The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is
clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established
so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are
from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up
their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than
the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies
are very sure: Holiness adorns your house, O Lord, forever.
Psalm 93: 1 – 5
By Kathleen Curto
Registrar
Why can we at Greenville Seminary
rejoice even in the midst of a world that is lifting up its fist and shaking it
in rebellion at the Lord Jehovah, Creator of heaven and earth? It is because of God’s promise to us in Psalm
93. Dr. Pipa read Psalm 93 to us at our recent staff meeting and explained that
the first verse describes Christ’s coronation after his Ascension. The Lord
Jesus reigns! He is clothed with majesty! He is reigning…and though the earth
(pictured here as the floods) lifts up its voice, God is mightier than the
noise of many waters! We at Greenville
Seminary are confident in the success of our labors because we serve the Lord and
King to whom the nations have been given.
As I do each summer, I am writing to
you, our supporters, to highlight for you the opportunities that God has given
to Greenville Seminary to train men from many different countries. An international student studying for four years here at GPTS costs less than what a denomination has to budget for just the first year of expenses for a new American minssionary on a foreign field. You may
remember that we have had several students with us in the past few years:
Edward Liu and his family from China, Steve Cliff and his wife from New
Zealand, Melwin Isaac from India and our two dear brothers from Africa, all of
whom are receiving a sound theological education because of the generous gifts
we have received on their behalf. Joining the ranks of these current students
are five more. Three men from Bible-believing churches in Puerto Rico are
joining our student body. Each will be studying by distance, hoping to visit
the campus from time to time to take classes on site. Their names are Dennis
(Miguel) Flower, Jeremy Colon and Bradney Lopez. We also have the privilege of
having two men from Brazil. Samuel Vitalino is finishing up his Master of
Theology degree and Charles Melo de Oliveira will be working on his Doctor of
Theology degree. Both of these men are Ministers of the Word in the
Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPB). It has been our pleasure in the past to
train five other Brazilian men who are now serving in the IPB.
Greenville Seminary has also been
able to send our professors to teach in foreign countries where men are either
not able to afford to come to the states to study or who are unable to procure
visas to come even if they have the support they need. Part of our
international fund includes an amount that allows one or two of our professors
to travel each year. We are seeking $5,130 for this budget item. If you feel
this is a need to which you would like to contribute, it would be a great help
to our work with our international students.
Many of you have given so
wholeheartedly in the past, and we want to express our appreciation for these
special gifts given to our foreign students’ needs. We know you are motivated
to give by those same truths that Psalm 93 expresses. We live in a “world falling apart,” and yet
we labor on, we persevere, because we know that God is in control and that His
will is never thwarted. We are comforted in the knowledge that his testimonies
are sure, making wise the simple. Please consider giving to the needs of these
young men as they prepare to serve their Savior and King, whose throne is
established forever.
Here are the current needs:
Edward Liu, China
4th-year
student $4,000 for tuition and fees
On Campus
Steve Cliff, New Zealand
3rd-year
student
$8,800 for
tuition, fees and work/study compensation
On Campus
Isaac Koko, Nigeria
1st-year
student $1,000 for tuition and fees
Distance
Learning
Melwin Isaac, India
2nd-year
student $4,000 for tuition and fees
On Campus
Jeremy Colon, Puerto Rico
1st-year
student $2,500 for tuition and fees
Distance
Learning
Miguel Flower, Puerto Rico
1st-year
student $2,500 for tuition and fees
Distance
Learning
Bradney Lopez, Puerto Rico
1st-year
student $2,500 for tuition and fees
Distance
Learning
Samuel Vitalino, Brazil
$1,000 for
tuition
Th.M. Student
On Campus
Charles Melo de
Oliveira, Brazil
$1,000 for
tuition
Th.D. Student
On Campus