Three churches in southern Indiana have separate focuses to their Matthew 25 work. But through a thoughtful process of establishing a cohort to strengthen each of the three ministry efforts, the three congregations — First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, First Presbyterian Church in Columbus and Fairlawn Presbyterian Church in Columbus — have begun, in the words of the Rev. Kelley Jepsen, transitional associate pastor at FPC in Bloomington, “to think creatively, to dream more broadly and to find concrete ways to begin moving from learning into action.”
To set the stage for her “Circles of faith, Circle of Empowerment” message from Hebrews 11:23-28 on Friday, the Rev. Dr. Lis Valle-Ruiz proclaimed during the recently renamed Association of Partners in Christian Education conference that attendees were going to experience the Holy Spirit throughout their whole body.
McCormick Theological Seminary has been awarded a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in support of McCormick’s Trauma Healing Initiative (“THI”).
Speaking to McCormick Theological Seminary students as they launched the 2021-22 academic year on Monday, Dr. Jennifer McBride preached the theology of hope made famous by the German theologian Jūrgen Moltmann and exemplified by the biblical accounts of Jesus’ post-resurrection encounters with Mary Magdalene at the tomb and later with two followers on the road to Emmaus. That second encounter gave McBride the title for Monday’s address: “We Had Hoped: Theological Education After Devastation.”
Filmmaker David Barnhart, Associate for Story Ministry in Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, has been named McCormick Theological Seminary’s 2021 Distinguished Alumnus.
Once upon a time, theological institutions were seen as stewards of self-sufficiency. Aside from a visiting professor now and then, tenured faculty formed the core of the identity and mission of most seminaries. Students sought out specific professors as mentors and advisers. Aside from denominational affiliation, a school’s internal prowess in missiology, homiletics, liturgy, music, pastoral counseling or evangelism was often the main draw for new students.
The Rev. Dr. David Latimore has been appointed the first full-time director of Princeton Theological Seminary’s Betsey Stockton Center for Black Church Studies, effective June 1.
The Rev. Dr. James (Jim) Bitneau Rockwood, a Presbyterian pastor and mission co-worker in the Philippines, died in St. Joseph, Missouri on May 2. He was 90.
The Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, who co-wrote the Confession of Belhar, led what’s now called the World Communion of Reformed Churches and has lived a hope-filled 75 years despite facing down apartheid and other lesser challenges, asked the McCormick Theological Seminary Class of 2021 a pointed question Saturday during his commencement address: What does it mean to be the church on the inside of an empire in decay?
