Bulletin of COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DECATUR, GEORGIA Vol. XLIV October, 1951 No. 3 RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED Entered as second-class matter at the post office at Decatur, Ga., under Act of August 24, 1912 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY AT DECATUR, GEORGIA CAMPAIGN REACHES INITIAL COAL- SECOND PHASE BEGINS RECORD ENROLLMENT FOR NEW SESSION REV. THOMAS H. McDILL, ]R. ADDED TO FACULTY THE SEMINARY CAMPAIGN AN END AND A BEGINNING The first phase of the seminary's campaign for an en- largement of its facilities and its endowment has now been successfully completed. During the last week of September, it was announced that the original goal of $250,000 had been reached and that the conditional gift of $ 1 00,000 which had spurred the effort had been claimed. Thus the assets of the institution have already been increased by $350,000, of which $100,000 is for endowment. The Directors and Administration of the school would express their profound gratitude to all who have helped to make this achievement possible. The second, and equally necessary, part of the De- velopment Program has already been begun. An addi- tional $125,000 to be used in meeting the increased cost of construction, in equipping the library, and in adding $25,000 more to endowment must be secured. If that is in hand by January 1, 1953, friends in Atlanta will give an additional $100,000 to provide a much needed addition to the Administration Building. The task will not be easy, but the Directors believe that it must be done and, therefore, that it can be done. Every dollar contributed in this campaign will be worth virtually two dollars to the seminary. The institution again appeals for the prayers and the gifts of individuals and churches throughout its supporting synods. OPENING OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR An address delivered by Dr. Albert Grady Harris of Macon, Ga. and the formal admission of the entering class were features of the impressive service which marked the opening of the new session at Columbia Seminary on September 18, 1951. Sixty-eight new undergraduate students were enrolled for the fall term, of whom sixty-five were Juniors, two Middlers, and one a Senior. Thirty-four colleges and universities were represented among these men who come from seventeen states of the Union. Presbyterian College heads the list of institutions represented in point of numbers, having contributed twelve men to the enter- ing class. Three members of the class are Baptists, one a Lutheran, one a United Presbyterian, one an Associate Reformed Presbyterian, and two are members of the U.S.A. Presbyterian Church. All of the others are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. The registration for the new session now numbers 222. exceeding the total enrollment of last year which was then a record enrollment by fifteen. One hundred ninety-nine of these students are undergraduates; 20 are candidates for the Th.M. Degree, and 3 are seeking their M.A. in Biblical Education. The record size of the student body has taxed the facilities of the seminary to the utmost and makes it imperative that the institution complete its building pro- gram at the earliest moment possible. REV. THOMAS HALDANE McDILL, JR. ELECTED TO THE FACULTY Announcement has already been made through the Church press that Rev. Thomas H. McDill, Jr., formerly pastor of the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, has accepted the call of the Board of Directors to become a professor of Columbia Seminary in the field of Practical Theology. Mr. McDill is a son of the A. R. P. manse. He was born in Little Rock, Ark., on June 9, 1917. He received his B.A. from Erskine College in 1938 and his Th.B. from Erskine Theological Seminary in 1940. He did special work in Psychiatry at the Uni- versity of California in 1944, and was a student at Princeton Seminary for one quarter in 1946. After com- ing to Atlanta, he enrolled at Columbia Seminary where he earned his B.D. in 1947, and subsequently completed a portion of the requirements for his Th.M. On December 26, 1938, Mr. McDill was married to Miss Lila Williams Bost of Due West, S. C. The home which they then established has been blessed by the birth of their son, Thomas Calvin McDill, who is now ten years of age. Mr. McDill was licensed and ordained by the First Presbytery of the A. R. P. Church in Charlotte, N. C, on June 3, 1940. His first pastorate was in the A. R. P. Church of Russellville, Ark., where he served for a little more than two years. During that brief period, the membership of his church increased from 99 to 171. In October, 1942, he entered the Chaplaincy of the United States Army with the commission of a First Lieu- tenant. After training at the Chaplains' School, Harvard University, he served throughout most of 1943 with the 10th Armored Division. Subsequently he saw service with the 76th Infantry Division, with the 951st AAA Battalion, and with the 158th Regimental Combat Team. He was on duty in the Pacific Theater of operations from February, 1944, to December, 1945. In March, 1946, he was honorably discharged with the rank of Major and with the following awards: American Theater; Asiatic-Pacific Theater with two battle stars and arrowhead; Philippine Liberation with one battle star; Legion of Merit (for action in the Battle of Ma- nila); Victory Medal. From June, 1946, to September, 1951, Mr. McDill served as pastor of the First A. R. P. Church of Atlanta. During that time the membership of this church in- creased from 348 to 773. One hundred sixty-nine of the accessions to its membership came by Profession of Faith, 8 by Reaffirmation, and 375 by Certificate. During the same period, the membership of the Church School increased from 201 to 523, and the total annual gifts of the church from $14,218 to $61,593. The num- ber of tithers in the congregation grew from 41 in 1946 to 171 in 1951, and the number of family altars from 23 in 1946 to 90 in 1951. Under Mr. McDill's leadership, his church also sponsored in 1949 the organization of the Candler Road A. R. P. Church, which now has 115 members. Both Mr. McDill's native gifts and his highly success- ful experience as pastor and preacher promise well for his usefulness as a teacher of men in preparation for the work of the ministry. As a further preparation for his work, he has been granted leave of absence for work toward his Doctorate at the University of Chicago, where his studies will be particularly in the field of Pastoral Counselling. After being received into membership in Atlanta Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church, U. S., he has already taken up residence in Chicago with his wife and son, and will remain there until his special course of preparation is completed. When Mr. McDill assumes his active duties as a pro- fessor, he will assume responsibility for the courses in Pastoral Theology which are now taught by President Richards, and will also offer several important new courses in Pastoral Counselling and related subjects. Dr. Richards does not plan to give up all duties as a professor, however, but expects to teach certain courses in the field of Biblical Theology. It is probable that Mr. McDill will not begin his work at Columbia Sem- inary until the fall of 1953.