COLU M B I A THEOLOGICAL SEMI NARY Vantage WINTER 19 88 Douglas W. Oldenburg inaugurated as president Dr Douglas W Oldenburg was inaugurated as the seventh president in Columbia Theological Seminary's 160-year history on Sunday, October 11. 1987. The inaugural events began Sunday at 4:30 with a festive gathering and buffet supper on the seminary's lawn. Bunches of colorful balloons swayed above the crowd, and a brass quintet entertained during the dinner. A service of worship celebrating Dr. Oldenburg's inauguration began at Decatur Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. Greetings were brought to the president and seminary from several groups during the service. Dr. J. Randolph Taylor, president of San Francisco Theological Seminary and first moderator of the reunited Presbyterian Church, brought greetings from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its Committee on Theological Education. Dr. Ruth Schmidt, president of Agnes Scott College, brought greetings from Presbyterian colleges and the University Center in Georgia. Dr. James Costen, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center, greeted the president from the Association of Theological Schools and the Atlanta Theological Association. Finally, BE. Pettit, president of Columbia's Alumni/ae Association, brought greetings from Columbia's graduates. The 65-member choir of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Dr. Oldenburg was pastor for 15 years, sang the inaugural anthem. This special piece, "Thus Says the Lord," from Jeremiah 9:23-24, was written for the inauguration by choirmaster Richard Peek. In Dr Oldenburg's keynote inaugural address, "To Serve the World,'" he posed the question, "What is the distinctive vocation, the distinctive calling, of theological institutions in the Reformed tradition'" Dr Oldenburg mentioned the emphasis which the Reformed tradition has given to an educated ministry, the authority of scripture, and biblical preaching. However, he chose to underline the Reformed emphasis on the glory of God through faithful service to the world. Dr. Oldenburg affirmed, "In the Reformed faith, our chief end is to glorify God, and that places the emphasis not on ourselves, not on our feelings or our needs, but solely on God." He asserted that we are to glorify God in all that we do in faithful service. In the Reformed tradition, this means engagement, involvement, serving the needs of the world to the greater glory of God. Dr. Oldenburg said, "The mission of a seminary in the Reformed tradition is to serve the church so that The Oldenburg family celebrated the new president's inauguration. (L-r) Sons Scott and Todd, wife Claudia, President Oldenburg, son Mark. the church can more effectively serve the world." President Oldenburg outlined six suggestions for implementing the seminary's mission, gleaned from his perspective of 25 years in the parish. His suggestions were to cultivate students' vision of God's intention for each of us and for our world; helping students enlarge their understanding of the world; nurturing within students an inner disposition that is cultivated through Biblical study, personal devotion, and theological reflection; helping students develop a Biblical/ theological perspective, training ministers to empower their churches to embody and serve God's purposes in the world; and germinating within students a tenacious hope, an ultimate confidence, and the awareness that Continued on page 8 Plan to attend' 8 8 Forum President Oldenburg, Dr. Joseph Roberts, and Gail Perkins '87 led one of the worship services during last year's Forum. Three outstanding church people highlight the 1988 Columbia Forum. Forum, which is built around a guest preacher and two lecturers, will be held February 1-4, Monday through Thursday. In addition to the lectures and worship services. Forum is also the time for alumni/ae reunions and activities. This year's worship services will be led by Dr. J. Will Ormond. Well known to many Columbia alums, Dr. Ormond has just retired after teaching 21 years at the seminary. The titles of his sermons are "Face to Face with the Past," "Face to Face with the Future," and "A Sermon in Clay." Worship services will be held at Columbia Presbyterian Church on February 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m. The 1988 Smyth Lecturer is Dr. Phyllis Tnble, Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature at Union Theological Seminary in New York. The overall title for her lectures is "Scriptural Subversion," and individual lectures will be "Miriam and Moses," "Sarah and Issac," and "Qohelet and John." Dr. Trible's lectures will take place February 2 at 1 1 a.m. and February 3 and 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the Columbia Church. James A. Sanders, Professor of Intertestamental and Biblical Studies at the School of Theology at Claremont, Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate School, and president of the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center for Preservation and Research in Claremont, California, is the Alumni/ae Lecturer. His Forum Continued on page 2 From the President Douglas W. Oldenburg Forum '88 Continued from page I topics will be "Fundamentalism and the Church, and "Reading the Bible on Its Own Terms," parts I and II Dr Sanders will speak at the Columbia Church at 9 a.m. on February 2, 3, and 4. Alumni/ae activities will run throughout Forum. On Tuesday, February 2, Dr. Neely McCarcer, Columbia alumnus and president ol Pacific School of Religion , wiJJ speak on "The Seminary in the Life of the Church" at the Alumni/ae Luncheon and Association Meeting at 12 JO Alumni/ae and their spouses in reunion classes will hold their luncheon on Wednesday, February S, at 12:30. The following serve as reunion chairs: 1933 and earlier - Bonneau Dickson 1938 - Marion Bradwell 1943 - Davison Philips 1948 - Roy Coker 1953 - Doug Hix 1958 - Harry Beverly 1963 - Martin Harkey 1968 - Lee Carroll 1973 - Bill Holmes 1978 - Ben Bishop 1983 - Sara Juengst 1987 -Gail Perkins Women students and alumnae will enjoy a supper together on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. In addition, three times have been set aside for informal questions and conversation with the two lecturers and the preacher All alumni/ae and all friends of the seminar)', both lay and clergy, are invited to the campus for this full week of lectures, worship, and reunions. For more information, please call the seminary at 404/378-882 l.D Will Ormond retires Continue J from page 3 Its HARD FOR Ml to believe that a year has already passed since 1 as- sumed the Office of President of Columbia Seminary! The time has flown by, and it has been a most invigorating and gratifying twelve months. It's been a time of learning . . . about Columbia, about my job, about theological education, about the challenges before us. It's been a time of adjusting to a new organization, to a new work pattern, to preaching in a different church every Sunday, Professor Wade Huie called "From Text to Sermon." The title could well be expanded to add "to life." A common thread running through Dr. Ormonds teaching was the interpretation of scripture in authentic and relevant ways. In 1974, upon the recommen- dation of President C. Benton Kline, Jr., Dr, Ormond was promoted to a full professorship and installed in the J. McDowell Richards Chair of Biblical Exposition. Looking back over these years, Professor Ormond says, "My greatest satisfaction has come in seeing students go on into useful service as ministers." With characteristic humor, he adds, "This is especially true of some of those I wondered about when they were students." One remarkable tribute to him is the flood of invitations he receives to participate in ordination services for former students. President Emeritus J. Davison Philips, seminary classmate to Professor Ormond, praised his work. "The Class of 1943 was the first to know Will Ormonds wisdom and wit. 1 still remember the miraculous way he, as class secretary, could turn the dull, routine actions of class meetings into hilarious minutes. Since then, he has had a wonderful ministry which has influenced a wide range of persons." Two former students expressed their appreciation for him recently. Harry Barrow '74 said, "Will Ormond s dedication, creativity, and sense of humor have combined to make him an excellent preacher, teacher, and pastor. Will's experience in the pastorate and his love for the church greatly influenced his teaching. I consider myself fortunate to have had Will Ormond as a teacher and today to count him as a friend." Gail Perkins '87 agreed, saying, "I was in his first Communicant's Class at Covenant in Tuscaloosa. He has been both a pastor and a teacher to me in Tuscaloosa and at the seminary. While he was at Columbia, the students were his pastorate." How did it all begin.-' Professor Ormond describes an early struggle with a call to the ministry as being "very private." By his senior year at the University of Alabama, however, it had become irresistible. That call has been validated by years of useful service, and by a host of persons to all the travel, to the Atlanta traffic! It's been a time of celebrating . the rich heritage of Columbia, the strengths we currently enjoy, the potential we have, the glorious inauguration! But most of all, it's been a year of gratitude . . . for the privilege of working with such great people in such a great cause, for the way every member of our faculty and staff carry a heavy work load, for our outstanding students who have responded to God's call, for the ministers I've come to know who faithfully lead their congregations, for the Board of Directors, influenced by his teaching, preaching, and caring. In retirement, Dr. Ormond lives in a home recently purchased at 33 Hampshire Court, Avondale Estates, Georgia, near the seminary. He will teach occasional courses in programs of continuing education and lay education at Columbia. He is in great demand for supply preaching and may well accept interim pastor appointments. The administration and faculty paid tribute to their colleague at a dinner on December 17. The alumni/ ae will feature him at a luncheon February 2 during Columbia Forum. He will be the preacher at Forum, February 1-4. The seminary secretarial staff hosted a luncheon for their "favorite professor." Will Ormond is beginning the next chapter of his life with the appreciation of a host of friends throughout the church, and indeed, the world. This tribute to Professor Ormond was unit en by President Emeritus J. Davison Philips. Sidney Anderson retires Continued from page 3 careful and faithful stewardship of the seminary's financial well-being. He did serve until the end of Dr. Richards' time, and then he took on Ben Kline as president in 1971, and in 1976 Davison Philips. And now he will have served one year to break in the fourth of "his" presidents, Douglas Oldenburg. The Board recognized his commitment and his value by the unique action of voting him tenure in 1969, putting him in a class with the permanent professors of the seminary. Sidney Anderson has watched the budget grow from about $500,000 to over $4 million. He has seen the endowment grow (with some shrinkage in down markets!) from just under $4 million to about $30 million He has overseen construction of apartments and the renovation of all the buildings on the campus in some cases, as in Campbell Hall, the renovation of renovations. He has the Alumni/ae Association, the President's Advisory Council, the Columbia Friendship Circle, for the unknown and unsung folk who send us unexpected gifts because they believe in what we are doing, for your warm support, your patience, and your prayers, for . . and and . . and my list goes on, and "My cup runneth over!" With warmest regards, dealt with all forms of management of the food services, and sometimes put on the meals himself. He's signed the paychecks of faculty and staff, arranged for their housing, and counselled about their personal finances. Sidney has heard the pleas about housing from countless students and watched the needs change with the changing character of student enrollments. He has struggled with refrigerators in Simons-Law Dormitory and the lack of same in the Village apartments, with the leaky plumbing in Florida Hall and the stopped up plumbing in campus houses, with converting double rooms to singles when the stereo equipment got so big there wasn't room for two people and all their possessions in one room. And through it all, he has been guided by an unshaken integrity and a loyalty to Columbia Seminary and to the Presbyterian Church. Sidney has had another life than that at the seminary. He has cultivated that separate life. It has revolved around his family, the church, and his garden. His wife of 43 years, Sexton, has been a teacher and counselor at Westminster Schools. His three daughters have had fine academic careers in school and college, and Sidney speaks with pride of their accomplishments and those of his granddaughter. In Atlanta Presbytery, Sidney has served as interim or stated supply of many of the smaller churches of the presbytery. And all through the seasonable months, Sidney heads out the Covington Highway to the land he gardens on, to tend his orchard and his vegetables. Some folks wonder if Sidney Anderson really walked out of the office on December 31, 1987. When he did, he left behind many telling evidences of his good stewardship at Columbia Seminary. And he went with the gratitude of administrative colleagues, of Board members, of faculty, and of students. C. Benton Kline, President Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Theology, is the writer. VANTAGE LilIKH F. Sidney Anderson J. Will Orrnond Sidney Anderson and Will Ormond retire after 5 1 years of combined service to Columbia On December 31, 1987. F. Sidney Anderson came to the end of his long service to Columbia Seminary when he retired from his position as vice president for business affairs and treasurer. He concluded 30 years of full-time service to Columbia in a variety of capacities as well as several years as a part-time instructor and three years as a student. Probably no one else in the seminarys history has filled as many different roles as Sidney has at least in this century: teacher in several fields, registrar, director of field work, dean of students, and for the last 24 years, treasurer and business manager. Recent graduates think of him only in connection with the Business Office and remember him as the one who settled all issues about housing and with whom they worked out the payment of bills and the crediting of scholarships. Those from the late 50s and early 60s remember him as the one who arranged their field placements for the summer of the academic year and who would turn up Probably no one else has filled as many roles at Columbia. of a Sunday to see how they were doing. Those from still earlier in the 50s may remember him as the one who taught them Greek (!) or courses about the church in industrial towns in the South. Sidney came to the seminary from Hampden-Sydney College in the fall of 1941. He graduated in May of 1944 and was ordained by Atlanta Presbytery. He was pastor of the Barnett Church in Atlanta for a year after graduation, and then he and his wife of a year sailed for Brazil and service as missionaries there They returned after three years ot teaching, and Sidney began a fruitful pastorate in Porterdale, Georgia, a textile mill town. He worked on a Th.M. degree, and President J. McDowell Richards enlisted him to teach at the seminary in the "new field of the industrial church" beginning in 1952. There was a three-way division of what today we would call practical theology or church administration: rural church with Cecil Thompson, urban church with visiting professor Stuart Oglesby, pastor of Central Church in Atlanta, and industrial church with young Sidney Anderson from Porterdale. In 1957 Dr. Richards prevailed on Sidney to come full-time to the seminary and put him in charge of field work. To keep him busy enough, he was also given the )ob of registrar and a lot of tasks of a dean of students, along with teaching whatever courses might be assigned, including beginning Greek. Miss Virginia Harrison, the doughty secretary' to the president and business manager of the seminary, retired in 1961, and a new, young layman came in to run the finances and business of the seminary. He left after a brief tenure, and Dr. James Ross McCain, the canny president emeritus of Agnes Scott College and long-time chairman or vice chairman of the Board of the seminary, came to Sidney Anderson in 1963 and asked him to take the |ob of treasurer and to agree to stay at it until President Richards retired. So Sidney moved across the hall into the business office and began his Continued on pa^ 2 Professor J Will Ormond. who retired December 31, 1987, as Professor of Biblical Exposition at Columbia, can look back on 44 years of exceptional service as a Presbyterian minister In both parish and seminary settings, he has made significant contributions in his preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. His well prepared, carefully delivered lectures, his imaginative Biblical preaching, and his counseling with students in both office and home have made him an exceptionally valuable member of the seminary community. Born in Texas, he grew up in Alabama. When his father died in 1929, his mother, Mrs. Mary B. Ormond, went back to college to renew her teaching certificate. Between the ages of 10 and 18, he remembers moving frequently to relatives homes where his mother taught in public schools. Wherever he went in ministry, he and his mother made a home together until her death in 1974. Dr. Ormond's adult life contains at least three significant chapters. Chapter One is made up of important educational achievements. A Phi Beta Kappa A.B. from the University of Alabama, an honors B.D from Columbia Seminary, an M.Th. from Princeton Seminary, a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Southwestern at Memphis indicate that he is certainly well educated! Chapter Two was a time of two pastorates. Dr. Ormond began in Marion, Alabama In 1949 his presbytery called him to begin a new congregation, Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Tuscaloosa, near the University of Alabama. For 1 5 years he led thai congregation to positions dI strength in worship, program, and mission While there. Dr. Oimnn.l asked to lead youth work as an advisor in both presbytery and synod He was elected moderatoi ol the the Synod of Alabama in I960 During a 1 1 i.i. in ra< i relations i n ati d by the Autherine Lucy cas< ai the University of Alabama, he provided a faithful witness in sermons and in anions to that community "At Columbia, the students were his pastorate ." Chapter Three includes teaching at Columbia Seminary. In 1964 President J. McDowell Richards asked him to consider a position in Bible at Columbia. With typical modesty, Dr. Ormond says, "I was shocked to death. Such a thing had never crossed my mind." Those who knew him were not surprised, however Although committed to his pastorate, he says he accepted because "the voice of Dr. Richards was the voice of God as far as I was concerned.' Dr. Ormond spent two years studying for a Ph.D. at Trinity College, Glasgow, Scotland. His supervisor, Dr. William Barclay, was well known for his work in interpreting the Bible for the laity. In 1966 Dr. Ormond began his work at Columbia, which has been intense and effective. His research in the synoptics served as the basis of courses in the Gospel of Mark and in a very popular elective taught with Continued on pa^e 2 WINTER 1988 Continuing Education Calendar Lay Institute offerings For further information or to register for courses, call or write; Douglas W. Hix, Director of Advanced Studies, or c,.,f luencst Associate Director of Advanced Studies ColumbraTheologlal Seminary, Decatur, GA 3003 1^4^378 -882L January 24-29 WEEK IN THE WINTER WOODS H.k.ng in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park A group experience of sharing interdependent), leadership, self-cxummanon, and reflection. Leader Doug H.x Cost; $100 February 1-4 COLUMBIA FORUM Guest preacher, J. Will Ormond, Alumn./ae Lecturer. James A Sanders. Smyth Lecturer, Phyllis Tnble. See article on page 1 for more information February' 21-26 A CONTEMPLATE Ritkiat FOR WOMEN Led by the Dominican sisters in a beautiful retreat setting at Spnngbank Christian Center. Kingstree. SC. A time to get apart, to pray, to worship, and to meditate Leader; Sara Juengst. Cost: $150. March 17-18 Small Church Seminar This seminar will focus on urda.ned and lay leadership in small congregations. Insights about small Presbyterian churches will be drawn from a recent national study of Presbytenan congregations. Leader Jackson W. Carroll, Director of Research, Hartford Seminary. Cost $50. April 3-11 Jamaka TRAVil./STUm Trip A pilgrimage following Lent and Easter in a Third World country where the church is strong and vibrant A week spent studying Jamaica at United Theological College in Kingston and seeing urban and rural parish work in Ocho R.os For lay persons and clergy. Leader: Sara Juengst. Cost: $700 (includes travel, room, board). April 21-22 RELIGION AND THE ARTS #2 VISUAL ARTS IN EDUCATION AND WORSHIP This seminar will focus on the role the visual arts play in communicating the faith. Workshops will include iconography, interpreting religious art, stained glass, textile art, using art in teaching, calligraphy, etc. Cost: $50. May 1-6 A Contemplative Retreat for Men At the Monastery of the Holy Ghost, Conyers, GA, for reformation, relaxation, and spiritual discipline. Leader: Doug Hix. Cost: $100. May 30-June 15 Travel/Study Trip to USSR To become acquainted with the people, culture, and religious life of the USSR by visiting museums, churches, palaces, and other sites of interest. Leaders: Doug.as and Claudia Oldenburg, Thomas Remington, Sara Juengst. Cost: $3,150. See article on this page for more information ^^_____ Sign up for trip to USSR AFTER 1.000 YEARS of Christianity in Russia, what is the church Like? After 70 years of Communist rule, is the church surviving in the USSR;* You have an opportunity to get a first- hand answer to this question next June. Columbia Seminary is spon- soring a trip to the Soviet Union from May 31 through June 16, 1988. Hosts for the trip will be Presi- dent and Mrs. Douglas Oldenburg and the Rev. Sara Covin Juengst. Special resource leader will be Dr. Thomas Remington, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Emory University and the first director of Emory's program in Soviet and East European studies. Although this trip will have as a primary aim understanding the history and life of the Soviet churches, there will be ample opportunity for sightseeing in such fascinating places "It will BE encouraging to hear a few of the many ways in which others share the same struggles to live what they believe.'' So writes a corporate president coming to Columbia from out of state to participate in the April 15 and 16 Lay Institute Seminar on integrating one's faith and values into business leadership and corporate life. Women and men participants will explore issues not often on their daily agenda, such as the continuing tension between external pressures and inner renewal, principles and expediency, competition and servanthood. They will examine the role of faith in a commitment to executive excellence. The seminar design will draw on the insights and contributions of each participant. In the Lay Institute Seminar April 29 and 30, members of the legal profession will deal with the challenge of living out one's Christian discipleship in a professional setting Participants will explore issues familiar to every person fractured by the pace of professional life: How do I balance the priorities of professional success and personal growth.-' How does my ongoing spiritual formation inform my perspectives on my work-' How do I bring moral and spiritual energy to bear on my decision making-' How can my Christian values, expressed through my practice of law, lend positive direction in our culture-' This year the Lay Institute's LAY Sc hool of Bible and Theology becomes a semi-annual event. The winter semester (January 5, 12, 19, and 26) is presently in session. The newly added fall semester (September 19,26, October 3, 10) will offer courses in Old Testament (Dr. David as Moscow, the Monastery of Zagorsk, founded in 1340; the Monastery of the Cave at Kiev; Yerevan in Armenia, where the group will see fourth- and fifth-century churches; Leningrad. Peters summer palace; the "old Russia" of Novgorod. The group will visit museums, palaces, churches, and have opportunities to sample a diversity of evening cultural entertainments. The trip will end in Lucerne for a debriefing and a day of relaxation before returning home. The total cost is $3,150, everything included. The trip is a marvelous opportunity to learn about this huge and varied country and to celebrate with fellow Christians the victories d( God in that great land. For more information or to register for the trip, please write or call Ms. Juengst at the seminary. D Gunn), New Tesrament (Dr. Will Ormond), Ethics in an Election Year (Dr Frederick Bonkovsky), and Christians in Family Relationships (Dr. Brian Childs). Off-Campus Education for Laity led by Columbia faculty members offers Biblical and theological learning beyond the Atlanta area. In January the Rev. Sara Juengst, Associate Director of Advanced Studies, will teach key leaders in Savannah Presbytery In February Dr. C. Benton Kline will teach Christology at a lay school in Charleston Presbytery. In March Professor Beverly Gaventa will lecture for laity in Ohio. And in April a lay school at First Presbyterian Church in Cartersville, Georgia, will provide courses for persons in Cherokee Presbytery. The faculty will include Professors Ramey, Bonkovsky, and Gunn. In such settings throughout the year, these and other Columbia faculty members will continue their significant investment in education of the laity. Last month the Lay Institute participated in the training of officers for several Atlanta area churches. The Lay Institute offers assistance with training of laity for church leadership, coordination of renewal events for congregations, and leadership of retreats for church officers. In March the Institute's director, Dr Robert S. Smith, will lead laity events in Florida and Mississippi. For information about the above seminars, lay schools, and other events, please write or call the Lay Institute of Faith and Life, Columbia Seminary, Box 520, Decatur, Georgia 30031; 404/378-882 l.D Global church conference One hundred people gathered at Columbia in November for the fifth annual conference on Understanding the Global Church. After the conference, one participant summed up the weekend by saying, "The forceful presentation of new information, sights, sounds, and the touched hearts' moved me in deep levels and changed my awareness and attitudes ." This conference was begun in 1983 by Dr. G. Thompson Brown, Associate Professor of World Christianity at Columbia, under the joint sponsorship of Columbia, Atlanta Presbytery, the Synod of the Southeast, and the Division of International Mission of the General Assembly Mission Board. Its purpose was to provide help with mission education in the local church. Since then, it has been expanded to include training for persons on the presbytery and synod levels. The intent of this conference is to provide concise, information-packed, inspirational updates on the issues facing the church in various parts of the world and on the denomination's role in global mission. Each year, four areas are highlighted, including the area for the current mission emphasis. Each area presentation is given by the denominational staff person for the area, a missionary and an international visitor from that area. Evenings are devoted to previewing audio-visuals related to the mission theme and receiving practical suggestions for mission education in the local church. Next year, the conference will provide specific times for meeting with missionaries and internationals attending the conference. All of this is presented in a compact time frame from 2:30 Friday afternoon to 3:30 Saturday afternoon. Each participant has the opportunity to attend all four area meetings. Columbia would like to invite churches to consider sending to this conference 10 to 20 persons who are interested in having a deeper global mission experience which includes inspiration, stimulation, and, as another participant this year said, "a personalization of world Christianity!" The dates for next year's conference are November 4 and 5, and the special emphasis will be South Africa. D VANTAGE Columbia strengthens its Korean connections Over the past several years, Columbia Theological Seminary has become increasingly involved with the Korean Presbyterian Church and with Korean-American Christians. The relationships began with a few ties, and these have developed into a commitment to Asian ministry at Columbia. For some time Columbia has provided leadership training for church leaders in Asia. In Korea 11 Seung Kay (Th.M. '49) has served as president of the world's largest Presbyterian seminary in Seoul. Numerous college and theological faculty members in Korea have been educated at Columbia. Hyung Mo Kim (Th.M. '50) has been moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Korea. In Japan, Shin Ishimaru (Th.M. "58) is president of the Shikoku Christian College and plays a prominent role in the Reformed Church in Japan. Another graduate is chaplain of Yodogawa Christian Hospital in Osaka. And Columbia graduates in Taiwan teach in theological schools and serve as church leaders in the Presbyterian Church there. In the early 80s, a representative of the Korean Presbyterian Church came to Columbia to propose a continuing education conference for Korean pastors on Columbia's campus. Columbia agreed to sponsor the conference, along with the Division of International Mission, General Assembly Mission Board, the Korean Presbyterian Church, and the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea. Highly successful, the conference has been been held during the summer for six years. Twenty to 30 Korean pastors are given the opportunity to study at Columbia for three weeks. The Korean Church asks for particular subjects, and Columbia's professors teach the courses. The 1987 courses included pastoral care, an introduction to the social and religious history of the American people, church administration, and Christian education. Columbia began to strengthen its ties with the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul. A result of this relationship has been an exchange of professors between the two institutions. Dr. Oscar Hussel, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs, spent the fall of 1984 in Seoul teaching two courses. Dr. Wade Huie, Professor of Homiletics, taught in Seoul in the fall of 1985. This year Columbia invited Dr. Chang Whan Park, former president of the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul and a distinguished New Testament scholar, to come to Columbia for the 1987-88 academic year. He is teaching New Testament at Columbia, speaking in Korean-American churches, and working on a comprehensive Bible study for Korean lay people. Columbia is currently seeking to implement an exchange program for students with the seminary in Seoul. There are already four Koreans and 15 Korean-Americans in Columbia's six degree programs. The ongoing relationships with Korean Christians, both abroad and in the U.S., have become increasingly important to Columbia. Several years ago, an Asian Ministry Committee was formed to strengthen Columbia's work with Koreans and other Asian peoples. The committee is made up of three members of the Columbia community and three members of the Korean community. Dean Oscar Hussel, Dr. Erskine Clarke, Professor of American Religious History and director of Columbia's International Program, and Dr. G. Thompson Brown, Associate Professor of World Christianity and former president of Ho Nam Seminary in Kwangju, Korea, are the members from Columbia. Dr. C.W. Choi, staff associate for Korean-American Ministries of the PC(USA), Dr. Insik Kim, Asian area representative for the PC(USA), and the Rev. Sunbai Kim, a Korean pastor in Tucker, Georgia, represent the Korean community. Mayor Dent of Cartersville proclaimed the day "Korean Pastors Day." The group also explores various aspects of American culture during the conference. The most recent group toured Atlanta, visited several churches and night shelters, and went to Stone Mountain, Lenox Mall, the DeKalb Farmer's Market, and an Atlanta Braves baseball game. They made a trip to Cartersville, Georgia, to get an idea of life in a small town. There they received a citation from Mayor Alex Dent, who proclaimed the day "Korean Pastors Day.'' While there, they also visited a carpet mill, a dairy, and the Etowah Indian Mounds. As the summer conference developed into a permanent program, This committee develops programs and raises funds for Asian ministry with an emphasis on Korea. Their first big venture was to host a Korean-American Church Conference on Columbia's campus in September. The conference was sponsored jointly by Columbia Seminary, the Division of International Mission, GAMB, the National Mission Board, and Atlanta Presbytery. Dr. Sang Hyun Lee, Director of the Asian-American Studies Program and Assistant Professor of Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, delivered the keynote address, "The Korean Immigrant Church in the Columbia Professor Dr. G Thompson Brown, former president of Ho Nam Seminar} in Korea, visited with three former student*., now Pmbyttrian ministers, during Columbia's 1987 Korean Pastors Seminar. USA." In addition, five workshops were offered on various concerns of the Korean-American Church. The conference attracted 50 Korean pastors and lay people. Columbia already sponsors an officer training course for Korean- American churches. Thirty-eight people come on campus every Tuesday evening for three hours of study and worship. Columbia provides the setting and any specialized assistance the class may need. The Asian Ministry Committee is eager to develop other programs and resources for the Korean- American church Looking to the future, Dr. Tommy Brown says, The growing number of Korean Christian churches is phenomenal. Two thousand Korean immigrants are now living in DeKalb County around the seminary. Over 300 Korean churches are now associated with our General Assembly." Many of these churches are small, but they are a growing and important part of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The seminary is concerned about providing a helpful educational program for Korean-Americans. Second-generation Korean- American pastors face unique challenges as they provide leadership for bilingual, bicultural congregations. More Korean- American students are expected to become a part of the Columbia community, and the seminary is seeking to provide a comprehensive program which will address their concerns. The Asian Ministry Committee hopes eventually to have an Asian minister on campus full-time to teach courses and to serve as an advisor to Korean students. Dr. Insik Kim says, "These new dimensions at Columbia have helped make it global in both mission and practice. Columbia has already done much in providing training for Asian clergy and laity, but new challenges are here, and the seminary must continue to respond to those challenges. "D Sarah Speed, a senior from Marietta. Georgia, is the writer. Professors' book Two Columbia professors, John Patton, Ph.D., executive director tor the Georgia Association for Pastoral Care and adjunct professor of pastoral theology at Columbia, and Brian H. Childs, Ph.D., associate professor of pastoral theology and counseling at Columbia, have co-authored a book which will be published in February. Christian Marriage and Pamilyi Caring for Our Generations developed "'it of the authors' clinical praam \utli marriages and families and from their common background with Seward Hiltner, who was professor of theology and personality at Princeton Theological Seminary Dr. Childs and Dr. Patton found that the people they counseled were very different from the ideal picture of the family often presented in the church. They concluded that the normative understanding of families was unrealistic and possibly not Christian Working from their common knowledge and experience, the authors developed their book to address the question: "Is there a way to live as a Christian with respect to families:'" Their book is organized around the concept of care This caring includes the generation before us, our own generation, and the one after us. Their biblical understanding of care emphasizes responsibility and obligation, rather than domination The authors discuss what caring is in many different types of living/family structures within our churches. Intended for lay people, parish clergy, and pastoral counseling specialists, the book raises critical questions for all Christians. How do we fulfill the obligation to care for those who come after US? How do we care for kin and non-kin' How far do we extend our care' How do we de- fine marriage.' How do we balance our responsibilities to love and to work' The book is being published by Abingdon Press. Sarah Speed '88 WINTER 1988 For the Record If you have recent news you would like to contribute to this section, please send it to the editor. William Boyle (Th.M. 75) is retired from Atlanta Presbytery bur continues to work at the Georgia Association for Pastoral Care and at Wesley Woods, where he supervises clinical pastor.il education George Stroup, Professor of Theology at Columbia, preached twice a month at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Marietta, GA, from October through December He gave an address, "Theological Education and the Common Good,'* at a seminar on The Church, Theological Institutions, and Social Policy, sponsored by the Advisory Council on Church and Society and the Committee on Theological Education, held at Mo-Ranch, Hunt, TX, in October. Dr. Stroup delivered an address on narrative theology at the meeting of the central region of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors in Madison, WI, and lectured on narrative theology at a continuing education event in Memphis Presbytery. He gave a lecture, "Current Issues in Theology and the Life of the Presbyterian Church," at a continuing education event in Central Florida Presbytery in November. Cody Watson (D.Min. 76) is laboring out of bounds of Pee Dee Presbytery as director of the Presby- terian Center for Mission Studies, a Chapter IX organization Lucy Rose, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Columbia, was preacher at the Wee Kirk Conference at Montreat in October and leader of the preaching section of Albemarle Presbytery Training for Lay Preachers in November. She attended the Academy of Homiletics meeting in December G. Thompson Brown, Associate Professor of World Christianity at Columbia, attended mission conferences in California in October. Last April he received the Davidson College Distinguished Alumnus Award. The award honors "alumni who provided leadership or attained recognition on a national level within their profession or business, or who have provided extraordinary service to their community." Joanna Adams 79 was awarded The Emory Medal in September at Emory University's Alumni Reunion Weekend. Recipients are recognized for distinctive service to Emory, their communities, or to their professions. Ms. Adams has been instrumental in helping Atlanta's homeless population. Pastor of North Decatur Presbyterian Church, she is working with her congregation and community leaders to open a shelter at that church for homeless mothers and their children Gary CalifT (D.Min. 86) has been commissioned Air Force Reserve chaplain at Shaw AFB, Sumter, SC Barry Davies '82 (D.Min. '87), Instructor in Church Music at Columbia, led workshops in specialized music at the Seventh Annual Conference for Culturally Plural Churches in Dayton, OH. With a group of students from the seminar}', he staged a special Christmas program for the residents of Philips Towers in Decatur and performed in concert at the annual Callanwolde Christmas Open House. John Patton, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology at Columbia, conducted a pastoral care seminar, "Being and Caring as the Minister," at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, AL. He lectured at Vanderbilt University Hospital on "Estrangement and Forgiveness in the Family" in November His Rail Lecture, "Caring for Our Generations," at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary has been published in their journal, explore. Two of his articles were published in the December issue of The Journal of Pastoral Care. One is his final editorial reflecting on his 16 years as an editor of that journal, and the other is "An Experiential Theory of Selfhood and Relationality: Implica- tions for Pastoral Care and Coun- seling "... Harrison Taylor '54 has left Mo-Ranch Conference, Center in Hunt, TX, after seven years' service as vice president for program. He was also the first derector of Nicklos Place adult retreat center. Dr. Taylor and his wife, Ann, have bought a home in Kerrville, TX. Beverly Gaventa, Professor of New Testament at Columbia, responded to a paper by James O. Duke on the history of the eucharist among Disciples of Christ at the annual meeting of the Association of Disciples for Theological Discussion in St. Louis and taught a continuing education course, "Theology and Narrative in the Acts of the Apostles," at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in October. Dr. Gaventa has been named managing editor of Critical Review of Books in Religion, a new joint venture of the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion. In December she presented a paper, "The Peril of Modernizing Henry Joel Cadbury," at the national meeting of BIRTHS To Ray "84 and Sallie Roberts, a son, Harrison McHaney, Oct. 22, 1987. To Butch '85 and Nancy Miranda, a son, Nathaniel Martin, Nov. 19, 1987. To Gary (D.Min. '86) and Kathy CalifT, a daughter, Michelle, Mar. 8, 1987. To Scott '88 and Martha Armstrong, a son, Jacob Arthur, Nov. 24, 1987. To Jeff '89 and Jan Allen, a daughter, Kathenne Lynn, Nov. 13, 1987. DEATHS Gordon MacPherson '49 (Th.M. Aug. 16, 1987. 71), the Society of Biblical Literature Harry H. Bryan "29 is retracing his missionary steps in Japan, paying special attention to Hospice at Yodogawa, Osaka, before returning home to Montreat. David Gunn, Professor of Old Testament Language, Literature, and Exegesis at Columbia, attended the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting in Boston in December. He met with directors of Sheffield Academic Press, which publishes titles from The Almond Press, which Dr. Gunn directs from Columbia, the SBL Program Unit Chairs, the Publications Committee of the American Schools of Oriental Research; the editoral boards of Biblical Archaeologist, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament; and the Almond Press' Bible and Literature series. He has edited the first English translation of Hermann Gunkel's classic study, The Folktale in the Old Testament. Also recently published, in Journal for the Study of the Old Testmament 39 (1987), is his paper, "New Directions in the Study of Biblical Hebrew Narrative " David Weitnauer '86 has been called as associate pastor at South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham Jeanne Stevenson- Moessner, Ad)unct Professor of Pastoral Theology, attended both the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education and the International Conference of the Religious Education Association in Toronto, Canada. She addressed the elementary school teachers at First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta in September Mary Huie-Jolly '86 and family are moving to New- Zealand, where she will be pastor of Oreti Parish, two small country churches. Ben Kline, President Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Columbia, continues his work with the PC(USA) Task Forces on Catholicity and on the New Directory for Worship Ed Trimmer, Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia, attended the trustees meeting of the Protestant Radio and TV, a Lilly Foundation- funded meeting at Union Seminary in Richmond with professors who teach youth ministry, a meeting with United Church of Canada officials on Youth! magazine in Toronto, a meeting with the Association of Professors and Researchers in Christian Education, also in Toronto, in October. In November he was the main speaker for Crusade '87 for Korean-American youths at the Korean Community Presbyterian Church in Tucker, GA, and he was speaker at the United Methodist North Georgia Conference Youth RalJy. Jacalyn Thomas 79 is interim pastor of Parsons Memorial Church in Yankeetown, FL James McNaulI 72 is stated supply of First Church, Zephyrhills, FL Fred Bonkovsky, Professor of Christian Ethics at Columbia, co-chairs the Southeast Task Force on Bio-medical Ethics. He addressed and led a Middle Tennessee Presbytery meeting and plenary discussion of "Just War and Nuclear Ethics: Deterrence, U.S. Policy" and "Are We Now Called to Resistance?" With a Lutheran bishop of the German Democratic Republic and president of the World Council of Churches, he addressed classes and a Trinity Presbyterian Church (Atlanta) forum on Christianity and the Bible in East and West. He chaired the Society for the Study of Religion group on Religious Belief and American Politics. Deedie Kelso (Th.M. '84) is studying at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland Virgil Bryant '52 has retired from the First Church in Sanford, FL Monroe Grant '61 has served churches in Florida and Kentucky, returning to Georgia nine years ago to be minister of the First Christian Church in Griffin. He is concluding his third consecutive term as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Christian College of Georgia, an undergraduate institution in Athens related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia David Moessner, Associate Professor of New Testament at Columbia, was moderator for the Acts Group at the national meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Boston in December. Jesse Hegler '82 has been called as associate pastor of First Church, Dalton, GA Sara Covin Juengst '83 spoke on "The Church in the USSR" in Dalton, GA, Stone Mountain, GA, at Mecklenburg Presbytery's Mission Conference, and at the Georgia Tech Presbyterian Center in October and November. She preached at First Church, Cartersville, GA, and at Ray-Thomas Memorial in Marietta, GA, and has led a retreat for the women of St. Giles Church, Greenville, SC Penny Hill '86 has been called as associate pastor of the Smyrna Church, Conyers, GA Ray Jones '84 is pastor of the First Church of Bay Minette, AL Barry Lee Jenkins '84 has been called as pastor of the First Church, Orangeburg, SC. Robert Ramey, Professor of Ministry at Columbia, conducted an Continued on page 1 Vantage Vol. 79, No. 3, Winter 1988 Published quarterly by Columbia Theological Seminary 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 Columbia Friendship Circle officers for 1987 through 1989 art (l-r) Purnell Mom* oj Spartanburg, SC, vice president; Christine Clark of Alachua, FL, secretary; and Betty Brantley of Savannah, GA, president. Not pictured: President Douglas Oldenburg, treasurer. For the Record Continued from page 6 officers' retreat and preached for First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, WV, and gave the stewardship address at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Payne, AL, in October Mark Jumper '82 is a staff chaplain at the Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD James Overbeck, Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Church History at Columbia, participated in a three-day planning program at Union Seminary in Virginia for the use of computers in continuing education. He has been elected stated clerk of the session at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. Wade Huie '46, Professor of Homiletics at Columbia, has served as interim supply at St. Andrews Church in Tucker, GA, and was preacher at a Proclamation Series at Central Presbyterian Church in Athens, GA. He participated in the annual meeting of the Academy of Homiletics in San Antonio in December Brian Childs, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Counseling at Columbia, led a chaplain's association workshop on family systems theory at the Gwinnett Medical Center and was presenter and panel participant on "Healing. A Gift of the Spirit"' at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon in October. He led a church officer retreat for Unity Presbyterian Church of Fort Mill, SC, at Montreat in November, and he and Professor John Patton led a Sunday school class at Central Church, Atlanta, on their new book. Caring for Our Generations. Jasper Keith (S.T.D. 79), Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Columbia, led a retreat on Christian caring for Eastminster Church, Stone Mountain, GA. He gave addresses on the Christian family for Eastminster Church, Columbia, SC. Dr. Keith presented addresses at Wesley Woods Medical Center, the Georgia Association of Chaplains, and the Atlanta Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He attended the regional meeting of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the national meeting of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, and a conference on AIDS prevention at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. D Development J Seminary Relations Bj lames F. Dickenson Vice President, Development/Seminary Relations We move on Recently, Columbia Seminars ins made much progress This has been well documented in a number ol areas. For those who ask, we pome to growth in student body, budget, endowment, the addition of faculty, the excellent maintenance of buildil (including renovations), and a number of other indicators. We also highlight the growth ot new programs, such as evangelism, advanced degrees, continuing education, internationalizing theological education, and the new Lay Institute of Faith and Life It is Q rather full plate, in addition to the regular M. Div. program. All of the above places a great deal of stress and strain on the budget Which leads us into our next thought. Undoubtedly, there are many needs which the seminary could meet if funds were available. We have been fortunate in rinding and receiving financial support in a significant way, but the growing needs for the future make it mandatory that we redouble our efforts and plan on a larger scale for the future. Dr. Oldenburg has stated that we need to solidify what we have for a year or two, and then move on. It is the "moving on'* which holds excitement for the future. For example, the new continuing education building will be started in 1988. The need for additional span on campus is great, and this building will add immeasurably to our ability to expand our programs and opportunities for further service to the _ church and our constituencies Preliminary plans call for it to house the areas of advanced degrees, continuing education, the lay institute, and evangelism. The presence of the building will complete the quadrangle Columbia Friendship Circle and Columbia Theological Seminary invite you to COME SEE COLUMBIA DAY Thursday, April 7, 1988 Share a day of inspiration and Christian fellowship while enjoying the springtime beauty of the seminary campus. For more information, call or write the CFC Office at the seminary. for the campus We are also in the beginn ot establishing an Asian Ministries Program. (See the article on i fbi """> information about thai effort.) ( olumbia has strong ties w uii the i Inn. h in Kon a, < hina, and Japan, and evi rj yeai then is .1 hi althj ex< hange ol persons goi overseas on sahhatiial aiul Korean pastors, professors, an, I stud, nt i oming to cht > ampus tor stud) Then, too, then an more than 500 Korean ministers who '- sidi in this country permanently. The Asian opportunities will continui to now, and I olumbia wants to help i ontribute to that growth. On the drawing board and down the road, the seminary will givi seri ous attention and consideration to a media center. We can no longer ignore the electronic age. Churches are al- ready into computers and videos; our students, by anil lair unpun i literate, and theologiial institutions cannot leave the airwaves to th< kinds of religious abuses we have been read ing about lately. There is a definite and growing need to understand h media can be effectively utilized for the genuine gospel ol fesus Christ. Then an many other needs whit h we shall leave until a later time. Obviously, all of tins will (ost money, but the value and quality ol what we have in mind for the future will fai outweigh the costs of providing h ( olumbia Seminary has many dreams and plans for the future, and in the Lord's good time, we believe the wherewithal will be found to accomplish these goals. By, or before, thi v ar 2000, Columbia should be well positioned as a leader in the theological world. You can help make this possible. Frank Alexander Alexander called Dr J Frank Alexander of Birmingham, Alabama, has been named a field representative of Columbia Seminary. He is working with the Office of Development and Seminary Relations in the four an < area of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Dr. Alexander is pastor emeritus of the South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, having served there from 1977 through 1986. He has held other pastorates in Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, and < fi orgia. Frank Alexander received the A.B. from Mercer University, the B.D. from Columbia Seminary, and the Ph.D. from the University of I dmburgh, Scotland. Dr. Alexander is a member of the Board of" Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has been a commissioner to five General Assembly meetings and was president of Columbia's Alumni/ae Association from 1978 to 1980 He and his wife, Grayson, have five children. D WINTER 198 Students ushers for Dr. Oldenburg's inauguration were (l-r) Pern Cooley '88, Martha Harp '88. Lynette Solomon '90, Libby Smith '89. and Mike Murdoch '90- Oldenburg inauguration Continued from page 1 they do not struggle alone. A reception for President and Mrs. Oldenburg was held after the service at the Decatur church. Inaugural events continued on Monday, October 12, as guests participated in lectures and discussions on the inauguration's theme of the church's service to the world. On Monday morning at Columbia Presby- terian Church, George Telford "58, Director of Theology and Worship of the General Assembly Council, PC(USA), spoke on the local church's service to the world. Dis- cussion and responses followed, led by the Rev. Warner Durnell 78, member of the seminary's Board of Directors, pastor of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and chaplain at Stillman College; Dr. Douglas Harper '52, pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas; Ms. Caroline Myers, director of Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Rev. Arthur Ross, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, Florida Following lunch in the seminary refectory, Dr. Jose Miguez-Bonino spoke on the church's impact on the global community. Professor of Syste- matic Theology and Ethics at the Instituto Superior Evangelico de Estudios Teologicos in Buenos Aires, Dr. Miguez-Bonino is Robert W. Woodruff Visiting Professor of Theo- logy at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Responses to his lecture were given by Dr. Chang Whan Park, Professor of New Testament and former president of the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea, and Visiting Professor of Biblical Studies at Columbia this year, and by Dr. Janos Pasztor, Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of Reformed Theological Academy in Debrecen, Hungary, and Visiting Professor of Practical Theology at Columbia this year. D Oldenburg awarded degree President Douglas W Oldenburg received an honorary degree from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina, at the college's autumn convocation October 22. Dr. Oldenburg also holds an honorary degree from Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. President Oldenburg was a member of the St. Andrews Board of Trustees from 1972 to 1987 and chaired its board from 1982 until 1987. He was recognized for his service to the PC(USA) denomination, to St. Andrews, and to the community in Charlotte. Vantage P.O. Box 520 Decatur, Georgia 30031 Tf\^ & '*** Second Class Postage Paid at Decatur, GA Publication No. 124160 CONTENTS Oldenburg inauguration 1 1988 Forum 1 From the President 2 Sidney Anderson retires 3 Will Ormond retires 3 Continuing education calendar 4 Lay Institute offerings 4 Trip to USSR 4 Columbia's Korean connections 5 Professors' new book 5 For the Record 6 We move on 7 Alexander joins staff 7 Come See Columbia Day 7 Oldenburg receives degree 8 COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Mr. Charles A. Hicks 717 Lake Drive 7 SW Lilr.or.i37 GA 30053-0000