ARP Ministers

New ARP Ministers Visit Erskine

Erskine College and Seminary hosted 12 new pastors from the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, as part of a two-day orientation to South Carolina's oldest four-year church-related college.

Erskine, the only college of the ARP denomination, founded by the church in the 1830s, is one of three church agencies the new pastors will be visiting. The pastors left Erskine Tuesday morning to go to the ARP Center in Greenville, and then were scheduled to visit Bonclarken, the ARP retreat in Flat Rock, N.C.

While at Erskine, the new pastors met with Erskine Vice President for Church and Corporate Relations Jay West and Assistant Chaplain Jeff Jacobs, who hosted a tour of the campus and informational meeting.

The pastors asked West and Jacobs about Erskine's degrees, costs, financial aid, athletics and the denominational diversity of students.

"This annual orientation for new pastors has been more successful than we ever imagined," West said, adding that the idea for the orientation came from ARP Coordinator Doug Jones, who realized that many pastors entering the denomination were not familiar with Erskine College or Seminary.

"Our ultimate desire is to have every ARP student attend Erskine," West said. "So we want as much exposure as we can get with the pastors in the denomination, so they will be on our team, keeping Erskine in front of all the students in their churches.

"But we don't want them to send us their students just because we are an ARP school," West said. "We want them to send us students because they believe in what we are doing."

During the 1990's, 12.8 percent of Erskine students have been ARPs.

The pastors had dinner at the home of President John Carson, and attended a presentation at the seminary by professor Steve Lowe on degree programs.

West said the college rotates presentations to pastors annually but always includes seminary information because of the continuing education and professional degree opportunities available.

"We basically want them to come away feeling that we are their college and seminary," West said. "Now when they hear the name Erskine College or Erskine Seminary, hopefully they will feel some ownership and have a better understanding and appreciation of the work that goes on here."

New pastors attending the orientation were: James Aubey of Corpus Christi, Texas; Rafael LaGuardia of Muscle Shoals, Ala.; Charles Carlberg of Clinton, Miss.; William Nash of Statham, Ga.; Martin Taylor of Conway, S.C.; Juan Unda of Hendersonville, N.C.; David Zimmerman of Clinton, Miss.; Hershel Yancey, David Harper of Covington, Ga., John Kim of Merritt Island, Fla.; Hyo G. Kim, Don Holloway of Austell, Ga.; and ARP Coordinator Doug Jones.