September 1996
Back Issues

Contents

• Emmanuel Alumni in Christian Higher Education
• Shirvinski Trades ‘Rocket Science’ for Ministry
• From the President: A Mile-High Inspiration
• Emmanuel Development Department
• Shields Named EES President
• Emmanuel Forms Wills Society
• Ministering to the Dying: A Continuing Education Seminar
• 1997 Winter Intersession
• 1996 Doctor of Ministry Class Schedule

Emmanuel Alumni in Christian Higher Education

Emmanuel boasts nearly 60 alumni who are involved in Christian higher education either in a teaching or administrative capacity. We are proud of Emmanuel’s role in preparing these leaders who are involved in a most unique endeavor for Christ and His church.

We realize this list is not comprehensive and we apologize for overlooking any alumnus who is involved in Christian higher education. If we have missed you, please drop us a note and bring this to our attention.
 

Shirvinski Trades ‘Rocket Science’ for Ministry

“I had an apartment right on the beach, a window office overlooking the Pacific, and I was working on one of the hottest new satellite programs in the world,” said second-year Emmanuel student Frank Shirvinski. “It was then that I believe God posed a simple question to me, ‘Why?’ ”

Trained as an engineer, Frank Shirvinski worked at Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles designing multi-million-dollar satellite systems until he heard the call to ministry. He and his wife, Stacy, then moved to Atlanta and began attending First Christian Church in Cumming, Georgia. Youth minister Mark Coffman persuaded Frank to attend Atlanta Christian College so that Frank could have some formal training in ministry.

While a student at ACC, Frank found a mentor in Dr. Steven Hooks. “Dr. Hooks inspired me with the way he lived,” Frank said. “He is a great scholar, but isn’t arrogant about it. That made me want to go on and teach at the seminary or college level.”

Frank then decided to pursue graduate theological studies at Emmanuel School of Religion. “I came from one of the best schools in the world for engineering,” Frank said. “But students were just a number there. The staff there didn’t care about the person. They only cared about graduating the best students so that they could receive more grants for their engineering program.”

However, at Emmanuel School of Religion Frank saw a different situation. “The professors and staff at Emmanuel are willing to invest themselves in the students to turn out faithful ministers. You learn so much more by example than from a textbook.”

Frank hopes to help others learn how to minister to people in what he calls our “point-and-click” society. “I used to be a huge fan of Star Trek with its great view of the future: ‘technology will cure all society’s ills.’ But where is the need for grace when you can do everything for yourself? We have to learn how to communicate the gospel and faith to people who don’t see a need for God, much less fear him,” he said.

Frank and his wife Stacy have a daughter, Abigail, and a son “on the way.” Frank now serves as associate minister with Morrison City Christian Church in Kingsport, Tenn.

From the President
A Mile-High Inspiration

In June I traveled to Denver for the Biennial Meeting of the Association of Theological Schools. Shortly before leaving for Denver I had received a letter from ATS informing us that the accreditation of Emmanuel School of Religion had been reaffirmed for a period of ten years, until 2006. This brought to a successful completion a significant phase of our two-year self-study. Some of us breathed a sigh of relief with the thought that it is unlikely we will be around in 2006 to experience another self-study. But as arduous as these exercises are, they are undoubtedly a benefit to the School as well as to insuring a set of national standards for graduate seminaries.

My host in Denver, Bill Dougherty, reminded me that the Biennial Meeting of ATS coincided with a gathering of Promise Keepers at Mile High Stadium. And hence, thanks to Bill, I was one of the approximately 51,000 men who gathered in Denver for this two-day meeting of praise, fellowship, and preaching. Although Emmanuel School of Religion had been well represented at the Atlanta Promise Keepers in the spring, this was my first opportunity to experience one of these gigantic men’s meetings. On Saturday night, Wayne Shaw, Dean of Lincoln Christian Seminary, and I attended together. In his typical good-natured humor Wayne commented, “There must be a certain irony in that with all the leaders of seminaries gathered for our ATS meeting, it took a football coach (Bill McCartney) to bring 51,000 men together for this occasion of praise.”

It was particularly interesting to see the reaction of the news media following the first day of Promise Keepers. Of course it would have been difficult to ignore the presence of 51,000 visitors to your city. But television coverage on Friday night seemed to work at finding something negative. Citing growing income statistics, the report more than hinted that Promise Keepers had become big business. Furthermore, they seem to find the sale of Promise Keepers hats, t-shirts, and other paraphernalia somewhat humorous. The cynicism in the Saturday morning paper was less than subtle. One writer found it particularly amusing to find for sale a communion table that doubles as a baptistery. She quoted Joe Garmon of American Rehabilitation Ministries as explaining that Manuel Noriega has been baptized in one of these portable baptisteries. If the reporter found it amusing, I wanted to say, “Bless you, Joe, for giving some witness to the importance of the ordinances of baptism and communion in a context where they were noticeably absent.”

The Saturday paper also reported that “a handful protested the event, chastising Promise Keepers as ‘separatist, homophobic, and sexist.’” I take the reporter’s word for it that there was such a group. I never saw them, and furthermore, Bill Dougherty, who played a key role in organizing logistics for the stadium meetings said their people never saw them.

The tone of the media coverage changed in the Sunday paper. (Perhaps even cynics have to have a day of rest.) A front page article carried the news that Promise Keepers had committed one million dollars to assist in rebuilding African-American churches destroyed in the recent spate of burnings. A secondary article described the ministry of the women who worked behind the scenes at Promise Keepers. The general testimony of these women was that they were delighted to see their husbands involved in this kind of activity. As one woman said, “My husband is more mellow and more considerate.” Another woman volunteer said, “This is great! The men are so polite, they pick up their trash and I don’t hear any four-letter words.” I made a similar comment to Wayne Shaw as we left the stadium on Saturday night. Not your typical football crowd!

On Sunday morning I attended the worship services of the Rocky Mountain Christian Church near Longmont. Alan Ahlgrim, the senior minister of this remarkable congregation, had earlier in the year taught one of Emmanuel’s Doctor of Ministry courses. Over 200 men from this growing church attended Promise Keepers, and a good portion of them made up the “Promise Keepers Choir” for this Sunday morning worship service. They were joined by a group of Promise Keepers from the Bible Christian Church of Garden City, Kansas, who had stopped to worship with the Rocky Mountain Church before starting the drive back to Kansas. The Garden City Church is served by Emmanuel alumnus Cal Habig. The Rocky Mountain church is also home to two Emmanuel graduates, David Limiero and Cris Crisfield, and to current student Wes Dillon.

Much more could be said about Promise Keepers. Of course we could all see things we might have done differently. But then God did not choose a seminary president to bring about this wonderful working of His spirit. He chose a football coach. That should say something about the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers!

—C. Robert Wetzel, President

Emmanuel Development Department

Left to Right: Tammy Boggess, donor communications secretary; Rae Augenstein, publications coordinator; Adele Spurgin, administrative assistant for Development; Polly Blowers, grant research director; Angela McDonald, mailroom supervisor; and Dan R. Lawson, executive director of Development. Not pictured: Howard Cannon, printer.

Shields Named EES President

Dr. Bruce E. Shields, Director of the Doctor of Ministry program and Professor of Preaching and Biblical Hermeneutics, was inaugurated as President of the European Evangelistic Society on August 3, 1996.

The EES, a 50-year-old ministry founded by Dean E. Walker, ministers to Christians in Europe by sponsoring the Institute for the Study of Christian Origins and the Christian Congregation, both located in Tübingen, Germany.

As President, Dr. Shields will work closely with Executive Director James Evans in Atlanta and Institute Director Ronald Heine in Germany.

The Institute for the Study of Christian Origins is a research center connected to Eberhard-Karls Universität in Tübingen. It offers a place where students can study Christian scriptures, contemporary life in the world of the early church, and the writings of the Church Fathers to the fourth century. The institute also sponsors colloquia in conjunction with the University

Shields, who has a long relationship with the EES, will continue to serve Emmanuel School of Religion during his tenure as EES President. He pastored the Christian Congregation from 1972-1977 and served as the Society’s vice-president for many years.

Emmanuel personnel have long had ties with the EES, back to its founder and first president Dean E. Walker. S. Scott Bartchy, former Emmanuel professor, directed the Institute for the Study of Christian Origins from 1969-1974. Dr. Frederick W. Norris, now Dean E. Walker Professor of Christian History and Professor of Christian Doctrine at Emmanuel, directed the Institute from 1972-1977 and served as Scholar in Residence from 1972-1974.

Emmanuel Forms Wills Society

Emmanuel School of Religion has many friends across the nation who contribute financially to the Seminary to insure the work of preparing leaders for the church and her various ministries. As a result, Emmanuel now has over 900 alumni who are serving as preachers, youth ministers, missionaries, counselors, new church planters, military chaplains, campus ministers, and in a diversity of other specialized ministries addressing the needs of Christ’s church.

But what about the future? What will happen to the work of Emmanuel when these friends are financially unable to underwrite this effort that is so dependent on them? This dependency accounts for 60% of Emmanuel’s daily operating funds.

Emmanuel’s future is being assured by the establishment of The Emmanuel Heritage Society. This Society will recognize individuals who, because of their great love and partnership with Emmanuel, have placed Emmanuel School of Religion in their will or have designated a portion of their estate for the School.

Enrollment in the Emmanuel Heritage Society will:

• provide the Seminary with an opportunity to express appreciation to the donor;
• encourage other friends of Emmanuel to give a planned gift. While humility may very well justify a person’s wish to remain anonymous, friends of Emmanuel may assist the School even more by setting an example of stewardship for others to follow;
• insure the future existence of Emmanuel.

In addition, a Book of Wills will be established to pay tribute to the members of the Emmanuel Heritage Society. The book will exhibit photographs and letters from members describing their thoughts about Emmanuel School of Religion and why they have remembered Emmanuel in such a way. The Book of Wills will be displayed in the Seminary’s Memorial Room.

To enroll in the Society, friends of Emmanuel should send a letter to President C. Robert Wetzel indicating that they have placed Emmanuel in their will and describing why they have remembered the School in this manner. Membership in the Society is also open to friends who have made Emmanuel the beneficiary of trusts, insurance policies, bank accounts, charitable gift annuities, life estate agreements, or any other planned gift that matures at their passing. A formal letter to inform or confirm such plans will be adequate to enroll supporters into the Emmanuel Heritage Society.

For more information, contact President C. Robert Wetzel or Executive Director of Development Dan. R. Lawson at Emmanuel School of Religion, One Walker Drive, Johnson City TN 37601, or call (423) 926-1186.

Ministering to the Dying
A Continuing Education Seminar

Mary Lynn Dell, M.D., Th.M., will conduct the Continuing Education Seminar “Ministering to the Dying” on Saturday, September 28, 1996, at Emmanuel School of Religion.

“The time around death provides unique opportunities for ministry to family members, and the needs of loved ones during that time are significant,” said Dell. This seminar would benefit ministers, elders, deacons, and other church leaders. All interested persons are invited to attend. Registration for the all day seminar is $35, which includes lunch and seminar materials.

Seminar topics are as follows:

• Session 1: Overview of Death, Dying, and Bereavement
• Session 2: Theology of Suffering and Death and Pastoral Care of the Dying Adult
• Session 3: Pastoral Care and Ministry to Families of Dying Patients
• Session 4: Death and Children: The Child as a Dying Patient and the Child as a Bereaved Family Member

Dr. Dell is an attending physician at the Egleston Children’s Hospital, is a medical staff psychiatrist at Grady Memorial Hospital, and is assistant professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine, all in Atlanta. She received her education at Milligan College (B.S.), Indiana University (M.D.), and Candler School of Theology (M.Th.).

For more information or to register, contact the Office of the President, Emmanuel School of Religion, One Walker Drive, Johnson City TN 37601, (423) 461-1510.

1997 Winter Intersession

January 7-17

CH 794: The Apostles’ Creed in History and Thought.
Dr. Paul Blowers. 3 credits

CMM 701: Seminar in World Mission: Ministry Among Muslims.
Dr. Robert Douglas. 3 credits

January 21-31

NT 620: Exegesis of I Thessalonians.
Dr. Rollin Ramsaran. 3 credits

CME 602: Curriculum for Christian Education.
Dr. Eleanor Daniel. 3 credits

All classes meet 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday the first week and Monday-Friday the second week.

1996 Doctor of Ministry Class Schedule

*Registration for Doctor of Ministry degree classes must be completed three months prior to the beginnings of the class in order to prepare reading assignments. All classes meet at Emmanuel School of Religion with the exception of the Northwest course.