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eConnections

Newsletter for the College of Biblical Studies
Volume 1, Number 4
September, 2003

A Note from the Dean:

The beginning of every school year is exciting, but the start of this year in the College of Biblical Studies is especially noteworthy.  The summer and fall of 2003 brings the largest entering class we've ever had in the Graduate School of Theology. We won't know the final number for several more days, but well over 70 new students have begun their graduate work in the GST.  And of that number, around a fourth are focused on missions. This large group planning to spend their life as missionaries adds to the increased emphasis on missions and evangelism we've witnessed on campus for the last several years.  What's making the missions emphasis so exciting is the partnership we have with state university campus ministries. Many of the new GST students come from the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M, Indiana University, and other schools. We're thrilled with these developments.

The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy continues to be one of the elite programs in the country, and it has attracted a sterling first-year class. The Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry continues to be a great preparation for undergraduate students. Almost 80 new freshmen have enrolled in Bible majors courses.

There is great spirit in the college and great opportunities for the year. All of us appreciate the partnership we share with churches and church leaders around the world.

GST Faculty and Alumni are Partners in Ghana

Dr. James Thompson, associate dean of the Graduate School of Theology, taught a course on the Epistle to the Hebrews at Heritage Christian College in Accra, Ghana in July as an initial stage in a partnership between ACU and the African institution. Samuel Twumasi, an alumnus of the GST (2000) and principal of HCC, extended the invitation from the HCC board of trustees the previous year. Heritage Christian College (formerly Nationwide Bible College) invited Abilene Christian University to assist in its plans to become an accredited college in the coming decade. ACU will assist HCC by providing technical assistance, visiting faculty, and scholarships for African students who complete the requirements for the Master's degree. The ultimate goal of this partnership, according to Dr. Thompson, is to establish a center for graduate education on the continent of Africa.

"With the extraordinary growth of the Churches of Christ in Africa, the development of African leadership is a vital necessity," according to Dr. Jack Reese, dean of the GST. "We are glad to enter into a partnership that involves current African leaders and educates other African teachers and ministers for the future. This partnership is an important feature of ACU's mission."   

Alt Text This wood carving was donated by Samuel Twumasi. He wrote,  "It is my pleasure to present the little carving as a personal gift to the CBS. I do so with gratitude, and in deep appreciation of the scholarship and the quality of training I received from the Graduate School of Theology.  The name of the carver is Mr. Oduro, an African wood sculptor who lives in Ghana. I had that piece custom-made. That is, I created the idea for him to carve it out of an acacia wood, to depict the idea that ACU is like the sower who sows seeds of knowledge for Christian service and Leadership throught the World."


Integration of Faith and Learning
 By Jackie Halstead

Integration of faith and learning is an important aspect of teaching at a Christian university. As Christians we view the world through the lens of Christ, but our mission is enhanced when we are deliberate about this assimilation.
 
There is a need for an increasing level of awareness at both ACU and other sister institutions. The Center for Faith and Learning at Pepperdine University is one such program that is intentionally educating both its faculty and faculty of other Church of Christ institutions of higher learning. They offer summer seminars and bring faculty to spend a week together for the purpose of challenging and refining the understanding of faith and learning.  The faculty take this information back to their institutions and enhance those programs as well.
 
Having attended one of these seminars in the summer of 2002 with two of my ACU colleagues, I had the privilege this summer of returning and co-leading one of the seminars for women faculty.  Due to the limited number of women on the faculties of our colleges and universities, they experience some unique dynamics.  It was decided that we needed to offer an opportunity for women to come address these dynamics.  I worked with D'Esta Love, Pepperdine University Chaplain, to put together a seminar to explore issues of faith, learning, and our religious heritage as well as to address issues specific to women in leadership.
 
The week was a rich experience of bonding, learning, and growing. Faculty came from ACU, Ohio Valley College, Rochester College, York College, Lubbock Christian University, and Lipscomb College.  The participants gained an understanding of the sister institutions and took home with them a realization of our common goals as faculty in Church of Christ schools.  Opportunities like this are beneficial in opening the lines of communication and enabling us to share knowledge and resources.
 
ACU has also been addressing the integration of faith and learning in an intentional manner.  Dwayne Van Rheenan initiated a committee that addresses the integration of faith, learning, and religious heritage.  This committee has been meeting for two years and as a result has offered two weeklong seminars for faculty as well as a number of Friday forums.  It is apparent that the faculty at ACU realizes the importance of offering not only a quality education, but one that integrates faith into the curriculum in a deliberate fashion.  The growth and development of this integration will be exciting to watch.
 

A Changing of the Guard at Missions

At the end of April there was a "changing of the guard" in the Institute for Missions and Evangelism. Significant individuals have always been at the hub of what is happening in missions at ACU. Bettye Blay was the administrative assistant for the Department of Missions for many years. Phyllis Phillips became the second administrative assistant and served for seven years. When Phyllis came to ACU, she could not guarantee that she would be able to work for more than a couple of years. We are so thankful that her service extended much further. Phyllis exhibited a love for the Lord and his mission. She blessed all of us with her professional skills and her caring spirit. She always approached her work with us as ministry. We pray God's blessings on Phyllis, and her husband Dale, as they continue their ministry in Kentucky.

Alt Text With Phyllis' leaving Ginny Bolin has come to work with the Institute now. She brings great professional and church experience. We welcome Ginny and look forward to productive ministry in missions.

 


Ginny Bolin



At the end of the Spring semester, Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen announced his resignation. We are sad to see him leave, but are grateful for the years of service that Gailyn and his wife, Becky, have given to ACU. Gailyn and Becky have mentored hundreds of students over the years and given significant leadership to African Missions Fellowship. This past year they had a weekly gathering of graduate students in their home called Wednesday P.M. At this gathering students enjoyed fellowship and interacting with resource people about significant concepts related to missions. May God bless the Van Rheenens as they move into new dimensions of ministry in missions.

This Fall Dan McVey will join us as a visiting missionary. He and his wife, Brenda, come with years of significant experience. They have worked for 20 years in missions in Ghana, West Africa. During that time their emphasis has been to reach animistic and Islamic people of northern Ghana. Recently Dan completed his Masters in Muslim Studies from Columbia International University. Our students will be blessed by the expertise that Dan and Brenda bring and the spiritual quality of their lives.

Summer Seminar in Missions

This year inaugurated some significant changes to the Summer Seminar in Missions. Seminar became a three-week experience of worship, academic training, fellowship, equipping, and missionary care. For three days in the middle of Seminar participants interacted with missions resource people in what was called Missions Focus. The structure of Seminar was then, six days of academic study, three days of Missions Focus, followed by six days of academic study.

Dan McVey was the primary resource person during Missions Focus. His three topics were: Reaching Out to the Religion of Islam, The Culture of Islam, and The Spirit of Islam. In the afternoons of Missions Focus participants attended equipping groups on various topics: sharing your faith, faith response to poverty, managing stress, and financial challenges for missionaries.

This year we began to provide missionary care that was more holistic: spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical. Appreciation of missionaries was shown by giving them several books provided by ACU Press and Max Lucado. ACU also partnered with the Abilene medical community to provide free medical services to missionaries on furlough who attended Seminar. The services provided were: physicals, dental cleanings, eye examinations, and lab work. We are grateful for the physicians, dentists, optometrists, and the Hendrick Medical Center Laboratories for helping us minister to missionaries. During Seminar six missionaries made use of these services. We pray that in coming years more missionaries will attend Seminar and will enjoy the blessing of missionary care.

ElderLink Dallas 2003 Scheduled for November 8, 2003

ElderLink Dallas 2003 for elders (past, present, and future), spouses, ministers and other interested church leaders will be held beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 8, 2003, in the Cox Event Center at Dallas Christian School in Mesquite, TX. A ministry offered by ACU, ElderLink was developed to meet the serious need to equip, encourage and link those who lead and serve as elders in Churches of Christ through collaborative relationships, informative resources and shared learning experiences. 

This year's program features seven experienced church leaders who will share their understandings of the challenges elders face and offer practical resources and strategies for responding to them.  Special topics include spiritual formation, trust, pastoral prayer and leadership.  A special session for women will also be offered.  All participants will receive valuable resources to assist them in leading.

Speakers include Dr. David Wray, an elder and associate professor of missions and ministry at ACU; Dr. Kenneth Cukrowski, associate professor of Bible at ACU; Dr. Randy Lowry, an elder and staff member at Pepperdine University; Rhonda Lowry, elder's wife and adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary; Wilson "Dub" Orr, retired elder and church leadership consultant; Dr. Mark Love, assistant professor of ministry at ACU; and Dr. Charles Siburt, an elder and professor of ministry at ACU.

Sessions will include talks on providing loving "soul care" to church members, guarding against complacency in growing spiritually, being a model of spiritual growth for church members, and giving members permission to minister and supporting them in their ministry.

For brochures call Roberta Bender at 325.674.3732 or e-mail at bender@bible.acu.edu. For lodging and registration information, call Melea Edwards at 903.561.4693 or e-mail her at meleaedwar@aol.com. You also may register online at www.bible.acu.edu/ministry/ElderLink.

ElderLink Forum 2003 Northwest October 10-11, 2003

The third annual ElderLink Forum 2003 Northwest is coming to Portland, OR, October 10-11. Elders (past, present, and future), spouses, ministers and other interested church leaders are invited to this outstanding forum to be equipped and encouraged and to form links with others who lead and serve as elders in Churches of Christ. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 10, on the campus of Cascade College in Portland, the forum will feature six experienced church leaders who will share their understandings of the challenges elders face and offer practical resources and strategies for responding to them.  Special topics include worship, spiritual formation, vocation, leadership and pastoral care.  A special session for women will be conducted by D'Esta Love, chaplain of Seaver College at Pepperdine University. All participants will receive valuable resources to assist them in leading.

Speakers include Dr. Mark Love, assistant professor of ministry at Abilene Christian University; Dr. Jack Reese, dean of the College of Biblical Studies and professor of ministry at ACU; Dr. Charles Siburt, an elder and an ACU professor of ministry; John Wolfgang, elder of East County Church of Christ in Gresham, OR; and Dr. David Wray, an elder and an ACU associate professor of missions and ministry.

A ministry from Abilene Christian University in partnership with Cascade College in the northwestern United States, ElderLink Forum Northwest addresses the serious need for providing assistance to church leaders through collaborative relationships, informative resources and shared learning experiences.  For elders and their spouses desiring to enhance their effectiveness as Christian leaders, ElderLink Forum Northwest is a must-do event!

For brochures or lodging and registration information, call Cindy Wilson at Cascade College at 503.257.1207 or e-mail her at cwilson@cascade.edu. You also may register online at www.bible.acu.edu/ministry/ElderLink.

Lectures on Preaching

Make your plans now to attend ACU's Lectures on Preaching, September 18, 2003. This year's theme will be "Proclaiming the Reign of God." Featured speakers this year will be Dr. John York, Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee, and Dwight Robarts, Preaching Minister, Skillman Ave. Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas. In addition to York and Robarts' presentations, Lectures on Preaching will include breakout sessions featuring sermon content and design from passages concerning the reign of God. The highlight of Lectures on Preaching this year, as with all years, will be the luncheon when we honor longtime servants who have faithfully preached the gospel. A complete schedule will soon be available on our website Major Events .

Books Available at ACU Press

The first three books in ACU Press's Heart of the Restoration Series are being made available to local congregations at a special group discount, according to Thom Lemmons, director of ACU Press. "The books in this series were conceived and written in order to take an important place in the current discussions among Churches of Christ," Lemmons said, "and we want to do everything we can to help that discussion continue." Congregations across the country are using the books, Lemmons says, both for individual and group studies of the issues presented.

Congregations wishing to make a group purchase of one or more of the books in the Heart of the Restoration Series may send a message to this email address: lemmonst@acu.edu. For purchases of twenty or more books in the series, buyers will receive a 10% discount from the retail price. Shipping charges and sales tax for Texas residents will be added to the order.

In The Crux of the Matter: Crisis, Tradition, and the Future of Churches of Christ, Jeff Childers, Doug Foster, and Jack Reese give voice to several crucial decisions now facing Churches of Christ, placing those decisions in a comprehensive historical, cultural, and biblical context. God's Holy Fire: The Nature and Function of Scripture (Ken Cukrowski, Mark Hamilton, and James Thompson) focuses on hermeneutics, or the way members of Churches of Christ read, understand, and interpret Scripture. Future volumes in the series, all written by members of ACU's College of Biblical Studies faculty, will deal with christology, the church, and worship.

Unveiling Glory   by Frederick Aquino and Jeff Childers is the third book in the Heart of the Restoration series and will be available in mid-September.

Why did Jesus come to earth in the flesh and live among us? In what sense did he both embrace this world and reject it? How should our view of Christ form the way we live and act as Christians in our families, neighborhoods, nations, and churches? Unveiling Glory seeks to address these topics and others, boldly considering many of the problems facing Churches of Christ today and insisting that the key to their resolution lies in a deeper commitment to Jesus.

The introduction establishes the premise for the book when it declares that "approaching Christ with transformation in mind has not always been a key element in?our heritage. Yet we are convinced that whenever scripture is allowed to speak with its full voice, the notion of Christianity as transformation into the image of Christ becomes inescapable." The book seeks to deliver on this promise, leading the reader through the important events in Jesus' life and unveiling their significance for the Christian today.

Unveiling Glory will be an invaluable aid for churches and individuals as they seek to embody Christ and to bring his story to a needy world.