Columbia Theological Seminary Vantage, 90, number 3, Winter 1999

COLU M B I A
THEOLOGICAL
S E M I N A R Y

Vantage

WINTER 1999

Colloquium '99,
April 19-21, offers
speakers, new events

Gail R. O'Day and Michael Kinnamon
are speakers at Colloquium 1999 on
April 19-21. Nora Tubbs Tisdale is the
guest preacher.

This annual event for alumni/ae
and friends is a time for reflection and
reunion and for examining the life of
the church. Activities include special
worship services, lectures, and formal
and informal occasions for visiting with
guest speakers, faculty members, and
friends. The Alumni/ae Association
Banquet and the Alumni/ae Reunion
Luncheon occur during this time as well.

The format for this year's gather-
ing has some new and exciting
changes. For example, in recent years,
the Alumni/ae Association Banquet
was held the first evening. This year,
the banquet will take place on Tuesday
at lunch. The opening event begins on
Monday, April 19, at 5:30 with a wel-
come and open house buffet dinner
with faculty in the newly opened
addition to the Harrington Center.
Alumni/ae and guests may tour the
addition and new facilities which the
Harrington Center now provides.

Worship, led by Tisdale, will
follow dinner at 8:00. The first evening
will conclude with popcorn and a
movie, in the new Harrington Center
Auditorium.

The second day, April 20, begins
with morning prayer at 9:00. This year,
each speaker will give two presenta-
tions in one morning, instead of split-
ting the two lectures as in previous
years. At 9:15, Gail O'Day will begin

the first of her two presentations, with
an overall theme of "New Testament
Perspectives in Preaching." A break
at 10:15 will be followed by O'Day's
second presentation at 10:45.

At 12 noon, the Alumni/ae
Association will host its annual banquet.
Distinguished Service Awards will be
presented at this time, and other
Alumni/ae Association business will
be addressed.

The afternoon session will begin
at 2:00 with a panel discussion on
"Preaching for the Renewal of the
Church." The three guests will partici-
pate with Charles Cousar '58, profes-
sor of New Testament and acting dean
of faculty, facilitating as moderator.

A break at 3:30 will precede two
classes taught by Columbia professors
at 4:00. One class will feature a lec-
tionary passage study led by professors
of Old Testament, New Testament and
homiletics. The second class will offer
a dialogue between three professors
on "Doctrine and Witness: How to
Teach /Preach in a Story-Ridden Culture."

At 5:00, an afternoon tea will be
served in the newly renovated Florida
Hall. Tours of the residence hall will
be offered.

An all-American cookout will be
held on the Quadrangle at 6:00.
Columbia staff and students will be
presenting a lively mix of "golden
oldie" songs from the 1940s and 50s,
along with swing music. Worship, led
by Tisdale at 8:00, will conclude the
evening's activities.

Gail R. O'Day

Michael K. Kinnamon

Nora Tubbs Tisdale

Tom Dendy '57 (right) joined last year's bluegrass band during the barbeaue supper.

The final day will begin with
morning prayer at 9:00. Kinnamon's
initial presentation, "The Ecumenical
Vision of the Church and How We
Have Distorted It," begins at 9:15. A
break at 10:15 will be followed by
Kinnamon's second presentation, "The
Global Church in a New Millennium
and the Challenges Before It."

Colloquium '99 will conclude
with the Reunion Classes Luncheon at
12 noon. This will be a time for the
classes of 1929-45, 1949, 1954, 1959,
1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989,
1994, and 1998 to gather.

The morning lectures and the
worship services will be held at
Columbia Presbyterian Church. The
other activities will take place on
Columbia's campus, many of them in the
new facilities of the Harrington Center.
Costs for the three meals range from
$6 to $10.

Gail Radcliffe O'Day is the Almar
H. Shatford Professor of Homiletics at
Candler School of Theology at Emory
University, where she has been on the
faculty since 1987. Prior to that, O'Day
taught at Eden Theological Seminary
and Hamilton College. She holds
degrees from Brown University,
Harvard Divinity School, and Emory
University. Her publications include
Revelation in the Fourth Gospel:
Narrative Mode and Theological Claim;
The Word Disclosed: John's Ston/ and
Narrative Preaching; Listening to the
Word: Studies in Honor of Fred B.
Craddock; and Epiphany: Interpreting
the Lessons of the Church Year.

Michael Kinnamon is professor
of theology and ecumenical studies
and director of the Center for Lay
Education and Ecumenical Leadership
at Lexington Theological Seminary.
Prior to being named director,
Kinnamon served as dean of the semi-
nary for 10 years. He holds degrees
from Brown University and the
University of Chicago Divinity School.

Kinnamon's publications include co-
authoring Thankful Praise: A Resoun e
for Christian Worship and Every Day We
Will Bless You: A Book of Daily Prayer. In
addition, he has edited The Ecumenical
Movement: An Anthology of Key Texts
and Voices. Prior to joining the faculty
at Lexington Theological Seminary in
1988, he served two Disciples of Christ
congregations in Chicago, was an
executive secretary of the Commission
on Faith and Order of the World
Council of Churches, and taught
theology at Christian Theological
Seminary. In 1998, he changed his
career direction in order to develop
the new center at Lexington.

Leonora (Nora) Tubbs Tisdale is
associate professor of preaching and
worship at Princeton Theological
Seminary. She holds degrees from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, Union Theological Seminary in
Virginia, and Princeton Theological
Seminary. She wrote Preaching as Local
Theology and Folk Art, edited the
upcoming three-volume Abingdon
Women's Preaching Annual, Series 2,
and contributed chapters to Women,
Gender and Christian Community, as
well as Best Advice for Preaching. Prior
to joining the faculty of Princeton in
1993, Tisdale taught at Union
Theological Seminary in Virginia,
served as pastor of Presbyterian
churches in Virginia and director of
youth ministry in South Carolina, and
was a volunteer missionary in Seoul,
Korea. She has also served as a
PC(USA) representative to the Central
Committee of the World Council of
Churches. Her research and teaching
interests include preaching and its
congregational contexts, women and
preaching, and worship and liturgy.

For more information on
Colloquium or to register, call
404/687-4566 or e-mail
poeb@CTSnet.edu. D

Katie Ricks '01

Planning for the twenty-first century

James Hudnut-Beumler, Acting President, Dean of Faculty, and Professor of Religion and Culture

It is often remarked that the church
is always just one generation away
from extinction. This truism reminds
us that if we do not do our part to
transmit the Christian faith, then the
church for all intents and purposes
could cease to exist. The body of Christ
is a living organism sustained by the
nurture of the Holy Spirit and the
exercise of faithfulness to the call of
God in the times the church is given.

So what characterizes the times
that we have been given? Here at the
seminary, we have just completed a
two-year long-range planning process.
President Oldenburg challenged us to
look at the year 2020 and articulate a
vision of what the seminary needed to
do to assure that Columbia Seminary
did its part in sustaining and advanc-
ing the work of the church. During
our planning, we asked more than 400
informants from across Columbia's
many constituencies what they
thought the future would look like.
Not surprisingly, they affirmed the
relevance of the Gospel to the years
ahead. Yet they also painted a chal-
lenging collective landscape picture of
the setting where the Good News had
to be proclaimed. As we look at the
next 20 years, we believe that the time
is already past when the church's exis-
tence can be taken for granted. Again
and again we heard people within the

church telling us that the church need-
ed to meet the challenges of greater
cultural diversity and secularity. We
also have come to believe that the
Gospel will need to be preached and
lived in such ways as to catch the
attention and hearts of those people
who need its truth, but who are all too
likely to be distracted by the informa-
tion and entertainment overload of
our era.

Columbia's Mission Statement
adopted in 1992 committed this insti-
tution to be a center of theological
learning of the Presbyterian Church
for the church of Jesus Christ. Our
mission is to engage learners' hearts
and minds in extending the great tra-
ditions to which we are heirs with
hope and imagination to a world
which, too often, does not know it has
need of God. The long-range plan

views of one generation of people
about what they hope will happen to
them and the people they care about.
Not surprisingly then, our hopes and
plans embrace the familiar categories
of faculty, students, and, above all, our
service to the church.

Each section of the long-range
report contains something old and
something new. In the section about
our hopes for the faculty of the future,
we acknowledged that Columbia has
for many years been well served by a
dedicated faculty, whose members'
own vocations fit the needs of a semi-
nary geared towards preparing lead-
ers for the church. Our faculty are
more than experts in their respective
fields. They are Christian ministers in
their teaching. Something old, there-
fore, which we plan to continue at
Columbia, is to have a faculty whose

Increasingly, Columbia will be offering its resources to
assure that a vision of a just and loving God is nurtured and
sustained in the twenty-first century, lest the people perish.

adopted by our Board of Trustees at its
fall meeting provides some concrete
detail about how we aim to fill our
institutional mission over the next two
decades. A long-range plan is not
unlike a living will; it expresses the

members want to educate women and
men for Christian leadership. We also
seek to have a faculty that is broad
and evangelical. The years ahead will
require that the disciples of Jesus
Christ relate to one another in com-

James Hudnut-Beumler

mon cause. Our faculty must therefore
be ecumenical in spirit and ecumeni-
cally diverse in fact. At the same time,
we seek a faculty that carries forward
the best traditions of the Reformed
faith, not the least of which are the
convictions that God is sovereign and
Jesus Christ is Lord over all life. In this
context, evangelical, as we use it at
Columbia, is an orientation to the
Gospel which acknowledges that it is
good news to all people. Columbia's
faculty is committed to the sharing of
that good news.

Just as there would not be a semi-
nary without faculty, a seminary is its
students. Our long-range plan affirms
Continued on page 4

Columbia studies Samuel

amu^l Worked
Wonders for David

Come see ivhat he did lor
Catherine Gonzalez

Last summer, Dean Hudnut-Beumler
invited all members of the seminary
community to read together a book of
the Bible each term. In July and August,
students, staff, and faculty enjoyed a
"Galatians Vacation" and met periodically
over lunch to share insights into Paul's
letter. During the fall semester, the book
chosen was First Samuel. The following
article is an excerpt from Catherine
Gonzalez's presentation at one of the
lunch seminars on First Samuel.

Ever since I was in seminary, the
books of First and Second Samuel
have been favorites. There I was intro-
duced to the well-drawn characters,
and especially the very human inter-
action of characters.

There are three passages that I
have turned to many times, and
always there have been surprises.
Often the surprise is because I have
found myself identifying with a differ-
ent character in the narrative as my
own situation has changed. Also, the
typological significance of the pas-
sages historically came through as I
became more acquainted with the
passage itself and its interpretation in
the early church.

1. I Samuel 1:1-2:10. This includes
the typology of the barren woman. I
used this so much that finally I decid-
ed I had to "retire" Hannah! Thirty-
three years ago I was newly ordained,
when women in ministry were highly
suspect. I was asked to preach in
churches or in conferences, and this
passage was very useful. It includes
the relationship of Hannah to her hus-
band. He is loving and sympathetic
but simply does not understand what
she faces. It includes the relationship
of Hannah to the second wife. The
conflict and competition between
women especially powerless
women is a very important dynam-
ic that this passage explores. The pas-
sage includes the relationship between
Hannah and the religious authority
Eli who initially assumes she is
drunk and does not take her seriously.
In the midst of all of this, Hannah has

considerable presence and forceful-
ness. When I first used the passage, I
identified readily with Hannah. But as
the women's movement seemed to pit
against each other women in careers
and homemakers, I needed to be sure
I was not Peninah! After many years,
rereading this passage, I found myself
possibly in the role of Eli a church
authority who could fail to under-
stand the suffering of others who were
powerless.

2. The next narrative in the text is
in 2:11-4:1, the childhood of Samuel,
the child of Hannah. When I was a
child, I identified with this child. Most
children do at a stage in their lives
when being a child is more important
that being male or female. But years
later, when I was in campus ministry
and teaching, other features of the
story stood out. Eli's sons were cor-
rupt priests, and Eli had not stopped
them. Eli assists the child Samuel to
respond to God, and God gives a
word to Samuel that is for Eli. It is a
terrible word that predicts the destruc-
tion of Eli's house the death of his
corrupt sons. Eli has some inkling of
what Samuel has heard, but he insists
that Samuel tell him. Samuel repeats
the dreadful word. Eli could have
responded that God would say no
such thing. But he did not. He con-
firmed that Samuel had indeed heard
God correctly. To me, this was an
astonishing response. The greatest
thing one generation of Christians can

do for another is to confirm accurately
when they have heard and understood
God's word, even when as is often
the case the word that is heard is a
challenge to the old order. To confirm
that a word is indeed from God when
it goes against us, when it challenges
what we think, when there is a new
word for a new situation, is the most
difficult and the most faithful
response we can make.

3. I Samuel 16:1-14 tells of Samuel,
now the successor to Eli, who is called
upon to anoint David as king while
Saul is still alive and the king. The lec-
tionary puts this passage in the Lenten
season, with the understanding that in
the ministry of Jesus a new king has
been anointed even while the old
world continues as though nothing
has changed.

But the lectionary ends at verse 13,
with the word that the Spirit came
upon David. It does not include the
next verse that says the evil spirit
came upon Saul even as God's Spirit
left him. The issue for me is that God's
work in history changes. It is not stat-
ic. To stay with the old, even though it
had once been established by God, is
not a safe thing to do when God
moves from the old to the new. It is
dangerous to stick with the old when
God abandons it. In fact, it can be
truly demonic. D

Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez
Professor of Church History

VANTAGE

Guthrie Scholars Program looks at
current issues affecting the church

Betsy Doty, local storyteller, entertained children and adults in November

Griffith Children's Library opens

The Griffith Children's Library, a
large multi-functional room on the
second floor of Columbia's John
Bulow Campbell Library, is an exciting
educational resource for children and
adults alike. With brightly colored
purple and teal child-sized chairs,
cheerful posters, and hundreds of
books, it is an inviting place to learn
and grow.

The Griffith Children's Library is
a part of the service provided by the
John Bulow Campbell Library. It
specifically addresses the needs of
children, educators, and parents with-
in the seminary community and the
church.

At a Griffith Foundation board
meeting, Dean James Hudnut-Beumler
suggested the idea to benefactors Lois
and Dean Griffith. They responded
with the funding for the room, saying,
"We've always had a special love for
children's literature and their spiritual
life and Christian nurture."

Although the library has always
been inviting and accommodating to
seminary students, Tim Browning,
director of the library, remembers
asking his colleagues with children,
"Wouldn't it be nice if the library
were more accommodating for chil-
dren?" What began as an idea is now
an active, growing children's resource
center.

As Ronald Cram, associate profes-
sor of Christian education, explains,
"No other seminary in the United
States is doing anything approaching
what we're trying to do." This chil-
dren's library is the beginning of a
long-range plan at making a difference
in the lives of children.

In its formative years, the Griffith
Children's Library will be overseen by
an informal group of advisors. The
group's focus is storytelling, with a
specific emphasis on Christian stories
for children.

The resources collected are pre-
dominantly of a Christian nature, yet

they are not limited to specifically reli-
gious items. The collection promotes
spiritual and moral growth for the
target population. While consisting
primarily of books, the collection is
not limited to children's literature.
Video cassettes, computer software,
sound recordings, manipulatives,
and other formats are included in the
collection

The aspect of the collection proba-
bly of the most use for parents and
educators is the information in the
purple cabinets. Since the Griffith
Children's Library's primary use is
as a teaching and learning laboratory,
there are many items of curriculum
and adult-friendly material available
also. As Browning explains, "We need
to prepare ourselves to engage in
present and future ministry, and this
is the place to do it."

The creation of a children's library
within a seminary library is a theolog-
ical response that seeks to serve these
youngest children of God with
resources of high quality, imagination,
and love. It is a historic moment for
Columbia, for within its graduate
library, there is now a children's
library that is simultaneously a teach-
ing and research space, as well as an
exciting new adventure for the chil-
dren it serves.

Christy Gurley '01 is serving as
the first children's librarian for the
Griffith Children's Library. She has
numerous activities planned for this
spring, including weekly Thursday
afternoon storytelling and activities.
Currently, the hours of operation are
limited, but additional hours of
operation are expected as the entire
Columbia community begins using
this ministry and gift to the communi-
ty. Gurley is enthusiastic about intro-
ducing the library and all its treasures.
For a tour or more information,
contact Columbia's library at
404/687-4610. Ruth Lovell '00

Applications are now being accepted
for the spring Guthrie Scholars
Program, May 2-7, 1999.

Columbia Seminary established
the Guthrie Scholars Program in honor
of the scholarship, life, and work ol
Shirley C. Guthrie, Columbia's pro!
SOr Oi systematic theology trom 1957
to 1997

Twice a year, six persons are
invited to participate in the Guthi ie
Scholars program for a one-week
period (one week each fall and spring
semester) to engage in individual
study and to be in conversation with
colleagues and faculty members
Participants are expected to select a
program of study that will engage
pressing issues of the church from a
Reformed perspective.

While participants will design an
individual research program, they will

also meet with the other participants
to discuss their projects i reating a
collegia! context in which to . larifj

thinking about fch< ol > om ern

Each afternoon a facult) member
will be invited to meet with the group
for discussion on tin
Worship and spiritual reflection will
be built into the design oi the program
\ p i irojet i is due one month

after the end oi the program summa-
rizing student insights trom the week.

The only cost to parti. i|>.ints is
travel to the campus. Room and bi
are pro\ ided

i -M more Informatio ippli-

i ation ( ,ill the i Mt'ice ol i ontiminu'.

Education, 404 /687- 4562.

Student elected to World Council
of Churches Central Committee

Ashley Seaman '01

When the EIGHTH
assembly of the
World Council
of Churches
(WCC) opened
in December
in Harare,
Zimbabwe,
Columbia
Seminary was
well represented.
Ashley Seaman
'01, was one of
ten official dele-
gates from the PC(USA); Julie Walkup
'99 and Bobby Williamson '01 were
participants in a "Seminarians
Program," which provided the oppor-
tunity to study the processes of the
WCC; and President Douglas W.
Oldenburg attended as moderator of
the 210th General Assembly, PC(USA).

By the close of the assembly,
Seaman, along with Clifton Kirkpatrick,
stated clerk of the PC(USA) General
Assembly, was elected to serve on the
Central Committee of the WCC for the
next seven years. The Central
Committee, which is composed of 130
of the 330 member churches, convenes
annually in Switzerland to assist in
guiding the WCC between assemblies,
keeping the spirit and work of the
assembly alive.

Seaman, who has previously stud-

ied at the WCC Ecumenical Institute
in Bossey, Switzerland, arrived In
Harare early to attend the Youth Event
and the Decade Event of churches m
solidarity with women. When the
assembly opened on December 4,
Seaman was named reporter ol the
Public Issues Committee, which \
charged with writing public state-
ments that the assembly would issue
on topics such as human rights, child
soldiers, and Jerusalem. She was
responsible for assisting in convening
the daily committee meetings and
facilitating a small group within the
committee. In addition, she read the
committer statement on Jerusalem to
the assembly for approv.il

In beginning each day with wor-
ship, which focused on different con
fessions and continents, and in small
group Bible study, "I witnessed the
wholeness that ecumenism brings
through the presence of diverse and
powerful voices," says Seaman.

Convening the assembly in Africa
was an intention.il act ol the WCC to
recognize and acknowledge the shift
of the heart of Christianity from
Europe to Africa. The hope is that the
church, through initiating the focus
on Africa, will encourage discussion
of the world economy and politics to
do the same. Katie Ricks '01

Conference on Ministry

For Prospective Students
February 26-28, 1999

For information or to register, call the Office of Admissions at 404/687-4517.

WINTER 1999

Planning for the twenty-first century
continued from page 2

the mixture of basic and advanced
degree students and other learners
that form Columbia's community of
learners. At the same time, the ways
that students are recruited and the
ways in which they are financially
supported to obtain their educations
need to change to meet the challenges
of the new century. A church that is
not supported by a de facto cultural
establishment needs the most gifted,
faithful, and talented leaders it can find.
We believe that the seminary's role in
actively recruiting such leaders in
partnership with the church will grow
in the coming years. Accordingly, w e
plan to put more seminary resources
into identifying and recruiting persons
gifted for ministry. Students at all lev-
els will, in the years ahead, be able to
pay for only a portion of the costs of
the theological educations that they
need in order to do their ministries
most effectively. Therefore, over the
next 20 years, the seminary will be
developing a variety of new mecha-
nisms for financing theological educa-
tion toward the end that no servant of
the church is kept from the education-
al resources he or she needs because
of cost. Providing for people the tools
to do the work of the reign of God is

the responsibility of the whole church,
and Columbia Seminary intends to do
its part.

Directly related to students and
faculty is the emerging character of the
seminary. Already we call ourselves a
center for theological education, and
so we are. We are not just a factory tor
preachers. Instead, we offer a wide
variety of programs and resources to
lay people, persons preparing for
ordained ministry, and active ministers
and church educators. The next 20
years will see Columbia expanding its
role as an institution that helps inter-
pret the Christian tradition to the
church and the world. Therefore, we
will maintain and expand Columbia's
tradition of scholarship in service to
the church. Professors will continue to
write biblical commentaries and arti-
cles and books on topics of contempo-
rary theological interest. But increas-
ingly, Columbia will be offering its
library, teaching, and other educational
resources through new technologies
and on-campus events to assure that a
vision of a just and loving God is nur-
tured and sustained in the twenty-first
century lest the people perish.

The years ahead promise to be
challenging ones. We invite the many
friends and supporters of this semi-
nary to join us to help make sure that
they are faithful years as well.

Winter reading recommendations
from Columbia's faculty

Last Orders by Graham Swift

Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism by Jacques Dupuis, S.J.

By the Renewing of Your Minds: The Pastoral Function of Christian Doctrine

by Ellen Charry
Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society by Richard A. Horsley
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer

The Rise and Fall of English: Reconstructing English as a Discipline by Robert Scholes
In Our Own Voices: Four Centuries of American Women's Religious Writing,

edited by Rosemary Radford Ruether and Rosemary Skinner Keller
The Wisdom of Memoir by Peter Gilmour
You Have Stept Out of Your Place: A History of Women and Religion in America

by Susan Hill Lindley
In Over Our Heads: TJie Mental Demands of Modern Life by Robert Kegan
Vie Bread of Time: Toward an Autobiography and Nezv Selected Poems

by Philip Levine
A Little Handbook on Having a Soul by David Hansen
Galatians by J. Louis Martyn
The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro

Sweet Dreams in America: Making Ethics and Spirituality Work by Sharon D. Welch
Sacred Games: A History of Christian Worship by Bernhard Lang
Acheson: The Secretary of State Who Created the American World by James Chace
Death of the Church by Mike Regele
Families in the Nezv Testament World: Households and House Churches by Carolyn

Osiek and David L. Balch
Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf

Apocalypse: A People's Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Pablo Richard
The Darker Side of the Renaissance by Walter Mignolo
The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry

by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster
Great Books: My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf,

and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World by David Denby
Vie Power to Speak: Feminism, Language, God by Rebecca Chopp
Bearing the Witness of the Spirit: Lesslie Newbigin's Theology of Cultural Plurality by

George Hunsberger
Seeing Through the Media: A Religious Vierv of Communications and Cultural Analysis

by Michael Warren
Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms by Donald K. McKim
The Color of Faith: Building Community in a Multiracial Society by Fumitaka Matsuoka
Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane

John Knapp (MATS '94) and Catharine Kuchar direct the work of the Southern Institute.

Institute raises ethical awareness

Housed in the Richards Center on
Columbia's campus is a non-profit
organization, the Southern Institute
for Business and Professional Ethics.
The institute is raising awareness of
the ethical dimension of business and
professional life, providing a forum
for the exchange of ideas, and stimu-
lating community dialogue about
issues and responsibilities. Through
its presence at Columbia, the Southern
Institute hopes to represent a bridge
for the seminary to the business com-
munity in this region.

John Knapp, rounder and presi-
dent, is a 1994 M.A.(T.S.) graduate of
Columbia. "After 13 years as a crisis
management and communications
consultant to diverse business com-
munities, I discovered that business
leaders could easily discuss legal and
business strategy, but they were reluc-
tant to talk about how morality fit into
the workplace," he says. As a result of
communication with other colleagues
and a realization that others had
similar concerns, he founded the
Southern Institute and began study
at Columbia.

Catharine Kuchar, a 1996 graduate
of Candler School of Theology at
Emory University, joined the institute
after working as national advertising
and promotions manager for Fujitec
America, Inc. and completing her
theology degree. Kuchar is program
director of the Southern Institute, with
primary responsibilities in workshop
facilitation, program development,
research, financial management, grant
development, and event planning.

The Institute is an ecumenical and
interfaith organization whose boards
of governors and directors are com-
posed of individuals with connections
to some of the largest and most promi-
nent businesses and organizations in
the state the Georgia Supreme
Court, The Home Depot, Equifax, and
Georgia-Pacific, among others.

The Institute hosts quarterly
breakfast forums and roundtable
luncheons where business leaders con-
gregate to share mission statements,
values, and other resources which

pertain to ethics in the workplace. The
significant component of these gather-
ings is the recognition of the ethical
dimension of the workplace.

In addition, the Southern Institute
conducts an annual Survey of Georgia
CEOs on Business Ethics. The Survey
researches the practical application
of ethical considerations in the work-
place. Results are presented at a forum
where leaders can discuss the results.

Knapp says, "We also provide pro-
gramming and resources to churches.
The Faith and Work program is a four-
week course for churches that explores
the relationship between religious
faith and business life." The course
provides pastors and church members
with practical ways to apply theologi-
cal beliefs to their business lives.
"Faith and Work uses participatory
activities and simulations with which
participants assess their own beliefs
and experiences. This program pro-
vides an opportunity to break down
the tension often found between these
two spheres of life," he explains.

The Institute is equally committed
to the education and preparation of
future business leaders through pro-
gramming for high school students.
With support and partnership with
the Georgia Humanities Council, the
Georgia Business Forum, and others,
programs are created with an empha-
sis on leadership development, ethics,
and businesses.

"The Southern Institute for
Business and Professional Ethics is
responding to an increased desire by
businesses, employees, and consumers
to apply ethics to management, opera-
tion, and production in the work-
place," says Knapp. Their relationship
with Columbia will provide faculty,
students, alumni/ae, and other
pastors with practical resources to
assist parishioners to incorporate their
religious and moral beliefs into the
world of work.

For more information on the
Institute or its programs, contact it at
404/687-4552 or visit the website at
www.southerninstitute.org.

Katie Ricks '01

VANTAGE

George Telford '58, director of advanced studies (I), and William McAtee, volunteer in
mission for Cuba for the General Assembly, PC(USA), led last year's trip to Cuba. Here,
they visit with a Cuban seminarian and professor. Telford will also lead this year's group.

Doctor of Ministry expands
international studies program

Columbia's international studies
program for its Doctor of Ministry
(D.Min.) students is expanding, pro-
viding an opportunity to witness
Christian faith from perspectives
which are very different from the
North American context. Participants
now have the option of studying in
Cuba, Jamaica, China, and, beginning
in the summer of 2000, South Africa.

In each of the countries visited,
students are involved in theological
study, which includes readings and
doing theological reflections. Through
this theological analysis and participa-
tion in an intensive immersion experi-
ence, students return home with a
rudimentary knowledge of another
culture and a basis from which to
proceed with further exploration.

According to James Hudnut-
Beumler, dean of faculty and professor
of religion and culture, "The purpose
of this Alternative Context Program
is to reiterate to Doctor of Ministry
students the global phenomenon of
Christianity and to explore the mis-
sional perspective of church and the
Christian movement experienced in
another culture." The students are
then charged to transfer that informa-
tion to the people in the pews at their
home churches.

Columbia's program began a
number of years ago as part of a class
in Caribbean theology. The course
included an immersion experience in
Jamaica, which provides, in conjunc-
tion with the major theological semi-
nary of the Caribbean, a Third World
context in an English-speaking country.
The course now includes an immer-
sion in Havana, Cuba.

This year, from April 19-28,
students will reside at the First
Presbyterian Church in Havana and
travel throughout the city and into
other areas of Cuba, giving pastors the
experience within the context of a

socialist state. Seminar participants
meet with leaders of the Presbyterian-
Reformed Church, the Ecumenical
Council of Churches, and with stu-
dents and faculty at the Evangelical
Theological Seminary in Matanzas.
In addition, they will visit hospitals,
schools, marketplaces, cultural events,
governmental agencies, and historical
sites. Each of these events allows par-
ticipants to witness the environment
in which the Christian church in Cuba
is existing.

In the past few years, the church
has experienced tremendous revival,
following a period in which the
church suffered great restrictions.
George Telford '58, director of
advanced studies who will lead the
alternative context experience, speaks
of an elderly couple who went to
church every Sunday by themselves
for years, in order to ensure the con-
tinued possession of the church build-
ing during the hard times. "Their
faith, evidenced through their persis-
tent worship, has resulted in a flour-
ishing church which is now filled
on Sunday mornings," says Telford.
The church in Cuba now has a new
vision and a new sense of community.
Through these lenses, Columbia stu-
dents will observe Caribbean theology
in practice in Cuba.

When the Caribbean theology
course is taught in Jamaica, partici-
pants gather with D.Min. students at
the United Theological College of the
West Indies, which is involved in a
joint Doctor of Ministry program with
Columbia. This immersion experience
also includes theological readings, as
well as education about family struc-
ture, local religions, educational sys-
tems, tours of an inner-city mission,
lectures and discussion with church
and political leaders, and worship in
local churches. According to Telford,
"students witness economically

impoverished people who are abun-
dantly rich with faith, hope, and love
in Jesus Christ

Two years ago, the seminar}
expanded the opportunity for interna-
tional study by offering an immersion
experience in China. Another group
IS now being gathered to go \1.i\ 31 -
June 14. Ai. wording to Carlos i .ml.. ,
Orlandi, instructor in world
Christianity and a member of the

dents' finding the possibility of relat-
ing to the Chinese through the Bibh. al

text. Basic Biblical knowledge is shared
ai ross i ultural lines and can open
doors tor discussions regarding inter-
ition and experiences within faith
Columbia's newest site for the
alternative ^<mte\t class will be in
South Africa. Beginning m 2000,
Doctor of Ministry students will
embark on an anticipated three-week

Basic Biblical knowledge is shared across cultural lines and can
open doors for discussions and experiences within faith.

faculty team to China, "There is little
you can do to prepare for an intercul-
tural experience." Faculty teams and
students rely on readings of local
theologians and nightly processing
discussions with one another to
increase knowledge. Cardoza-Orlandi
lists three components of the program
which are important aspects of the
educational process: dialogue, which
makes a connection between the read-
ings and experiences; questions pro-
vided by the faculty team to initiate
cross-cultural analysis; and interaction
among the participants.

While in China, the Columbia
contingency will be sponsored by the
China Christian Council and Nanjing
Union Theological Seminary. As in the
other programs, participants will be
immersed in the social, political, reli-
gious, and economic structures of the
Chinese culture.

Similar to the experiences in the
Caribbean, participants will also wit-
ness the differences that exist between
the cultures and the challenges and
rewards that each setting provides.
Through the trips to China, a signifi-
cant learning has been that of stu-

immeisicn ivperience throughout
the country. Columbia has entered
into a broad relationship with the
Universities of Western Cape and
Stellenbosch to provide for an
exchange of faculty and students trom
both countries to teach a seminar on
race and religion in Atlanta, as well as

in South Africa. "We beliew thai
have something to learn trom each
other," says I-rskine Clarke, professor
of American religious history. The
belief is that parallels can be drawn
between experiences oi race In the
South and those expei ien ed in
'.>nlh Africa Specific attention in the
course will focus on the Truth and
Reconciliation Committee led by the
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The international Studies lor pas-
tots in the I '>. tor ot Ministry program
is an outgrowth of the seminary's suc-
cessful experience of globalization at
the Master of Divinity level. Resoun es
have been set aside to help make the
trips for D.Min. students affordable.
Additional information is available
from the Office of Advanced Studies
at 404/687-4534.

Ways to think about continuing
education for ministry

How DO YOU understand continuing
education for the clergy? As a pres-
bytery program, as leaving your work
place to attend an event in a distanl
place, as being taught by seminary
professors?

These are only a small part of a
pastor's continuing education.
Although continuing education often
is conceptualized as the formal cours-
es one takes, those courses are only a
piece in the overall picture of continu-
ing education.

At the core of lifelong learning is
curiosity about an idea, a person, or
what is around the next corner. In
addition to curiosity is need, the need
for colleagues who share similar con-
cerns and perspectives and the need
for more information and insight to
solve a problem or assist another or
the church. These partners, curiosity
and need, spark the drive to seek the
resources necessary for intellectual,
spiritual, personal, and professional
growth.

With this information in hand,
pastors construct their continuing edu-
cation plan. The plan might include a

small study group, a reading program,
i m.ntor, Bible study, a course in
conflict management, independent
study with a professor, formal courses
at a seminary, a tape series for the car,
an Internet connection, a trip to a
monastery, or a cours. m .. hooL

i i ilumbia Seminary's continuing
education program is one part of i
pastor's continuing education plan.
The seminary offers a variety I >1
resources, including seminars on
understanding the changing church,
self-assessment, conflict resolution,
information in theology, Bible, and
In lory, practical resources to enhance
skills in preaching, relationships,
worship, and computers. Ultimately,
though, formal continuing education
is not the sole definition of continuing
education. At its best, continuing
education encompasses a wide variety
of resources which a pastor gathers to
support and instruct himself or herself
in the significant and sacred task of
ministry.

Rebecca Parker
Director, Continuing Education

WINTER 1999

Continuing education seminars
assist pastors in their work

Continuing education music
seminar scheduled March 8-9

A series OF workshops designed to
address the tasks of ministry is sched-
uled for spring and summer:

Business Administration for the
Parish Pastor. April 26-28. Cost: $125.
In many ways, a church is like a busi-
ness that requires administration and
oversight. The workshop will address
budgeting and financial planning, cap-
ital fund campaigns, communication,
conflict management and negotiation
skills, involving and empowering lay
people, and theological principles
related to these tasks.

A team from the University of
Georgia and Georgia Tech will teach
the course. Columbia has offered this
class once before, and the feedback
was excellent.

Revisiting Your Call after Three to
Five Years in Ministry. May 3-5.
Cost S135. This workshop is designed
to assist persons who are in their first
three to five years of ministry and are

Beth Johm

Study with the
Lay Institute
this summer

"Mark your calendar now to partici-
pate in one of our summer courses
a women's study of the Psalms or
Summer Lay Scholars," advises Rick
Dietrich, director of the Lay Institute
of Faith and Life.

"Psalms: Old Songs for a New
Millennium" is the topic of the
Presbyterian Women's Bible Study for
the 1999-2000 study year. The course
will focus on the content of each
chapter in the study book, explore
the biblical texts, make personal
connections with the materials, and
provide practical ideas for teaching
the series.

assessing their current ministry. The
seminar will help pastors examine
their particular gifts for ministry,
revisit their calls, and examine the
issues in their current ministry.

Leadership will be provided by
TAS 2 TE, Transition and Survival Skills
Training Experience, a Presbyterian-
based organization.

Here I Am Lord, Now What?

July 12-16. Cost: $250. This workshop
is highly recommended for graduating
seminarians as they contemplate and
prepare for their first call. The course
will help prepare the individual for
the significant changes that will occur
as he or she moves from seminary to
the church and identify the issues that
will arise in the first 18 months of
ministry.

Leadership for this event also will
be provided by TAS 2 TE.

For more information, call
404/687-4562.

The course is particularly
designed for those who will be teach-
ing the series in Presbyterian Women's
circles, but it is open to everyone.

The course is offered three times
this summer: weekday mornings:
July 5-9, with Fane Downs, author of
Psalms: Old Songs for a New Millenium
and pastor of Trinity Presbyterian
Church, Midland, TX; or July 26-30,
with Rebecca Parker, director of
continuing education at Columbia;
or Friday evening/Saturday morning,
August 27-28, with Linda Morningstar,
associate director of the Lay Institute.

Tuition is $45 for the week-long
courses; $30 for the weekend course,
plus meals.

Participants in Summer Lay
Scholars will explore "The New
Testament Today," August 2-6. The
1999 Summer Lay Scholars faculty
will be Beth Johnson, professor of New
Testament, and Rick Dietrich, director,
Lay Institute of Faith and Life.

"We will explore the historical,
cultural, religious, and literary contexts
in which the New Testament came to
be written," Johnson says. "We'll also
look at the varieties of early Judaism,
and at stories the first Christians told
about Jesus.

"We'll take a look at the phenome-
non of Pauline Christianity. And we
will do some close readings of Mark
and First Thessalonians."

Cost of tuition, room, and board
is $300.

For details about these or other
courses, call 404/687-4577. Or see the
website at www.CTSnet.edu. Select
"Outreach Programs," then choose
"Lay Institute." D

Today's church is involved in a con-
versation around traditional and
contemporary worship. This work-
shop will reply to this conversation
by suggesting and showing that the
Reformed tradition has enormous
resources for creative, meaningful
worship.

A keynote address will look at the
important collaboration between pas-
tor and musician and the significant
resources each brings to the planning
process. Workshops will address the
using and singing of the psalms in
worship; enlivening a volunteer choir

and providing choral literature;
exploring the creative relationship
between the pastor and musician; and
the role of children's worship.

Hal Hopson, gifted musician and
author of a number of service hymns
in The Presbyterian Hymnal will give
the keynote address and teach. This
workshop is recommended for both
pastors and musicians. Cost of the
event is $100 per person and $65 more
for each additional person from the
same church.

For more information, call
404/687-4562.

The continuing education seminar, "Writing: Tricks of the Trade," was led by Cec
Murphey '70 in October. More than 60 people atttended, among them (l-r) Dee Wade;
Kathleen Bostrom, workshop leader; Murphey; and Davison Philips '43, president
emeritus.

Lay Institute offers certificate
programs in Practical Christianity
and Spiritual Formation

"The Lay Institute's Certificate
Programs are programs of self-direct-
ed study designed specifically for lay
people. They offer structured ways to
work independently and with others,
to become a better theologian in head
and heart, and a more faithful follow-
er of Christ in all of life," says Rick
Dietrich, director of the institute.

The Certificate Program is offered
in two tracks, practical Christianity or
spiritual formation. All students work
with the director of the Lay Institute
to choose from an array of courses and
to plan practical work to fit their par-
ticular interests and faith journey.

The Certificate in Practical
Christianity is designed to help stu-
dents become practical theologians
able to apply their knowledge of the

faith to their particular situations in
life. Tlie Certificate in Spiritual
Formation is designed to give students
a basic understanding of spirituality
in the Christian tradition and to help
them to discern their own spiritual
vocations.

The course of study for both tracks
normally includes basic readings,
foundational study, specific area
courses, and practical work.

"We're proud of this program,"
Dietrich says, "and of its students.
They are people active in the life of
the church and their world."

Students may apply for admission
to either program at any time. For
more information, contact the Lay
Institute, 404/687-4578. E-mail
LayInsHtute@CTSnet.edu.

VANTAGE

One of Columbia's Doctor of Ministry
students, Dan Andriacco, has recently
changed jobs, from the Cincinnati
Enquirer to the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Before, he
was "in" the print media. Now, he's
"into" practically every kind of media
imaginable.

Particularly, he has redesigned
the archdiocese's web page. He is also
in the process of visiting 49 other
religious websites to try to make sense
of them. What are they trying to do?
How do they go about doing it? How
successful are they? Is web culture
actually hostile to their message?

Dan has visited the Lay Institute's
web page. (Visit at www.CTSnet.edu.
Click "Outreach Programs." Then click
"Lay Institute.") He has made some
interesting and helpful suggestions,
such as maybe we're trying to do too
much too fast.

That's difficult to believe. The
web moves with breath-taking speed.
But we don't. And putting together a
website or even part of one is
painstaking work. There are decisions
to make about how the pages will
look, what information they will
contain, how the information is to be
"categorized" and presented.

The Lay Institute wishes we could
have an "open house." You would
stop by and we would talk. You

would make suggestions, both practi-
cal and theological, and we would
make changes.

The worldwide web is not a value-
neutral tool. It prefers the visual. It
rewards speed. It is a culture, orga-
nized and disorganized in particular
ways. How does the Lay Institute find
ways to live in this culture helpfully
and faithfully?

While there will be no "open
house" in the conventional sense, the
"house" is open, and we invite you to
come by soon. Check on upcoming
events, on-campus and off-campus.
Read descriptions of courses. Find reg-
istration forms you can mail
(or e-mail) to us.

Read the latest newsletter or listen
to segments from the first two issues
of the audio magazine, 701.

Find out more about ongoing
programs in the arts. See what
"Theology and Literature" is reading
next, what "Faith and Film" will be
watching in coming months. Enjoy
images from recent and upcoming
exhibitions in the Harrington Center.

And meet the staff. Send us
e-mail. Let us know how we can make
our web pages (and our programs!)
more helpful to you.

Rick Dietrich
Director, Lay Institute

OASIS Announcing a

conference on Reformed
spirituality

February 28 - March 2, 2000
First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Oasis 2000 will be a fertile place where
faith is born, where new life grows,
a place where the water of life flows
freely.

Oasis 2000 will be a gathering
where...

Cler gy and laity open themselves
more fully to the Spirit

Dreamers and educators learn
mutual trust and share comple-
mentary gifts

Conservatives, liberals, and
moderates find common ground

All seeking persons have their
deepest hungers and thirsts filled

This event is sponsored by six
Presbyterian seminaries Austin,
Columbia, Johnson C. Smith,
Louisville, Pittsburgh, San Francisco
The Outreach Foundation, The
Christian Faith and Life Program Area
of the General Assembly of the
PC(USA), Presbytery of Creator
Atlanta, and First Presbyterian
Church, Atlanta.

Columbia's Spirituality Program offers Certificate
in Spiritual Formation

Columbia's Spirituality Program,
celebrating four years of ministry to
the church, has been the catalyst for
change and transformation, according
to clergy and lay leaders of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) and other
denominations. The following statis-
tics illustrate:

2,500 people have responded by
requesting more information

425 people have taken the initial
course toward the certificate, the
Immersion Week

9 courses in the original design
have been expanded to 15 courses
per year

20 participants per course in the
original design have grown to 32
participants per course

4 satellite locations now offer the
Certificate in Spiritual Formation

3 Presbyterian seminaries join
Columbia in partnership to offer
the Certificate in Spiritual
Formation

15 denominations are represented
by participants who travel from all
over the country to Columbia, with
the largest number from both large
and small PC(USA) congregations.

60 ministers are enrolled in the
spirituality specialization of the
Doctor of Ministry program

Ben C. Johnson, Director

Julie A. Johnson, Associate Director

"This Immersion Week was a gift of grace in which my view of God was
enlarged, my perception of God's work in my life was significantly altered, and
my understanding of my place in ministry infused with hope."

Ed Cirod, pastoi
Camarilla, California

"Thank you for a great week! In broad terms I can say that I was enfolded,
expanded, ministered to, given many opportunities to minister to others,
delighted, moved, enriched, nourished, refreshed and renewed."

Jean McAllister, lay leader
Bellvue, Washington

For brochures or more information, contact the Spirituality Program:
404/687-4587; or email www.CTSnet.edu or www.sptyprog.com.

Platform Speakers:

Ben Johnson, professor of
Christian spirituality, Columbia
Seminary

John M. Mulder, president of
Louisville Seminary

David Wallace, dean of Johnson
C. Smith Seminary

Andrew Purves, associate profes-
sor of pastoral theology, Pittsburgh
Seminary

Eugenia Gamble, pastor, First
Presbyterian Church, Birmingham,
Alabama

Walter Brueggemann, professor
of Old Testament, Columbia Seminary

Andrew Dreitcer, director,
Certificate in Spiritual Direction,
San Francisco Seminary

Stacy Johnson, professor ol
theology, Austin Seminary

Kris Haig, associate for spiritual
formation, Congregational Ministries
Division, General Assembly, PC(USA)

Robert Shelton, president "I
Austin Seminary

Douglas Oldenburg, president of
Columbia Seminary

Laity and clergy can choose from
a v ariety of seminars. Topics include
Praying in a Different Way, Spirituality
and the Mission of the Church,
Building Community through Small
Groups, plus eight others.

To receive a brochure, write to
Oasis 2000, P.O. Box 520, Decatur,
GA 30031. Or call 404/687-4557.
Online, visit the website at
www.oasis2000.com for completi
information.

Visit
Columbia's
website at

www.CTSnet.edu

for more

information

on these

programs.

WINTER 1999

Doctor of Ministry specialization
in New Church Development to
begin in April

Columbia Seminary's faculty endorsed
a case statement for a disciplined
theological approach to new church
development in the spring of 1997.
The seminary's commitment to a
theology of Missio Dei emphasizes in
part the mission of God as God gathers,
calls, and sends forth in mission.

As the area of New Church
Development (NCD) has grown in
recent years, academic as well as
pastoral needs have emerged. One
of these is the realization of the need
for a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
degree specialization in new church
development.

"America is a mission field, and
new church development is at the home
front of church missions," explains H.
Stanley Wood, director of the Center of
New Church Development. As the
church takes seriously the Gospel's
call to mission, the importance of new
church developments in this mission
field becomes obvious.

This D.Min. specialization pro-
vides a specific degree program which
offers a disciplined theological
approach to the formation of new
churches. It aims at equipping church
leaders in the development mission of
starting new congregations for the
next century. This is not a program
aimed at new ministers, but rather at
experienced NCD pastors with at least
five years in the ministry and church
executives whose ministry portfolio
includes NCD ministry guidance. This
program targets NCD ministers who
are already in a NCD but is not for

church leaders focusing on redevelop-
ment or traditional church pastors
seeking a D. Min. degree.

There are a number of stated goals
for this specialization which offers a
Reformed and ecumenical analysis of
church growth in new faith communi-
ties, or typically "unchurched" com-
munities. The specialization seeks to
integrate the latest NCD research find-
ings while simultaneously looking for
new possibilities for NCD mission
expansion. Instruction in strategic mis-
sion planning in a religiously pluralis-
tic, post-modern, post-denominational
ministry context is a critical compo-
nent. Finally, this specialization is
concerned with multicultural NCDs.

The curriculum of the NCD
specialization follows the pattern of
the basic Doctor of Ministry program
which includes a core seminar, 18
additional course hours, doctoral
practicum, and a doctoral project.
The core will focus on helping pastors
form a model of ministry appropriate
to new church development in the
contemporary context of North
America. Furthermore, two of the six
electives are devoted to further work
in the area of new church development.

The first core seminar for the
D.Min. specialization will be held
at Columbia from April 5-16, 1999.
The next two required courses will be
held January 10-19, 2000 and in July
2000. For more information, contact
the Office of Advanced Studies at
404/687-4534 or e-mail
lehfeldtl@CTSnet.edu.

Potential NCD pastors came from as far away as the West Coast and Scotland.

Potential New Church
Development Pastors Conference

In October, Columbia hosted and co-
sponsored the third annual Potential
New Church Development Pastors
Conference with the Evangelism and
Church Development Program Area,
which is in the national ministry divi-
sion of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
General Assembly. The Columbia
location of the Center of New Church
Development led to its role as host
for this annual conference. All three
conferences have been held on the
Columbia campus.

The participants were not only
potential pastors who were discerning
a call in new church development
(NCD), but also ministers who had
recently accepted a NCD call.

Some significant characteristics of
those nominated to attend included

proven evangelism skills and excite-
ment about church growth, preaching
skills, a cultural and language match
for the area of NCD ministry, and the
combination of faith and vision for a
new church development.

With the success of these confer-
ences, expansion has been inevitable.
The Center of New Church
Development will begin hosting two
co-sponsored conferences annually.
The next conference at Columbia will
be held the last week of October, 1999.
In order to reach a different geograph-
ical population, the additional confer-
ence will be held at the southern
California campus of San Francisco
Theological Seminary, June 10-15, 1999.

For more information, call
404/786-4585.

Lilly Grant to help identify
NCD pastors

As Stan Wood, director for
Columbia's Center of New Church
Development, explains, "Many of us
have an anecdotal understanding of
the abilities, skills, and gifts of an
organizing pastor who effectively
begins a new church development.
None of us has an empirical under-
standing of the abilities found in those
pastors, nor do we understand how
these particular leadership qualities
vary in ethnically distinctive ministry
contexts."

A milestone in this identification
process of new church development
(NCD) pastors is the recent award of a
Lilly Endowment, Inc. grant to the
Center of New Church Development.
The purpose of the project is to identi-
fy and analyze key factors found in
effective new church development
leaders in order to develop optimum
evangelism and church development
strategies in the next century.

The research is focused on new
churches that were under develop-
ment and organized between 1980

and 1996 from a variety of mainline
denominations. Ten denominations
are participating in the project. They
include: the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, the Reformed
Church in America, the American
Baptist Church, the United Church of
Christ, the United Methodist Church,
the Disciples of Christ, the Lutheran
Church, the Episcopal Church, the
Christian Reformed Church, and the
Presbyterian Church (USA).

The research will identify trans-
ecclesiastical leadership profiles of
pastoral and lay leadership, theology
and evangelism, and effective models
of new church development. It will
also assess the effect of NCD member-
ship growth on denomination-wide
membership growth.

By beginning with an assessment
of effective new church developments,
the researchers hope to have a clearer
picture of the profile of an organizing
pastor, which will provide direction
for the twenty-first century.

J

' !^l

i r A P* i ;_MS

The photographs of artist and photographer Clara Mont-Claire will be on display in the
Harrington Center, February 15 - March 15. The photographs come from a recent visit
to the Holy Land. Her photograph above is "Descending from the Temple Mount."
Accompanying Mont-Claire's pictures will be photographs taken more titan 100 years
ago by Annie Emery Flinn, who had then just graduated from Agnes Scott institute.
(See photo on page 11.) Traveling by steam ship, sailing ship, carriage, horseback, and
camel, Annie Emery documented her 1897 visit to the Middle East with photographs
token with her new Kodak camera. She developed the film and made her own prints
onboard ship during the return voyage.

Upon her return to the United States, Annie Emery married Richard Orme Flinn,
founding pastor of North Avenue Presbyterian Church in the then northern suburbs of
Atlanta. Flinn remained pastor of North Avenue for 40 years.

VANTAGE

Doctor of Ministry calendar

April 5-16 Introductory Core Seminar for New Church Development
April 19-28 Cuba Sojourn See article on page 5.

July 5-16 Summer Session I

1 What Does It Mean to Be Human? A Study in Genesis taught by Tom
Walker

2. Mission in the Church in the Twenty-first Century taught Carlos Cardoza-
Orlandi

3. Pastoral Care of Marriage and Family taught John Patton

July 19-30 Summer Session II

1 Families and Family Values in Early Christianity taught by Beth Johnson

2. Worship: Past, Present, and Future taught by Catherine Gonzalez

3. The Teaching Ministry of the Local Congregation taught by Ron Cram

September 13-15, October 11-13, November 8-10, December 6-8

Introductory Core Seminar for Doctor of Ministry Students

October 4-8 Introductory Core Seminar for Cross-cultural Specialization

October 18-29 Introductory Core Seminar for Gospel and Culture
Specialization

November 14-24 Introductory Core Seminar for Spirituality Specialization

Spirituality calendar

March 14-19 Reformed Spirituality Leader: Dr. Tom Schwanda

April 11-16 SpmrrUALm VND LEADERSHIP Leader: Dr. Howard Rice

May 9-14 Spirituality and Community Leader: Dr. Ben Johnson

June 6-11 Desert Fathers and Mothers Leader: Dr. Robert Ratdifl

July 11-16 New Testament Spirituality Leader: Dr. Brad Kent

August 29 - September 3 Immersion Week (M.Div. option)
Leaders: Columbia Faculty and Staff

August 29 - September 3 Literature and Practice oi SPIR] mi Direction
(M.DlV. OPTION) Leader: TBA

September 19-24 CONTEMPi \nw Spirituality Leader: Dr. Bill Clemmona

September 26 - October 1 New Testament Spirituality
Leader: Dr. Stan Saunders

October 24-29 Immersion Week Leaders: Columbia Facultj andStafl

October 24-29 Discerninc Cod's Will Leader: Dr. Elizabeth i ieberl

October 31 - November 5 History of Christian Spirituality
Leader: Dr. Catherine Gonzalez

November 14-24 Doctor of Ministry Introductory Core Seminar
Leader: Columbia Faculty and Staff

Continuing education calendar

February 20 Women with Vision: A Spiritual Reconstruction of Women's
Authority Leader: Bobbie Patterson. Cost: $50.

March 8-9 Pastors and Musicians: Creating Vibrant Worship Grounded in
the Reformed Tradition See article on page 6.

April 11-16 Contemplative Retreat for Men Leader: David Guthrie
Cost: $225.

April 12-21 Cuba Orientation and Pilgrimage Cost: $930. See article on page 5.

April 18-22 Contemplative Retreat for Women Cost: $225.

April 23-24 Building Family Values for the Year 2000 Leader: Herb Anderson.
Cost $50.

April 26-28 Business and Administrative Skills for Church Professionals
See article on page 6.

May 2-7 Guthrie Scholars See article on page 3.

May 3-5 Revisiting Your Call after Three Years in Ministry See article on
page 6.

July 12-16 Here I am, Lord, Now What? See article on page 6.

New Church Development calendar

April 5-16 Doctor of Ministry New Church Development Core Seminar
See article on page 8.

June 10-15 Potential New Church Development Pastors Conference in
Los Angeles, CA

October 23-29 Potential New Church Development Pastors Conference
See article on page 8.

Lay Institute calendar

February 16, March 16, April 20, May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17

Faith and Film Study Group Leader: Fritz Bogar. Cost: $10 annual du<-.

February 1, 8, 15, 22 Winter Evening Lay School Leaders: Erskine Clarke,
Tina Pippin, Linda Morningstar, and Ben Kline. Cost: $35.

February 2, 9, 16, 23 Morning Lay School Leader: Shirley Guthrie. Cost: $25.

March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3 Ti ffi< JLOGY AND LlTl R \ i URE

Study Group Leader: Rick Dietrich. Cost: $10 annual dues.

March 2, 9, 16, 23 A Grown-up Look at Childhood Stories Leaders: Will
Coleman, Ann Clay Adams, Ben Kline, Christine Yoder. At Pleasant Hill
Presbyterian Church, Duluth, GA. Cost: $35 advance registration or $4^ at
the door.

April 5, 12, 19, 26 Parables, Puzzles, and Paradoxes Leaders: Rick Dietrich
and Linda Morningstar. At Westminster Presbyterian Church, Snellville, GA.
Cost: $35 advance registration or $45 at the door.

July 6-9 Presbyterian Women's Bible Study: "Psalms: Old Songs for a Ni \\
Millennium" See article on page 6.

July 26-30 Presbyterian Women's Bible Study. See article on page 6.

August 28-29 Presbyterian Women's Bible Study (WEEKEND course) See article
on page 6.

August 2-6 Summer Lay Scholars: "New Testament Times" See article on
page 6.

Every Wednesday Mid-day Reflections, Downtown Leaders: A variety.
At Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA. Cost: $25 semi-annual dues.

Every Thursday Mid-day Reflections, Buckhead Leaders: A variety.

At Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA. Cost: $25 semi-annual dues.

WINTER 1999

For the Record

If you have recent news to contribute to this section, please mail it to
the editor, or you may e-mail it to harperj@CTSnet.edu.

Will Ormond '43, professor emeritus,
has had his book. Preaching Eyes
Listening Ears, published. The book
contains sermons from the 1950s to
the 1990's. He dedicated the book to
Lucy Rose, the late associate professor
of homiletics, who was instrumental
in its publication. In January, Ormond
preached at the fiftieth anniversary
celebration of Covenant church.
Tuscaloosa, AL, where he was found-
ing pastor Linda Morningstar

(MATS '98) associate director of the
Lay Institute, presented a workshop
on "Faith: From the Altar to the
Workplace" for the North Georgia
Christian Educators Fellowship
She served as worship leader for a
society of St. Andrew Harvest of Hope
gleaning and hunger education

retreat Cheryl Gosa '79 received her

DMin from Princeton Theological
Seminary ...Anna Carter Florence,
instructor of preaching and worship,
preached at the Presbytery of Greater
Atlanta and attended the Academy
of Homiletics annual meeting in
Toronto. She preached for Princeton
Theological Seminary's Youth Ministry
Forum at St. Simons Island.

Bill Ferguson (Int. '92) is pastor of
St. Anne's Baptist Church in England.
He also acts as chaplain for the Royal
Lytha and St. Anne's Golf Club and
has been involved in ministry with
some of the players on both the
European and USA PGA Golf

Tours James Hudnut-Beumler,

executive vice president, dean of
faculty, and acting president, spoke at
the Louisville Institute's conference on
"Financing American Religion." He
also addressed an adult Sunday school
class at the North Decatur church,
gave a paper on "Materializing
American Religious History" at the
American Academy of Religion, and
gave a lecture at Presbyterian College
on "The Christian Church and
Education in the Twenty-first
Century." He has recently completed a
book to be entitled, Generous Saints:
Congregations Rethinking Ethics and
Money. His book chapter on
"Historical Myths about Financing
American Religion" appears in a new
volume on the subject from AltaMira
Press.

Kari Ward Kolmetz '96 and Steve
Kolmetz '95 are associate pastor of
discipleship and associate pastor of
congregational life, respectively, at
Covenant church, Colorado Springs,

CO Rick Dietrich, director of the

Lay Institute, taught at All Saint's
Episcopal and at the Clairmont
church. His new poems appeared in
the GSU Review and AURA. He
preached at Chapel-in-the-Pines,
Birmingham, AL, and taught and
preached at First church, Gainesville,

GA Timothy Read '98 is teaching

business ethics at the Mclntire School

of Commerce of the University of
Virginia. He was awarded a thret
Presidential Fellowship at UVA to
pursue a PhD in religious ethics
Ronald Cram, associate professor of
C hnstian education, taught adult
classes on "Jubilee" at Holy Spirit
Catholic Church in Atlanta and "The
Religious Lives of Children" at First
church, Atlanta. His article, "Memory
and Metaphor," was published in
Religious Education.

Vanessa Potter '93 led an
evangelism workshop for Holston
Presbyter) 's annual educational event,
Grace Odyssey. She also preached for
First church, Bristol, TN, and St.
Matthew Methodist, Kingsport, TN,
for its "Women in the Pulpit" annual
event Walter Brueggemann, profes-
sor of Old Testament, has spoken at
Cherokee Presbytery's Committee on
Stewardship meeting. He gave
addresses to the bishops of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, the
Wisconsin Council of Churches, St.

BIRTHS

To Mike '90 and Amy Murdock, a
daughter, Haley Kate, Oct. 24, 1998.
To Tim '91 and Rene Foster, a son,
Joshua Allen, Oct. 24, 1998.
To Will '93 and Susan Jones, a daugh-
ter, Lelia Rose, Aug. 8, 1998.
To Dan Milford '93 and Nadia Rosales,
twins, Alexis Diane and Joshua Daniel,
Sept. 9, 1998.

To Darice '94 and Don Dawson, a son,
Dex Waggoner, Nov. 27, 1998.
To Bob '94 and Deborah Googe, a
daughter, Nicole Marie, Sept. 17, 1998.
To Jennifer Lee '96 and Joe Dan Walker,
a son, Stephen Daniel, Dec. 26, 1999.
To Tim '98 and Lee '99 Read, a son,
Leighton Phillips, Sept. 30, 1998.
To Ron '99 and Diane Sabo, a son,
Jonathan Paul, Nov. 29, 1998.
To Dorie Griggs '01 and Stan Leary, a
daughter, Michelle, Nov. 4, 1998.
To Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, instructor
in world Christianity, and Lizzie
Oquendo, a son, Carlos Esteban
Cardoza-Oquendo, Jan. 7, 1999.

DEATHS

Dwyn M. Mounger '31, Nov. 23, 1998.
Thomas Hoover '40, Sept. 2, 1998.
William T. Mulcay '43, Jan. 2, 1998.
J. Clyde Plexico Jr. '46, Jan. 1, 1998.
Frank H. Noll '49, Aug. 22, 1998.
John Pridgen '50, April 1, 1998.
Leonard C. Blanton '51, April 16, 1998.

See article on page 11.
Joe Bishop '61, June 3, 1998.
Frank DuCille '75, May 5, 1998.
Andrea Eddings Pfaff '76, Oct. 12, 1998.
Marian A. Havnes (MATS '83)
Oct. 25, 1998. '
Gerald R. Coker '87, Jan. 1999.

Stephens Episcopal Church in
Spokane, WA, Methodist College, and
the Tupelo, MS, Ministerial Association.
He also spoke at the Academy of
Homiletics in Toronto and St. Luke's
Episcopal Church, Montclair, NJ. He
preached at Woodhaven church,
Irving, TX; Bethel Lutheran, Madison,
WI; First United Methodist, Little
Rock, AR; Myers Park church,
Charlotte; Church of the Crossroads
(UCC). Honolulu; and Trinity church,
Atlanta. He presented a paper at the
Center of Theological Inquiry and
received a Festschrift from Fortress Press
at the Society of Biblical Literature
He has published Isaiah 1-39 and Isaiah
40-66 and has articles in Sojourners and
Biblical Theology Bulletin.

David Horton '98 is associate
pastor at Mars Hill church, Acworth,

GA Robert Armistead '63 promotes

extension theological seminaries in
Chili. He is honorably retired and

living in Decatur Rebecca Parker,

director of continuing education, led
the Women's Christmas Communion

at Druid Hills church Sharon Core

'91 is pastor of the Arlington, VA,

church Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi,

instructor in world Christianity,
preached at Church of the New
Covenant, Doraville, GA, and the
Stockbridge, GA, church. He taught a
Sunday school series on "Encountering
Otherness" at Trinity church, Atlanta.
Cardoza-Orlandi also lectured at
Candler School of Theology on
"Socio-Political Activity and

Mission." Becca Young '97, director

of alumni /ae and church relations,
was ordained at the Arbor Dale
church, Banner Elk, NC. She attended
the Triennial Presbyterian Women's
Gathering of the Synod of South
Atlantic and held a Columbia faculty,
alumni/ae, and friends reception at
the annual meeting of the American
Academy of Religion /Society of
Biblical Literature. She participated in
the Easley, SC, church's mission fair.

John Larson '71 (D.Min '81) is
pastor of First church, Columbus,

MS Darrell Guder, professor of

evangelism and church growth, gave a
presentation at Church of the New
Covenant, Doraville, GA, participated
in Gathering III of the "Coalition,"
Dallas, TX, and responded to the mis-
sion strategy paper presented by the
Coalition for the PC(USA). He spoke
at King's College, gave presentations
at the Roswell, GA, church;
Northminister church, Cincinnati; to
presbytery and synod executives in
Las Vegas, NV; and was a presenter
and mentor at the "Shaping Christ-
Shaping Our World" conference in
Chicago. He preached for the
Presbytery of East Virginia and the
Saxe-Gotha church, Lexington, SC. He
participated in the annual consultation
of the Gospel and Our Culture
Network, Chicago, and conducted a
course in Geneva, Switzerland, in
January. He spoke at Church Partners
Conference, Young Life Southeast.
Christopher Bobo '93 is pastor of

the Culdee church, Pinehurst, NC

Sue Boardman '90 (DMin '97) is the
new editor of Monday Morning Stan

Wood, director of the Center for New
Church Development (NCD), met
with Santa Barbara Presbytery and the
Synod of Southern California, taught
at the Placentia, CA, church Spiritual
Life Conference, and preached at
Placentia church, Los Angeles, CA.
He was a keynote speaker and small
group facilitator at the National
Mission Conference for the Church of
Scotland and a trainer at the Church of
Scotland Evangelism Advisors Retreat.
He attended Lilly grant meetings in
Montreal and Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Wood led a seminar and preached at
Lake City church, Seattle. He also par-
ticipated in the Western Colorado
Presbytery NCD consultation and
"Conversations" in Las Vegas, NV.
Tim Riser '90 is chaplain at

Missouri Valley College Marcia

Riggs, associate professor of Christian
ethics, was keynote speaker for the
annual A.M.E. Women in Ministry
Conference in St. Louis. She lectured
for the inauguration of the Anna Julia
Cooper Lecture Series at Candler
School of Theology, conducted a
workshop for the Women of Color
Caucus of the Presbytery of Detroit,
and taught a Sunday school class on

racism at Trinity church, Atlanta

Lisa Benn Rossi '97 is pastor of First

church, Howard Lake, MN Erskine

Clarke '66, professor of American
religious history, preached at Second
church, Charleston, SC, and inaugu-
rated their Thomas Smyth Lecture
Series. He also preached at the Belton,
SC, church. Clarke has edited Exilic
Preaching: Testimony for Christian Exiles

in an Increasingly Hostile Culture Paul

Ogne '98 is pastor of the Oviedo, FL,
church.

Chuck Campbell, associate pro-
fessor of homiletics, preached at All
Souls Parish church, Port Chester, NY,
and at First church, York, SC. He led a
workshop on preaching for Atlanta-
area Korean pastors and attended the
annual meeting of the Academy of

Homiletics in Toronto Thomas Are

'59 is honorably retired Donald

Barbour '88 is pastor of the Hebron

Continued on page 11

Vantage

Volume 90, No. 3, Winter 1999
Published quarterly by
Columbia Theological Seminary
Circulation: 25,000

The Office of Institutional
Advancement

Editor: Juliette Harper
Director of Publications
and Publicity

Postmaster: Send address

changes to Vantage

Columbia Theological Seminary

P.O. Box 520

Decatur, G A 30031-0520

VANTAGE

For the Record

continued from page 10

church, Staunton, VA Gloria Bolden

'97 is faculty member and chaplain

at Barber-Scotia College Stanley

Saunders, assistant professor of New
Testament, taught in the Lay Academy
at First church, Atlanta; at Riverside
church, Jacksonville, FL, and led
workshops for the Presbytery of
Greater Atlanta and at a conference on
AIDS at Mercer University Medical
School. He gave an address on 'The
Centrality of Christ in a Pluralistic
World" at a conference of large church
pastors at Peachtree church, Atlanta,
and attended the annual AAR/SBL
meeting in Orlando, where he was
elected president of the Association
for Case Teaching. Saunders led an
officers retreat for First church,
Gainesville, GA, and with Ben
Johnson, professor of Christian spiri-
tuality, led a week of teaching on con-
gregational spirituality in San
Antonio. He had an article published

in the January issue of Sojourners

Nancy Cooper '93 is chaplain at Riley
Children's Hospital, Indianapolis,

IN Daniel Donaldson '75 is pastor

of First church, Greeneville, TN

Will Coleman '85, associate professor
of theology and hermeneutics, led a
weekend retreat at the Kennedy
Heights church, Cincinnati, OH, and

Sunday school classes at the North
Decatur, GA, church and Trinity
church, Atlanta. He was interviewed
by the Atlanta Journa/Constitution and
by BBC Radio. His book review is
printed in Counterpoise.

Zeb Smith (ThM '00) is director ol
Christian education at Southminster
church, Marietta, GA, and chaplain at

VistaCare Hospice, Smyrna Wade

Huie '46, professor emeritus, serves as
regional representative, promoting the
Theological Education Fund for Synod
of South Atlantic. He led a DMin
supervised ministry course on cam-
pus, the Alternative Context study
seminar on Appalachia, preached at
renewal services at Concord church,
Statesville, NC; at Mt. Herman church,
Ila, GA; and at Columbia church,
Decatur; and spoke at the Presbytery
of Greater Atlanta and the Decatur

Rotary Club Harrison Taylor '54 has

retired again from his tenth interim

pastorate Larry Baskin (DMin '98)

is pastor of First church, Florence.

AL Curtis Fussell (DMin '89) is

pastor of the Hawfields church,

Mebane, NC David Nash (DMin

'81) is pastor of the Point Pleasant
church, WV. ... Robert Temple '62 is
honorably retired from the Fairfield

church, Mechanicsville, VA John

Hall '58 is honorably retired D.

Cameron Murchison, professor of
ministry, led a congregational retreat

Photograph of the Holy Land taken more than 100 years ago by Annie I mery I linn
The photography of Flinn will be on display in the Harrington I 'entei February 15 -
March 15 along with photographs by Clara Mont-Claire See one oj Mont-Claire

photographs on page 8.

for Fourth church, Greenville, SC, and Greg Limongi '95 is hospice chaplain

a workshop for new officers in the
Columbus, GA, cluster of Flint River
Presbytery- He preached at the
Morrow, GA, church and the
Friendship church, Athens, GA....

at Integrated I lealtih Services,

Winter Park, Fl Danny Klein '91

is pastor of the Jamestown church,
Williamsburg, VA. Q

From the Bookstore

No. of
copies

New titles by Columbia faculty members:

Exilic Preaching: Testimony for Christian Exiles
in an Increasingly Hostile Culture
Compiled and edited by Erskine Clarke;
Articles and sermons by Walter Brueggemann,
Stanley Hauerwas, Barbara Brown Taylor, and
Will Willimon

Leonard C. Blanton, 1920-1998

Retail
price

Columbia
price

$13.00 $11.05

God in the Fray:

A Tribute to Walter Brueggemann

Edited by Tod Linafelt '91 and Timothy K. Beal '91

$33.00 $28.05

Total amount for books

Shipping and handling: orders under $20.00, add $4.50;
from $20.00 to $49.99, add $6.00; over $50.00, add $7.50.
All books shipped via United Parcel Service.

Georgia residents: add 7% sales tax on books and shipping

Total

Method of payment (please check one);

check payable to CTS Bookstore (included with order)

VISA MasterCard Novus

(please print information below):

Visa/ MasterCard /Novus#

Name (as it appears on card)

Exp. date

Street address for UPS delivery:

City State,

Zip.

Phone

Prices subject to change as determined by publishers.

Please send this completed order form to: CTS Bookstore, P.O. Box 520,

Decatur, G A 30031.

Blanton '51

Alumnus, pastor,
and hymn-writer
Leonard Cooper
Blanton died in
April. The semi-
nary and church
are indebted to
him for the hymn
tune Columbia.
Concerning their
years together .it
Columbia, Robert
W. Cousar '51
remembers
Leonard Cooper Blanton was my
roommate and good friend during our
three years as students at Columbia.
We were put together simply because
our names were adjacent in the stu-
dent roll. Though we could have
made a change, neither of us did so.
For me, Leonard was the perfect
roommate, a serious student, an excel-
lent pianist who loved classical music
(we called him johann), and a deeply
spiritual man.

One of the major events in our life
as roommates began when Leonard
read of a contest in which a prize was
to be offered for the best musical set-
ting of a metrical version of Psalm
148. After prayer, Leonard decided to
enter the contest. For the next few
weeks, I was to learn what hard work
musical composition is hours of
experimentation at the keyboard with
first one harmony then another. For

Leonard, it was a labor of love. Finally
finishing the hymn with exactly the
melody, rhythm, and harmony he
wanted, Leonard took me to the
chapel, sat me down, and said, "I'm
going to play a hymn. Tell me ii
you've ever heard it before because
I've experimented with so many ver-
sions that I'm having difficulty assur-
ing myself that this composition is
truly mine " He played H and was
gratified when I told him I had n<

heard ii before.

Leonard was pianist for chapel
services at the seminary for all tin
Ins student years, as well as accompa-
nist for the choir and student quartel
I Ie loved Columbia Seminary and all
it stood for and accordingly named his
hymn tune Columbia. I am not sure if
Leonard won the hymn contest. I
think he did, but without doubt the
hymn won the hearts of Columbia
Seminary. The first congregation to
sing the hymn was the student body
gathered for worship. The first choral
group to perform the hymn was the
Columbia Seminary Choir. Four years
after its composition, it was included
in the 1955 Hymnbook, a cooperative
publication of five of the American
churches of the Presbyterian-Reformed
tradition. Though Leonard did not
name the hymn tune after himself,
whenever I sing it I think of it as
Leonard's hymn.

WINTER 1999

CFC 50th anniversary celebration Lnwm

Plans are well underway for the
Columbia Friendship Circle's fiftieth
anniversary celebration, which takes
place at this year's "Come See
Columbia Day" on April 15.
Reservations are already coming in,
and the planning team is building
lung power so they can blow up plen-
ty of balloons to welcome guests to
campus. Excitement is building in
anticipation of reaching the goal of
"Fifty for the Fiftieth" ($50,000 for the
50th year).

The annual "Come See Columbia
Day" is an opportunity for Presbyterian
Women groups from far and wide to
visit the campus, meet this year's
scholarship recipients, see old friends
and make new ones. The day was
originally called the "Columbia
Friendship Circle Pilgrimage," as
women made the long pilgrimage from
their homes and churches to the cam-
pus. Today, the pilgrimage may not
take quite as much time, but it is still a
testimony to the commitment of hun-
dreds of Columbia's supporters who
attend faithfully year after year.

This year's celebration promises
many anniversary festivities. The
traditional morning gathering at
Columbia Presbyterian Church will
be enhanced by a parade of banners
representing women from each of the

presbyteries in attendance. Worship
will be led President Douglas
Oldenburg, moderator of the 210th
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (USA).

After the worship service, the
current scholarship recipients will be
introduced. The previous years' recipi-
ents have also been invited. Their
stories will be a testimony to the
extra support and affirmation that
Columbia Friendship Circle (CFC)
scholarships gave them during their
seminary days.

We will also welcome back the
past presidents of the CFC. This gath-
ering will be an excellent opportunity
to pay tribute to them and the remark-
able service that they have shown
through their leadership in the CFC.

The events of the day will revolve
around the anniversary celebration
luncheon. Special guests have been invit-
ed to make presentations. Following the
luncheon, participants will have the
opportunity to attend a class taught a
Columbia faculty member.

Behind the scenes of this spectacu-
lar celebration is a team of devoted
women who have been working for a
year in planning and preparation. Nan
Jones is chair of the planning commit-
tee, which includes Emily Wood,
Peggy Miller, Annie Laurie Kelly,

Vantage

P.O. Box 520 Decatur, Georgia 30031

404/378-8821

www.CTSnet.edu

CONTENTS

Colloquium '99 scheduled April 19-21 1

Planning for the next century 2

Professor leads seminary study of Samuel 2

Griffith Children's Library 3

Guthrie Scholars Program 3

Student elected to Central Committee, WCC 3

Winter reading recommendations 4

Institute for Business /Professional Ethics 4

D.Min. expands international studies program 5

Continuing Education 5, 6

Lay Institute 6, 7

Spirituality Program and Oasis 2000 7

New Church Development 8

Program events calendars 9

For the Record 10

From the Bookstore 11

Blanton '51 remembered 11

CFC's 50th anniversary celebration 12

Columbia's Friendship Circle's Executive Council and presbytery representatives at then
October '98 gathering, looking forward to returning for the April festivities

century-long relationship between
Columbia Theological Seminary and
Columbia Friendship Circle.

For more information, call
404/687-4566.

Peggy Rowland, and Lucille Adams.
On behalf of Betty Simmons, president
of the CFC, the committee invites all
Presbyterian Women to join them for
this day of festivities and fun in
support and celebration of the half-
Schedule of Events for Come See Columbia Day, April 15

9:00-9:45 a.m. Registration, coffee, and conversation in Fellowship Hall of
Columbia Presbyterian Church

10:00 a.m. Convocation at Columbia Presbyterian Church. Worship led

by President Douglas W. Oldenburg, moderator of the 210th
General Assembly

11:00 a.m. Introduction of scholarship recipients

12:30 p.m. Anniversary Celebration Luncheon

1:30 p.m. Seminary classes

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