselor of the Year
Award. After 18 years, he retired as
senior counselor with the Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation, State of
Delaware. Mr. McDaniel's new job is
church consultant for United Church
Directories for Delaware, Eastern Shore
of Maryland, and parts of

Pennsylvania Katie Thoresen '84

had published six devotions in the

Advent issue of These Days Gene

Norris '59 (D.Min. 77) is hospital
chaplain at Eisenhower Army Medical
Center and is in private practice as a
marriage and family therapist in
Augusta, GA.

Rebecca S. Parker, Director of
Admissions at Columbia, preached at
Northwoods Presbyterian Church in
Doraville, GA, addressed the
constituting convention of Savannah
Presbytery on the new Preparation for
Ministry process, and taught a
workshop on the process in January.
She is teaching a series on the Psalms
based on Walter Brueggemann's book,
Praying the Psalms, at First
Presbyterian in Atlanta. She has
taught a three-day workshop for the
Synod of Lakes and Prairies on the
new Preparation for Ministry process
and was workshop leader for the
Church Executive Conference at
McCormick Seminary. Ms. Parker
gave a tour at the High Museum of
Art, Atlanta, on "Spirituality
Expressed in Form: Twentieth Century

Art."' Harvey Walters '69 is

associate pastor of the Moorings

church in Naples, FL David Bailey

'82 received honorable mention in the
doctrinal/theological category for the
"Best Sermons Contest for 1987,"
sponsored by Harper & Row
Publishers. The collection of sermons
will be published in June.

John Patton, Professor of
Pastoral Theology at Columbia, is a
visiting professor at Vanderbilt
Divinity School for the spring
semester. He is teaching a course,
Pastoral Anthropology, for Ph.D.
students. "Caring for Our
Generations," was published in the
March 2 issue of Christian Century,
and "Pastoral Ministry in a Fractured
World" was published in the spring
1988 issue of Journal of Pastoral

Care Karen Rice '87 was the first

minister to be ordained by the new
Northeast Georgia Presbytery. She has
been called as stated supply to the

Arcade church in Jefferson Morris

Taylor '63 has been called as pastor
of the First church in Canton, MS.

George Stroup, Professor of
Theology at Columbia, led a church
officers' retreat for First church,
Charlotte, spoke at the meeting of
Middle Tennessee Presbytery on the

new curriculum in the Presbyterian
Church, spoke at a Lenten series at
Westminster church in Austin, and
led a continuing education seminar
with David Adams at Princeton
Theological Seminary on "Christology
in Luke" in February. In March he
was the speaker for Renewal 1988 at

First church, Salem, OR Ben

Kline, President Emeritus and
Professor of Theology at Columbia,
taught a course on Christology in a
lay school for Charleston-Atlantic

Presbytery in February Shirley

Ford Adams (D.Min. 77) is interim
pastor of the Bethel and Summerville,
GA, churches.

Jim Reaves '52 is interim pastor
of the Silver Creek church in Lindale,

GA David Moessner, Associate

Professor of New Testament at
Columbia, had an article, "Paul in
Acts: Preacher of Eschatological
Repentance to Israel," published in
New Testament Studies, Vol. 34
(1988), which is dedicated to the
memory' of Professor Bo Reicke, a
past president of Studiorum Novi
Testamenti Societas. NTS is the official
publication of the society. Dr.
Moessner was principal speaker for the
regional meeting of the National
Conference of Christians and Jews at
Emory University. His topic was the
notion of Israel in Luke and Acts and
the relations between Jews and
Christians in those writings as a basis
for a discussion of the relation
between church and synagogue today
in America. Dr. Moessner taught a
church school class on Acts at First
church, Atlanta, in March.

Frank Reynold Sells '65 is
pastor of Eastminster church,

Knoxville Richard Stanford 74

has been called as pastor to the
Hillside church in Decatur Wade

BIRTHS

To Sally-Lodge Henderson Teel 78 and
Tom, a son, Hunter Henderson, Jan. 4,
1988.

To David '82 and Claire Bailey, a
daughter, Allison Neal, Mar. 8, 1988.
To Wade '87 and Dorinda Mailoy, a
daughter, Anna Elyse, Feb. 29, 1988.
To Rob "88 and Robbin Arp, a daugh-
ter, Emily Elizabeth, Feb. 14, 1988.
To Christine Wenderoth, Associate Li-
brarian at Columbia, and David Eck-
strand, a son, Anders, Nov. 9, 1987.

DEATHS

Robert Malcolm Dickson "24, Feb. 29,

1988.

Lee Plexico '29, May 25, 1987.

Kenneth C. Seawright '29, Feb. 9,

1988.

H.P.J. LHeureux '31, Jan. 11, 1988.

Henry S. Robinson '35, Oct. 28, 1987.

Frank Davis, former chairman of the

Board of Directors, Feb. 27, 1988.

C. Virginia Harrison, Mar. 1, 1988.

Plato Henderson, July 15, 1987.

Mary Wallace, Feb. 22, 1988.

Huie '46, Professor of Homiletics at
Columbia, has been speaker or
preacher at mission conferences and
witness season services at Covenant
church, Albany, the Newnan and
Lithonia churches, and Columbia
church, Decatur. He was speaker at
Lenten services at the Bay Minette,

AL, church Roe M. Callaway '69

has been called to First church,

Annandale, VA Carl Schlich '69 is

pastor of the John Knox church,

Marietta, GA Preston Shealy '86

is associate pastor for nurture at First
church. Champaign, IL.

Shane Owens '80 is pastor of
the Olney Church in Gastonia,

NC Charles Cook '59 has become

executive for the new Northeast

Georgia Presbytery James Stuart

'52 retired from First Church,

Gastonia, NC, in February Walter

Brueggemann, Professor of Old
Testament at Columbia, gave the
Voight Lectures at McKendrie College
and the Melugin Lectures at McMurry
College. He lectured at First church,
Atlanta, and at Eden Seminary and
preached and lectured at First United
Methodist Church in Wichita Falls,
TX; Nassau church, Princeton; and
First church, Fayetteville, NC. He
presented a paper for the Institute of
Religion, Texas Medical Center
Lecture at St. Phillips Cathedral,
Atlanta, in March. Dr. Brueggemann's
book, Israel's Praise: Doxology Against
Idolatry and Ideology, has been printed
by Fortress Press, and his articles and
reviews have appeared in Journal for
Preachers, Interpretation, and Theology
Today.

Sara Covin Juengst '83,
Director of Continuing Education at
Columbia, had an essay, "The
Theology of Continuing Education,"
published by the Society for
Continuing Education in Ministry. In
February she was worship leader for
the meeting of the Association of
Presbyterian Christian Educators in Ft.
Worth and led a workshop there on
Friendship Press materials. She led a
workshop on "Mission Education in
the Local Church" at Savannah
Presbytery's officer training retreat.
During witness season, she spoke in
18 churches on "The Churches in the
USSR." She was keynote speaker for
the Synod of South Atlantic's

educators' retreat in April Martha

Tissington, member of Columbia's
Board of Directors, is the first
moderator of the Synod of Living
Waters.

Ken Borden '66 has been
transferred to the Presbyterian Church
in Canada, and he became pastor of
the Calvin Presbyterian Church in
Toronto last September. He is at the
dissertation stage of a Th.D. in
pastoral theology from the University

of Toronto, Knox College Ben

Johnson, Professor of Evangelism at
Columbia, preached at Marble
Collegiate Church in New York, gave
an address at Cincinnati Presbytery
and an evangelism workshop, and
preached at Highland Park church in
Dallas, where he also addressed the
monthly meeting of the Women of
the Church. He directed regional
pastors training for New Age
Dawning in San Francisco, Kansas

City, MO, and Hershey, PA. He led
Faith Discovery Training for
Washington Presbytery and the session
retreat for Bethany church, Newton
County, GA. Dr. Johnson participated
in the Academy for Evangelism and
Church Growth for the Presbyterian
Church in Canada in Waterloo,
Ontario.

Mike Andrews '61 received the
D.Min. from Pittsburg Theological
Seminary last year. He is now pastor
of the Fairview church in North

Augusta, SC Robert R. Wilson

'85 was retired by Mississippi

Presbytery in June Joseph Lee '53

retired as a college chaplain in

Decatur on Oct. 31 David Gunn,

Professor of Old Testament at
Columbia, in January lectured at the
Perkins School of Theology on the
theory and practice of biblical
narrative criticism and gave a paper
on Ruth, co-authored with Professor
Danna Nolan Fewell, former
Columbia instructor, to the Southwest
Regional Biblical Studies Seminar.
Recently published in Journal for the
Study of the Old Testament 40 (1988)
is another joint paper with Professor
Fewell, " 'A Son Is Born to
Naomi!' ": Literary Allusions and
Interpretation in the Book of Ruth."

Janos Pasztor, Visiting Professor
of Practical Theology at Columbia,
preached in Hungarian churches in
New York City and Connecticut
during the Christmas holidays. He
and his wife Judith spoke at mission
conferences in Georgia, South
Carolina, and North Carolina. In
March he participated in the meeting
of the Faith and Order Commission
of the National Council of Churches
in New Orleans and gave a lecture at
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He
presented a paper, "A Survey and
Analysis of Orthodox and Reformed
Churches since the Time of the
Reformation," at the first Theological
Dialogue between Orthodox and
Reformed Churches. This meeting was
held in Switzerland in March with
representatives of all autokephalos
Orthodox Churches and those of the
World Alliance of Reformed Churches

participating.

Continued on page 7

Vantage

Vol. 80, No. 1, Spring 1988
Published quarterly by
Columbia Theological Seminary
Circulation: 38,000

The Department of Development/
Seminary Relations

Editor: Juliette Harper
Director of Publications
and Publicity

Postmaster: Send address

changes to Vantage

Columbia Theological Seminary

P.O. Box 520

Decatur, GA 30031-0520

VANTAGE

For the Record
Continued from page 6

Beverly Gaventa, Professor of
New Testament at Columbia,
preached at Duke University Chapel
and participated in the consultation of
the Faith and Order Commission,
World Council of Churches, in
Rhodes, Greece in January. In March
she delivered the Oreon E. Scott
Lectures at Christian Theological
Seminary in Indianapolis. Her title
was "Reading the Acts of the
Apostles." Dr. Gaventa also preached
and lectured at First Baptist Church,
Dayton, Ohio, as Theologian in
Residence for four days in

March Brian Childs, Associate

Professor of Pastoral Theology and
Counseling at Columbia, spoke to the
meeting of the Georgia Association of
Chaplains on "Overview of Systems of
Marriage and Family Pastoral
Counseling" at Columbia in February.
In March he led a seminar for Emory
University Hospital advanced clinical
pastoral education students on "What
is Pastoral Theology?" and "Pastoral
Theological Method." The American
Theological Library Association has
published the first volume, "Pastoral
Theology and Pastoral Care: An
Annotated Bibliography," of its basic
bibliography series. This volume was
written by Professor Childs. This is a
unique experiment in computer/
electronic publishing. The volume is
sold as a computer disk allowing the
reader to interact with the text, add
entries, add notes and annotations.

Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner,
Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology
at Columbia, was leader of a series on
Ephesians for First church, Atlanta,
and leader of a workshop for the
national Women's Interseminary
Conference, held at
Interdenominational Theological
Center. She presided over the
philosophy and theology section at the
meeting of the American Academy of
Religion, Southeast region, in March.
Dr. Stevenson-Moessner is chaplain
intern at Charter Peachford Hospital,
addictive disease unit, in Atlanta for

spring semester William Anderson

'71 is chaplain at the Veterans

Hospital in Asheville, NC Mark

Kayser '84 has entered the U.S.

Army chaplaincy Lou P. Wade

*x87 is stated supply at Argentine
church and John Calvin church in
Kansas City, MO.

Yong Gil Maeng (Th.M. 71) is
the new president of Presbyterian
College and Seminary in Seoul,

Korea Robert S. Smith 71,

Director of Columbia's Lay Institute
of Faith and Life, met in Chicago
with the leadership team of the
Forum, a national event in February
sponsored by the Christian Laity of
Chicago. He has led laity renewal
events in Vicksburg, MS, and
Orlando, FL, and a mission event in

Opelika, AL Robert Ramey,

Professor of Ministry at Columbia,
taught a cross-cultural course in
"Leadership and Ministry" for U.S.
and Anglican clergy at Codrington
College, Barbados. He has preached
and conducted workshops at Faith
church in Tallahassee, the Morrow,

GA, church, and at the Mt. Pleasant,
SC, church on spiritual growth. He
preached at North Avenue church in
Atlanta and during Holy Week at
Whitehaven church, Memphis.

Young Ihl Chang '79 has
become assistant professor of Old
Testament at Presbyterian Theological

Seminary in Seoul, Korea Russell

Jonas '82 is associate pastor of the

Highland Park church, Dallas John

Sanderford '80 has been called as
associate pastor of First church,

Charlottesville, VA Larry Curtis

Mitchell '74 is pastor of First church,

Little Rock William Lancaster '73

has been called as pastor of the
Florence Moore church in Wellford,

SC Ronald Smith '82 is pastor of

the St. Johns church, Jackson-
ville Clark David Benson '40 has

retired in Sylacauga, AL, after
ministry with the Moravian mission in
Honduras and the American
Missionary Fellowship in California.

Frank Arnold (D.Min. 84) is
dean of a new seminary of the
Independent Presbyterian Church of
Brazil in Fortaleza. He also teaches in
the areas of church history and
mission and coordinates the seminary's
program of theological education by
extension, designed to equip lay
leadership in local churches for

ministry C.R. Jenkins '23 is a

volunteer at Crisis Assistance Ministry
and with the Law Enforcement
Center's prison ministry in Charlotte,

NC AI Ruggles '73 is pastor of

the Carbon Hill, AL, church Bo

Yates '80 is pastor of First church,
Whitesville, WV, and the Marsh Fork

church in Dry Creek, WV John

Magee '44 received first place in the
CapMap program as region chaplain
in the Southeast region Civil Air
Patrol.

Archives

Continued from page 1

A scrapbook of late eighteenth-
and early nineteenth-century maps
compiled by the Rev. Thomas Smyth.
Dr. Smyth, who served as pastor of
the Second Presbyterian Church of
Charleston, South Carolina, from 1834
to 1873 and whose personal libary
later became the nucleus of the
seminary's library, was a voracious
reader on a wide range of subjects and
a collector of rare books. This
accumulation of maps, many of them
now of some value, is an indication of
this scholarly curiosity and his
appreciation of learning.

Six diplomas awarded to W.M.
McPheeters by Washington and Lee
College (now University) from 1872
to 1874. Dr. McPheeters, who taught
Old Testament at Columbia Seminary
from 1888 to 1932, earned these
diplomas in the various subjects he
mastered at Washington and Lee,
including English and algebra. Each
diploma is signed by Custis Lee,
president of the college and son of
Robert E. Lee.

Two letters to Columbia Seminary
from President Woodrow Wilson. In
one of these the President is
responding to a request that he share
his memories of the seminary campus
in Columbia, where his father served

Development I Seminary Relations

By James F. Dickenson

Vice President, Development/Seminary Relations

Dynamo in Decatur

A successful financial campaign for any
institution is a result of many good
things which that institution has done
or is doing.

We have successfully completed
our campaign (see story on page 1). A
three-year goal of $6,000,000 was
completed in two years by going 10
percent over the goal.

Years ago, an article about
Columbia suggested the seminary
campus appeared to be a quiet, sleepy
place. Today, nothing could be further
from the truth. Those who know
what is going on view the campus as
a beehive of activity.

This campus is a veritable
dynamo. Every day brings something
different, and the total seminary
community is highly active, both
locally and in national and
international affairs.

Many of the faculty have
published, or are in the process of
publishing, books and articles.
Academic courses are constantly being
strengthened, the president is
maintaining a backbreaking schedule,
and the administrators and staff are
often overloaded, the students are
under tension to complete
assignments, to graduate, to find a
church. Pulling all of this together
indicates that Columbia Seminary is
energetic, enthusiastic, and preparing
itself for the future.

Our objectives will always be
preparing and nurturing students for
the ministry and providing a
continuing resource for the church and
the denomination. We never lose sight
of why we exist. Nor do we forget
our purposes in the work we do and
the plans we make.

There are many ways to describe

what transpires both on and off
campus Oou way is to list areas of
naming for new members of the
Board of Directors. We have planned
an orientation session for the new
members, and the areas to be covered
are as follows:

Nation. il picture of theoloi
education

Columbia Seminary overview

The chimii and th< di nominal ion
Basic degl

Faculty

Evangel i mi i

Internal ii ii i.i 1 1 sing theological

education
Advanced degrees
Continuinr edu< ation
Lay Institute of Faith and Lifi
Student services
Admissions

I'm. in. lal aid

Placement

Buili'i i

Hon

Auxiliary services

Development programs

Seminary relations programs

Constitui ii< \ groups

. . .and that list by no means
exhausts the nature of the many
.Hiiviues ,iikI i is pi ,i labilities which
Columbia Seminary undertakes.

All of this is simply to say that
Presbyterians should be justly pleased
that your seminary is doing everything
ii can to be Of service to the local
church, the clergy, the denomination,
and thereby to the world which our
Lord has created.

And to all who have participated
in helping in this excellent enterprise,
we say with deep gratitude and
appreciation, thank you.D

as a faculty member. Interestingly, in
this letter he makes no mention of a
story which is sometimes told and
according to which he had a deep
religious experience while attending a
service in the old seminary chapel.

The handwritten diary of Dr.
James L. Martin, a physician who
lived near Chester, South Carolina,
from July 31, 1861, to September 5,
1862, near the beginning of the Civil
War. Dr. Martin later attended the
seminary (1867-1870) and served a
number of Presbyterian (PCUS)
congregations before his death in
1922.

Two interesting items of furniture
which belonged to the Rev. Thomas
Goulding, a parlor table and a chest
with mirror. The beginnings of
Columbia Seminary may be traced to
Dr. Goulding's manse (still standing)
in Lexington, Georgia, where in the
late 1820's he tutored candidates for
the Presbyterian ministry. When the
seminary was organized in Columbia,
South Carolina, he became its first

professor. These items of furniture,
which were generously donated to the
seminary by Dr. Goulding's great-
granddaughter, Gertrude Pollard, were
reportedly in daily use in the
Goulding home.

The archives room is located on
the ground floor of the John Bulow
Campbell Library. Anyone interested
in seeing it may do so by inquiring at
the circulation desk.D
Professor James Newsome, the writer, is
chair of the Archives Committee.

DO YOU HAVE AN ITEM FOR
THE ARCHIVES'

The Archives Committee is
interested in acquiring material which
relates to the seminary's past,
including personal letters and
photographs. If you have such
material you would be willing to
donate to the seminary, you are
invited to be in touch with Dr.
Newsome.

SPRING 1988

Two appointments announced

Columbia Seminary has filled two
positions, President Douglas W
Oldenburg announced. John W.
Gilmore has been named Vice
President for Business and Finance,
and Rebecca Skillern Parker has been
appointed Director of Admissions.

Mr. Gilmore succeeds F. Sidney
Anderson, who retired December 3 1
after 30 years of service to the
seminary. Mr. Gilmore received a
bachelors degree in accounting with
highest honors from Manchester
College in Indiana in 1974. As a
certified public accountant, he worked
several years for an accounting firm in
South Bend, Indiana. He entered
Louisville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary"s double competency
program of law and theology,
graduating in 1982 with a Master of
Divinity degree from Louisville and a
J.D. degree from the College of Law,
University of Illinois. He has worked
for an Atlanta accounting firm as well
as an Atlanta law firm.

As an affiliate member at Central
Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Mr.
Gilmore handled business affairs of
that church's Legal Services Clinic.
His wife, Linda, is also a CPA and a
partner in a local accounting firm.

President Oldenburg said, 'John
comes with all the credentials to do
this most important task. Financial
credibility and accountability are

essential in any institution, especially
the church, and John will help us
continue that tradition at Columbia.
We are delighted to have him on our
team."

As Director of Admissions, Ms.
Parker succeeds Philip Gehman, who
has been appointed Dean of Students/
Vice President for Student Life at
Columbia. Ms. Parker holds the B.A.,
with distinction, from Rhodes College
and earned the M.Div. degree from
Yale Divinity School. After graduation
she served as youth minister at St.
Luke's Episcopal Church in Atlanta
and as a chaplain at the Emory
University hospitals. In 1982 she was
called as associate pastor of Druid
Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta,
serving there five years. In 1987 she
was appointed Staff Associate for
Candidates (for the ministry) by the
Presbyterian Church (USA) General
Assembly Mission Board.

Her husband. Buddy, is an
Assistant U.S. Attorney. They live in
Atlanta.

Commenting on Ms. Parker's
appointment, President Oldenburg
said, "Rebecca's personal dynamism,
her knowledge of the candidacy
process, her commitment to challenge
the best and the brightest to consider
the call of God to ministry, and her
enthusiasm for Columbia combine to
make her highly qualified to be our

John Gilmore and Rebecca S. Parker

director of admissions. Under her
leadership Columbia will continue to

draw a full entering class of
outstanding students." D

Vantage

P.O. Box 520

Decatur, Georgia 30031

Second Class
Postage
Paid at
Decatur, GA

Publication No. 124160

CONTENTS

Successful campaign completed 1

New home for seminary archives 1

From the President 2

Tribute to C. Virginia Harrison 2

Commencement '88 2

Internationals at Columbia 3

Tribute to Plato Henderson 3

Continuing education calendar 4

Lay Institute offerings 4

Goodbyes 4

Tribute to Mary Wallace 4

Forum '88 highlights 5

For the Record 6

Dynamo in Decatur 7

New appointments 8

COLUMBIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY