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GPTS Seeks to
Bolster Potential for Financial Aid with
Creation of New Scholarship Funds
At Greenville Seminary, it has always been
our belief that students called by God to
minister in His vineyard should not have to
enter that calling with a mountain of debt
created in the pursuit of their studies.
Therefore, our tuition is one-half to a third
less than other historically Presbyterian
seminaries. Students who come from
GPTS-supporting churches or Presbyteries often
have their tuition waived, a valuable form of
assistance to some. Military personnel and
veterans also are eligible for certain forms of
assistance in some cases. For others, however,
the availability of financial aid is often a
primary point of inquiry before application for
admission.
Greenville Seminary does not have an
endowment nor, until now, has it had a permanent
scholarship fund from which we can routinely
provide financial aid to incoming students. From
time to time, gracious and generous donors have
provided us with funds which they designate to
be used to support students, for example as a
memorial for a loved one. In some cases, the
seminary has underwritten the expenses of
certain needy students who come to our attention
through faculty or administration relationships,
but such arrangements are unique and have not
been seen as generally available financial aid.
That is changing. GPTS has recently created
the framework for
three formal scholarship funds, administered
professionally by the PCA Foundation. These
funds include:
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The President’s Scholarship Fund. This is
a general purpose resource from which
scholarships may be granted as determined by
our scholarship committee.
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The International Students Scholarship
Fund. This fund is intended to provide
financial aid to foreign students,
especially those from third-world countries
where educational resources are limited.
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The Islamic
Studies Scholarship Fund.
With the recent addition and planned
expansion of Islamic studies in our
curriculum, the vital need to train
missionaries, evangelists and others who
minister to Muslim communities at home and
abroad has become increasingly apparent.
This fund is intended to assist with tuition
costs for students who enroll in our
upcoming Master of Arts in Apologetics and
Islam program, details of which will be
announced soon. Initial seed funding
for this scholarship will be from
Church Without Walls in Philadelphia, Pa.,
led by Dr. Anees Zaka, who teaches the Islam
courses at GPTS, and our bookstore sales of
a book about women in Islam,
Cry of the Heart and Quest of the Mind,
by Dr. Zaka and Diane Coleman. (See related
note below.)
The
availability and
size of any
scholarships
awarded from
these funds
depends entirely
on how many
assets each fund
will eventually
contain.
All that remains now is to fund these
scholarship accounts. And that is where you can help!
As we launch our first formal scholarship
campaign, we humbly request those who see the
value of our ministry to consider donating to
one or more of these financial aid vehicles.
The PCA Foundation can receive gifts of cash,
appreciated securities, mutual funds and real
estate on behalf of GPTS. Gifts to the
Foundation are tax deductible, and when you make
your gift, you will receive a receipt as well as
any IRS forms you will need to claim your
deduction directly from the PCA Foundation. If
desired, your gifts can be credited to any of
the GPTS funds ANONYMOUSLY.
To Contribute Cash —
Make your check payable
to the PCA Foundation, Inc. and mail it to:
PCA Foundation, Inc., 1700 North Brown Road,
Suite 103, Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8143. Please indicate on the memo line of your
check or by way of a note that the gift is
for the benefit of:
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The Greenville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary President’s Scholarship Fund
(#4074) or
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The Greenville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary International Students Scholarship
Fund (#4075) or
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The Greenville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary Islamic Studies Scholarship Fund
(#4076).
To Contribute Stock, Mutual Funds or
Other Appreciated Assets — Please call the
PCA Foundation directly at (800) 700-3221 to
discuss the specifics of your gift.
To Make a Gift of Real Estate —
Please
call the PCAF's Randy Stair at (800) 700-3221 or
send an e-mail to
pcaf@pcanet.org to discuss your
gift.
If you have any questions or need further
information, please contact:
PCA Foundation,
Inc.
1700 North Brown Road, Suite 103
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Toll Free: (800) 700-3221
Fax: (678) 825-1041
E-mail: pcaf@pcanet.org
Web site:
www.pcafoundation.com
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NOTE: Dr. Zaka has
cited the
article here as an important rationale for
Greenville Seminary's new emphasis on Islamic
Studies.
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GPTS Web Site Gets New
Administrator and Improved Features
We are pleased to announce the appointment of
new student Christopher Campbell as web-site
administrator for Greenville Seminary. Mr.
Campbell is a mentor-supervised distance
learning student enrolled in our Master of
Divinity program. He is a member of Northland
Reformed Church (RCUS) in Kansas City, Missouri.
and was previously enrolled at Reformed
 Theological
Seminary. He and his wife Megan live in Platte
City, Missouri.
He is the information technology director for
KVC Health Systems Inc. and previously did
IT-related work for Commerce Bank, Sprint
E-Solutions and the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
He thus brings a wealth of expertise to our web
site administration. "I enjoy the work, and I
get to do it for the furtherance of the
gospel...what a great deal!" says Mr. Campbell
of his new position at GPTS.
Concerning his choice of Greenville Seminary,
Mr. Campbell says, “I was excited as I read
through the article 'Why Choose Greenville
Seminary' as well as the declaration on creation
called '6 Days Are 6 Days.' The uncompromising
and unapologetic position the seminary takes on
both creation and the Word of God is like a
glass of refreshing water in the theological
desert of post-modern and liberal thinking. This
type of stand for the truth of God’s Word is
what the world most desperately needs.”
Among the immediate innovations Mr. Campbell
has brought to the GPTS web site are
improvements in the navigation system. Drop-down
menus give visitors a quicker and more
comprehensive view of the overall content of the
site (see image below). Also added is a more
visible and improved site search engine and
easier connection to the mobile version of our
web site for smart-phone users. GPTS students
will find greatly streamlined access to course
materials and other password-protected
student-only material in the My GPTS section.
Mr. Campbell maintains a personal blog called
"Mind
for Truth." As GPTS webmaster, he replaces Jayne Hall, a former
GPTS student and local web designer who has
provided the seminary with several years of
faithful service. We extend our gratitude to
Miss Hall for her excellent work and
dedication.
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Katekōmen
κατέχω
- Let us hold fast
the profession of our faith without wavering....
Hebrews 10:23
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The seminary's online scholarly journal Katekōmen
is a valuable source of book reviews and
theological thought. The 45 articles currently
listed in the table of contents are arranged by
topic and, just recently, also by author's name.
To read the journal, go to
katekomen.gpts.edu. You will find articles
by GPTS faculty, students, alumni and others.
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25th Anniversary
Feature |
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Although a fledgling Greenville Seminary had its beginnings
25 years ago in the Upstate South Carolina city
of Greenville (hence our name), it has
flourished for much of its history in the
adjacent community of Taylors, our present home
and a textile city with a colorful past.
 The
broader Taylors community formed over the years
around the Chick Springs Resort (left), which
flourished in the late 1800s on the edge of Old
Taylors and the Southern Bleachery, which was
built in the 1920s. When the textile bleachery
entered the community, a number of houses,
recreational facilities, and schools were built
to accommodate the large number of employees
that moved to the area to find work. The
original high school was erected in 1927 in the
heart of Old Taylors. In 1945 that building
burned and was replaced by the current
structure, which was used as a high school until
the 1960s, when Greenville County consolidated
its schools. It was an elementary school until
1980.
The Old Taylors community experienced a
significant decline in the textile economy
during 1970s and 1980s, and while efforts were
made to protect and preserve the community
heritage, the high school was neglected and
was abused by vandals (see photo, right). County
planners identified the high school as an
essential component in the Taylors
revitalization, and architects and engineers
confirmed that the building was structurally
well-built and held much promise both for the
Seminary and Taylors.
THE TAYLORS COMMUNITY AND GREENVILLE SEMINARY
 The
Taylors community has benefitted from an
enhanced Main Street that features the
Seminary's 2008 building (right), the
former high school. This
is our second home on Taylors' Main Street;
previously we were in a church building a
couple of blocks east now occupied by
Covenant Community Orthodox Presbyterian
Church.
Revitalization of the area is underway. On
Main Street in Taylors just west of GPTS is
the sprawling multimillion-dollar campus of Taylors
First Baptist Church and a new,
state-of-the-art Taylors Branch of the
Greenville County Library System. New
business growth took place at the east end
of Main Street with a now-thriving shopping
complex anchored by retailer Target
Corporation. There is also an active
Community Association composed of residents
and local businesses who are working
together for revitalization in this area
that suffered badly in the textile economic
downturn. GPTS President Joseph A. Pipa Jr.
has served as president of the association.
Old Taylors High School alumni have
supported projects at GPTS in appreciation
for our restoration of their alma mater's
former home.
As can be seen from our
Financial Report below,
we still have a substantial obligation in
amortizing our building debt. Your
contribution to our Capital Funds Program
will not only help build God's Kingdom
through our theological education offerings
but also enhance the community we call home.
Lecture Planned on History of the ICBI
 Dr.
Jay Grimstead, founder of the
Coalition on Revival, will be presenting a
lecture at GPTS on Monday, Oct. 17th at 7 p.m.,
Room 209. The public is invited to this
faculty-approved event.
Dr. Grimstead was one of the original organizers
of the
International Congress on Biblical Inerrancy
(ICBI), which produced the historic
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. He
worked closely with Dr. Francis Schaeffer and
some 200 major evangelical leaders in organizing
this significant movement which substantially
changed the church's views on inerrancy for the
better.
His presentation will include, in his words, "a
short history of how the ICBI came into being
and moved forward towards creating The Chicago
Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which has now
taken its place alongside historical church
history documents like the Nicene Creed and the
Westminster Confession." He will also provide
"some of the personal history of the different
men as they were involved in that process and
made their contributions to this document, such
as Francis Schaeffer, R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer,
Norm Geisler, D. James Kennedy, James Boice,
Jack Gerstner, Ken Kantzer, Harold Lindsell,
Billy Graham, and others, and how Fuller
Seminary, my alma mater, fought this from the
very start."
Jay is a congenial, engaging person with an
entertaining personality. He is widely known as
a foundational figure in the so-called
"Religious Right," although he will be the first
to say his influence has not been as great as
his liberal detractors say.
* * * * *
 RESERVE
THE DATE: November 28 – Dr. E.
Calvin Beisner, founder and national spokesman
for the
Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of
Creation, will present a lecture on "The
Religion of Radical Environmentalism: How to
Overcome its Threats to You, Your Family, Your
Church and Your Society" at 7 p.m., Room 209 at
the seminary. The Cornwall Alliance is a
coalition of clergy, theologians, religious
leaders, scientists, academics, and policy
experts committed to bringing a balanced
Biblical view of stewardship to the critical
issues of environment and development.
Dr. Beisner is an author and speaker on the
application of the Biblical world view to
economics, government, and environmental policy.
He has published more than 10 books and hundreds
of articles, contributed to or edited many other
books, and been a guest on television and radio
programs. A ruling elder in the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church, he has spoken to churches,
seminars, and other groups around the country
for nearly 20 years. Dr. Beisner has testified
before Congressional committees as an expert
witness on environmental matters.
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Tanzanian Mission with
GPTS Ties Needs Material Help
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 Former
Greenville Seminary student Joseph K.
Nyambwe, executive director of Hope for the
Future Ministries in Tanzania, is currently
in the United States seeking support for his
ministry in orphanages and war refugee
camps.
In an invitation to GPTS President Joseph
Pipa Jr. to come and teach pastors in
Tanzania and church leaders who have fled
from wars in DRC-Congo, Rwanda and Burundi,
Mr. Nyambwe provided a list of items needed.
We are pleased to pass this list of needs on
to our readers. Items include:
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Van for
ministry
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Any vehicle for outreach to the
refugee camps
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Computers for the ministry and
orphanages
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Motorcycle for rural areas where
there is no road
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Projectors for preaching
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Uniforms for 200 children aged 3-7:
white t-shirts and red pant or skirt
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Text books pencils shoes and clothes
for both adults and kids
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Suits for pastors since most pastors
are in the refugee camps.
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Choir instruments
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FINANCIAL REPORT
The tables below show our
General Fund and Capital Fund financial
condition as of the end of September 2011. The
month saw a substantial drop in general-fund
donations to the seminary, leaving us with a
deficit for September of more than $20,000.
Please keep this need in mind in your prayers
and giving.
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General Fund for September 2011 |
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September
Budget |
September
Actual |
September
Actual v. Budget |
| Expenses |
$80,245 |
$84,811
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+$4,566
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Donation
Income |
$62,133
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$39,781 |
-$22,352
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| Other
Income |
$18,236
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$24,760 |
+$6,524 |
| Total
Income |
$80,369
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$64,541 |
-$15,828
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| Net Income |
+$124
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-$20,270 |
-$20,394 |
| |
Fiscal Year
to Date Budget |
Fiscal Year
to Date Actual |
Fiscal Year
to Date Actual v. Budget |
| Expenses |
$240,771 |
$241,949 |
+$1,178 |
Donation
Income |
$186,400 |
$192,629 |
+$6,229 |
| Other
Income |
$54,714 |
$78,655 |
+$23,941 |
| Total
Income |
$241,114 |
$271,284 |
+$30,170 |
| Net Income |
+$343 |
+$29.335 |
+$28,992 |
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Capital Fund Update |
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Goal |
$3,500,000 |
|
Received |
$2,485,947 |
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Outstanding Pledges |
$714,288 |
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New Income Needed |
$299,765 |
|
Outstanding Bills |
$55,000 |
|
Monthly Note |
$6,559 |
|
Remaining Mortgage |
$1,081,794 |
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If you would like to make a convenient
online donation to Greenville Seminary,
click the "Donate" button below.
Whether or not you can contribute
financially, here is another way you can
help the seminary: Do you know someone that
would be interested in learning more about
our organization or supporting us? If so,
fill out the form here and an e-mail
message with
a link to our website will be sent to them.
Thank you for your continued support for
Greenville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary.
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 A
Special Message to Church Leaders from GPTS
President Joseph A. Pipa, Jr.
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"Thus says the Lord:
'Stand in the way and see, and ask for the
old paths, where the good way is, and walk
in it; then you will find rest for your
souls.'”
This verse from Jeremiah 6:16 is an integral part of Greenville Seminary’s vision
and has been since our founding 25 years
ago. We are not partial to “old paths”
because they are old, but because God has
ordained some truths to be eternal and worth
upholding in all generations.
We live in a time when many of the
old paths have been abandoned, not only by
the people in the pew, but also by the very
men who have been ordained and called to
proclaim them.
Greenville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary exists to train pastors
rooted in the historic Reformed faith, who
will "rightly divide" the Word of Truth. We
rely on the support and partnership of
churches as we train men for the Gospel
Ministry.
I am writing to ask you
to consider placing the seminary in your
2012 budget. As you know, there are serious
on-going issues in some churches and
denominations today that have concerned us
for several years: the nature of worship,
the role of women, the doctrine of
justification, and now promotion of theistic
evolution. Greenville Seminary is committed
to historical, biblical Presbyterianism on
these issues. Moreover, we have a
single-minded commitment to train men to
serve as scholar-pastors, who are expository
and passionate preachers.
If you cannot place us
in your church budget at this time, would
you consider a special offering on behalf of
Greenville Seminary? We would be happy to
send materials that you can distribute or
use as bulletin inserts.
I recognize that the continued
economic downturn has a significant impact
on our supporters but I hope that you will
prayerfully consider our request.
With warm regards, I am
Yours in Christ,
Joseph
A. Pipa, Jr.
PRESIDENT
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Visit our new online Gift Shop to
purchase GPTS golf shirts, sweatshirts,
coffee mugs, and travel mugs. All net
proceeds help support the seminary.
NEW ITEM: The family
film More than Diamonds is now being offered on DVD to
friends of the seminary. By special
arrangement with the producers, each
purchase made online through a special web
page will generate a donation to GPTS.
More info here.
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