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01.20.05 First Presbyterian Church in Columbia. Erskine Seminary celebrates opening of Columbia site Erskine Theological Seminary celebrated the opening of a new extension site at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia Sunday with a convocation highlighted by the induction of Associate Professor of Theology Dr. Mark E. Ross as first resident professor. Among the Erskine College and Seminary participants in the worship service were Dr. John L. Carson, president, who offered the invocation; the Rev. H. Neely Gaston, executive vice president of the seminary, who read the constitutional questions for the induction; Dr. R.J. Gore, dean of the seminary, who gave the charge to Ross; and John T. Moore, chairman of the Erskine Board of Trustees, who made the declaration of induction. Dr. John R. de Witt, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church, led the call to worship and the charge to the congregation. Preaching a sermon on "The Importance of Theological Education" was Dr. Luder G. Whitlock, who served from 1978-2001 as president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla. Ross said his ministry as associate pastor for teaching at First Presbyterian Church provided valuable experience for his seminary role. "My main duties were in teaching, normally doing about five preparations each week for Bible classes and sermons," he said. "In addition, my church was very generous in allowing me each year to teach one or two courses at various seminaries where I was invited to serve as visiting or adjunct professor." Although Ross says he would "happily have served out my days as a pastor in a church," he is glad to bring his years of pastoral experience to the seminary classroom. "Nearly all of my students are preparing for pastoral ministry or some other ministry within a church, so it is my hope that what I have learned through serving in a local church will enable me better to equip them for what God is calling them to do," he said. Seminary classes will be offered in the church's newly acquired building, which has a classroom, a break room, restrooms and faculty offices for seminary use, according to LeGrand Cooper, business administrator at First Presbyterian. He said additional space is available in the Palmer Building and the Thornwell Education Building. Cooper said the opening of the Erskine Seminary extension generated some discussion at the last meeting of the downtown business district improvement board. "I do not think it is an overstatement to say that they were very pleased to see this addition to downtown Columbia," he said. "I serve on that board and it is one of the goals to bring education offerings into the downtown area." "My main hope is that the Columbia extension site will serve to enhance and enlarge the ministry of Erskine Theological Seminary, enabling us better to serve the ARP Church and the larger Christian community," Ross said. "Seminaries operate extension sites in order to make theological education more accessible to the people God is calling to serve in His church." Citing the area's large metropolitan population and the proximity of Fort Jackson, a large public university and a number of smaller colleges, as well as hospitals and medical facilities, Ross said he hopes the Columbia site might open up new avenues of service for the seminary. "These nearby institutions are in need of trained Christian workers and chaplain services," he said. "Our proximity to these institutions offers unique opportunities for providing specialized training programs for those who would seek to serve in such ministries." Ross praised First Presbyterian Church for its willingness to join with Erskine in this effort. "The partnership has freed us from the expense of purchasing and maintaining physical facilities, to mention just two of the advantages that this joint ministry is providing," he said. He described the Columbia satellite as "a place of partnership with a supportive local congregation that seeks to join with Erskine Theological Seminary in accomplishing the mission we believe God has given to us, to educate persons for service in the Christian church."
Dr. Mark Ross, left, and Dr. John L. Carson |
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