At Greenville Seminary, Christ's Great Commission is taken seriously, including the directive to carry the Gospel message to the uttermost parts of the earth. International missions has been a keen focus of our ministry of raising up men to go out and make "the praise of our God glorious" (Psalm 66:2) among every tribe and tongue! 

PRAY WITH US

• Please continue to pray for God's provision of all needed resources for the seminary. Praise Him for the many who have given generously during the summer months!

• Remember in prayer our international students and graduates who are serving in foreign lands. (See lead article.)

• Ask God to guide the thinking of a number of prospective students and to inspire a further host of godly men to seek preparation for the ministry at Greenville Seminary.

• Continue to pray for the several GPTS students who are doing internships this summer. (See specific list below left.)

• Praise and thank God for the progress made by Dr. McGoldrick's wife Elizabeth, who recently underwent surgery for severe arthritic pain.

• Please continue to pray for the Presbyterian Mission In Haiti, which is undergoing a time of testing.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fall Registration

The schedule for fall classes at GPTS is now available online. Members of the community are welcome to register for classes, either for credit or on an audit basis (audit fee is $20/credit hour). Of particular interest this coming semester are the following classes:

• Islam - taught by Pastor Anees Zaka of Church Without Walls, Philadelphia, Penn.

• Introduction to Reformed Theology - taught by GPTS founding professor, Morton H. Smith.

To register, send an e-mail to registrar@gpts.edu or call the seminary at 864-322-2717.

Dr. Dyer's Inaugural Address

Dr. Sidney Dyer, who has been promoted to Full Professor of Greek and New Testament, will be giving his inaugural address on Friday,  December 3rd. All are invited to attend. More details will be sent in a future e-newsletter and made available on our website.

FALL BOOK SALE — Saturday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at the seminary, 200 E. Main St. Taylors S.C. All proceeds will benefit the seminary's Smith/Singer Library. Book donations welcomed!

SERMONAUDIO RESOURCES

You need not be on campus to glean wisdom and insights from the GPTS faculty. Wherever you are, you can access scores of sermons, lectures, speeches and other audio resources through the powerful website SermonAudio.com.

GPTS is by far the most visited section of SermonAudio. Our pages include audio resources as well as announcements and news of interest to the greater Greenville Seminary constituency.

Check us out. We know you will be edified.

New Help for Planning Your Estate

For several years, Greenville Seminary has been affiliated with the Barnabas Foundation, a Christian organization offering help to our constituents and donors in estate planning and planned giving. After months of evaluation of the relative cost and benefits of membership in this organization, the GPTS Development Office has concluded that another option is available to our supporters that would better serve the needs of all concerned.

Although anyone may continue to consult with Barnabas for help with their planned giving, we have decided to focus our primary affiliation in this stewardship field with the PCA Foundation, an arm of the Presbyterian Church in America. You do not need to be a member of a PCA church to use the Foundation's services.

Among the opportunities for using your resources to advance the work of the seminary or other Kingdom organizations is the Foundation's donor-advised "Advise & Consult Fund." This instrument has great current tax advantages and allows you flexibility in channeling your gifts. For example, one gift to this fund can be directed to fund distributions to multiple ministries. Other programs include Charitable Remainder Trusts, Endowments, Charitable Lead Trusts, Church Designated Funds, Individual Designated Funds, Estate Design, Bequest Processing and Special Services.

The GPTS Development Office would be happy to send you a copy of the Foundation's helpful "Guide to Planning Your Estate." We can also send you other brochures describing various opportunities for planned giving. Contact us by e-mail or call us at 864-322-2717 ext. 319. Or you can write to the Seminary at PO Box 690, Taylors SC 29687. You may also learn all about the PCA Foundation and contact it directly from its web site: www.pcafoundation.com.

• August 15 - Dr. Curto - Geneva OPC, Woodstock, Georgia
• August 15 - Dr. Dyer, Reedy River PCA,  Conestee,  South Carolina
• August 15 - Dr. Pipa - Neon Reformed Presbyterian Church, Neon, Kentucky 
• August 15 - Dr. Carrick, Shiloh Presbyterian Church (OPC), Raleigh, North Carolina
• August 19-20 - Dr. Pipa - Family Conference, Shelter Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCNA), Edmonton, Alberta
• August 22 - Dr. Carrick, Shiloh Presbyterian Church (OPC), Raleigh, North Carolina

• August 22 - Dr. Dyer, Providence PCA, Spartanburg, South Carolina

• August 29 - Dr. Dyer, Providence PCA, Spartanburg, South Carolina

• August 29 - Dr. Pipa, Free Reformed Church, Chatham, Ontario


• September 5 - Dr. Carrick, Free Church of Scotland Continuing, Greenville, South Carolina
• September 5 - Dr. Pipa, Providence PCA, Greensboro, North Carolina
• September 18 - Dr. Pipa, Presbytery of Connecticut and Southern New York (OPC)


• September 19 - Dr. Pipa, Westminster OPC, Hampden, Connecticut


• September 19 - Dr. Dyer, Covenant Reformed OPC, Mt. Airy, North Carolina
• September 25-26 - Dr. Pipa - Conference on The Means of Grace, Grace Reformed Church, Greeneville, Tennessee

• October 22-23 - Dr. Pipa, Annual Oklahoma Conference on Reformed Theology, Heritage Reformed Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• October 24 - Dr. Pipa, Heritage Reformed Church, Oklahoma City

• October 30 - Dr. Pipa, Reformation Conference, Covenant URC, Pantego, North Carolina

• November 19-20 - Dr. Pipa, Sola Scriptura Conference, London, Ontario

Ongoing:

• Dr. Smith is teaching an adult Sunday School class at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Brevard, North Carolina.
• Dr. Shaw is leading a men's Bible study at 2nd Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina.
• NOTE: Dr. McGoldrick has concluded his service as pulpit supply at a local church and is available for preaching requests.

Fall Enrollment

The Seminary administration, faculty, staff, and student body welcome the following new students who will begin their studies during the 2010-11 school year. The list below includes, hometown, denominational affiliation and degree program being pursued at GPTS:

• Patrick Daly (wife Esther), Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP), Master of Arts.

• Ross Fearing, Nacogdoches, Tex., Presbyterian Church in American (PCA), Master of Divinity.

• Michelle Sekuras, Taylors, S.C., Grace Church (non-denominational), Master of Arts.

• Daniel Flinn, New Zealand, Reformed Churches of New Zealand, Master of Divinity.

• Michael Hutchinson (wife Tricia), Fort Mill, S.C., PCA,  Bachelor of Divinity.

• Alex Agha-Khan (wife Carol Jean), two children, Winesburg, Ohio, PCA, Master of Divinity

Student Internships

The following current students are participating in student internships this summer. Please pray for these men as they participate in this important aspect of their training.

• Nick Napier - Westminster Bible Presbyterian Church (PCA), Sydney, Nova Scotia
• Josh Cochran - Reedy River PCA, Conestee, S.C.
• Jeff Downs - Calvary Presbyterian Church (PCA), Traveler's Rest, S.C.
• Kevin Olivier - Lakeview Presbyterian Church (OPC), Rockport, Maine
• Jegar Chinnavan - Bible Presbyterian Church (BPC), Grand Island, N.Y.
• Todd Seay - Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC), Lynchburg, Va.
• Breno Macedo - Fellowship Presbyterian Church (PCA), Greer, S.C.
• Louis Cloete - Mission trip to Ethiopia
• Mark Kozak - Mount Calvary (PCA), Roebuck, S.C.
• Jeremiah Montgomery - Westminster (OPC), Hollidaysburg, Penn.

"The historic, confessional Reformed faith is being propagated, and we are joyfully shouting to God with all the earth!" says Mrs. Curto.

The work in these foreign countries would not exist if it were not for the generous giving of God's people. Your financial support of foreign students studying here has provided tuition and living expenses for many men who are either already out on the field, or finishing up their studies. 

2009 GPTS graduate Rodrigo Brotto, right, at his ordination service in Brazil.

This year we have three men who depend on us for support. Breno Macedo is in his last year of study and hopes to return to Recife, Brazil to serve the Lord in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Another current student, already an ordained pastor for many years in East Africa, is able to come each year to continue his education. These two men, among others, have received the benefit of your sacrificial giving over the past five years. Next semester, Reginald Amicy, a young man from Haiti, is scheduled to begin his studies at Greenville Seminary; and we have committed to providing his tuition and living expenses.

It is also the desire of the faculty of Greenville Seminary to be able to travel abroad to teach and minister, especially in churches that are not able to invite trained professors to come due to lack of funds. Churches and schools in third-world countries like Haiti, Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria would never be able on their own to invite professors to come and teach in their struggling Bible colleges and theological schools.

It is our hope that we can raise the money necessary to send our faculty members to countries such as these, where they can assist the indigenous church leaders in training men for ministry. GPTS President Dr. Joseph Pipa Jr. already has two trips scheduled to teach in foreign countries: Italy in October and Nigeria in March. We are hoping to raise $4,000 a year over our regular income to allow our faculty to answer this call to teach abroad in these needy situations.

Will you consider giving a gift that will be used specifically for either supporting our foreign students while they study here in the states, or providing expenses for our faculty travel to countries where the need is great, but the resources are few? To contribute, visit our web site donation page. Use the drop-down menus to select support for international students.

Summer Institute Tackles Complex Ethical Questions over Medical Care

The medical profession is "a-ethical," according to Dr. Del Bailey, the presenter during this month's Summer Institute at Greenville Seminary.

The coined term was chosen to indicate that the most medical practitioners simply do not consider historic ethical standards when making medical decisions or they are ignorant that such standards even exist, Dr. Bailey told the opening session of his seminar, "Issues in Medical Ethics for the 21st Century." The Institute was held Aug. 2-6 at the seminary.

Medical practitioners have little or no training in ethics, even though ethical questions are inherent in so much of what they do, he said. As a result, most are not aware that many of their decisions have moral implications. Regrettably, he added, many pastors and Christian counselors also lack training on medical-ethics issues, and there is little in the way of valuable literature on the subject.

The week-long Institute included discussions of numerous "case studies," actual or typical medical cases with inherent moral considerations. The course provided a framework to prepare attendees to give biblical answers to ethical issues that the unbeliever cannot hope to answer. The classes explored what God has to say about medical issues and applied those answers to real-world situations, such as how a church can best reach out to those who are ill or who have family members who are hospitalized or what to say to patients who claim that faith in God is sufficient to heal their cancer.

This year's Summer Institute was recorded in both audio and video formats. These recordings will be available through the seminary's Presbyterian Book Shop. Audio CDs are available for $60; MP3 CDs for $40. The price is yet to be determined for DVDs. Contact Andy Wortman at 864-322-2717, ext. 308, or e-mail the bookstore at bookstore@gpts.edu.

Educational Aid for Veterans and Active-duty Military

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is approved by the U.S. government for students receiving military educational benefits or veterans' aid under the GI Bill. The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), also known as the Veteran's GI Bill of Rights, is the focal point of military educational benefits. It provides a monthly benefit for active-duty and Reserve service members and veterans. Generally speaking, you can qualify to earn funds if you have served at least two years on active duty, if you have graduated high school or possess an equivalency certificate before you apply for benefits, and if you contribute $100 a month for the first 12 months you are in active duty. However, your eligibility and the amount of money for which you qualify depends on a number of distinct factors. For details on eligibility, please visit GIBill.com or the Veterans Administration.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, this traditional tax-free benefit can be used for any expenses related to education or training while earning a graduate or undergraduate degree, professional and trade school certification, or attending flight school. Such covered expenses can include ─ but are not limited to ─ tuition and fees, books, and relocation and living expenses.

Signed into law in July of 2008, the new Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a set of benefits to service members who have served on active duty for 90 or more days since Sept. 10, 2001, including current and previously activated National Guard and Reserve members. The new GI Bill went into effect on August 1, 2009. The new GI Bill offers up to 100 percent tuition and fee coverage, a monthly housing stipend, up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies, and the option to transfer benefits to one or more dependents. Also, service members who reside in rural counties with six people or fewer per square mile may qualify for a one-time relocation payment of $500.

Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments are structured on a tiered system and determined by the amount of creditable active-duty service you have since Sept. 10, 2001. Because Guard or Selected Reserve members and Veterans enjoy the bulk of the benefits, active duty members are encouraged to use their Tuition Assistance benefits while on active duty and wait until the conclusion of their service before applying for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.