In this issue
Other Notes
Register for Fall Classes: Fall registration has begun. Click here to see the Fall Course Schedule.
Donate Online: You can donate to RPTS securely online!
Planned Giving Calculator: Explore how a planned gift to RPTS could work for you with our online planned giving calculator.
Bicentennial: Learn more about our 200th Anniversary in 2010, including a bicentennial video!
Professor Videos: Watch professors sharing their vision for their respective departments.
Scripture Verse:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you- with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant- and when you
eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
-- Deuteronomy 6:4-13 (ESV)
Quote: And, among all the books, the Psalter has certainly a very special grace, a choiceness of quality well worthy to be pondered; for, besides the characteristics which it shares with others, it has this peculiar marvel of its own, that within it are represented and portrayed in all their great variety the movements of the human soul. It is like a picture, in which you see yourself portrayed, and seeing, may understand and consequently form yourself upon the pattern given. Elsewhere in the Bible you read only that the Law commands this or that to be done, you listen to the Prophets to learn about the Saviour's coming, or you turn to the historical books to learn the doings of the kings and holy men; but in the Psalter, besides all these things, you learn about yourself.
-- Letter of St. Athanasius to Marcellinus, concerning the Psalms
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Seventeen Graduates to be Honored at 2009 Commencement on May 22
RPTS will honor 17 graduates during its commencement ceremony on Friday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m., at New Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) on 2225 Grandview Avenue in Monroeville, PA. Ten graduates will receive their three-year Master of Divinity degrees and seven graduates will receive their two-year Master of Theological Studies degrees.
Rev. Donald Piper, retired pastor of Seattle Reformed Presbyterian Church and a more than 20-year board member of RPTS, will be the commencement speaker. The event is open to the public.
To read about each graduate and see their photos, click here.
Matching Gift Challenge through August 1 to Benefit the RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute
A friend of RPTS in Pittsburgh will match any first-time gift, a gift from someone who hasn’t given since 2007, or a special gift above and beyond an annual supporter’s regular giving to the RPTS Annual Fund between now and August 1, up to $15,000! The money raised will support our transitional start up costs for staffing and program-related technology resources for BCI.
This is an opportunity for you to double the impact of your special gift and help us raise a total of $30,000 over the next few months to start BCI out on strong footing by the end of the summer!
To have your gift matched by this lead challenge, we need to receive it by August 1. Please note “BCI Matching Gift Challenge” in the memo line of your check. Or, give through our online donation form now (choose the BCI Matching Challenge option in the drop down menu of giving options) here: http://www.rpts.edu/support/donate.php. Thank you!
Obituary for Dr. William Russell, Previous Registrar and Professor of Church History
Dr. William Russell, who served as Professor of Church History and Registrar at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary from 1985-1996, passed away Wednesday, May 6, 2009. He was 85.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Martha, and his children, Mary Louise and Dale.
Click here to read his obituary in the Beaver County Times.
Support RPTS with GoodSearch and GoodShop Online Internet Searches and Purchases
RPTS recently registered with GoodSearch and GoodShop, giving you the opportunity to raise money for this ministry every time you search the Internet or shop online. Money raised this year through GoodSearch and GoodShop will be used toward the start up costs of the new RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute that will be housed in a building the Seminary is renovating at 7401 Penn Avenue, slated to open for training in September at the start of its 2009 academic year.
>>READ MORE>>
Still Time to Join RPTS for Calvin500 in Geneva!
There is still time to join President Jerry O'Neill, his wife, Ann, and RPTS faculty and friends in Geneva, Switzerland, this June for Calvin500! To learn more about the event, visit http://www.rpts.edu/calvin.php.
YouTube Videos by Dr. Scipione on a Number of Counseling Subjects
Dr. George C. Scipione, Director of the new RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute, has been interviewed for videos on a number of subjects that can be viewed on the RPTS YouTube Channel.
Topics covered to date are:
- Does Mental Illness Exist?
- What is Truth? (3-part series)
- "Alcoholism": Drunkeness versus Disease
- The Insanity of Pleading Insanity
- Nouthetic Counseling Vs. Psychology and Eclecticism
- People Really Can Get Better When They Get Right With God
- BCI Intro
To view these videos, visit http://www.rpts.edu/bci/bcivideos.php.
Also, there is a new RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute Church Partnership Program. To read a brochure about how your church can participate, click here.
Listen to May 6 Interview with Visiting Professor Anthony Selvaggio on Covenantradio.com
On Wednesday, May 6, 2009, RPTS Visiting Professor, Rev. Anthony Selvaggio, was a guest on the program of Covenantradio.com to share about his book The 24/7 Christian: Practical Help from the Book of James.
To listen to the archived MP3 May 6 podcast file of the interview, click here.
On June 4, 2009, at 7:30 PM ET (4:30 PM PT), Rev. Selvaggio will return to Covenant Radio to discuss his book A Proverbs Driven Life. Tune in that day online at Covenant Radio to listen to the interview.
Alum Feature: Rev. Michael Harvey (RPTS '91), Executive Director of Seneca Hills Bible Camp
Read a recent feature article written by current M.T.S. student at the Seminary, Beverly Simpson, about RPTS '91 alum Michael Harvey (seen left in the picture to the right) and his work as Executive Director of Seneca Hills Bible Camp in Franklin, PA.
Click here for the story.
Register for the 2009 International Conference on the Westminster Confession
Register for the annual conference on the theology and influence of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. Join us on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and June 27, at the RPTS campus in Pittsburgh to enjoy lectures by distinguished professors from various Reformed seminaries.
This year’s conference represents the second installment of a three-year series focusing on Christ’s three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King, entitled "The Priestly Ministry of Our Lord."
For more information on conference speakers and to register, visit www.westminsterconference.org.
Watch Videos Online of Recent Reformation Society of Pittsburgh Seminar, "Revitalizing the Church", Featuring Lectures by Two RPTS Profs and an RPTS Alum
On Saturday, April 25, the Reformation Society of Pittsburgh hosted a Saturday seminar entitled “Revitalizing the Church” at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS).
Speakers and Topics were:
- "Personal and Corporate Repentance and Renewal", Dr. Jack Kinneer, Adjunct Professor of New Testament Studies, RPTS
- "Kingdom Focused Prayer", Rev. Harry Metzger, North Hills Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPTS '85)
- "Conflict Resolution", Dr. George Scipione, Director of the RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute
Videos are available to view now online by clicking here.
Webinar with Dr. Prutow on Handling Details in Preaching Recorded and Available for Online Viewing
On April 14, Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, Dr. Dennis Prutow, presented his second session on preaching for alums and friends, entitled “Handling the Details in Your Sermon”. The lecture was recorded and is made available for online viewing here, thanks to our sponsor, RP Missions.
Wish List
In-kind Donation Wish List
- Car or Van
- Weekly volunteer help in the Library
- Skilled volunteer labor for work on the new building across the road
- Theological books for the Library
- Office furniture for the new building across the street
- Weekly volunteer help in the Seminary Office and for the Biblical Counseling Institute
- Vacuum cleaners in good condition
- Chain saw
- Roto tiller
- Weed eater
- Laptop
- Projector
- A couple of comfortable, wing-backed chairs or some end/occasional tables for the library/counseling annex
- Microform reader-printer, which costs about $10,000 new, for the Library
- Compost unit
- Portable white boards about 4' X 6'
- Potted plants
To make an in-kind donation to RPTS, please contact Grant Van Leuven in the Development Office at gvanleuven@rpts.edu, or 412-731-8690, Ext. 108.
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