WEBSITE ACADEMICS ADMISSIONS STUDENTS FACULTY GIVE Greetings! The Fall quarter starts in just two weeks. It has been a busy summer with leadership/faculty changes, lots of intensive classes, students moving out and moving in, along with helping international students figure out things such as banking or grocery shopping. Jokingly, it will be good for classes to start so that things can slow down a bit at RPTS! IN THIS ISSUE of ENews: IN THIS ISSUE of ENews: President York What Students are Saying Westminster Conference Alumni in Action TFY News from Admissions Ref. Pres. Theological Journal Faculty in Action Students in Action Paideia Center Strike the Match Friends in Action Save the Date Points of Prayer Follow RPTS PRESIDENT BARRY YORK PRESIDENT BARRY YORK Culminating several years of prayer and planning, Dr. Barry York has become the next President of the Seminary. Join us for Dr. York's inauguration on Friday evening, September 7, 2018, at Memorial Park Church, 8800 Peebles Road, Allison Park. Dr. Ligon Duncan, Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, will deliver a special message. WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING The following comments are from RPTS' most recent graduating class: * "Interacting with other students from various theological convictions and cultures matured my Christian life in a way that was invaluable" * "The tools and guidance provided gave me the know-how to discern and put into practice a theologically rich walk and life that will continue to influence and provide a helping hand in my life" * "Thank you for pointing me to Christ in all the Scriptures" * "This is an excellent place for God's people of all different thoughts and types to study together and positively impact the community"
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WEBSITE ACADEMICS ADMISSIONS STUDENTS FACULTY GIVE
Greetings!
The Fall quarter starts in just two weeks. It has been a busy summer with leadership/facultychanges, lots of intensive classes, students moving out and moving in, along with helpinginternational students figure out things such as banking or grocery shopping. Jokingly, it will begood for classes to start so that things can slow down a bit at RPTS!
IN THIS ISSUE of ENews: IN THIS ISSUE of ENews: President YorkWhat Students are SayingWestminster ConferenceAlumni in ActionTFY
News from AdmissionsRef. Pres. Theological JournalFaculty in ActionStudents in ActionPaideia Center
Strike the MatchFriends in ActionSave the DatePoints of Prayer Follow RPTS
PRESIDENT BARRY YORKPRESIDENT BARRY YORK
Culminating several years of prayer and planning, Dr. Barry Yorkhas become the next President of the Seminary. Join us for Dr.York's inauguration on Friday evening, September 7, 2018, atMemorial Park Church, 8800 Peebles Road, Allison Park. Dr. LigonDuncan, Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, willdeliver a special message.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYINGWHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING
The following comments are from RPTS' most recent graduating class:* "Interacting with other students from various theological convictions and cultures maturedmy Christian life in a way that was invaluable"* "The tools and guidance provided gave me the know-how to discern and put into practice atheologically rich walk and life that will continue to influence and provide a helping hand inmy life"* "Thank you for pointing me to Christ in all the Scriptures"* "This is an excellent place for God's people of all different thoughts and types to studytogether and positively impact the community"
WESTMINSTER CONFERENCE WESTMINSTER CONFERENCE Preaching is one of the most important responsibilities of the pastor. The WestminsterConference will take up this topic, September 8, 2018, at Memorial Park Church in the northernsuburbs of Pittsburgh. The speakers include Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. Joel Beeke, Dr. MichaelLeFebvre, and Dr. Barry York. Book tables from Crown and Covenant and Reformation HeritageBooks are also available, along with an optional lunch. Click here for more details or to register.
ALUMNI IN ACTION ALUMNI IN ACTION Kent Butterfield (MDiv 2001) authored an article which will appear in the September 2018 issue of
"Tabletalk", titled Favoritism in the Church. Rev. Butterfield is the pastor of the First Reformed
Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.
THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUTH THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUTH The TFY program started in 1999 as a way for youth in the RPCNA to grow in their appreciation ofChrist's Kingdom and His Word. Every July, rising high school seniors engage in a three-weektheological boot camp. Professor-elect, David Whitla, along with Geneva College Chaplain, RutEtheridge, are the leaders of this highly successful program. In 2018, thirty teens engaged instudies of church history, systematic theology, apologetics/evangelism, and the development ofspiritual disciplines such as prayer and scripture reading.
THE ADMISSIONAL THE ADMISSIONAL (NEWS FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE AND ED(NEWS FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE AND ED
Last time (May), I began with, "We are full steam ahead recruiting for the Fall. With one ofour largest ever graduating classes, we need one of our largest ever incoming classes, if theLord is willing. You can pray with us for that."
We are still full steam, but are not anywhere near our largest ever incoming class. Pleasekeep praying. In my brief experience, we usually get about 90% of the students that weaccept. This year, it is about 50%! Some of those are going to other schools (some goodschools, and some not so good), some are not going to seminary after all, and several arestill hoping to come to RPTS, but not this year.
In addition to the new students that we do have already registered for Fall classes, we have anumber of prospective students trying to apply in time to study with us.
Remember, if you, or someone you know would like to get seminary information, pleaseprovide contact information here. For our $99 audit information click here. For moreinformation call Ed Blackwood at 412-731-6000 or click here to email.
Reading from a computer monitor or tablet may not be your cup of tea. RPTS is pleased toannounce that you can now order the most recent issue of the Journal in print format here.
FACULTY IN ACTION FACULTY IN ACTION * Dr. Richard Gamble is attending the quadrennial International Calvin Congress at the end ofAugust.
* Dr. Jeff Stivason will have extra teaching responsibilities at RPTS this fall: Interpretation of theBible. He is also the executive editor of Place for Truth. He is leading the Pittsburgh location of thePaideia Center for Theological Discipleship (see Enews article for more details).
* President Barry York has a new book out, Hitting the Marks: Restoring the Essential Identity of theChurch. You can learn more through this short video. Dr. York's book will be available at hisinauguration on September 7 and at the Westminster Conference on the 8th.
o Dr. York's Gentle Reformation post, Old, Resting, Reformed, was recently highlighted onChallies.com
* Keith Evans, Professor of Biblical Counseling, was at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
taking coursework on the Theological Foundations of Thinking as part of his PhD program. He alsohas been preaching at several local RP congregations.
* Dr. George Scipione - "Because the Church is God's salt and light in the world, to preserveculture, you must preserve the Church; to preserve the Church, you need godly families". So goessome of the great contents of Scipione's The Battle for the Biblical Family available from Crown andCovenant Publishing.
STUDENTS IN ACTION STUDENTS IN ACTION Sharon Sampson will be speaking at the Great Lakes - Gulf Women'sRetreat in Elkhart, Indiana, November 2-3, 2018. Sharon is the OfficeManager at the Biblical Counseling Institute of the ReformedPresbyterian Theological Seminary where she providescounseling/discipleship for seminary students and folks from thelocal community.
Jonas McLeod worked with Bethany Community Ministries for theannual Summer Youth Program, a partnership of Bethany Baptist Church and City Reformed PCA.Serving the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, over 40 youth, ages 5 to 12, learned howGod's Word can be at work in their lives. Gayathri Withers, an auditor at RPTS, came during the firstweek to share her testimony, which is an important part of the program. Jonas is second from theright in this photo.
PAIDEIA CENTER LAUNCH AT RPTSPAIDEIA CENTER LAUNCH AT RPTS One of the great movements in Reformed theological education today is a deepening connectionbetween the academy and the church. Michael Allen and Scott Swain, co-authors of the bookReformed Catholicity, have launched the Paideia Center for Theological Discipleship to encouragegroups of local pastors and lay people to engage in reading classic theological literature, thencome together monthly to discuss the topics raised. Starting September 6th, the Pittsburghgroup will read and discuss Gregory of Nazianzus' Five Theological Orations and then in the springtackle Luther's Larger Catechism. The host, Dr. Jeff Stivason, Pastor of Grace ReformedPresbyterian Church and Adjunct Faculty of Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, willprovide meaningful facilitation during the fall meetings at RPTS. Cost is $20. Click here for moreinformation or to register.
STRIKE THE MATCH STRIKE THE MATCH Donations of any amount up to $15,000 qualify for a gift match of fifty cents on the dollar (50%) to a
total amount of $70,000. This match is the result of the generous gifts of several donors.Make a donation to RPTS anytime between Monday, October 8, and Saturday, October 13, 2018,and designate it for the "Strike the Match" event. Your gift must be postmarked no later thanOctober 13, 2018, to be included in the match. Credit card donations will be possible through theRPTS website.
FRIENDS IN ACTION FRIENDS IN ACTION The College Hill RP Church sent an energetic crew of youngsters to tackle an out of control area of
landscaping. A few hours of diligent labor created a wonderful place of beauty, with a basketball
hoop!
SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE
Inauguration of Rev. Keith Evans - November 2 at 7 pm, North Hills Reformed PresbyterianChurch.Annual Support Dinner - March 22, 2019
Are you interested in attending or being a Table Host? Contact Mark Sampson formore information.
POINTS OF PRAYER POINTS OF PRAYER * Keep our students in your prayers as they begin another year of preparation for service in Christ'sKingdom.* Uplift David Whitla in your prayers as he finishes work on a PhD in Belfast. In addition to hisacademic efforts, David's father passed into glory in July and the family is planning for their return
to the States next spring, including the purchase of a home, prior to David's beginning hisresponsibilities as Professor of Church History at RPTS.
FOLLOW RPTS FOLLOW RPTS Do you follow RPTS on Twitter or Facebook? These are great ways to keep track of professorquotes, conferences, and news at the Seminary.
