Beginning tomorrow in Chapel, Dr. Jim Coffield is speaking on campus as part of our annual Marriage, Family and Community Conference. He’s taking the conference in a different direction than past years, and it looks to be a fascinating few days.

The Messed-Up Family
Wednesday’s Chapel: Masculinity: The role of father

Thursday’s Chapel: Femininity: The role of mother

4:00p.m. Informal discussion and Q & A with students on topics including: redeeming sexuality, honoring a dishonorable family, sexuality and celibacy. Caudle Room, Mac/Rymer Hall

7:00p.m. Redemption & Hope in the Mess Mills 270/280

Friday’s Chapel: Transformation & Change

Dr. James Coffield is Associate Professor of Counseling and clinical director of the M.A. in Counseling degree program at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL.

As always, chapels are open to the public.

Since I’ve worked at Covenant, my ears are more attuned to expressions of “calling” in print and other media. At Covenant, we talk a lot about the Big C and little c callings, emphasizing our Calling as Christians as our primary call, and then a range of other callings that we pursue in life. The following link is a wonderful video and transcript that tell part of the story of an amazing woman in Philadelphia: NPR Funeral Director. Perhaps it is because I have spent so much time in that city that this particular clip gripped me, but I found it an inspiring example of a woman living out her extraordinary calling in an ordinary place.

Today in chapel, Professor John Wingard gave the final faculty lecture for this semester on Worship and Philosophy. Earlier in the semester we heard from Professors Camille Hallstrom and Richard Nelson, regarding Theatre and Biology. Hearing professors share about how worship shapes their vocation and how pursuing their vocation allows them to more fully worship God has been a great encouragement. For students, in particular, it is always good to be reminded that what they do as they learn and study is an act of worship that is shaping them for the future. But it’s helpful for all of us to realize that our worship and work are intertwined in beautiful and redemptive ways, by God’s grace.

You can listen to previous faculty lectures on Covenant’s iTunes site. Dr. Wingard’s should be up shortly.

This past weekend, we had some of the most beautiful weather we could ask for in mid-November in Georgia. I was especially thankful for the sunshine and warmth, as 30 students and 4 staff members joined me for a retreat at Camp New Dawn in GA. Part of my job involves working with the discipleship coordinators across campus, and the fall overnight retreat provides a welcome opportunity for students to get away from campus, enjoy food and conversation, and spend time in worship and prayer.

Here’s a photo of most (a few left early and 3 couldn’t make it) of the great students I get to work with this year as they serve their halls as discipleship coordinators.

I was reminded last week again of the blessing our students at Covenant have to hear speakers from all over the place, but particularly to hear pastors of local churches from places where they might end up after graduation. Last Friday, Howard Brown from Christ Central in Charlotte, challenged us from Ephesians 4 about how much we tend tend to live on our own knowledge, ideas, competencies, and not to recognize that we don’t know all we need to know, that we need others to know what we don’t know and ultimately we need Jesus to know all that we need to know.

This week, we get to hear from someone who we trust will fill out our knowledge in the area of the global church! We are enjoying our annual Global Gospel Advancement Week and our keynote speaker is David Sitton, who leads To Every Tribe ministries out of Dallas, TX. Rev. Sitton has served in pioneer missions in Papua New Guinea and Mexico.

David and and his wife Tommi founded To Every Tribe Ministries where he currently serves as president. They also founded The Center for Pioneer Church Planting, which began in January, 2006. This missionary training program is dedicated to recruiting, training and launching pioneer church planters into the far-flung regions where Christ is still unknown.

We’re excited to hear from him and let the Spirit challenge our hearts and minds with the needs of the world. Pray that we would listen well and hear and apply the truth that is presented to us.

One of the required courses for every Covenant student is Christ and Culture: “a weekly seminar dealing with the issue of the relationship of Jesus Christ and human culture.” Next Friday, Oct 23, after students have rested a bit for fall break, we have invited Shai Linne, a Philadelphia-based hip-hop artist, to come and speak in chapel about Christ’s preeminence in all cultures, with a focus on hip-hop culture.

Shai is a gifted artist, who delights to exalt Christ through words and music. On Friday evening at 8pm, he’ll perform in a concert on campus as well. shailinneposter
Check out this recent interview (in three parts) he did with 9Marks ministry.

9 Marks interviews Shai Linne and Voice pt 1 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

9 marks interview pt 2 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

9 Marks Interview pt 3 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Next week, we are delighted that Dr. Patrick and Rosemary Sookhdeo will be on campus to share with us their knowledge and insight into the persecuted church. Patrick Sookhdeo is the International Director of Barnabas Aid and we are excited that he will speak several times our community, bringing awareness of the reality of the persecuted church worldwide and an understanding of our own responsibilities to stand with our brothers and sisters in need.

 
Dr. Sookhdeo will speak in chapel on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 11am. He will also give an evening talk on Thursday at 7pm, and Mrs. Sookhdeo will give a talk on Thursday afternoon at 4pm on Women and Islam. All events are open to the public.

Barnabas Aid’s mission statement is:

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Barnabas Aid is to support Christians where they are in a minority and suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their faith. Our goal is to strengthen Christian individuals, churches and their communities by providing material and spiritual support in response to needs identified by local Christian leaders.

We do this by making their needs known to Christians around the world, by encouraging prayer and financial giving in support of these brothers and sisters in Christ, working with existing local Christian organisations, and by speaking on their behalf. The Fund channels this aid from donors to the needy recipients with minimum overheads. All gifts are monitored to ensure they are used in line with the stated need.

In accordance with Biblical teaching, we believe that Christians should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who persecute them.

Last week’s Neal Conference on True Spirituality was a wonderful week. Although it was foggy and rainy most of the week, we enjoyed great music from Andrew Peterson and wonderful teaching from Rev. Stafford Carson, who preached a series of sermons from 2 Timothy. 

The strong rains continued over the weekend, and a small mudslide exposed some pipe near the chapel, so we had to cancel chapel on Monday to take the proper precautions. It’s sunny again on the mountain (we’d almost forgotten what the sunbeams felt like).

Today,  we were back with Rev. Mike Higgins, senior pastor at Redemption Fellowship, in Fayetteville, GA. He preached from Mark 1, the story of the leper who came to Christ for healing. He challenged us that we are a school full of lepers in need of the constant cleansing of Christ, who is able and willing to cleanse us. When we feel like an outcast, or are screaming inside, or are not sure we can make it one more day, we cry out to Jesus, our Savior, for cleansing and comfort. He who has been an outcast, has suffered for us, has been made sin for us, makes us clean. What a beautiful reminder!

It’s almost time for our annual Neal Conference on True Spirituality. You can check out the official announcement here. Our student committee has been working hard to prepare for this week-long conference. I’m looking forward to hearing Rev. Stafford Carson preach throughout next week–he occasionally would preach at my church in Philadelphia when he was serving at Westminster Theological Seminary.  He is a faithful minister of God’s Word, and it will be good to see how God uses him during his time with us. 

Tuesday of next week, we have guest artist Andrew Peterson playing, both in chapel and in a concert that evening. Andrew’s music is played here in the states and abroad, but did you know his songs get some airplay in Space as well? 

The shuttle and station crews woke up to “Rocket” by Andrew Peterson for Pat Forrester.11:51 AM Sep 6th from TwitterBerrytwitter.com/NASA

 

We have had our first few chapels of the year, and it’s been so wonderful to have everyone back in the chapel at one time. Although seats can be challenging to find around 11:01, having the whole community together for singing, for hearing the Word preached, for fellowship is such a joy.

The chapel schedule for the fall brings us speakers from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland . . . from Baltimore, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte . . . musical artists bifrost arts and Andrew Peterson, and of course, speakers from our own campus and from local churches as well. This Friday, Dr. Render Caines from Covenant Presbyterian is speaking, and next Friday, Pastor Randy Nabors from New City Fellowship will be with us. 

One exciting addition to our chapel this fall involves New City Fellowship as well. We are partnering with two of their full-time music interns to work with our students for chapel music on most Fridays. We will continue to have student music leaders and to work with the music department to provide leadership for our worship through song, but we hope that a wider variety of musical styles performed with excellence to God’s glory will be a blessing to the Covenant community.