Newsletter of the College of Biblical Studies
November 2007

Message from the Dean

Reading through the articles in this issue of eConnections, it’s hard not to think about the impact our students and graduates are having around the world. Those who are enrolled in the College of Biblical Studies now as well as thousands of our graduates who are scattered around the world are making a profound difference in the work of the kingdom.

This was on my mind a few weeks ago when I saw a number of our graduates at a special event in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The occasion was the installation of the first chaplain in the history of MIT. One of the greatest scientific institutions in the world had decided to create a position of chaplain, someone to help care for the souls, minds, and hearts of faculty and students. Only one name was considered for this position. There was only one choice, really, a person who had already been functioning as a spiritual guide and pastor in his long-time role in the campus life office. It was no surprise, when the decision was made to create the position of Chaplain to the Institute, that Dr. Robert Randolph was chosen. It could have been no one else.

So folks from all over Cambridge and Boston gathered for the installation—students and faculty from MIT, representatives of various campus and community organizations, faculty from area-wide universities and seminaries, guests and friends from the area and across the country. The main speaker, Dr. Peter Gomes, was from Harvard. Gifts were given and words of praise offered from every conceivable source—the students association, graduate students, faculty, alumni, area-wide chaplains, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and many others, all those to whom Bob has been ministering through these years with grace and kindness, who had witnessed the life of Christ in Bob’s words and actions. The president of MIT spoke the words of installation and the crowd rose in thunderous applause. An extraordinary moment, to be sure.

On that night at that august school, an alumnus of the Bible Department at ACU, a faithful minister of a Church of Christ, was introduced as chaplain. And in the audience, from across the country, were other alums and friends, some who graduated 40 years ago or more, some just last year, all participating in the celebration, all sharing in the moment.

I stood back for a while at the reception afterwards, watching the interactions and listening to the conversations. A lot of folks in the room were talking about ACU and Churches of Christ, some who knew little or nothing about this school or our fellowship. They spoke words of praise and appreciation for our heritage and this institution. It was hard not to feel the powerful impact of those who have taught here over the last several decades and the hundreds of graduates who serving their communities faithfully. I was grateful to be a part of this legacy.

I share that story to say that what happens here is making a difference. Whether in public or quiet ways, the impact of the lives and ministries of students who study here is remarkable. You will see in the following articles just a glimpse of what’s going on in the College of Biblical Studies during these exciting days. May God be glorified for his work among us, in this place and throughout the world.

Jack R. Reese
Dean, College of Biblical Studies

New Director of Ministry Events Appointed

The College of Biblical Studies is pleased to announce the appointment of Brady Bryce as the new Director of Ministry Events. Brady has been the preaching minister for the Singing Oaks Church of Christ in Denton, TX, where he has served since 1999. Brady is an engaging preacher and teacher. He is regularly invited to speak and preach to church gatherings, lectureships, and workshops.

Brady received three degrees from ACU: a B.A. (1995), and M.S. focusing on congregational ministry (1999), and a Masters of Divinity (1999). He has completed his coursework for his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary and will graduate in June of 2008.

His responsibilities will include directing the annual ACU Lectureship, coordinating various ministry-related events both on and off campus, helping equip church leaders for effective congregational ministry, and preparing ACU students for the work of ministry through teaching and mentoring. He will teach three courses in the college as an adjunct professor. Brady will also play a vital role on the CBS Leadership Team.

He is married to Donna (Harding) Bryce, also a graduate of ACU. They have a son Nathan and a daughter Lizzie.

"Brady is a gifted preacher and teacher," says Dean Jack Reese, "a person with great organizational abilities who is ideally suited to take on this crucial role. We are thrilled he will be part of our team."

He is replacing Dr. Mark Love, who has been instrumental in transforming Lectureship and other ministry events over the past several years. Mark is on a university leave of absence doing Ph.D . work at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

MFT Department Welcomes Class of 2009

The new first year cohort of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy has begun classes at ACU.

MFT Class of 2009

They are in early stages of adjustment to the rigors of graduate education; however, they come fully prepared from a variety of institutions, cities, and states from across the country and are settling in to their two-year course of study. Their degrees are from a variety of educational institutions including ACU, Tarleton State, Brigham Young University, Grambling, University of North Carolina, the University of Texas, and York College. Their undergraduate degrees are in such diverse disciplines as psychology, family studies, ministry, education, and English.

Though different in denominational affiliation, all come with a passion for serving the Kingdom in a wide range of contexts including ultimately earning doctoral degrees and teaching, providing care to mission teams, and working in private practice, agency, and church-based settings.

Graduate Work at Heritage Christian College, Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Library at HCC in Accra, Ghana

This summer the GST offered three courses at Heritage Christian College (HCC) in Accra, Ghana. Drs. James Thompson and Tim Sensing overlapped their courses, Biblical Exegesis and Expository Preaching, to provide an integrated look at the practice of preaching through the book of Philippians. Three American students, Kavian McMillon, Candace Nicolds, and Jamey Walters joined the Ghanaians in this enriching cross-cultural experience. Dr. Charles Siburt taught Managing Conflict in Churches two weeks later. Samuel Twumasi, director of HCC and MAR graduate of ACU, noted how much all three courses contributed to the welfare of the church in Ghana. Several of the Ghanaian students are pursuing graduate studies at ACU with Fred Asare completing 21 hours thus far.

Sensing stated, "All the Ghanaian students introduced themselves by noting that they were converted through World Bible School. And the results of that ministry filled our classroom with godly and capable servants of Christ." Sensing was able to preach at two congregations. Samuel Twumasi translated the sermons in Twi. The Nsawan Road Church of Christ, where Samuel preaches, averages over 2000 members and has the only deaf ministry in Accra.

Sensing, McMillon, Nicolds, and Walters also visited the redemptive ministry of the Village of Hope, directed by Fred Asare. The Village of Hope offers an orphanage, school, and medical clinic that is receiving international acclaim.

The GST plans to continue its relationship with HCC with Dr. Doug Foster scheduled to teach Restoration History next summer.

New Book for Elders and Leaders

Good Shepherds, a new book designed to serve as a resource for elders and other congregational leaders, was released in September during the annual ACU Lectureship. The volume is the second co-edited by David Fleer and Charles Siburt and is published by Leafwood Publishers. All essays included in the book offer insightful and practical perspectives on church life and leadership. The seven contributing writers are as follows: Jeff Childers (ACU), Virgil Fry (Life line Chaplaincy, Houston, TX), Randy Harris (ACU), Carl Holladay (Emory University, Atlanta, GA), John Siburt (Richardson East Church of Christ, Richardson, TX), James Thompson (ACU), and Paul Watson (Cole Mill Road Church of Christ, Durham, NC).

Elderlink Forum Set for Fall

The mission of the ElderLink Ministry is to equip, encourage, and link those who lead and serve as elders in Churches of Christ. Dallas ElderLink Forum will be on Saturday, November 10 at the Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas, TX.

The information link is http://www.acu.edu/ministry/elderlink/conferences/dallas.html.

Remember that all ElderLink events are for elders, former elders, future elders, ministers, spouses of church leaders, and anyone interested in church leadership. For more information about any ElderLink event, please contact Sandy Lowe at 325-674-3701 or lowe@bible.acu.edu.

Christian Leaders Benefits Alliance Still Working on Group Health Insurance Project

For several months, Charles Siburt and several other Christian leaders have been working on the formation of a nationwide group health insurance plan for ministers, church staff, Christian non-profit organizations, K-12 Christian School personnel, and missionaries. A census pool of approximately 1900 Christian leaders has been gathered, and some significant progress has been made in recent weeks. If necessary, the possibility of forming our own self-funded insurance group to provide this benefit to Christian leaders nationwide will be considered. Anyone interested in participating in this group can contact Dr. Charles Siburt at 325-674-3732 or Charles.Siburt@acu.edu.

Deadline for Doctor of Ministry Applications Approaching

If you are interested in applying to the Doctor of Ministry Program, now is the time to begin the application process. The deadline for submitting your completed application is January 31, 2008. Application requirements include a completed application form, an accredited Master of Divinity degree or its educational equivalent, official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, a GRE (Graduate Record Exam) score, plus references and other documents. The next cohort of D.Min. students will begin their course work in June, 2008. ACU’s Doctor of Ministry Degree is fully accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and ATS (Association of Theological Schools). For more information, check the Doctor of Ministry web page at http://www.acu.edu/academics/cbs/programs/gst/degrees/dmin/index.html or contact Dr. Charles Siburt Director of the Doctor of Ministry, at 325-674-3732 or Charles.Siburt@acu.edu.

Changes in the DBMM

After nine years of dedicated service, David Wallace recently stepped down as the Associate Chair of the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry. We are grateful for his years of hard work and excellent leadership. While it is hard to envision our department without him in that role, we are excited that he will be able to spend more time in the classroom. We are confident this transition will be a blessing to him and the many students he will impact for years to come.

This semester we introduced two “super sections” of Life and Teachings of Jesus. Randy Harris and Mike Cope teach these sections of over two hundred students each. Twenty graduate students help facilitate the learning process by leading small group discussions every Friday. We are excited that so many students have the opportunity to learn from these two great professors while also forming community under the guidance of capable GST students.

The DBMM has established a site on Facebook in order for students, alumni and friends to stay connected. Please visit the site at http://acu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2426594723

DBMM Faculty Publications

Dr. Glenn Pemberton has written a new book entitled When God Calls: Will You Trust Me Now?. This insightful book examines many of the "call" narratives in Scripture and asks us all "to discover and faithfully respond to God’s call today." The church will be blessed immensely by this informative and challenging work.

We are also excited about Dr. Edward Robinson’s recently published book To Save My Race From Abuse: The Life of Samuel Robert Cassius. You will be blessed by this incisive and penetrating examination of such a significant character in the Restoration Movement. We are extremely grateful for the hard work and expertise Edward has invested in telling this important story.

Update from the Halbert Institute for Missions

The 2007-2008 school year will be a banner year for the Halbert Institute for Missions. During the last couple of years six training modules for missionaries and mission teams have been developed. This year continuing work will be done to initiate all of the training modules with teams going to Russia, Peru, Australia, and other places.

Fall semester is always an exciting time with WorldWide Witness interns returning from their summer missions internships. This past summer 80 interns went out to serve the Lord in 28 mission locations and two students went to serve for a longer period of time as apprentices. The Lord will work in many more hearts this year and that new records will be set.

Several regular events help make missions visible on campus and create vision in the hearts of students. Missions Connections Night in September will again integrate new students into mission opportunities at ACU. The November TeamQuest dinner will highlight teams that are forming on the ACU campus. Also, the initial showing of a documentary filmed this summer about the Chaing Mai team in northern Thailand. The story of their twelve years in Thailand will encourage everyone.

The Wendell and Betty Colloquium for Missions and Global Christianity had its inaugeration last spring with Dr. Philip Jenkins’ coming to our campus to speak about global shifts in Christianity. Dr. Jenkins interacted with undergraduate and graduate students as well as staff and faculty. Next Spring HIM will welcome Dr. Leonard Sweet of Drew University to our campus. He will address the reality of new expressions of church in a changing world.

Summer Seminar in Missions will continue to offer great learning opportunities for our students as well as leaders in churches. The Missions Focus component of that event will feature Tom Wymore. His material will have significant application to churches who support missionaries, individuals who serve as mentors, and church leaders concerned about helping others grow spiritually.