Newsletter for the College of Biblical Studies
Volume 2, Number 6
December, 2004

Team Quest 2004

The Institute for Missions and Evangelism is active on the ACU campus raising up teams for missions around the world.  On November 30th the first Team Quest dinner was held to celebrate what the Lord is doing on the ACU campus.  170 students, administrators and special guests gathered to hear about teams formed, teams forming, and new sites for teams.

Since 2000 ACU has helped train teams going to the Bronx, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Russia, Brazil, and Japan.  Individuals and couples have been trained and are now working in Canada, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Germany, Ukraine, Portugal, Albania, Thailand, Guinea and Swaziland.  On the evening of Team Quest we celebrated six new teams going to Australia, Miami, Belgium, Czech Republic, Thailand, and Tanzania.  Teams are forming for El Salvador, New England, Sudan, East Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, China, and Brazil.  Future sites will include Cambodia, Peru, the Muslim world, as well as other places.

We praise God for what he is doing in the lives of young men and women.  Excitement filled the room as teams were introduced and new opportunities revealed.  President Royce Money concluded the evening with a prayer of blessing on these teams who will make a difference around the world. 

Team Quest Dinner

MFT Students to Present at State Conference

Eighteen graduate students in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy will be presenting original research at the annual conference of the Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, which will be held January 26-29, 2005 in Dallas, Texas. Four groups of students will be presenting posters on research they have conducted during their graduate studies in marriage and family therapy.

Cynthia Chow, Chris Cummings, Tim Ehrhart, Katie Epps, April Sizemore, and Dr. Waymon Hinson will be presenting research that compared the efficacy of several models of marital therapy (cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, emotionally focused, and integrative) for the treatment of marital ambivalence, which is defined as marital partners' attitudes toward divorce. Couples seeking therapy at the Marriage and Family Institute will receive marital therapy guided by one of the four models included in the study. Couples will complete testing prior to treatment and testing following six weeks of therapy. Testing will measure levels of marital satisfaction and marital ambivalence.

Sara Darling, Kimberly Deaton, Mark White, and Bryan Wilhite, supervised by Dr. Jaime Goff, will be presenting research entitled, "The Relational Impact of Marriage & Family Therapy Education." The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that rigorous MFT academic and clinical requirements have on students' significant relationships. The primary goal of the study is to provide MFT graduate training programs with valuable information regarding how the relationship needs of students and their significant others should be addressed. The students are distributing their survey to MFT students across the nation electronically via the Internet.

Shaun Burrow, Christie Kerschbaum, Kristy Williams, Daniel McClellan, and Dr. Jackie Halstead will be presenting research entitled, "God, Jetlag, & the Blues: Cultural Experience & Depression." The purpose of the study was to compare depression symptomatology of foreign and domestic summer missions interns before their departure and upon their return to the United States and their home communities. One of the primary goals of this study was to raise awareness of the effects of cross-cultural experience on mental health.

Maggie Cheung, Shanon Humphrey, Amanda Prescott, Rebecca Robertson, and Shawna Spencer will be presenting research on the efficacy of experiential therapy. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether or not an experiential wilderness therapy program is helpful in aiding families with adolescents to develop cohesion and flexibility, two properties that are characteristic of healthy families. Families participating will complete testing prior to treatment and testing following the six-week program measuring family cohesion and adaptability, family environment, child maladjustment, and marital satisfaction. They are being supervised in their research by Dr. Jaime Goff.

TAMFT conference presenters are chosen through a peer-review process in which hundreds of abstracts are submitted to a review board. Graduate students in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy are required to submit an abstract for review, and although they are not guaranteed acceptance, all of ACU's MFT students were invited to present this year. The opportunity to present at this state-level conference provides students with a professional experience that will benefit their further development as professionals in the field of marriage and family therapy.

The Contemporaries Meet the Classics on the Holy Spirit

Randy Harris of the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry at Abilene Christian University has compiled a new book entitled The Contemporaries Meet the Classics on the Holy Spirit, West Monroe, La: Howard Publishing, 2004.  The book includes brief writings from some of the best writers and thinkers, both contemporary and classic.  It offers insight on the mystery of the Holy Spirit from yesterday and today.

The person of the Holy Spirit is shrouded in mystery which fascinates nearly every Christian.  How does he relate to the Father and Son?  What power does he make available to God's people?  The book is a collection of outstanding insights into the Holy Spirit from both ancient authors, such as Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley, and contemporary ones including Dallas Willard, John Stott, and Richard Foster.  Readers will find inspiration as they open their daily lives to explore the presence of God, who alone transforms us into his dwelling place.

Randy Harris teaches several courses at ACU including New Testament text courses, philosophy, ethics, preaching, and theology.  His students appreciate his wisdom, knowledge of Scripture, and passion for what he does.

From Intern to Full-Time

Sarah Bailey

Three years ago, after receiving her degree, Sarah Bailey went to Italy to join the Avanti Italia program.  This is a two-year internship where young Christians live in Florence and reach out to the community through English Bible studies.  Sarah successfully learned Italian and soon became more comfortable working with people in Italian than in English.  After the Avanti Italia contract was up, she extended her stay a year to continue helping the church. The Florence church has been blessed by Sarah's organizational and ministry skills.  Sarah has now made a five-year commitment to the work in Florence, at the invitation of the church.  The congregation has shown their confidence in Sarah by volunteering to supply one third of her needed support!  This is an indication of how well Sarah has connected culturally and ministerially.  Sarah is currently seeking the remainder of her financial support.  We praise God for this journey from student to intern to full-time minister.

GST Alumni Meet During Lectureship

Alumni of the Graduate School of Theology will gather for the first time for lunch at the Williams Performing Arts Center and an organizational meeting on Wednesday, February 23, the last day of Lectureship. Dr. Carl Holladay, Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament at Emory University's Candler School of Theology and an alumni of the GST, will speak about the challenges of ministerial education. After Dr. Holladay's presentation, the alumni will hold a brief business meeting to elect officers and present plans for the future of the Alumni Association.

The formation of the Alumni Association will be a major milestone for the GST, according to Dr. James Thompson, associate dean of the GST. "ACU has offered masters' degrees for half a century now, but the alumni of the graduate programs have maintained no mechanism for maintaining contact with each other and with the faculty," according to Dr. Thompson. "Many of our alumni come to events like Lectureship regularly, but have had no vehicle for maintaining contact with the school." The GST will maintain a database of graduates, which will allow graduates to stay in touch with each other. Annual meetings will provide opportunities for alumni to meet for discussion and renew friendships.

Membership in the Alumni Association is open to all former students of the graduate program in Bible and the Graduate School of Theology. The Association will exist to encourage mutual support among alumni, to provide resources for alumni, and to build support for the Graduate School of Theology.

ElderLink Ministry Expands

The ElderLink ministry began in 2000 with an ElderLink Forum in Dallas. The mission of ElderLink is to equip, encourage, and link those who lead and serve as elders in Churches of Christ. Since 2001 ElderLink Forum events have occurred each year in Dallas, TX and Portland, OR. Two additional ElderLink Forum events have been launched this year in Atlanta, GA (March) and in Nashua, NH (September). And two more new ElderLink Forum events will be initiated in 2005, one in Rochester, MI (January) and one in Houston, TX (April). The dates and locations for the spring ElderLink Forum events in 2004- 2005 are as follows:

Rochester, MI; January 29, 2005; Rochester College
Atlanta, GA; March 19, 2005; Campus Church of Christ
Houston, TX; April 16, 2005; Bammel Road Church of Christ

For more information about any of these events, please check the ElderLink website at www.acu.edu/ministry/elderlink.html .

2005 Annual Bible Lectureship

"Since You Have Been Raised With Christ: Messages from Colossians" is the theme of the upcoming annual Bible Lectureship, February 20-23, 2005. Theme speakers include Billy Wilson (Glasgow, Scotland), David Holmes (Malibu, CA), Harold Shank (Memphis, TN), Prentice Meador (Dallas, TX), Billy Curl (Los Angeles, CA), Phil Ware (Abilene, TX), and Randy Harris (Abilene, TX).

This year the Zoe Group will lead worship each evening, setting the tone of praise and prayer. Morning prayers, contemplative evening worship (in the Taizé style), and special singing groups each day will help make the worship experience at lectureship both diverse and full. In addition to regular lectureship features like "Art & Faith," "Forum," and "Gospel and Culture," this year a new track is being offered entitled "Marketplace Faith." Breakfasts, classes, and forum conversation will all help participants who are interested in seeing the workplace as places of ministry.

As last year, the Teague Special Events Center will host both exhibits and fellowship space. New vendors with resources for ministry will exhibit, including publishers like Eerdmans and Abingdon. Soon, the full program will be on the ACU website at http://www.acu.edu/events/lectureship.html , including a link to request printed brochures.

Future Course Offerings in Abilene

January and Spring Courses for 2005

Maymester and Summer Courses for 2005

New from ACU Press

Decades of Destiny: A History of Churches of Christ from 1900-2000

In its "Restoration 21 Retrospective" series, The Christian Chronicle offered an important look back at the history of Churches of Christ in the 20th century. Now, due to popular demand, ACU Press has teamed up with the editors of The Christian Chronicle to produce Decades of Destiny: A History of Churches of Christ from 1900-2000.

Comprising all the articles in the series, this visually appealing work allows readers to review and re-think the past, in order to equip themselves for the future. Including articles by leading historians in Churches of Christ, this attractively bound volume contains over fifty historic photographs and other illustrations.

By receiving this email, you qualify for a special, reduced price of $17.95 for this important new book.

Click here to order: http://aes.acu.edu:8080/store/detail.jsp?find=Discountdod