Newsletter for the College of Biblical Studies
ElderLink Forums are scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2007 at the North Atlanta Church of Christ in Atlanta, Ga., and for Saturday, April 28, 2007 at the Bammel Church of Christ in Houston, Texas.
The plenary speaker for the Atlanta event will be Jack Reese, Dean of the College of Biblical Studies. Other presenters will be Randy Lowry, Rhonda Lowry, Earl Lavender, Carl Holladay, Rick Marrs, Emily Lemley, Joey Cope, Roland Orr, Charles Siburt, Jerry Strader, Ken Snell, Mike Sparks, Jay Guin, Dick Savage, and Jason Thompson. Go to http://www.acu.edu/ministry/elderlink/conferences/atlanta.html for information and registration.
The plenary speaker for the Houston event will be Randy Harris. Other presenters will be James Thompson, Sonny Guild, Joey Cope, Roland Orr, Charles Siburt, Jerry Strader, Jeanene Reese, Beverly Ross, Ronnie Norman, Richard Fancer, Michael Harbour, Charlie Middlebrook, Ben Siburt, John Siburt, John Harp, and Buck Griffith. Go to
http://www.acu.edu/ministry/elderlink/conferences/houston.html for information and registration.
All participants at both events will receive a copy of Jack Reese’s book The Body Broken.
The Halbert Institute for Missions will sponsor several activities this semester, as well as the annual PreMAC, which took place Jan. 26-27. The PreMAC is a time for assessing graduate missions students and forming teams. This year, we have more students and teams attending than ever before. Thirty individuals will be assessed, including three Halbert teams going to Russia, Peru and Africa (location to be determined).
During the Lectureship Missions Luncheon last September, the creation of the Broom Colloquium for Missions and World Christianity was announced. This annual colloquium was created to honor Wendell and Betty Broom for their long and ongoing impact on missions at ACU and in Churches of Christ. The colloquium is co-sponsored by the Halbert Institute for Missions, the Graduate School of Theology, and the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry. Dr. Philip Jenkins of Penn State University will be our presenter. He is the author of numerous books such as The New Faces of Christianity and The Next Christendom. Dr. Jenkins will help us address the implications of the center of Christianity moving to the southern hemisphere. The dates for the colloquium are March 1-2. It should be an exciting event for the whole campus.
Missions Focus on May 17-19 will feature Dr. Bruce Smith speaking on the challenge of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Smith ministers to those who suffer with AIDS in California, has been a medical missionary in Guatemala, and has traveled extensively in Africa helping churches develop meaningful responses to those who suffer from this disease. The HIV/AIDS crisis is a crucial chance for God’s people to demonstrate his love and compassion. Along with this topic, others will present classes on How to Raise Healthy Third-Culture Kids, Debriefing Your Missionary, and Issues Social and Family Values. Visit our website at http://www.acu.edu/missions for more information regarding registration and housing.
Following Missions Focus, both graduate and undergraduate one-week missions courses will be offered; check the website for course offerings. All of these events are wonderful opportunities for church leaders and missionaries to enhance their ministry through missions.
Worship Ministry Program Approved
Beginning next fall (2007), the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry will offer a new degree program leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Worship Ministry. The new degree program is designed for students who want to prepare for service as worship ministry leaders. The program combines several courses required for music majors along with classes in ministry, Biblical text, theology, church history, and Biblical languages. An internship is also a feature of the program.
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| Jeremiah Gibson leading worship in amphitheater |
Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry may also choose from six other areas of emphasis including Biblical Text, Christian Ministry, Ministry to Children and Families, Missions, Vocational Missions, and Youth and Family Ministry.
Benefits Surveyed, Good Stewardship Sought
More than 800 Christian leaders (ministers, Christian school faculty and staff, children’s home staff, and leaders of non-profit Christian organizations) have recently participated in an interest survey. The survey’s purpose was to determine the level of interest in the formation of a Christian Leaders Benefits Alliance for the purpose of providing health insurance, retirement plans, discounts on books and other resources, and savings on electricity.
The interest was so high that the ACU Church Relations Team has partnered with a purchasing alliance group called Good Stewards to take the next step. Gallagher Benefits Services will soon provide information to those interested in group health insurance benefits about realistic plans and costs. They are also exploring possible retirement benefits and lower-cost electricity plans through other reputable firms.
The next step is to discover how many Christian leaders or organizations would be willing to commit to participate in a nationwide Christian Leaders Benefits Alliance. If the commitment level is sufficient, the alliance could become a reality within the next few months.
You may participate in the survey at http://websurveyor.net/l.dll/JGs50A583C8C7lhuD9U144J.htm.
God's Work Across Borders: WorldWide Witness 2007
Last year, WorldWide Witness (WWW) was pleased to send out more than 50 interns to 23 locations around the world. This year, WWW has 80 students in training for 28 international locations. New locations for 2007 interns include Jinotega, Nicaragua; Tomsk, Russia; Cebu City, Philippines; Dublin, Ireland; and Mariupal, Ukraine.
The growth of the program is not nearly as exciting as the growth of the interns, however. Johanna Hoshall (Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2006) said of her experience, "I learned how to rely on God far more than I ever had before. It was a very awakening experience in many ways." Haley Sutherland (Kampala, Uganda, 2006) said, "Words cannot articulate it, photographs cannot illustrate it – but God can take a summer and change your life." Ben Gonzalez (Auckland, New Zealand, 2006) commented, "I have reevaluated my values and how I approach people about Christ."
Interns also serve as wonderful ambassadors for Christ to missionaries, churches and host families. One national host family in Costa Rica said of the relationship they now enjoy with former interns, "We are richer because you came."
This year’s class of interns began training together at a retreat on January 26-27. The time together focused on orientation, expectations, group dynamics and worship. Following the retreat, students will be mentored weekly by Halbert Institute for Missions personnel in continental groups. Each week, students will work through new and practical case studies written by the missions coordinators. After participating in the Summer Seminar for Missions, the interns will proceed to their work on the field. We look forward to their reports and hearing how God continues to work in and through these students.
Ministers Salary Survey Now Online
For the past several years, ACU’s Church Relations Team has administered a nationwide survey to document the salary and benefits levels for ministers in Churches of Christ across the U.S. The survey results for the 2006 Ministers Salary Survey are currently on the ACU website under Ministry Resources.
The 2007 Ministers Salary Survey is now online at http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB22648HY8S57. An email will be sent to all previous participants, inviting them to click on the link for the survey, which is brief and easy to complete. All ministers are invited and encouraged to complete the survey. All information is treated as strictly confidential. The survey results will be made available by this summer.
If you would like to complete the 2007 survey, please send your email address to Charles.Siburt@acu.edu.
McMichael Becomse GST Professor
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| B. J. McMichael |
Food and Fellowship at Team Quest
Every fall, the Halbert Institute for Missions invites students, staff and faculty to a special dinner called "Team Quest". The dinner promotes missions projects at ACU and highlights opportunities for missions service.
Here are some comments from ACU students:
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| Team Quest Dinner |
"I think the part of the meeting that I enjoyed the most was watching the documentary from Burkina Faso. What an amazing story. It is so interesting to me to see and hear about the work that they are accomplishing there." – Tanna Walker
"The Halbert Institute for Missions Team Quest dinner absolutely blew me away. I went into this dinner with the idea of getting extra credit for a class but I walked away with so much more. It was amazing to witness all the people there who truly have a heart for missions... One example of this was when two men stood up and prayed in two different languages. That completely floored me; they believe so much that they learned a different language so that they could communicate with others." – Shealynn Davis
Ministers Support Network Sabbaticals
The mission of the Ministers Support Network is to care for ministers and their families as they face the challenges of ministry by providing spiritual nurture, supportive relationships, and wise coaching.
In its 10 years of existence, MSN has served over 300 minister couples through a series of four-day encouragement retreats. The four staff couples who lead this ministry are Paul and Gladys Faulkner, Eddie and Annette Sharp, Charles and Judy Siburt, and David and Jeanne Wray. Guest couples are invited by their own request or by recommendation from another church leader.
Three MSN Sabbaticals are scheduled for this year (March, July, and October) at Summers Mill Retreat in Belton, Texas. The facilities, food and fellowship are all superb, and the only cost for guest couples is the expense for their travel to the retreat, and churches may assist with that expense.
If you or someone you know might benefit from participating in an MSN Sabbatical, contact Charles Siburt at Charles.Siburt@acu.edu or call Sandy Lowe (CBS Events Coordinator) at 325-674-3701.
Marriage and Family Institute Gets A Face-Lift
This spring, the Marriage and Family Institute will undergo a transformation. The Marriage and Family Institute (MFI) is operated as part of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy and staffed by the master’s students who are training to be therapists. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the clinic is going to be remodeled.
The Marriage and Family Institute allows the students the opportunity to gain experience and expertise as they minister to clients from Abilene and the surrounding communities. The clientele the MFI serves is a population that often falls between the cracks when it comes to mental health care. The average client does not have insurance to pay for counseling and does not have the financial resources to pay the average fee of $85 to $120 for a licensed psychotherapist in the community. Although the clinic has been a wonderful asset through the years, it is showing its age.
In partnership with the donor, the Department of MFT has the distinct pleasure of working to provide a warm and inviting area for all the clients. Moreover, the clientele will continue to receive quality care from the interns-in-training. We hope clients will recognize that this counseling center is one place in which they are valued and viewed as people worthy of respect and honor.
From Abilene to Zagreb: Starting the Story Again
by Mark Hamilton
A fan of Marshal Tito, an American daughter of a Croatian immigrant, a young married couple from Slovenia, a budding philosopher, an Austrian preacher and businessman, and church leaders – all these were the students who took their first GST course this May in Zagreb, Croatia. Vlado, Juliana, Nina, Andrej, Ivan, Thomas, Alex, and Damir spent a week with me working through the vagaries and delights of Old Testament theology. Tom Sibley, their teacher and the director of the Biblijski Institut, and his wife Sandra were gracious hosts during my eight days in Croatia.
Croatia became independent in 1992 after being part of Yugoslavia since 1919, and before that, part of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. Its Adriatic coastline was the homeland of St. Jerome, of Vulgate fame, as well as other historically significant persons and events. Zagreb, the capital, was founded in 1091, destroyed by the Mongols in 1242, and rebuilt shortly thereafter, quickly growing into the principal town of the region. The great cathedral of St. Stephen rises above the center of the city, as it has for almost 400 years.
The Biblijski Institut is operated by Churches of Christ, but it draws students and teachers from several evangelical groups and maintains good relations with others. Students receive a BA, and many expect to go on to graduate education, especially as ACU opens the door to new opportunities in eastern Europe.
The Institut’s first graduation took place this May, and I had the privilege of giving their first commencement address in the Mimara Museum, which houses an extraordinary collection of Old Masters. Calling the audience to a life of service for the Kingdom takes on new meaning when paintings by Rembrandt and Van Dyck stare down upon students as they hear the story of the gospel’s light breaking into the world. One extraordinary painting by Raphael portrays Luke the Evangelist, pen and paper in hand, staring into heaven waiting for the next word as he writes his gospel. The beauty of inspiration and the inspiration of beauty appear in one scene, perfectly fitting our occasion as we send students off into the world.
There were many extraordinary things to see in Croatia, in addition to works of art. My sole day of sightseeing took a group of us to Plitvice National Park, Croatia’s answer to Yosemite. The waterfalls, crystal-clear lakes, and lush forests invite the whole country to rise above the grind of daily life to consider something deeper.
Yet things even more beautiful occurred with our new students. Most are first-generation Christians, the children of communism. They search for deeper meaning, and they seek to help others in that search. On the night of our post-graduation party, I heard one student’s father, himself an agnostic, say to his son (to paraphrase a bit), "Son, I’ve never understood your interest in Christianity till now. But when I see the love in this room, I see what you’ve been saying to me."
I wish Luke could have written that down. It’s up to us to help our new students and friends in Croatia finish the story.
