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Inside GRS is the semiannual newsletter of Geneva Reformed Seminary.

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Vol. 2, No. 2

January 2009GRS courses go onlineIn January free video lectures will be available on iTunes University. GRS will also begin offering semi-nary courses for credit over the Internet through Moodle, a course management system.

For more information on iTunes U as well as courses available through Moodle please visit our website.

www.grsonline.org

I’ve often said that seminaries can be dangerous places—even Geneva Reformed Seminary. There is always the danger of the head disconnecting from the heart with the deadly consequence of all the good things learned remaining as theory. Notwithstand-ing how often I have warned students about this danger, I’ve seen it happen more than a few times in my almost forty years of teaching (just felt a twinge of mortality!). Although some have not heeded the warning, each generation of students must be warned and encouraged to pursue their seminary training as a spiritual exercise not only to prepare them for future ministry but also to foster within them a more intimate experience with the Lord.

In keeping with this, Paul’s admonition to Timothy to exercise unto godliness (1 Timothy 3:7) was the theme verse that I put before the students at the beginning of this term. Physical exercise is tough, and it requires disciplined and determined ef-fort. Getting the body in shape doesn’t just happen, and neither does getting the spiritual life in shape. It is part of our daily prayers together that each classroom session will be a gymnasium for growth in godliness. So as the students go through all the rigors of their academics, pray that they will mature in their personal godliness to become increasingly spiritually fit to minister to others. Pray the same for all the professors. We all know what happens when we stop exercising.

As you pray for the seminary, do remember our new program of distant learning through online courses. We are in the process of prepar-ing classes and are on schedule to begin offering a slate of classes at the first of the year. Already we have some “volunteer” students working through a class to identify any problems. The process has stretched some of us who are technologically inept, trying our patience and causing a bit of frustration when the program does something beyond our tutorial. I remember when all I had to worry about was giving students the shivers when I scratched the chalkboard. Those days are long gone. We will be adding courses incremen-tally, intending ultimately to make available most all of the curriculum. (Continued on page 3)

GRS 2008 graduates: Jason Boyle, Vicente Alcivar, Richard Winston

ProfileFaculty

Rev. Reggie Kimbro, B.A., M.A., M.Div. Adjunct Professor of Biblical Interpretation

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The President’s ItineraryOctober 23–25 ARTS Board Meeting, Greenville, SC

November 8 Dedication of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Bellville, MI

January 19–20 Seminary Recruitment Days, Clearwater Christian College

February 3 AACCS Annual Conference, Allen Park, MI

March 15 Phoenix Free Presbyterian Church, Phoenix, AZ

May 11–15 Presbytery Meeting and Week of Prayer, Malvern FPC, PA

June 5 GRS Graduation

June 6–19 Family Camp & Bible Conference, Singapore

In 1987 Reggie Kimbro pioneered Grace Free Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he has served as the pastor ever since. He has lectured at Geneva Reformed Seminary since 1995. His focus at GRS has been teaching a class in theological systems.

He and his wife, Jan, have three daughters, Jessica, Caro-lyn, and Erin; Jessica was recently married. The one “boy” in the family is Ranger, a Jack Russell terrier.

Mr. Kimbro recalls his childhood in a godly Christian home and a conservative Baptist church. Saved in his child-hood years, he heard when he was a teen the call of God into full-time Christian service. His call to the ministry came during his first year of college.

Just prior to entering college, Reggie began to reconsider some of the teachings of Dispensationalism that he had heard growing up. As he came to understand and embrace historic Covenant Theology, he was almost surprised to find them convergent with the Reformed Faith that he had so often heard caricatured and maligned. As a col-lege student, he found a new church home in Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, S.C. After completing his first master’s degree, he entered the Theological Hall of the Whitefield College of the Bible (the name of the FPC’s seminary at the time) to study for the ministry in response to a clear call into the Free Presbyterian Church.

Dispensationalism was the topic of Reggie’s thesis for his studies in the Theological Hall. He has since authored a book entitled The Gospel According to Dispensationalism.

His purpose for the book was to cultivate wider interest in historic Covenant Theology. With only a few first-edition copies remaining, he anticipates publishing an expanded edition that will incorporate “considerations of the newer systems that have been suggested to fill in the void as clas-sical Dispensationalism continues to fall upon hard times.”

Others have remarked about Reggie’s love of the Lord, the church, and truth. One colleague said: “Mr. Kimbro loves to preach the imputed righteousness of Christ. He has often said, ‘If I were king for a day, I would force every preacher in America to read [ James] Buchanan’s work on justification.’”

Reggie’s hobbies include camping and hiking. Along one mountainous 14-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail, Reggie and some fellow hikers were confronted by ice and snow. It was so cold that the water they carried froze as they hiked. The Lord provided overnight shelter for Reggie’s rovers, and they emerged unscathed but with a much healthier appreciation of the potential for danger from the elements. Another hobby is ping-pong; more than one unwary victim has succumbed to Reggie’s backhand.

Reggie’s beverage of choice is Dr. Pepper, which often accompanies a good ol’ American cheeseburger or a spicy south-of-the-border entrée. His customary Sunday morn-ing breakfast is a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

A serious audiophile, Reggie enjoys testing the limits of his speakers with Bach’s best organ music. He calls it a “fine arts experience.” Not entirely ignoring the less-refined arts, Reggie has a reputation for reciting Jerry Clower’s comedy routines. Frequently, his own laughter makes it impossible for him to finish telling one of the outlandish yarns.

A colleague who knows him well characterizes Reggie as “a meek man with a strong stand for the gospel; selfless, al-ways willing to give of his time to help others; a man of en-couragement, a Barnabas.” Another good friend says: “He seeks the purity of the church, loves truth, loves his family with all his heart, and is the model husband and father.”

GRS and the Free Presbyterian Church anticipate much from Mr. Kimbro as God continues to use him to edify others.

—Paul Peters is a deacon at Covenant Free Presbyterian Church in Lexington, South Carolina.

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Graduate Interview

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Matters for Prayer• Men gifted and called by God to train in the seminary and to go to labor in the harvest

• The 2008 graduates—Vicente Alcivar, Jason Boyle, & Richard Winston—as they continue their preparation for ministry

• All the graduates, that the Lord would direct them to a place of ministry, enflame their passion for the ministry, and keep them faithful to their calling

• The next generation of faculty

• Rev. Reggie Kimbro as he continues to work toward his doctor- ate and Dr. Charles Barrett as he continues some post-doctoral studies

• Success for the new distance-learning program

• Funds for all the ongoing operations of the seminary, including library resources, equipment, salaries, and student aid (the more the seminary can raise to support itself the less it will have to depend on presbytery aid, freeing up funds for other denominational projects and needs)

From the Inside Out: An interview with GRS graduate Craig Vosekalns

(Continued from page 1) The first offerings will include a section of Systematic Theology, Early Christianity, The Westminster Standards, Theory and Methods of Counsel-ing, Wisdom Books, and Elementary Hebrew. There is great potential in this venture, and we look forward to seeing how the Lord will use it. Pray that He will.

Be sure to check out our new website (www.grsonline.org). You can find there information and instructions about the seminary and the online program specifically. Remem-ber that you can take classes either for credit or audit, and we do offer the Certificate of Religious Studies for laymen (male or female) interested in formal training.

Continue to pray for GRS as it seeks to prepare the next generation of gospel preachers. I am personally thankful for the prayers and financial support for the seminary from the Free Presbyterian Church of North America and from those not directly associated with our denomination. The need for both continues. Do tell others about us.

—Michael P. V. Barrett, President

Inside: When did you graduate from GRS?CV: I graduated from GRS in June 2002 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree.

Inside: How did you come to be a student at GRS?CV: Before entering GRS, I studied at the Whitefield Col-lege of the Bible in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. After com-pleting two years at the Whitefield College of the Bible I then petitioned the North American presbytery if I could complete my seminary training back in Greenville, S.C. In the spring of 1999 I was approved and in the fall of that year I commenced my studies in the “Hall” as it was affectionately known then.

Inside: What are the most important things you learned in the seminary?CV: I am indebted for what I have learned from the men who taught me, whether in the classroom, presbytery, or in the life of the church. In addition, I would be totally remiss if I did not say how much of a blessing Mrs. Cairns was to the students, not because she brought in Dunkin Donuts as a treat once a week, but for her godly example as a minister’s wife and encouragement to stick it out.

Inside: What was your favorite class?CV: The one that stands out for me was English Bible—dealing with the content, exegesis, and the theo-logical import of any given writer and book. Also, I thor-oughly value the pastoral classes I had with Dr. Cairns.

Inside: Where did you do your internship?CV: I interned for nearly one year in the heartland of America in a tiny farming community of Eliza, Illi-

“A clear, honest, panoramic treatment of the book of Hosea, poignantly showing how Hosea’s and Gomer’s treatment of each other reflected God’s and Israel’s treatment of each other. . . . a sheer delight to read. Every pastor should study Love Divine before preaching from the book of Hosea, and every Christian will find it enlight-ening and God-glorifying.” —Joel R. Beeke

New book

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�207 Haywood RoadGreenville, SC 296�5

Publication data: Inside GRS is published semiannually at no charge by Geneva Reformed Seminary, the theological seminary of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. President: Michael P. V. Barrett; Editor: Michael P. V. Barrett; Production: Judy Brown & Cathy SimmonsGeneva Reformed Seminary, 1207 Haywood Rd., Greenville, SC 29615 Phone: 800-477-7058 or 864-268-7071 Web address: www.genevareformed.org E-mail: genevareformed@freepres.org

nois. I was sent by the presbytery to a small nucleus of people who had petitioned the denomination to start a pioneer work in the area of Mercer County.

Inside: What was the most valuable lesson you learned during your internship?CV: There is one chief lesson that rises to the surface anytime I think of my internship and that is good communication. . . . The Lord impressed upon me the importance of explaining clearly and being understood.

Inside: What are you doing now?CV: I am currently serving as the associate pastor at Grace Free Presbyterian Church in Litchfield, New Hampshire (one hour north of Boston).

Inside: Tell us about your family.CV: September 20th marked the fifth anniversary of

my marriage to Sharon Lydia Wolfe. Sharon and I dated the summer just before I left for Northern Ireland and before she went to the University of Chapel Hill to get her masters de-gree in physical therapy. We have a six-month-old son named David Gresham.

Inside: How, specifically, do you want people to pray for you and for the work?CV: I need the grace and power of God to live a disciplined life. It is easy to be doing everything for the ministry and neglect your own soul. As far as the church is concerned please pray for clear direction in the building project and for the entrance of God’s word to give light to the unsaved who attend regularly.

Rev. Craig Vosekalns is associate minister at Grace Free Presbyte-rian Church located at 11 Colby Rd., Litchfield, New Hampshire 03052. Phone: 603-429-2979.

Alumni NewsClass of 2008Vicente Alcivar has been commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is in chaplain school at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. This is an historic occasion for Geneva Reformed Seminary and the Free Presbyterian Church of North America: for the first time in the history of the United States of America, there is a Free Presbyterian chaplain in the U.S. Army.

Jason Boyle is currently in Spain working with John Hanna for three months for the first stage of his internship. He will be going to Hermosillo, Mexico, after Christmas to work with Paco and Julia Orozco. The Lord willing, his plans are to start a work in Mexico City.

Richard Winston is a teller and customer service representative at a local bank in Greenville, South Carolina. He and his wife, Beth, recently joined Faith Free Presbyterian Church. They have a son, Benjamin, who was born May 18, 2008.

Alumni News: GRS alumni are invited to send in their news (weddings, births, relocations, etc.) for publication. Send news to genevareformed@freepres.org or GRS, �207 Hay-wood Rd., Greenville, SC 296�5.