This is the week

It is now less than a week until our first Student-Faculty Retreat begins for the Master of Ministry program. These are exciting days, and we look forward to welcoming about 18-20 students who will be with us August 6-7.

For those of you who will be coming, here's what to expect:

Everything kicks off at noon on Thursday for our opening luncheon, in the Agnew Dining Room of the Merritt Administration Building. You'll have the chance to meet President Evans Whitaker, Provost Danny Parker, and a host of other AU leaders.

The rest of the afternoon will be spent in the computer lab of the Thrift Library, where we'll be packing you full of information -- about computer services, financial aid and business issues, a great orientation to using library resources from off the campus, and much more. Bring your questions!

Dinner will be on your own -- a great time to get acquainted with other M.Min. students and enjoy one of the great restaurants near the university. Then at 7:30 pm we'll share in a special time of worship with our Service of Consecration. This is a time of commitment and celebration for the David T. Clamp Graduate School of Ministry -- a historic time as we launch this new program. Dr. Calvin Miller will be our preacher of the evening.

Friday morning we'll regather at 9:00 am in Room 102 of the Watkins Teaching Center, which just happens to be our new Master of Ministry classroom. Hopefully everything will be ready by then -- tables and chairs in place, technology installed, and so on. (Just today they were installing the whiteboards on the wall.)

Friday morning will be a unique opportunity as we listen to and dialogue with Calvin Miller about ministry. If you aren't already familiar with Dr. Miller, you'll become a fan that day. He is a uniquely gifted pastor, teacher, writer and speaker who has helped build a church as well as invested his life in teaching pastors. He has written more than 30 books, including the classic, best-selling The Singer trilogy. (I once called him the poet laureate of the evangelical world -- a phrase that now shows up on the backs of several of his books!) I've asked him to spend the morning talking about things he has learned about ministry and how you can apply those insights in your own life and service.

We'll have lunch together that day, then finish the day with some comments I'll share, then a closing message and challenge from Dr. Miller. You'll be on your way by 3:00 pm, and I guarantee you it will be a memorable day!

Give us a call or send an email if you have questions. If you are coming from out of town and need advice about places to stay, let us know. We look forward to seeing you Thursday!

M.Min. fully accredited

Wonderful news: we have just received news from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) -- our regional accrediting agency -- that the Master of Ministry degree has been "approved and included within the scope of accreditation previously granted."

In other words, both our classroom and online M.Min. programs are fully accredited before classes even begin. We had been expecting the need for a site visit by a SACS team before receiving such confirmation, so this is unexpected but welcome news.