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"celebrations" includes stories about PTS programs, faculty, students, and alums for which we are thankful and celebrate.

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Page 1: celebrations 2012

celebrations

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Page 2: celebrations 2012

We are thankful for the many reasons that God has given the Pittsburgh Seminary community to celebrate!

PTS recently welcomed new faculty members. Dr. Jessica DeCou is teaching three electives on her special interests. The Rev. Dr. Angela Dienhart Hancock is working to build a vibrant worship program. The Rev. Dr. Heather Hartung Vacek is leading students through history lessons and Tweeting about today’s church.

Continuing Education offered more than 40 programs for church and lay leaders. In addition to the annual lectureships that allow international speakers to address the campus community about the Church around the world, a group also visited the Greek Isles to learn more about historically significant biblical sites.

The World Mission Initiative held its biennial conference addressing the “Relevant Church in a Changing World.” Additionally, WMI sent more than 60 people to learn about the ministry challenges in Nepal, a Hindu nation; to work with an alumna in a health clinic in Trinidad and Tobago; and to serve youth in Southeast Asia in addition to taking other cross-cultural trips.

Since the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly was held in Pittsburgh, the Miller Summer Youth Institute scholars learned about Presbyterian polity, theology, worship and sacraments, and understanding of Scripture. Following GA, they discussed the events and decisions with today’s leading theologians, scholars, and authors.

Our alums continue to grow innovative worship communities. The Rev. Chris Brown ’08 and the Rev. Michael Gehrling ’08, co-pastors of the Upper Room—a church plant in Pittsburgh—were featured in a PCUSA video highlighting the impact of theological education. Watch it online: www.pts.edu/Church_Planting.

As the Seminary celebrates these blessings, we pause to thank God for what is happening at PTS and to thank each one of you for your support through your prayers and resources.

celebrationsPittsburgh Theological Seminary 616 North Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-362-5610 / Admissions 1-800-451-4194 www.pts.edu

Managing Editor Melissa S. Logan ([email protected])

Editorial Board The Rev. Carolyn Cranston ‘99 The Rev. Byron H. Jackson, Ed.D. Thomas J. Pappalardo Connie Gundry Tappy

For changes of address call 412-924-1388 or e-mail [email protected].

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa., and annually enrolls more than 300 students in its degree programs. The Seminary prepares pastors and Christian leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is scripturally grounded, broadly Reformed, ecumenically minded, and culturally relevant.

President The Rev. William J. Carl III, Ph.D.

Vice President for Planning and Insitutional Effectiveness James R. Downey, Ph.D.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Ann L. Getkin

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty The Rev. Byron H. Jackson, Ed.D.

Vice President for Strategic Advancement and Marketing Thomas J. Pappalardo

Vice President for Student Service and Dean of Students The Rev. John C. Welch ’02

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JOINT DEGREE PREPARES ALUM TO SERVE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Following graduation, Darren Belajac ’12 had three career options: work in a traditional legal job, become an ordained pastor, or find a way to combine law and theology. Darren—the second person to complete the Master of Divinity / Juris Doctor joint degree program with Pittsburgh Seminary and Duquesne University’s School of Law—decided on the latter.

“I knew that I wanted to do social justice work. There’s some potential for that in the church,” says Darren, “but I just didn’t think that a traditional program would give me the tools to do the level of work I wanted, so I explored the joint degree.”

After being admitted to the Seminary’s M.Div. program, Darren was reading the Seminary’s website for additional information. That’s when he discovered that the five-year program, which grants degrees from both schools, would allow him to avoid choosing just one area of study. He could pursue both interests and graduate with more career options.

Darren now serves as director of planning for East Liberty Development Inc., a nonprofit organization working to plan, advocate, facilitate, and invest in the community’s revitalization. Through community planning efforts, Darren and ELDI are working to create a mixed-income, stable, and sustainable neighborhood that has a place for everyone.

Part of ELDI’s strategy has been to elevate real estate market values so that homeowners gain equity in their houses and can therefore justify investing in their neighborhood. At the same time, ELDI has also developed and advocated for high-quality, long-term affordable housing in the neighborhood to ensure that the desired rise in housing market rates does not lead to the displacement of low-income populations. This strategy has seen great success in building wealth for low-income homeowners, while also providing low-

income renters with opportunities to remain in the neighborhood as it improves.

For example, a few years ago ELDI partnered with Open Hand Ministries, a community-based agency started by Michael Stanton ’06 that renovates dilapidated houses in local neighborhoods. The partnership helped sell a home to a low-income resident for $50,000. Some two years later, ELDI developed a market-rate home next door—a home that sold to a Google employee for $315,000. Suddenly, the low-income Open Hand client had $100,000 worth of equity in her home—its market value increased overnight simply by its proximity to the new home. “You now have an upper-income homeowner living next door to a person who worked with charity organizations to acquire her house,” says Darren. “I’ve never seen a better strategy for building wealth for low- and middle-income persons, most of whom have their primary asset in their home, while also fostering a truly mixed-income community.”

Each day Darren is able to use the skills gained from his joint degree. He’s involved in land-use and zoning-law agreements, as well as community building and advocacy conversations. “When I told people about my joint degree program, they didn’t understand how the two could fit together,” says Darren. “It’s always made sense to me, though. Central to both the Christian and Western legal traditions are the concepts of equity and justice. If church and law don’t immediately conjure these concepts for people, then they are missing the point.”

Learn MoreTo learn about the M.Div. / JD joint degree program—or the Seminary’s other joint degree programs in social work with the University of Pittsburgh or public policy with Carnegie Mellon University—visit the Seminary’s website: www.pts.edu/joint-degrees.

“. . . I just didn’t think that a traditional program would give me the tools to do the level of work I wanted, so I explored the joint degree.”

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SEMINARY WELCOMES PENTECOSTAL BARTH SCHOLAR

A new face and a fresh perspective grace our campus this year in the person of Dr. Jessica DeCou. Born to Pentecostal ministers and following in their theological tradition, Jessica developed—perhaps surprisingly—an interest in Karl Barth during her doctoral program at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She recently completed her dissertation on Barth’s understanding of culture and describes her interaction with his writings as a “conversion experience.” In an interview earlier this year, Jessica elaborated the development of her theological approach.

“Being raised by two Pentecostal preachers did not inhibit my love of popular culture,” she noted. “At church, my grandma would often take popular songs from her youth and adjust the lyrics to turn them into gospel songs. My mother and aunt would do the same on their sheet music for love songs of the 70s and 80s. Growing up in this kind of environment meant that I had

to think theologically about popular culture from the start.”

We are all consumers of popular entertainment, so in today’s media-saturated environment, developing critical tools for engaging pop culture is essential not only for theologians and clergy, but also for all who seek to understand the relationship between their faith commitments and their responsibilities as cultural consumers. “I strongly believe that popular culture has unique contributions to make to human flourishing,” Jessica says.

An ongoing problem in academic theology is that this kind of work is often not very useful or relevant to clergy or their congregations. Working with the Louisville Institute, however, has helped Jessica to recognize the need for regular, meaningful conversations between theologians working in the academy and theologians working in ministry. “And yes,” she says, “I believe every minister is also always a theologian.” The eventual objective of even the most theoretical research is to have some practical import for the “real world.” All theology must be, in some sense, practical theology. “So I felt that the best way to make my own work relevant was to try to develop a course on the subject specifically with ministry students in mind.”

As lecturer in systematic theology at Pittsburgh Seminary during the 2012-2013 school year, Jessica is teaching three elective courses that focus on her special interests. One class studies theology in relation to popular culture as expressed, for example, in television shows. Another elective explores eschatology—in the same month as the notorious Mayan prediction puts the end of the world! Her third course examines pneumatology and gives special attention to the conversation between the Reformed and Pentecostal traditions.

Already experienced and active in teaching, research, and publication, and with multiple academic awards and honors to her credit, Jessica is challenging our community of scholar-pastor-theologians in creative ways this year.

“Being raised by two Pentecostal preachers did not inhibit my love of popular culture.”

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FELLOWSHIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE CONTEXTUALIZED EVANGELISM

Senior M.Div. student Amanda Maguire covered a lot of miles this summer as the Seminary’s Valentour World Travel Fellowship winner. Established in 1999, the fellowship is awarded annually to a middler student for up to 12 weeks of travel to non-western countries for the purpose of learning about their cultures. As this year’s recipient, Amanda traveled throughout Asia and Africa to see for herself how contextualized evangelism has led to the burgeoning growth of Christianity in non-western countries.

A native South Carolinian, Amanda grew up in the church and during college sensed her call to ministry. As youth director at First Presbyterian Church of Orangeburg, S.C., her interest in youth ministry and mission grew, until after two years in that position she decided to attend seminary. Amanda chose PTS largely because of the outreach opportunities afforded through the World Mission Initiative. During her first two years at PTS, she participated in WMI trips to Brazil and Southeast Asia.

“I was surprised to learn in my Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class that today Christianity is growing fastest in non-western countries,” Amanda reflected in her application for the Valentour Fellowship. During her WMI trip to Brazil, she was impressed with the eagerness of Brazilian Christians about evangelism, mission, and discipleship. “Their model of [contextualized] evangelism is very effective but not always used in our Western churches,” she noted.

So this summer Amanda visited several countries to observe and experience the methods of evangelism being used by non-Western Christians to “expand the Church in their unique contexts,” some of which are quite religiously restrictive. Her objective was to meet with church leaders, students, and professors to learn their approaches so that afterwards she could compare them with and apply them to North American contexts.

Amanda’s first stop was South Korea, where she found that Christians are committed not only to individual prayer at home, but also to daily communal prayer at church before going to work in the morning. In China, where open evangelism is prohibited, she experienced Christians’ creativity in using elaborate dance and musical productions to attract crowds of people who could then be invited to church. She was inspired by the perseverance of Malaysian Christians; economic discrimination against them is routine, since all job applications require stating one’s religion in this predominantly Muslim country.

Ninety percent of the residents in the village Amanda visited outside Nairobi, Kenya, are Christians actively engaged in their faith and in spreading the gospel. On Sundays, a tent church in Nairobi attracts 5,000 to the adult pavilion, and thousands more to the young adult, youth, and children’s tents. In South Africa, Christians engage in evangelism largely through education and outreach to HIV orphans and the homeless.

“The Christians I encountered this summer truly try to embody their faith in their everyday life. For them, Christianity is not compartmentalized, not something they practice on Sunday morning and ignore the rest of the week,” Amanda reflects. “Compared to Western Christians, most are poor—their faith is what they have. It helps them through the difficult circumstances of life, and they want to share it with others. They are invested in their faith. We tend to be invested in our stuff.”

After returning to the U.S., Amanda looked forward to reflecting further on these themes in a paper that integrates her summer experiences and the ways in which they have transformed her approach to ministry and evangelism.

“The Christians I encountered this summer truly try to embody their faith in their everyday life.”

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ALUM GROUP PROVIDES SPACE FOR LISTENING AND LEARNING

A self-proclaimed “big nerd,” Michael Holohan ’10 recently gathered with fellow alums to read and discuss Reformed theology. “The opportunity to study these books with highly intelligent people is great!”

Through the Foundation for Reformed Theology, Mike met for the first time with Kelsy Brown ’10 (group organizer), Ben Graves ’09, Nadia Buzzeli Mullin ’09, and Nathan Leslie ’10. At the time member Rebecca Jones ’11 was serving in Zambia as a global ministry fellow of Madison Avenue PC, New York.

The Foundation for Reformed Theology believes that the faith and life of the church can best be upheld, sustained, and reformed through the church’s own historic faith and practices, particularly preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. For this reason, the Foundation provides annual one-week fellowship opportunities for small groups of pastors to study a variety of topics. Mike’s colleagues comprise the second such group of PTS alums.

All members of the cohort read the same books and then examine how the texts fit into their theology and can shape their ministry. During this gathering, Mike and the others read some of pastor and seminary professor John Leith’s works on Reformed theology. The Foundation also provides suggested syllabi on a variety of other topics, both classic and contemporary.

The opportunity benefits Mike and his cohort for a number of reasons. Often, pastors are called to serve in communities where they may not know anyone. Gatherings such as this one allow ministry leaders to talk objectively to people outside their congregation about issues within their churches. Knowing that others are experiencing similar struggles and victories fosters a sense of community. “The groups provide opportunities for the care and feeding of pastors,” says Mike.

Likewise, the meetings provide for intellectual growth. “As pastors, we need to be challenged to grow—constantly,” says Mike. “Reading more about Reformed theology is one way to do that.” Gathering with alums who have a common experience and an existing relationship maximizes the growth and support that take place.

For Mike, the group’s theological diversity is a particular strength. “Our society is losing the ability to come together and discuss things we disagree on,” he says. “Often we decamp to the sides where we feel comfortable. But groups like this provide a place for Christians to come together. We can work on listening to those on the other side of issues and better articulate our own views.”

As the director of ministries at Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community—a Pittsburgh church plant of the PCUSA and Methodist Church—Mike performs administrative tasks as well as pastoral duties. The Foundation group enhances and extends his seminary education, which provided him with a good background for discussing Reformed theology. Best of all, “Sharpening my communication skills through this group helps me do my job better,” Mike concludes.

“As pastors, we need to be challenged to grow—constantly. . . . Reading more about Reformed theology is one way to do that.”

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FELLOWSHIP FUNDS FURTHER RESEARCH AND REPORTING ON PTS DIG SITES

In a Memorial Minute to Paul Lapp (1930-1970), former professor of Old Testament and archaeology at Pittsburgh Seminary, faculty colleagues remembered Paul for his significant contributions to the field of archaeology. In their reflections, the faculty wrote, “Original research of amazing magnitude awaits publication. Where is the one who is as rigorously honest and as completely disciplined with the mind as sharply honed as Paul Lapp, who will comprehend the work done and continue the intense search for truth?”

The answer turned out to be Nancy Lapp, Paul’s widow and curator emerita of the Seminary’s Kelso Bible Lands Museum.

For three months last spring, Nancy lived and worked in Jordan while she researched and published the results of Paul’s field work. The American Center of Oriental Research—Jordanian affiliate of the American Schools of Oriental Research—funded Nancy’s spring fellowship. Since ASOR’s founding in 1900, the Seminary has both organized and participated in numerous field projects in cooperation with the organization. Today’s Seminary-sponsored Zeitah Excavations, under the direction of Professor Ron Tappy, is an ASOR-affiliated project.

Nancy and Paul Lapp lived in Jordan from 1960-1968. Since that time Nancy has returned every two to three years, often through study grants and as a leader of PTS Continuing Education trips. This latest stay in Jordan marked Nancy’s third fellowship to publish Paul’s work, which has included reports of excavations at Arâq el-Emîr, Tell el-Fûl, the caves of Wâd� ed-Dâliyeh, the necropolis of Bâb edh-Dhrâ, Tell er Rumeith, and Taanach. “It’s like going to a second home,” Nancy says.

“Material culture” unearthed during an excavation provides historical evidence of similarities among people and differences between them. When archaeologists dig into the ground and displace an artifact, they

simultaneously destroy the historical context—the clues that help to determine an artifact’s use, meaning, and significance.

“To preserve the historical and cultural information about any artifact, therefore, you have to keep careful records,” explains Nancy. “Writing reports to share with other researchers and students is an essential part of all archaeological activities,” she notes.

While doing her research this spring, Nancy was also able to host Karen Bowden Cooper, curator of the Bible Lands Museum and lecturer in Hebrew. During their time together, Nancy and Karen visited a number of the Seminary’s excavation sites in addition to other historically significant locations.

In Petra, Nancy and Karen met up with a BBC crew filming a feature on the far reaches of the Roman Empire. Their guide, Chris Tuttle—associate director of the American Center of Oriental Research—introduced Nancy as a “heroine” in admiration of her persistence in publishing Paul’s findings.

Nancy retired in 2000 after 30 years of service to Pittsburgh Seminary. “In retirement you get to choose how you spend your time. I’m grateful to the Seminary for affording me the space and facilities to continue this work.”

Learn MoreMany of the artifacts excavated during Paul’s trips are now on display at the Seminary’s Bible Lands Museum. Plan your visit soon! During the academic year, hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Tours are available by appointment; call 412-924-1394 or visit www.pts.edu/museum. Admission is free.

”To preserve the historical and cultural information about any artifact . . . you have to keep careful records.”

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FORMER WMI PARTICIPANT NOW LEADS MISSION TRIPS

While a student at Pittsburgh Seminary, the Rev. Ellen Dawson ’09 (second from left) worked in the World Mission Initiative Office to complete her financial aid work-support hours. Not only did she earn extra income for her education, but she also learned how to be a mission leader. “My time at Pittsburgh Seminary and specifically my work with WMI undoubtedly prepared me for my current ministry,” says Ellen. She now serves as the Presbyterian Campus Minister at the University of Arizona, a Validated Ministry and mission of the Presbytery de Cristo. In her role, Ellen oversees worship, fellowship events, pastoral care, and mission service.

Since Ellen arrived in Arizona, she’s led university mission teams to La Oroya, Peru, and Las Vegas, Nevada. To prepare for these trips, she turned to her WMI experiences for guidance. Through the Initiative, Ellen had learned about the preparation and debriefing aspect of mission trips. She required her students to participate in both pre-trip training and post-trip debriefing

sessions. “Upon our return, we had to speak to area congregations, so I encouraged the students to share their stories, not just show pictures. WMI taught me that talking about a mission trip is about sharing how Christ was revealed through the people you met and the things you experienced,” says Ellen.

In 2011, Ellen’s student group and partners from the Joining Hands Network Peru—a ministry of the Presbyterian Hunger Program—traveled to La Oroya, a community whose health has been severely compromised by the smelting operations at Doe Run Company. With permission from La Oroya’s mayor, the team and their Peruvian hosts were painting a mural on a wall near the smelter when about 200 people, allegedly Doe Run employees, verbally and physically attacked them. No one was seriously injured, but the students were disappointed they were unable to complete the mural.

After arriving home, the group met to discuss possible ways to finish the project. The team decided to redraw the mural onto small canvas boards and distribute them to congregations across Tucson for completion. “Sharing the story of the attack was important, but sharing the connection was even more important,” Ellen says. The mural arrived in La Oroya in May 2012.

This past spring Ellen led a team of six college students to Las Vegas to work with homeless youth, serve neglected and abandoned children, and learn about the overall connection of those problems to the human trafficking epidemic. Drawing from a WMI experience in Southeast Asia, on the last night of the trip Ellen led the students on a prayer walk through the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “We split into two teams to pray for all the people we had met that week. The prayer walk was one of the most memorable and powerful experiences of the students’ lives,” says Ellen.

Learn MoreTo learn more about the resources available to churches and mission trip leaders, contact the World Mission Initiative at 412-924-1402 or visit www.worldmissioninitiative.org.

“WMI taught me that talking about a mission trip is about sharing how Christ was revealed through the people you met . . . .“

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HEARTED FOR PASTORING, HEADED FOR ETHICS

How did a third-generation Presbyterian from Upper Egypt find his way to South Jersey? Mouris Yousef '07 followed the ethical path.

Mouris grew up in a town about four hours south of Cairo. His longtime-Christian ancestors had embraced Reformed theology when the UPC brought Presbyterianism to Egypt in 1856. Their doing so put them in a 10 percent religious minority.

By necessity a strong Christian, Mouris went straight from high school to the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, and straight from ordination in the Egyptian Presbyterian Church to a call in El-Tiaba, an hour north of his hometown.

Still, a latent interest of Mouris’ stayed on his mind: studying Christian ethics—a subject area his alma mater lacked. Enter a group of Reformed Church in America visitors to the Synod of the Nile—and to Mouris’ model church. Their visit led to an invitation from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, where Mouris could study ethics.

But an assignment in Kuwait, and then Mouris’ marriage to Margaret deferred the opportunity for two years. And a good thing, too, for otherwise Mouris may never have met the Pittsburgh Seminary professor who visited New Brunswick when Mouris finally made it there to study.

Mouris kept in touch with that PTS professor after completing his program and returning to Egypt. Two years later the offer of a Pittsburgh Seminary scholarship got him thinking about an S.T.M. But by now he and Margaret were parents. His scholarship covered only his expenses, not his family’s. A yearlong separation wouldn’t do.

Providentially, Egyptian Christians in New Jersey offered to host Margaret and the children, so across the oceans

they all came. Soon these South Jersey Christians and their friends called Mouris to establish an Arabic-speaking church. And that call allowed him also to enroll in Pittsburgh Seminary’s D.Min. program—in the Science and Theology track focusing on medical ethics.

“As pastor of the Arabic Presbyterian Church of South Jersey, one of my goals is to help the persecuted Christian community in the Middle East. My church adopted this vision. We help our fellow Christians across the oceans by raising awareness and money, and by establishing partnerships between congregations there and in this country,” Mouris explains.

“I am in the process of writing my D.Min. thesis under Professor Ron Cole-Turner. From a Reformed and pastoral point of view, it will focus on ethical issues pertaining to the technologies of human enhancement. PTS has been a great encouragement to me and my ministry both spiritually and academically,” notes Mouris.

As the first Egyptian Presbyterian pastor to specialize in ethics in a serious academic way, Mouris wants eventually to provide Cairo’s seminary students—Egypt’s future pastors—with courses in this important area. But his heart is in pastoral ministry. “I know my call—I love pastoring,” he says. “And I want to be as well-educated a pastor as possible.”

Learn MoreTo learn more about the Doctor of Ministry Program, visit www.pts.edu/ministry. Focus areas include Science and Theology, Eastern Christian, Parish, Reformed, and Reformed Christian Theology.

“As pastor of the Arabic Presbyterian Church of South Jersey, one of my goals is to help the persecuted Christian community in the Middle East.“

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ALUMNUS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP FROM UVA

When Charlie Cotherman ’12 thinks back on growing up in Clarion, Pa., he remembers loving to learn and loving church. But it wasn’t until he came to Pittsburgh Seminary that he saw how those two loves could fit together.

During his undergraduate days, Charlie relished his education at a Christian college—Grove City—as an English/education major. And after graduating he put his learning to good use as a high school teacher. Since teaching extended his learning, the profession was a perfect match. And so, he discovered, was former GCC classmate and biology major Aimee ’11. During Charlie’s two years of teaching high-school English, the two deepened their friendship and then married.

Soon the couple felt drawn to try something new, however. They headed to New Haven, Conn., to join an emergent, non-profit community development effort called Groundworks. When the recession came, it hit the

group hard, however, and Charlie ended up working at a restaurant and as a worship leader at a church.

Fortunately, thanks to Yale, education pervaded the air in New Haven, and Charlie took full advantage of the plentiful opportunities for continued learning there. But he lacked much-desired mentors, and it wasn’t long before he and Aimee decided to apply to graduate school—Charlie to seminary, and Aimee to a physician’s assistant program. When Aimee was accepted at Chatham University, they returned to Pittsburgh to prepare for the upcoming academic year.

But something changed the plan: the couple’s summer work at a youth camp near Pittsburgh. Their attraction to youth ministry and the encouragement of Charlie’s dad inspired both of them to apply to Pittsburgh Seminary, where through key professors Charlie got hooked on church history. His stellar work at the Seminary (rewarded with a mid-program prize and five graduation awards, not to mention his substantial incoming merit scholarship!) and his desire to go on for doctoral work led Assistant Professor of Theology Edwin van Driel to suggest that Charlie apply to the University of Virginia. Aimee, a Presidential Scholar at PTS, was well-equipped to support his pursuit of this ambitious goal.

Not only was Charlie accepted to the program at UVa., but he also received a prestigious Jefferson Fellowship, a five-year merit-based award given to a dozen students showing excellence in leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. Charlie’s award letter reads, “You are exactly the type of individual who would make this University a better and more dynamic institution . . . .” We couldn’t agree more.

Charlie credits PTS professor-mentors with teaching him by example how combining rigorous academics with practical Christian living can be done. Now as a result, Charlie is himself demonstrating, in a new context, what it means to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

Charlie credits PTS professor-mentors with teaching him by example how combining rigorous academics with practical Christian living can be done.

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SYI ALUMNA PREPARES TO GRADUATE FROM PTS

As a teenager, Laura Blank asked deep questions about faith. So when a Miller Summer Youth Institute mailing was delivered to Laura’s pastor, he recommended that she attend.

In 2001, Laura participated in SYI—a two-week program for rising high school seniors from across the country to grow in faith, engage in academic theological study, explore ministry, and learn about Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

“What I remember most about that experience was the theological diversity of the community,” she says. Additionally, Laura explains, SYI demonstrated how to live in community and form relationships within that diversity—a lesson that carries through her life today. Laura also remembers learning to engage tough questions about faith. “I realized that it was okay to grapple with issues and think theologically. SYI empowered me not to be afraid of doing that.”

Laura went on to attend college in Michigan. Shortly after starting classes, the SYI director visited her there—even before her parents did! “My family still laughs about that,” she says. Now Laura and her family know that intentional follow up with participants is a key component of the SYI program.

Three years after participating in SYI, Laura returned as a student intern and this past summer served as a resident program director. The 2012 Miller SYI was particularly exciting because the Presbyterian Church (USA) was holding its biennial General Assembly in Pittsburgh. The SYI students were able to attend these gatherings each day; they talked about and came to understand Presbyterian polity with national experts and one another. “It was encouraging to see how these young people, who didn’t necessarily have an understanding of the larger church, became so quickly passionate about it,” says Laura. “They had high hopes and big questions.”

After college Laura was determined not to return to her home region of Pittsburgh for seminary—she is now a senior at PTS! “I didn’t want to come here, because it felt too comfortable,” she says. “But then I realized that it felt comfortable for all the right reasons.”

In the past few years Laura has been actively involved in campus life. This year she is serving as the Student Association president. In that role, Laura helps coordinate the new-student orientation and serves as a resource to the student organizations. Her former work-support position in the admissions office allowed her to interact with future students by listening to their stories of call and supporting them in their faith journeys. “I’m passionate about community life,” she says. “I can’t wait to get into ‘real’ ministry to learn to live in community.”

During Laura’s own orientation two years ago, she volunteered at a local soup kitchen on service day. Others who served with her, and now additional PTS students, have dubbed themselves the “Soup Group.” They gather monthly to serve at the kitchen.

Because of her positive experience with the Miller Summer Youth Institute and now as a student, Laura recommends that others attend PTS. Her first recruit was her mother, Sue, who became a student this fall!

Learn MoreTo learn more about the Miller Summer Youth Institute or to recommend a student for SYI 2013, to be held July 6-20, visit the website: www.pts.edu/syi.

“I realized that it was okay to grapple with issues and think theologically. SYI empowered me not to be afraid of doing that.”

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BOARD MEMBER ACCEPTS PASTORAL POSITION IN PARIS

While on campus for a Pittsburgh Seminary Board meeting, the Rev. Michelle Wahila ’05 was looking over the bulletin board that displays recent graduates’ placements. Next to that board was another one listing job opportunities. Scanning through, she saw an opening for a position as associate pastor at the American Church in Paris. “I took a picture of the job description with my phone and sent it to my husband with the message, ‘This is my next job.’”

After completing the 20-page application and advancing through rounds of interviews with the 85 applicants, Michelle indeed became the new associate pastor at the American Church in Paris. “I have great hope for this international move because my sense of call to this position was so strong,” says Michelle. In recent years, Michelle and her family had the opportunity through her husband’s employer to move to France, but they declined the offer. She reflects that now they are better prepared for such a move. “God was protecting us,” she says.

The American Church in Paris was the first American church established on foreign soil. An inter-denominational, Protestant congregation, the church dates back to 1814. Each Sunday, as many as 800 worshippers attend the church’s three services. Many come by train from nearly an hour away. The membership represents more than 40 countries. “This is a global church in a place that’s not necessarily Christian,” says Michelle.

At the church Michelle leads the prayer ministry, mission outreach, youth and young adult groups, Christian education, women’s ministries, and Bible studies in addition to worship services. Also, Michelle is working to grow the community life and hospitality. “Through my previous work, God prepared me and my family for this ministry,” says Michelle. Her new position is similar to the one she most recently held for nine years—associate pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.

Michelle was installed to her new position Sept. 23, 2012. The Rev. Dr. Angela Dienhart Hancock, associate professor of homiletics and worship at the Seminary, preached at the service. Michelle served on the hiring committee that invited Angela to join the PTS faculty earlier this year. “I was so impressed with her that I thought this would be a great way to introduce the Pittsburgh Seminary community and the American Church in Paris to one another,” Michelle notes. While in Paris, Dr. Hancock also lectured at the church—a scholarly center that hosts various lecture series throughout the year. Michelle hopes that Dr. Hancock is only the first of many Pittsburgh Seminary professors to lecture at the American Church in Paris.

In addition to serving on the Seminary’s Board of Directors, in 2007 Michelle was elected to the Board of Directors of Haiti Fund Inc., for which she also served as corporate secretary. Michelle and her husband, Kevin, an electrical engineer, have two sons—Connor, 3, and Marcello, 1.

“I have great hope for this international move because my sense of call to this position was so strong.”

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LIBRARY RENOVATIONS TAKE SHAPE DURING CROSS-CULTURAL TRIP TO AFRICA

Nine years after Liberia’s civil wars ended, the Rev. Dr. Mary Buckley ’00/’05, interim program coordinator of the Seminary’s Metro-Urban Institute, says the country still looks like a battle zone. About a quarter million people were killed in the conflicts from 1989-2003, and many thousands more fled the fighting. The war left the country in economic ruin and overrun with weapons. Today the capital remains without reliable electricity and running water.

This summer Mary—along with PTS students Richard Flateau and Gina Noel-Brown and MUI Church Leadership Certificate alumna Cheryle Stone—spent 10 days in Liberia. The group traveled there on a joint MUI and World Mission Initiative cross-cultural trip. While in Africa, they worked with Lott Carey Baptist Mission School in Brewerville to create plans for the school’s library, which was destroyed during the war.

“I asked the students to dream with me,” Mary says. “We wanted to create a showcase library for the school, community, and the entire country. This project allows people to see what happens when you collaborate.”

Before becoming an ordained pastor, Mary served as a professional librarian in various positions in Memphis and Pittsburgh. While in her home state of Tennessee, she worked in a community library leading children’s programs, and in a hospital assisting medical professionals doing research. In Pennsylvania, she worked in the Carnegie Mellon University library as well as directed the Knowledge Connection program, which makes libraries accessible to disadvantaged children. So when Mary learned of the need for professional librarians to volunteer in Liberia, she cleared her calendar and got on a plane.

At two campuses, Lott Carey Baptist Mission School educates about 1,400 children from pre-kindergarten

through 12th grade. Fees—including tuition, books, and uniforms—are covered in part by donations from American churches that support Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention, an international organization that helps churches extend their Christian witness “to the ends of the earth.”

Depending on funding, the library renovations will take about three years to complete. Project priorities are three-fold. First, architects will evaluate the existing library’s infrastructure for safety and confirm that the renovation plans are feasible. Next, Lott Carey will purchase updated textbooks for the new government-issued curriculum. Teacher’s resource guides will also be needed. The third phase concentrates on acquiring better technology and hiring well-trained staff to use these resources.

Mary and the students brainstormed about ways to make these visions a reality. Since Liberia can produce enough electricity for only about 12 hours each day, the renovations will include installing solar panels. Hopefully students will be able to read their textbooks on electronic tablets. Additionally, the school’s librarian will take a one-year sabbatical to earn his master’s in library science. Mary is working to secure funding for his education.

As needed, Lott Carey will fly project coordinator Mary to Liberia to oversee the renovation process. “My own travel for this trip was covered,” says Mary. “The students were able to accompany me only because of scholarships through the World Mission Initiative. This opportunity would not have been possible without their financial support.”

Learn MoreTo learn more about the Metro-Urban Institute, its special events, and associated academic programs, visit www.pts.edu/metrourban.

“I asked the students to dream with me. . . . This project allows people to see what happens when you collaborate.”

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CE DIRECTOR PLANS FOR RETIREMENT

Not every job allows you to combine your skills and your passions. But the Rev. Dr. James Davison ’69 has been doing just

that at the Seminary for the past 11 years as director of continuing education and lecturer in Greek and exegesis.

Before coming to work at the Seminary, Jim spent 17 years serving at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh in the area of church education. While this position fit his pastoral side well, as a former professor he wanted to be more engaged in the academic world. So when the opportunity arose to combine his love of the church and teaching, Jim took it.

Jim’s former work of building educational programs for pastors and laity was easily transferable to the Seminary. “When I arrived,” says Jim, “a solid core of events was already in place. They just needed some development. Then I could begin to expand our programs.”

That’s exactly what has kept Jim busy over the years. Pittsburgh Seminary now offers more than 50 programs and brings nearly 3,000 participants to campus annually. These courses include lectureships, workshops by PTS professors, classes on various theological topics, studies for Commissioned Ruling Elders, a certificate program in spiritual formation, interim ministry training, courses for church educators and teachers, professional education for psychological and social workers, on-campus classes broadcast live via the Internet to distant sites, and, in the last three years, course offerings online.

Throughout the years, Jim has hosted nearly 70 guest lecturers for the annual Kelso, Schaff, Albright-Deering, Henderson, and McClure Lectureships and the Summer Leadership Conference (former Summer School of

Religion). “Hearing people such as N. T. Wright, Walter Brueggemann, and J. Wentzel van Huyssteen have certainly been highlights of my time at PTS so far. The opportunity to host these magnificent scholars from all over the world has been wonderful, especially because they have also been such good people,” says Jim. “But if on any given day you ask me what my favorite event has been, I would probably say it’s whichever one I did most recently!”

As Jim prepares for retirement next summer he says, “I still have enough ideas for another 20 years . . . but I’m ready for a change.” He’ll be taking time to relax with family and continue his academic work. Jim is the father of three and grandfather of four—the fifth is due this winter. “Two of our grandkids live close enough to the Seminary to hear the chapel bells, and two more are just across the Allegheny River. It would be a shame not to take the opportunity to spend more time with them,” he says.

Having studied in Nigeria and Amsterdam, Jim is an avid traveler. A few years ago he climbed Kilimanjaro’s 19,340-footsummit with one of his sons. He now plans to travel with his wife to Europe to visit some new sites and return to other favorites. On the itinerary is hiking hut-to-hut in the Alps. His travel will also take him to Haiti for mission work.

Jim will continue his work in the church and academy, too. Though he’s planning a one-year break, he would be glad to return to the Seminary as an adjunct professor teaching Greek. In the meantime, he’ll continue to fill his time by reading, writing, and speaking on biblical and theological topics.

“I’m leaving this position with good feelings,” Jim says. “Coming to the Seminary was the right choice. It has allowed me to flourish, and I’ve enjoyed working with some great people here.” Pittsburgh Seminary has been truly blessed to have Jim working tirelessly to build a strong presence in the church and community.

“Every time I think of you, I thank my God” (Phil 1:3).

“The opportunity to host these magnificent scholars from all over the world has been wonderful.”

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In the last year the Seminary has devoted time to enchancing the campus community’s worship life. Students and faculty alike are participating in and helping to plan chapel.

Attendance has increased significantly, and for good reason. The services are consistently directing our spirits toward worshiping the Lord. Renovations to the physical space are also underway. Reconfiguring the lowest level of the sanctuary by replacing the lower pews with movable wooden chairs provides more flexibility in using the sanctuary for smaller, more intimate worship services as well as large community gatherings. New paint, carpet, and liturgical furniture will complete this exciting and meaningful project.

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ADVENT DEVOTIONAL ONLINE

Again this year, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will celebrate Advent with an online devotional. We invite you to read and listen to daily messages written by distinguished alumnae/i of the Seminary.

The Advent messages will be featured on the Seminary’s website, www.pts.edu/Devotional, throughout Advent. You can also sign up for daily delivery of the devotional to your personal e-mail. Register at www.pts.edu/Devotional. Follow the “ Signup for e-mail delivery of the Advent Devotionals” link and select “ Advent Devotional.” Please consider joining the other e-news groups as well.

We hope you’ll follow along daily, be inspired by the words, and be blessed this Advent season!