Now we begin!

We just concluded a wonderful two-day retreat with 17 new Master of Ministry students on campus. (Two more students begin classes this week, but couldn't be at the retreat.) We packed in lots of information during orientation day on Thursday, then had a powerful worship experience that evening for our Service of Consecration -- the official dedication of the David T. Clamp Graduate School of Christian Ministry.

Friday was a rich day, as the group spent the morning sharing the wisdom and insights of Dr. Calvin Miller, a pastor and teacher who has published more than 30 books. Each new student attending the retreat received a free autographed copy of Dr. Miller's new memoir, Life Is Mostly Edges. After lunch, we gathered for some final Q&A time, heard a stirring challenge from Calvin Miller, then concluded as we took hands and gathered for a time of prayer.

Our very first M.Min. class is Monday evening at 7:00 pm (Eastern), as Dr. Dale Ellenburg leads the online edition of our Old Testament Survey course. He'll be meeting everyone online and trying out his new webcam! Most students received their DVD lecture material at the retreat; a few are still to be distributed, but it's coming.

Tuesday night at 6:00 pm will be our first on-campus M.Min. course as I teach the Leadership in Ministry I course. Part of the class will feature a special guest speaker, President Evans Whitaker of Anderson University (himself a Ph.D. in leadership), who will talk about how organizations work and how to better understand the process of leading different kinds of organizations.

We've been aiming toward this week for a year now, and it's exciting to be getting underway. Keep us in your prayers! And if you were planning to start the M.Min. this fall but didn't get everything together yet, don't worry -- Term 2 starts in just eight weeks, and you can join us then.