Columbia Theological Seminary Vantage, 92, number 1, Summer 2000

COLUMBIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY

Vantage

SUMMER 2000

Oldenburg retires after
14-year presidency

ALTHOUGH it is as tempting to read too
much into a picture as it is into a text
of scripture, I cannot help noticing
that the new portrait of Douglas
Oldenburg hanging in the Presidents
Room in Campbell Hall is the only one
of the eight whose subject is smiling.
To be sure, Davison Philips is sporting
a Mona Lisa-like hint of his habitually
gracious smile, and Dr. Richards' pose
is benignly avuncular, but the rest
even Ben Kline's, perhaps because he
was so young are solemn. While that
of course reflects the fashions of presi-
dential portraiture in years past, it is
nevertheless worth noting that Doug
has a great deal to smile about as he
concludes his presidency. He leaves
Columbia in remarkably healthy
shape and with indelible marks of
his leadership.

As a young minister recently
embarked on college chaplaincy in
the late 1970s, I worshipped with the
congregation that Doug served for
15 years before he was called to
Columbia. At Covenant Presbyterian
Church in Charlotte, North Carolina,
Doug was a pastor and mentor to me
at a critical moment in my own min-

Brian Wren is internationally hiown for

Ins work in hymnody. Trinity Presbyterian
Church of Atlanta created Columbia's
nezu Conant Chair of Worship to enable
the seminary to expand its offerings in the
areas of worship, arts, and music,

istry, helping me shape my response
to God's call, tutoring me in the ways
of the church's life and witness, and
modeling faithfulness that was both
winsome and powerful. His preaching
taught me the impact of the Word pro-
claimed with eloquence and passion.
His love of learning and attention to
his own continuing education showed
me that scholarship could and
should have a vital role in the life
of the church.

In a city struggling to match its
burgeoning economic growth with
moral responsibility, Doug spoke to
movers and shakers as well as to street
people and enabled them to stay in
conversation with each other, frequently
with surprising, long-term results. In
large and complex congregations like
Covenant, ministers frequently
become managers, but Doug showed
me they can instead exhibit the charism
of administration and call forth from
members and officers alike the gifts
the Spirit gives the church for ministry
in the world.

The gifts Doug demonstrated for
that kind of work had been honed for
years. In the providence of God, he was

Douglas W. Oldenburg, president from 1987 to 2000, stands in front of the addition to
the John Bulow Campbell Library, built during his administration.

born into a family that promised to
tell him the stories of Jesus. His faith
was nurtured as a child in the rich soil
of the Reformed Church in America
and as a teenager in the even richer
soil of Mecklenburg Presbyterianism.
Doug wrestled as a young person with

the Christian faith as Jacob wrestled
with the stranger at the Jabbok
(Gen. 32:22-32), insisting that the
church speak to an increasingly milita-
rized and economically unjust world.
Wise hands steered him to

Continued on page 5

Brian Wren named first holder
of the Conant Chair of Worship

At its spring meeting, the Board of
Trustees of Columbia Theological
Seminary voted to receive Brian Wren
as the inaugural holder of the Miriam
H. and John A. Conant Chair of
Worship.

Joanna Adams '79, chair of
Columbia's Board of Trustees and
pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church
in Atlanta, which created this chair,
speaks enthusiastically of Wren's
appointment. "Our hearts are singing
at Trinity Presbyterian Church! Who
would have thought that the Conant
Chair, which we are pleased to give in
honor of two great Trinitarians, John
and Miriam Conant, would be filled
with a person of such international
stature and depth of experience?
Worship lies at the heart of the
Christian enterprise, and we expect
great things for Christ's church

through Dr. Wren's teaching ministry
at Columbia."

A graduate of Oxford University,
Wren received a Final Honours (B.A.)
in modern languages, a Final Honours
(B.A.) in theology, and a D.Phil, for a
thesis on the Old Testament prophets.
He is an ordained pastor in the United
Reformed Church in England, and he
has served in parish ministry and a
not-for-profit educational campaign.
Wren has also served as an adult
education consultant and has been
working most recently in freelance
ministry as a poet, theologian, and
hymn writer.

Wren's publications include
Contemporary Prayers for Public
Worship; Finding Faith for Today;
Education for Justice: Praying Twice;
Wliat Language Shall I Borrow?, and
Piece Together Praise.

Wren is not a newcomer to
Columbia Seminary or to the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In 1993,
he delivered the Smyth Lectures at
Columbia, with musical help from his
marriage-partner, the Rev. Susdn
Heafield. In addition, the 1990 edition
of The Presbyterian Hymnal contains
11 entries by Wren.

Douglas W. Oldenburg, president
of Columbia, says, "We are profoundly
grateful that Trinity Presbyterian
Church has established the Conant
Chair of Worship and that Dr. Brian
Wren has accepted our call to that
position. Dr. Wren is widely esteemed
throughout our country and around
the world for his skills in music and
worship. He both cherishes the
Reformed liturgical tradition and is
opening new ways of worshiping
God." Katie Ricks '02

Reflections on retirement

Douglas W. Oldenburg, President

As READERS OF Vantage know, I will
vacate the office of president on June
30, and after a six-month sabbatical,
retire on December 31, 2000. My wife,
Claudia, and I are moving to Davidson,
North Carolina, where we have a
home on the lake.

Obviously, these are times of tran-
sition, both for the seminary and for
the Oldenburgs. They are also times
for reflection. A number of people
have asked me how it feels to be just
a few months from retirement. In one
way, I still find it hard to believe, and
perhaps there lurks within me a tinge
of fear because I have never done this
before. I have dearly loved my work
as a pastor for 26 years and as a
seminary president for 14 years, and
I am afraid my self-identity is largely
wrapped up in those two roles. I am
a son of the Protestant work ethic,

and even though I plan to stay busy
following wherever the Spirit may
lead, it may be hard to come to grips
with no longer having a congregation
or a seminary to serve on a daily basis.
1 lowever, I am also a son of the Gospel,
which reminds me that my value and
identity are not dependent on what I
do, but on God's amazing grace.

Certainly, the most powerful feel-
ing within me is profound gratitude.
C l.uidia and I have asked throughout
our lives the question, "Why have we
been so richly blessed?" Blessed with
good health, blessed with a great mar-
riage and family, blessed with serving
three wonderful congregations and a
superb seminary, blessed with so
many terrific colleagues, blessed with
countless friends who have supported
us, and the list goes on. We have
never found a satisfying answer to

that question, for certainly we don't
deserve those blessings any more than
anyone else, but we have received them
.is undeserved gifts, and have sought
to express our gratitude by being
responsible stewards of those gifts.
I have served Columbia during
what must be one of the most fortu-
nate periods of its history. Receiving
the McPheeters and Campbell trusts
during my tenure is ample evidence
that "we build on foundations we did
not lay." The strong stock market dur-
ing the past 10 years has dramatically
increased our endowment. Of course, I
had nothing to do with either of those
developments. The success of our
capital campaign in the early nineties
was due largely to the commitment of
our board and the strong relationships
that our predecessors at Columbia
had built with our constituencies. The

long-range strategic plan, Vision 2020,
is the result of much hard work by
board members and many others. Yes,
Columbia and its president have been
blessed in many ways, and my cup of
gratitude "runneth over."

I invite you to join me in giving
thanks to God for the ways Columbia
has been blessed over these years. I
invite you to pray with me for the
Search Committee as they continue
their important task and for the whole
seminary as it lives through this time
of change. I also invite you to commit
yourself to give the seminary and its
new president the same generous
support you have given me over these
wonderful years.

Transitions are never easy, but
they can be times of rich growth and
moving to higher levels of service. I
pray that it will be so for Columbia. D

Jenny ami Robert Alexander

D.Miti. graduate Ella Bush/ is surrounded by well-wishers.

Ok-Kee Kirn '99 congratulates Tommy Smith.

Commencement marks farewell of president and graduates

A reception at President Douglas
Oldenburg's house, a final meal in the
refectory, and an ice cream social on
the quadrangle at sunset kicked off
Columbia's commencement weekend,
May 13 and 14.

Sunday morning's baccalaureate
service was held at Atlanta's Central
Presbyterian Church. To a standing
room only crowd, Oldenburg preached
a sermon that served as his farewell
address to the seminary.

In Oldenburg's sermon, "By the
Renewal of Your Mind," he urged the
graduates to consider community over
self-interest. Oldenburg exhorted the
graduates to let their hearts be "not
conformed to the world but trans-
formed through grace," so the church
may be the model of community for
the world.

At the commencement service that
afternoon at Peachrree Presbyterian
Church, families and friends of the
graduates and the staff and faculty of
Columbia gathered to honor the class
of 2000. Bagpipes, played by Kyle

Henderson '97, a brass ensemble, and
a selection from Handel's Messiah,
sung by M.Div. recipient David Rice,
heralded the occasion.

The conferring of 107 degrees was
conducted by Joanna Adams '79, chair
of Columbia's Board of Trustees and
pastor of Atlanta's Trinity Presbyterian
Church. President Oldenberg, Executive
Vice President and Dean of Faculty
James Hudnut-Buemler, Vice President
and Dean of Students Philip Gehman
'68, and Director of Advanced Studies
and Associate Professor of Theology
Charles Raynal assisted. Fifty-one
candidates received the Doctor of
Ministry degree, and eight candidates
received the Master of Theology
degree. Forty-six students received the
Master of Divinity degree and two the
Master of Arts in Theological Studies.

Dean Hudnut-Buemler then
presided over the recognition of students
for awards, honors, and fellowships.

The Wilds Book Prize, for the
highest distinction in academic
achievement throughout the entire

M.Div. program, was awarded to Amy
Erickson. Erickson arose twice more to
receive the Harvard A. Anderson
Fellowship, honoring the graduate
who has demonstrated the greatest
academic promise for further graduate
study, and the Presbytery of St. Andrew
Presbyterian Women Preaching Award
for the year's best sermon delivered
by an M.Div. student.

Robert Alexander received the
Columbia Leadership Award, given
to the senior showing outstanding
skills in church leadership, as well as
spiritual depth and integrity.

The George and Sally Telford
Award, given to a D.Min. student for
congregational leadership in the areas
of social justice and vision for the
church, was presented to Gus Succopp.

Connie Weaver was awarded
the Paul T. Fuhrmann Book Prize in
Church History.

The William Dudley Evangelism
Award was jointly awarded to Rob
Laukoter and Chan Willis for their
demonstration of commitment to

evangelism and church growth.

Annette Rogers received the Harold
J. Riddle Memorial Book Award for
showing the highest distinction in the
field of pastoral care, with special
focus on terminally ill patients.

The James T. and Celeste M. Boyd
Book Award, honoring those graduates
who will be good stewards of a theo-
logical library, was shared by Keith
Morrison, Jeanerte Pinkston, and
Christine Tiller.

Cynthia Montgomery received the
Columbia Friendship Circle Graduate
Fellowship to aid further studies in
recognition of superior achievements,
and Jonathan Carroll was awarded a
Columbia Graduate Fellowship to
assist in further study as well.

A reception, hosted by Peachrree
Church, followed the service. This is
the twelfth year that Peachtree has
hosted Columbia's commencement.

A list of graduates' dissertation
topics and placements will appear in
the next issue of Vantage . D

David Dault (MATS '01)

VANTAGE

Ben C. Johnson on pilgrimage in Israel

Ben Johnson after 19 years

Ben Johnson arrived at Columbia in
1981. It would be fair to say that he
did not "fit" into a faculty that at that
time was exceedingly Presbyterian
and relatively homogeneous in per-
spective. By that time in his ministry,
he was an ordained minister in the
Presbyterian Church (US), but he had
come to that vocational identity and
standing by a route highly unconven-
tional at Columbia. He had been, as
he terms it, a "boy preacher" who
had moved through the chairs of
Methodism. More than that, from
early on, he had been a risk-taker
willing to try fresh arenas of faith and
ministry. Given his unquenchable
entrepreneurial capacity, he had
launched a "church renewal" center
that produced programs and literature
for church use that fell outside
"regular channels" and appealed
particularly to church laity. From that
beginning, every ministerial and
educational task Ben has undertaken
has been marked by daring and a
sensitivity to what is possible because
of the capacity of God's spirit to move
in conventional church forms but also
beyond them.

He joined the faculty as the
Peachtree Professor of Evangelism and
Church Growth, a new position fund-
ed by Atlanta's Peachtree Presbyterian
Church, an appointment that matched
that congregation's passionate com-
mitment to church growth. When Ben
joined the faculty, it was still the case
in the PCUS as in every "mainline"
denomination that evangelism was
not exactly a high priority. In part,
there was a great ignorance about how
to do "it"; in part, it was an awkward-
ness that staid, established people did

not engage in such aggressive or emo-
tive enterprises. With characteristic
resolve, Ben approached the task of
evangelism and church growth with
vigor and imagination, making him-
self and his program in evangelism a
great force in the church.

But a funny thing happened to
Ben on the way to church growth.
He came to the conclusion that the
"external" task of evangelism and
church growth could not be effectively
undertaken by church leaders when
the "internal" disposition of faith was
unsettled or unhealthy. He came to the
conclusion that effective evangelism
depended upon healthy, vital spiritu-
ality. Through a careful transition, Ben
convinced his faculty colleagues to
support his move to a faculty position
in spirituality. The rest, as they say, is
history, very recent history, right up
until this very moment. Ben mobili/ed
not only his own energies but that of
faculty colleagues as well as a host of
others in churches and seminaries, and
established a spirituality center with a
certificate program. It has become a
place of gathering, transformation,
and consequent joy for a host of
respondents. Ben has attended to the
necessary matters of administration
and budgets to make it work. But the
tone of the program is characteristically
one of friendship. In implementing
this dream, Ben has fashioned friend-
ships with faculty colleagues and is
surely regarded as a special friend by
those who have moved through the
program. And for Ben, the program is
a peculiar vehicle for friendship with
Jesus. Ben and those who share in
the program have identified some of
the deepest needs of our society and

Hudnut-Beumler
going to Vanderbilt

I \\ii s l Iudnut-Bhumi ik, ( lolumbia s

utive vice president, dean ol
faculty and professoi of it tnd

culture, has been named dean ol
Vanderbilt Universit) I fa init)
School, effective August i Dean
Hudnut-Beumler came to Columbia In
1993 from the l illy i rtdow men! w here
he was program a soi iate In the

ion Division. Before thai he had
served as administrative director ol
the undergraduate program and le.
harer in Public and International
Allans, The Wood row Wilson School,
Princeton University.

In announcing Dean I liulnul
Beumler's resignation at Columbia,
President Douglas Oldenburg said,
'The administrative staff and I have
the highest regard for lini I l> has
served in an exemplary way, and we
hate to lose him. He senses, however
the call of God to this position V\ hit h in
the university system is the equivalent
Ol the presidency in a live i.m.li
seminary. Our dee] i soi row and
regret over his leaving Columbia are
in. itched by our gratitude tor his good

work and friendship Oui prayers and

best wishes go with him."

During his seven year tenure at
( olumbia, Hudnut-Beumler oversaw
the strengthening ot Columbia
emic life, the expansion of the library
and the I lamngton ( entei and their
greatly enhanced usefulness for the
work of the seminary, and the devel-
opment of a wide array of programs
in service to the church. In the midsl
of Columbia's growing administrative
and programmatic complexity he
guided the faculty toward an emphasi
on the mission of the church in the
twenty-first century. He made major
contributions to Columbia's Vision
2020: hong-Range Plan 1998-2020, which
provides direction and coherence li-
the varied work of the seminary

fames ihuinut Beumler

I ludnul Beumlei i< holarship
ha i if used or the matei lal history ol

the dim, h in North America ami

m< irerei ently on the question ol Bte^
ardship In the i hurch's life taiong his
publii ationa while at ( olumbia an
Looking foi God in the Suburbs Tfa
Religion oj the American Dream 'in, I n
i nth and < \enerous Saints

i luring this pat I veai I teen
i ludnul Beumlei a w Ife the Re^ I leii li
i ludnul Beumlej sei \ ed as chapel
i oordinatoi and unoffii lal pastoi to
mam itudents She ha nol onlj
made a signifi< an! i ontribution to thi
seminai j worship life but als< ' man)
h lends w ithin the student body

I liulni.it Beumler said, "< olumbia
Mm. ii \ e ' els a! foi mine people
foi ministry. It also foi ms those ol us
who teai ii and sei ve here, araj 1 1 ounl
m\ sell blessed to ha\ e ministered
with so man) tine i olleagues. All the
i [udnut-Beumlers will remembei oui
i let arm years with greal fondne

i olumbi.i sends |nn ami I leuli,
l< <;,-.< f 1 1 .- 1 w iih llicii . hildren, |ulia .iml
M OUT thanks for their lile among
ii I I atUT and our prayers and

besl wishes as the) ai sume new

responsibilities in Nashville.

/ rskine I larke 66
Acting Dean oj the I tn ulty

have responded with skill, sensitivity,
and generosity in a way that brings
missional energy among us.

Ben, however, is endlessly foi lisei I
on "the big picture," so much BO thai
details do not much claim In S attentii >n
Indeed, I was at a session where Ben
made three announcements: a) when
lunch would be served, b) how to
to lunch, and c) when to return to the
meeting. On all three counts Cami
voice from the back of the room,
"That's not right, Ben " I he voii e
that of Nan Johnson, Ben attenti

i-'tary, constant companion and
adored spouse. She is the glue that
keeps Ben's professional life together
and makes things work.

And now we ponder the retirement
of Ben and Nan and their departure
from the collegium. The evangelism
and church growth program has
passed to others; the spirituality
program is being passed to others.
Both will prosper, but it required Ben
to begin. The programs will miss Ben's

and entrepreneui lal
m i.i i n hi More ih. in that i ""' '

will miss lien's avuncular presem I

and his hallmarks of generosity and
hi ispitalit) By his largeness ol spirit,
Ben has attrei ted to the seminary nol

only a supportive constituency, bul 8
large number of supports, edi 'liars,
bei ause he has understood well the

onne Hon between "te and

hi art" (Matt 6:21).

I know of no way to write this
without if half sounding like an obitu-
ary. Well, Ben "ain't even hall dead

1 1 ill v alive with energy and
imagination intact. Ben and Nan !

the seminary with good wishes from
i olleagues and with deep thanks. Ben
did not quite fit in at the beginnin
even at the end fa his "not fitting," he
hi lound endless, grace-filled ways to
lead us where we had not thought to
go. Well done, indeed!

Walter Brueggt "hum
Mi Pheetei Professor of old Te \tamenl

SUMMER 2000

Continuing Education
and Lay Institute
Calendar

For further information or to register for courses, call or write:
Rebecca S. Parker, Director of Continuing Education, or
Richard S. Dietrich, Director of the Lay Institute of Faith and Life
Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA 30031/404-378-8821.

September 18, 25, October 2, 9 Fall Evening I ay & hool, Session One:
GALATIANS; I VBYRINTH: PRAYEK IN MoiioN; and ( iikimiw APPROACHES TO
R] i K.ioi s Pi i RA1 rn (starts September ID Leaders: Charlie Cousar, Julie
[ohnson, and Thomas Thangaraj Cosl $45

September 21, 28, October 5, 12 I .ill Morning Lay School, Session One:
C. S. I i wis Leader: ( harlie Raynal. Cost: $35.

October 23, 30, November 6, 13 Fall Evening Lay School, Session Two: Wisdom;
Si v in mi- Churc h; and 1 1 H Gospi i A< < ording ro Ri mbrandt (and others)
i eaders: Christine Yoder, Mark Douglas, and Kick Dietrich. Cost: $45.

October 25, November 1, 8, 15 Fall Morning Lay School, Session Two:
An Avvaki \i\(. Faith Leader: Marshall Jenkins. Cost: $35.

October 30 Spikiiuai in and Aoino: Part Two of the Aging Series Leader:
Herb Anderson. Cost: $25.

November6-8 WiiinThi HONEYMOON Is OVER EIGHTEEN MONTHS INTO THE

First Call Leaders: TASTE, Transition and Survival Skills Training Experience.
< ost: $175 Spouse: $50.

November 6-10 Guti irii Si i u )] ARS

November 11 Arts WBEK WORKSHOPS Leaders: Melva Costen, Ann Bryan,
Martha Jane Petersen, Fred Whitehurst. Cost: $15 per workshop.

Study women
in John's Gospel

'Tin (iosn-i oi |ohn is remarkable for
its intentional presentation of women
as models of faith," says Frances Taylor
Gench, professor of New Testament
at Union Theological Seminary and
Presbyterian School of Christian
Education. "One of the most intriguing
aspects of John is its utterly egalitarian
view of the community of faith."

Gench is author of Women and
The Word: Studies in the Gospel o) John,
the 2000-2001 Bible study that will be
used in Presbyterian Women's circles
in the coming year. This study gives
special attention to the women who
appear in John's Gospel and Jesus'
relationship to them.

The course is offered four times
this summer by the Lay Institute,
weekday mornings: June 26-30, with
Frances Taylor Gench, author of the
study book; August 7-11 with Rebecca
Parker, an ordained Presbyterian
minister and director of continuing
education at Columbia; or Friday
evening/Saturday morning, August
11-12 and August 18-19, with
Morningstar, who holds a master's
degree in theological studies and is
associate director of Columbia's Lay
Institute of Faith and Life.

Tuition is $45 for the weekday
courses, $30 for the weekend courses
plus meals. To request a brochure,
call 404/687-4577.

Summer Lay
Scholars meet
August 7-11

"Wi i a i i x ) \vi say about Jesus? Christ
for the New Millennium" is the theme
of this year's Summer Lay Scholars
Program, August 7-11.

Summer Lay Scholars is an
opportunity for lay people to spend a
week on campus, studying a biblical
or theological issue in depth. The
week will be led by Douglas F. Ottati,
Pemberton Professor of Theology
at Union Theological Seminary/
Presbyterian School of Christian
Education, assisted by Columbia
faculty members.

At the center of this summer's
study are the issues of what theologians
call "Christology" and "soteriology"
how we understand Jesus to be Christ
and savior. Students will explore
questions about Jesus' life, death,
and resurrection. Who was Jesus of
Nazareth? What did it mean for him
to die on the cross? How do we know
Jesus was raised?

Participants are encouraged to stay
in on-campus housing. Tuition, room
and board are $300; tuition only is
$175. Registration deadline is July 23.

For a brochure or more informa-
tion about the week, call the Lay
Institute at 404/687-4577, or email
LayInstitute@CTSnet.edu. D

Colloquium 2000 focused on worship and music in the twenty-first century. It featured
worship services and workshops with special attention paid to questions of contemporary
and traditional music and liturgies and was led by distinguished professors, theolo-
gians, and authors from across the nation. More than 250 pastors, lay leaders, faculty
members, and students attended the April event.

Thomas Troeger, above with homiletics professor Anna Carter Florence, led
opening and closing worship services, weaving his sermons together with musical

tions designed to evoke the sorrow, tenor, and joy which beset those who witnessed
the first Easter

Don Saliers, professor at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, and
Marva Dawn, theologian, author, and educator, delivered keynote lectures. Their
complementary addresses, "The Travail of Worship in a Culture of Hype" and "The Hope
of Worship in a Culture of Travail," each raised critical issues facing congregations at
the crossroads of the new millennium.

Next year's Colloquium 2001, April 23-25, will focus on the church's critical role
in communities of faith in contemporary American culture.

Missional church
conversation held

Since its publicauon in 1998, the
research volume, Missional Church: A
Vision for the Sending of the Church in
North America, has stimulated a broad
and intense conversation about the
present and future calling of the
church in our country. The authors,
all of whom work within the Gospel
and Our Culture Network, call for a
reorientation of the church as we
encounter the new and strange mission
field which North America has become.
Under the auspices of the network,
five studies have appeared which
address these issues.

A continuing education workshop
invites pastors to engage the authors
of these studies in a series of informal
conversations, based upon the reading
of the books. Five such conversations
will take place on campus over the
next two years. Darrell Guder,
Columbia's Peachtree Professor of
Evangelism and Church Growth, will
host the conversations.

The first conversation will take
place September 25-26. Dr. George
Hunsberger, professor of missiology
at Western Theological Seminary and
coordinator of the Gospel and Our
Culture Network, will join Guder in
a discussion on "The Emergence
and Agenda of the Missional Church
Conversation." Hunsberger edited The
Church Between Gospel and Our Culture.

Cost of the event is $160. For more
information, call 404/687-4562. Q

Congregations
in transition
workshop set

How is the meaning of being a
Christian changing in a post-Christian
society? How are the role and function
of congregations changing? What does
it mean to become an "equipping" or
"empowering" community? These are
questions that will be addressed in Dr.
Ed White's workshop, "Transforming
Congregations for the Future: How
Mainline Congregations Can Adapt
to be Faithful and Fruitful in a Post-
Christian Society." In this workshop
there will be practical suggestions as
well as lecture and conversation
designed to understand better the
dynamics of changes occurring and
the place of the church within them.

Edward A. White is a senior
consultant for the Alban Institute. A
parish pastor for eight years, he served
for nearly 20 years in judicatory posi-
tions. He is a member of National
Capital Presbytery. Since joining the
institute in 1980, he has shared his
expertise in such areas as strategic
planning, team building, board devel-
opment, and leadership training in a
variety of settings.

The workshop is scheduled
October 23 through October 26. Cost
of the event is $250. For more informa-
tion, contact the Office of Continuing
Education at 404/687-4562.

VANTAGE

Pete Petersen '58

Distinguished Service Awards
given to two alumni

At its annual Alumni /ae Association
meeting in April, Columbia Seminary
presented its Distinguished Service
Award to Harry F. Petersen III '58 and
John N. Somerville '53. These awards
are presented annually to two
Columbia graduates who have shown
outstanding Christian service in
ministry throughout their lives.

On three continents for more than
40 years, "Pete" Petersen has been a
faithful and creative witness to Christ's
love. After preparing for ministry at
Columbia, Princeton Theological
Seminary, and the University of
Edinburgh, Petersen served as minis-
ter to students at the University of
South Carolina. As an associate pastor
at First Presbyterian Church in
Huntington, West Virginia, he created
Christmas International House, which
still provides places of welcome for
college students from overseas.

He served as a missionary in
Taiwan and taught at the University
of Nigeria. While serving as chaplain
at the University of Cape Coast, teach-
ing New Testament studies, and pas-
toring two churches, he developed the

C ampus Christian Council of Ghana.

Noted for providing hospitality
throughout his life, Petersen founded
and, for most of its history, operated
Villa International, which provides
housing and a place of welcome for
hundreds of overseas guests in the
United States and Atlanta.

John Somerville has served as a
missionary in Korea for 41 years. After
graduating from Columbia, he earned
an MA. and Ph.D. from Harvard
University in East Asia history and
languages, and an M.A. in Oriental
philosophy at Sung Kyun-Kwan
University in Seoul, Korea.

Somerville was a member of the
faculty of Hannam University, Taejon,
Korea, for 26 years and a participant
in that school's founding and develop-
ment. He has also taught at Korean
Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
In retirement, Somerville continues
to campaign for the liberation of pris-
oners of conscience and the quest for
peace and reunification of the Korean
Peninsula, and to take food and
medical supplies to the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.

Columbia's John Bulmv Campbell Library has purchased the 4,000-volumc collection of
Norman Wliybray, who, at the time of his death, was professor emeritus of Hebrew and
Old Testament at the University of Hull, England, and a leading Wisdom Literature
scholar. His widow, Mary Whybray, offered the collection to Columbia in order to keep
it together and to honor Columbia Old Testament Professor Walter Brueggemann and
his wife, Mary. Mrs. Wliybray also gave the library her husband's papers, notes, work-
ing files, and' a portrait. With Mrs. Whybray are Tim Browning, library director, and
Professor Brueggemann.

DarrellGudei was inaugurated as the Peachtree P oj Evangelism and Church

Growth in March during the spring meeting of Columbia's Hoard oj Trustees His
address was "Risking Beginnin ion and I Christendom

Catherine Gonzalez, professo) oj i hurt h history, took pint in the sei

President Oldenburg retires, continued from page I

Davidson C ollcgc, Union I heolov.n .il
Seminary in Virginia, and Yale
University, where he tested and found
reliable the tradition he inherited
Congregations in Flkins, West Virginia
and Lynchburg, Virginia, i onfil Died
his call anc\ polished his skills .is a
pastor. They also taught him tin-
urgency of telling the truth ol the
gospel and doing the work of ministry
in the world God loves. Surely it was
that, as much as his proven track ie. Old
at raising money and influencing the

church, that attracted the Presidential

Search Committee from Columbia

There are some immediately
obvious gifts Doug leaves us as he
retires. First is the i hara< tei ol the
faculty itself, over two-thirds of which
is directly shaped by his leadership.
Of the 34 of us in active service, only
nine were here to welcome Doug in
1987. We are by no means a hand-
picked crowd; I have served on Bean h
committees with Doug and I know he
trusts the committee process here
much as he did in the parish I le has
nevertheless been deeply, personal!
engaged in building the Columbia
faculty, urging us to seek not only

the finest teachers and scholars, but

specifically those whose love for the
people of God and devotion to! hrisfs

church are at least as clear as his own

Columbia has grown markedly
during Doug's tenure, inevitably
changing the character ol the institll
tion, as have new academic progi
in spirituality and new churl h devel
opment, the flourishing of the Lay
Institute of Faith and Life, and the
development of the Southern Institute
for Business and Professional I ti
As Columbia has grown from a
seminary best known for its service
to southeastern Presbyterians into an
internationally recognized leader in
theological education, Doug has never
lost sight of Columbia's central V0< a
tion to serve the church by preparing
its pastors. We owe the missional
focus of the seminary's work in the
twenty-first century to many thought-

ful and i reati\ e minds bul II would

nevei have he. nine so . leai had I h>u-

not consistently pressed us to

ourselves ami oui l.iUu in Ihe sei n e
of the whole hm. h

To pre i this mm h - hanj

requires an uni ommon measure ol
grai e, sini e fa< ultiea an notoi lously
re< ali Itranl bodies I >oug has won
ome battles with the fai ultj and lo il
some ovei the years, and il Is to his
. redil thai the fundamental admiration
and respe< I between us has nol been

i ompromisiil I oug i an disagree with

us sometimes \ ehemently and
remain n lends I Ium e tie^ h ^ nown
anothei a< ademii president to do that

so consistently

ditions to the fohn Uulow
( ampbell I ii>r.u\ and the I brrington
Center, multiple building renovations/
and the beautiii. ation "i the i ampu
whose quadrangli rightly

named In I Doug's honor are i h i ma
nent reminders oJ I Doug's Bei vii e to
the Beminary.

I will remember him ftfl one who

believes passionately that we all shan
stewardship ol ( lod's i reation and
who therefore never simply asks

people to gh rte) bul rather

invites them Into ( olumbia's mi i lion.

i, v. iii ii the Im teased visibility
of the leminarj prompted critii i im
from some i oi ners <>f the i hun h,
Dougnevi i compromised ( olumbia's

tuiul.inirnl.il i ommitinent lo being .1

theology al re loun e for the whole

church of Jesus Christ.

I toug and Claudia Oldenburg
e been treasured friends tor many

years, and I am grateful that then

I ions Will draw them from Lake
Norman, North Carolina, to tin-
Atlanta area foi frequent visits in thi
future They will continue to grace
our life at Columbia for a long time
in the memory of faithful and loving
service they have given us, Columbia,
and the church.

We have as much to smile about
as Doug does. Beth Johnson,

J. Davison Philips Professor
of New Testament

SUMMER 2000

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.

Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, associate
professor of World Christianity, was
awarded a Lilly Theological Research
grant for 2000-2001 from the
Association of Theological Schools
and named a Lilly Faculty Fellow. The
grant will help support his research
project, "Latin America for Christ,
Discerning Mission with the Cultural
Other: Intercultural Theory and a
History of Protestant Christianity in
Latin America, 1916-1960," while on
sabbatical Douglas Hix '53, profes-
sor emeritus, is the new president of
St. Andrews Presbyterian College At
St. Andrews, Hix served as chair ol
the Christianity and culture program
from 1969-1974 and as associate pro-
fessor of Christian thought from 1968-

1976 Darrell Guder, professor of

evangelism and church growth,
preached at the Crossroads church,
Stone Mountain, GA; the North
Decatur, GA, church for witness sea
son; and at joint services at First and
Westminster churches, Baytown, TX.
He gave the "lost lectures at Lutheran
Theological Southern Seminary in
Columbia, SC, and Jacksonville, FL.
His recent book, The Continuing
Conversion of the Church, has been pub-
lished by Eerdmans. He participated
in and was a respondent to a consulta-
tion on the catechumenal process at
Grand Rapids, MI, and another on
new church development at the offices
of the General Assembly, Louisville,
KY. He participated in a research
team, Missional Church Models, for
Gospel and Our Culture Network in
Chicago, and a board meeting at
Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship,
Pasadena, CA. He taught a class at
First church, Atlanta, led a congrega-
tional workshop at Faith church,
Canton, GA; a presbytery workshop
on missional church at New Covenant
Presbytery; evangelism workshops at
the Druid Hills church, Atlanta, and
Coastal Carolina Presbytery; and
preached at a leadership retreat at
Northminster church, Cincinnati.
John Cook '99 and Susannah
Hager '99 are associate pastors at the

Shandon church, Columbia, SC Joan

Gray '76 is interim pastor at Hemphill

Memorial church, Stockbridge, GA

Hubert Taylor '47, professor emeritus,
led for Trinity church, Atlanta, the
annual women's retreat at Red Top
Mountain State Park, Cartersville,

GA Peggy Owens '94 is associate

general presbyter for education and
mission for the Presbytery of Mid-
Kentucky..... Jack Daniels (MATS '90)
is teaching biblical studies as adjunct
instructor in religion at Flagler
College. He continues work toward a
DTh. in New Testament from the

University of South Africa Robert

Frost '95 is pastor of First church,

Apopka, FL Ben Johnson, professor

of spirituality, led a spirituality /evan-
gelism workshop for Charlotte

Presbytery, was keynote speaker of a
spirituality workshop for Denver
Presbytery and Marble Collegiate
church, New York City, preached .it
Arvada church, Denver, CO, and lor
an Faster sunrise ser\ k e on the Red
spring training baseball field for
,\n ecumenical venture of downtown
Ft. Myers, FL, churches

Rusty Freeman '84 is pastor of the
Presbyterian Church of Johnstown,
OH Mr has had 30 articles published
and his first book, Journey into Day:
Meditations t<>r New Cancer Patients,
has been printed by Judson Press.
...Bob Montgomery '53 wrote
Introdlli Hon to the Sociology of Mis>ion^.
published last year by ( .nenwood

Publishing Group Ernestine Cole,

associate dean of students, attended
the Health Ministries Coordinators
Conference in San Juan, Puerto Ri< <
for Presbyterian seminaries. She was a
member of a team representing the
Presbyterian Church (USA) Women's
Ministries Program in Accra, Ghana,
visiting the Institute of Women in
Religion and Culture. She was co-
leader of a workshop, "Racism," at the
Executive Council of the Presbyterian
Women meeting of the Synod of
South Atlantic. She preached at Belle
Terrace church, Augusta, GA, for their
Women's Day celebration, and at /ion
Missionary Baptist church, Jackson,

GA Jennifer McGee '98 is chaplain

at Grady Hospital, Atlanta Cheryl

Gosa '79 is vice president for business
development of Atlanta Interfaith
Broadcasters, Inc., a religious cable
channel in Atlanta. She hosts a new
series on spirituality as it is affected
by the new technology, primarily the
internet. She is president of Ideas and
Images, Inc., a non-profit educational
media company

Carolyn Robinson Hart '89 is a
member oi the staff of East Tennessee

BIRTHS

To Marvin '94 and Laura Lindsay,
a son, Andrew Carswell, April 25,2000.
To Michael I loyt (DMin '02), and
Mary Ellen, a son, James Vernon,
Feb. 6, 2000.

To Stan Saunders, associate professor
of New Testament, and Brenda Smith,
a daughter, Aja Lois, Mar. 9, 2000.

DEATHS

John P. Simmons '29, Feb. 4, 2000.
Chester Keller '40, Jan. 2, 2000.
Cecil Brearley '47, Feb. 7, 2000.
Max Milligan '50 (ThM '58),
Mar. 4, 2000.

L. Samuel Magbee '53, Dec. 3, 1999.
Drennon Cottingham '61, Mar. 1, 2000.
J. Samuel Peters '70, Jan. 31, 2000.
Columbus Hartwell (MATS '01),
Jan. 30, 2000.

Presbytery... Caroline Kelly '99 is
associate pastor of Central church,

Atlanta, GA Christine Roy Yoder,

assistant professor of Old Testament,
successfully defended her dissertation,
Wisdom as a Woman of Substance: A
Socioeconomic Reading of Proverbs 1-9
ami 31:10-31, at Princeton Seminary;
attended the regional meeting of
the Society for Biblical Literature/
American Academy of Religion in
Atlanta; taught Wednesday night sup-
per programs at the North Decatur,
GA, church and Rock Spring church,
Atlanta; and spoke at an alumni/ae
gathering at the Riverside church,

Chattanooga, TN Chris Carson '96

is associate pastor of the Alpharetta,
GA, church Rodger Nishioka, asso-
ciate professor of Christian education,
led a Bible study, "Connections of the
Heart," for the National United
Methodist Youth Workers Convention
in San Diego. He was keynote speaker
for the Presbytery of South Dakota
meeting, the annual gathering of
Presbyterian Women of South Carolina
in Abbeville and of Greater Atlanta
Presbytery, the California-Pacific
Conference of Youth Ministry Leaders
in Los Angeles, and Presbytery of the
Cascades Pastors Conference in Bend,
OR. He preached at the Northwoods
church, Houston TX, and the Lake
Hills church, Knoxville, TN.

Wade Huie '46, professor emeritus,
is Theological Education Fund repre-
sentative for the Synod of South
Atlantic, promoted the fund through
the presbyteries, and attended the
national meeting at Princeton Seminary.
He led a D.Min. course, represented
Columbia by presenting joint D.Min.
degrees at the graduation exercises of
United Theological College of West
Indies in Jamaica in May, and preached
a prayer series for Festival of Faith at

First church, Hartsville, SC Timothy

Simpson '94 ('95 ThM) is pastor of

the Middleburg, FL, church David

Cameron '82 is co-pastor of the
Rockfish church, Nellysford,
VA Mark Douglas, assistant profes-
sor of Christian ethics, successfully
defended his dissertation at the
University of Virginia in March. He
taught a series of adult education
classes at the Oglethorpe church,
Atlanta; presented a paper at the
regional American Academy of
Religion meeting; met with Columbia
alumni/ae at Presbyterian College;
and co-led an ecumenical Ash
Wednesday service at Brookhaven
Christian Church, Atlanta. He began
work on a new manuscript about the
politics of confessing Christ in a twen-
ty-first century liberal democracy. His
article, "Agreeing to Disagree," was
published in journal for Preachers.

Joe Hinds '99 and Kazy Blocher '00
were married July 3, 1999, in Decatur,

GA Tommie Malone '71 is pastor of

Rocky Springs church, Laurens, SC.
...Ben Kline, president emeritus and
adjunct professor, was baccalaureate
preacher at Agnes Scott College in
May and preached on "Calling and
Responding: Women for the World."
He was presented a resolution by the
college's Board of Trustees, naming
him Dean of the Faculty Emeritus.

From 1957 to 1968, he served as the
college's dean and taught philosophy
and Bible and religion from 1951 to
1983. Kline taught an adult class at

Trinity church, Atlanta Jimmy

Cazin '95 is at First church, Tampa, as
campus minister to the University of
Tampa and leads worship for their
contemporary service. He and his
wife, Amy, were remarried Dec. 11,

1999 Laura Aull Johnston '90 is

campus minister at the University
of Illinois.

Beth Johnson, professor of New
Testament, taught two adult education
series at Central church, Atlanta,
and an adult education series at St.
Andrews church, Tucker, GA. She
presented a paper at the annual meet-
ing of the Biblical Theologians in
Princeton, NJ. She was elected to the
General Assembly's Presbyteries
Cooperative Committee, which

oversees ordination exams Martha

Clinkscales '85 received a 1999
Hometown Hero award, which recog-
nizes those who work behind the
scenes to make the community life of
Decatur, GA, better. Through her work
with the juvenile courts and Decatur
Cooperative Ministry, she has acted as
an advocate for young people and the
homeless. She also has a leadership
role in the DeKalb Historical
Society.. ...Charles Cook '59 is parish
associate for Central church, Athens,

GA Mark Clark '91 is development

officer of Presbyterian Children's

Homes, Austin, TX Walter

Brueggemann, professor of Old
Testament, lectured at Notre Dame
University, the Clergy Conference of
Providence Presbytery, the University
of Winnipeg, Georgetown University,
Union Theological Seminary in New
York, and the North American
Conference on Christian Philanthropy.
He preached at Fellowship
Congregational Church, United
Church of Christ, Tulsa, OK; Young
Memorial Associate Reformed
Presbyterian Church, Anderson, SC;
the Church of God seminary,
Cleveland, TN; and Zion United

Continued on page 7

Vantage

Volume 92, No. 1, Summer 2000
Published quarterly by
Columbia Theological Seminary
Circulation: 27,000

The Office of Development and
Seminary Relations

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 6

Church of Christ, Louisville, KY. He
addressed the Episcopal Diocese of
Alabama; First church, Dalton, GA;
and preached and gave an address at
the annual Lectionary Homiletics
meeting at First church, Atlanta. His
book, Texts That Linger, Words Tliat
Explode, has been printed by Fortress
Press. His recent articles are published
in Tlie Other Side, Word and World, and
Perspectives in Religious Studies. His
articles in books have been published
by Sheffield Press, Eisenbrauns, and
Trinity Press International. He was
elected editor at large for The Christian
Century, where his article, "The
Liturgy of Abundance," was printed.
For that article, he was given by
Associated Church Press the "Award
of Excellence" in Theological
Reflection. His book, Genesis, has
been translated into Korean.
Brueggemann is a member of the
American Theological Society.

Clayton Bell '58 was honorably
retired from the Highland Park church,
Dallas Paul Bonham ('92 DMin),

is pastor of Indiantown church,

Hemingway, SC Alex Feliberty-

Ruberte '99 is director of the religious

life office of the Ponce campus, Inter-
American University of Puerto Rico.
He is an ethical advisor of the chancel-
lor's executive staff and chaplain and
spiritual director of the university
community. He is preaching at the
Presbyterian church, Ensenada
...Todd Shumpert '97 is associate
pastor of First church, Northport,
NY. ...Kathleen O'Connor, professor
of Old Testament, served on the
Selection Committee for the Hispanic
Theological Initiative and Pew
Charitable Trust Award, held at

Princeton Seminary in April Jon

Wallace '91 is pastor of First church,

Kinston, NC Doug Hood '87 is

pastor of Lenape Valley church, New

Britain, PA Kathryn Thoresen '84 is

interim at the Grosse Pointe Woods,

MI, church Margit Ernst, instructor

in theology, preached twice at the
Dorchester church, Summerville, SC,
and taught Sunday school there. She
also held a workshop for pastors and
Christian educators of Charleston-
Atlantic Presbytery on "Confessing
the Faith in the Twentieth Century:

From the Bookstore

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Texts That Linger, Words That Explode:
Listening to Prophetic Voices
by Walter Brueggemann

The Continuing Conversion of the Church
(The Gospel and Our Culture Series)
by Darrell L. Guder

The Jesus Story

by Ben Campbell Johnson and Brant D. Baker

The Word on the Street: Performing the

Scriptures in the Urban Context

by Stanley P. Saunders and Charles L. Campbell

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Reformed Confessions Wbrldwid

Chip Blankinship '95 ted worship
and preached twice at St Mary
Magdalen Catholic Church, Maitl.ind
FL, as part of an interfaith evening
prayer series John Leith '43, pastOl
emeritus of First church, Auburn, AL,
preached tor its 150th anniversar) In
June. Frank Covington ('92 DMin) is
pastor ot the church. McCoy Franklin
'64, former pastor, preached in February.
....Ron Cram, associate protessoi of

Christian education conducted two

weekly programs about adolescents
and religious development on an
Atlanta radio station, attended a
curriculum division meeting ot the
National i ouncil of Churches, K.I .i
week-long retreat with Mary Anne
Fowlkes in Williamsburg on the spin
tuality of children, ami .> course about
bullies for parents of adolesi ents .it
the Roswell, GA, church. 1 le attended
a leadership planning seminar ot the
Association of Theological School-.

in Pittsburgh and the annual board

meeting of the Religious I Jim ation
Association in Chicago. Cram
reviewed The Sacrament oj Teaching
(volume one) in Religious Education,
and, with his family, served at a men's

shelter in downtown Atlanta

Charles Cousar, professor of New
Testament, preached at First church,
Oxford, MS, and led a retreat for
ministers of St. Andiew liesbytery
on the lectionary texts for Eai
He preached the installation sermon
tor Lynn Gifford '98 and Jones
Doughton '93 at First church,
Columbus, GA. Cousar taught an
introduction to the New Testament
class for new members <>! the I > SCUT,

GA, church Bonnie Habbersett '95

is pastor of the Kingsville, OH, < hun l>

Anna Carter Florence, assistant
professor of preaching and worship,
successfully defended her dissertation
at Princeton Theological Seminary in
April and graduated in May. She wa
a leader at the Montre.it Preaching

Conference in May Polly Deppen

'92 is the first associate pastor for
family ministries at the Presbyterian
Church of Stanley, Overland Park, KS.
....Chuck Campbell, associate professor
of homiletics, preached ,il Mir < >pen
Door Community and the Festival ol
Homiletics. He attended the Urban
Roundtable Conference on Urban
Ministry, and co-authored a book,
The Word on the Street: Performing the
Scriptures in the Urban Context, with
Stan Saunders, associate professor

of New Testament Tim Read '98,

Mclntire School of Commerce faculty
advisor at University of Virginia, led a
student team which won top honors ,it
a major intercollegiate business ethics
case competition in Los Angeles.
Ann Clay Adams, director of
admissions, spoke at St. Thomas
Aquinas Catholic Church, Alpharetta,
GA, and the Mt Vernon church, Sandy
Springs, GA. She, George Stroup, pro
fessor of theology, Steve Rhodes '75,
and Tom Groome '98 participated in
the installation of John Cole '98 at
First church, Somerset, KY.

Gift planning
officer named

Mil II \l I t AREY

1 1 v. joined the
i v\ elopment

I Mh.r.it

( olumbia as

dun toi ot gilt
m planning I le

A I . omes From the

ft ** I \m.'i u .in I leart

A I Association,

I when 1 he was

^^^^*- ^^ southeastern
Ah, Hael i any regional director

ot planned gifts

I le .uld-. .in important dimension to

our gifts program bringing his i onsid-
erable skills to bear on planned gifts
and estate planni]

Mike's role '! * olumbia r. ome-

thing i thought ot on May 14, on

the i" i asion "i I olumbia grai luation

for the class ot !000 .it IV. u htiee
Presb\ tei lan < hun h I lie event blend
i'd i rlebration, tradition, honor, and

hip i w as reminded "i the many
blessings l !od has bestowed upon tins
. ommunity bi Ighl students, an oul
standing fa< ulty, and a wealth of ways
to sei v e the mission ol theologi< al

education lot the church oi k IU

Christ. The faithful devotion and i i
v u < oi many people tro e brought us

tO this point.

i >oug ( ftdenburg has often said

that we .ii lb'' seminai \ -ii Inl from
wells we did rtol dig and hai v est from
vineyards we did not plan! I <>< well
o\ ci ,i . entury, i ountless Indh [duals
ui\ ested not in Hun ..w n i v eg but in
i Jod guidani e to < ome to ( olumbia

1 1 m.i i j to studj i" tea* h b
so thai today we are rii lib ble d

poised i"i a i using future

i , h tl ing ahead, ii Is the seminary's
challenge and responsibility to main-
i.iin its relevant e to the i hun ii a a

oun foi its leadership, foi Bolution
to ii problems, and as > lively setting

for theological study an. I dlSCOUTSe

We must i onrinue t<> i ifrei i ibranf

progr.ims Spirituality, the I .i\
institute, the < entei foi New Church
Development which serve the I Inn. I.
.Hid its members in me.uunejul ways.

It is our community i halli n
and the < hun h\ i h.illenge, having

inherited and hai nested bom the

"vineyards we did nol plant/' to
build on the past, to ensure thai the
Columbia Seminars ol the future
is as relevant to ordained and lay
' I iristians seeking to lead faithful
lives as it is fcod

1 am delighted that Michael Carey
has joined OUl Staff. Mike will provide

his expertise to local congregation
and Columbia suppor te rs alike,
enabling them to make significant
gifts significant in their importance
to donors and their families, to the
seminary, and to the future of the
church. D Richard DuBose,

I f. e President for Development
and Seminary Relations

Prices subject to change as determined by publishers.

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

Decatur, GA 30031; 404/687-4550.

SUMMER 2000

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New address:

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Class

With more than 47 years of service among them, Suanne SauerBrun, Linda Lehfeldt, and Nan Johnson retire this
summer. (L-r): Suanne SauerBrun, who joined the Columbia staff in 1979 as secretary to the dean of students, is retir-
ing as manager of Columbia's bookstore, a position she has held since 1985. Linda Lehfeldt retires after seven years as
administrative assistant to the director of advanced studies. Nan Johnson, joins her husband, Ben, in retirement. (See
article on page 3.) She came to Columbia with him in 1981 as his assistant.

Date new address effective

Please return to Vantage, Columbia Seminary,
P.O. Box 520, Decatur, GA 30031, or you may e-mail
changes to the editor at harperj@CTSnet.edu.

Vantage

P.O. Box 520 Decatur, Georgia 30031

404/378-8821

www.CTSnet.edu

CONTENTS

Tribute to retiring President Oldenburg 1

Brian Wren joins Columbia faculty 1

Reflections on retirement 2

Commencement 2000 2

Ben Johnson, spirituality professor, retires 3

Thanks to Dean Hudnut-Beumler 3

Continuing Education, Lay Institute calendar 4

Continuing Education, Lay Institute offerings 4

Distinguished Service Awards presented 5

For the Record 6

From the Bookstore 7

Gift Planning Officer named 7

Forty-seven years of service 8

Periodicals
Postage
Paid at
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Publication No. 124160

COLUMBIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY