Inside GRS�

Inside GRS is the semiannual newsletter of Geneva Reformed Seminary.

President’s Challenge In

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May 2008

Vol. 2, No. 1

Graduation invitationYou are invited to the 2008 graduation service of Geneva Reformed Seminary, the theologi-cal seminary of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America

June 6, 2008

7:00 P.M.Faith Free Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC

Dr. Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michi-gan, will deliver the commencement address.

Rather than offering my typical challenge related to seminary issues, I want to bring you up to date on what is happening at GRS. This is a newsletter after all. As you can see from the picture, we have made signifi-cant progress since the last issue of Inside GRS. Walls that were stark are now lined with beautifully crafted bookshelves, most of which are filled with books. It is a blessing to have all our resources in one place with room to expand with freestanding bookshelves as needed. I would like to need them soon. Increasing the number of volumes will be a constant priority and an ongoing proj-ect. I cannot conceive of ever having enough. The new classrooms were ready for the beginning of the winter term, and thanks to a generous donation we were able to furnish them nicely.

The Lord has provided facilities that are both practical and attractive. Seeing the empty chairs and ample space, however, provides a daily reminder that we must see the Lord bring in students to sit in those chairs and to take advantage of what is here. That continues to be the urgent need since training men to be preachers is the only reason we exist. As I’ve done before, I encourage you, therefore, to continue praying that the Lord of the harvest would call laborers to His service and that He would bring some of them here for their training. We want only those the Lord sends, but it is our prayer that He will send them. And since we exist principally as the educational arm of the presbytery, we need to pray for the Lord to call men specifically for service in the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. As I’ve said before, the future of the seminary and the denomination are one and the same. This is a constant burden that is never for many moments out of my mind.

Perhaps the most significant announcement re-gards our plans to begin an online program of study. The presbytery some time ago gave the green light to pursue a distant learning program, but I have been reluctant due to my technological incompetence and old-school mentality that makes me want to look at a student in the eyes. But I attended a conference in February that actually excited me about the prospect and convinced me that it was rich with potential ministry opportunities. The conference, however, was not able to remedy my incompetence. (Continued on page 3)

Dr. Barrett in the new GRS library

ProfileFaculty

Dr. Mark Allison, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Theology and Pastoral Theology

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May 2008

The President’s Itinerary

May 4 Grace FPC, Winston-Salem, NC

May 12–16 Week of Prayer, Faith FPC, Greenville, SC

May 26–27 Conference on Christian Conservatism, Minneapolis, MN

June 6 Geneva Reformed Seminary graduation

July 17 Free Presbyterian Youth Camp, Rock Mt. Bible Camp, Gibson, PA

August 3 &10 Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Canton, MI

Since 2000 Dr. Mark Allison has been an adjunct profes-sor of Theology and Pastoral Theology at GRS. From 1986 to 2000 he also served as Academic Dean and lectured in English Bible, Theology, Church History, Apologetics, and Ancient Languages at Whitefield College of the Bible (later GRS). He studied at Bob Jones University and ac-quired a B.A. (1976) and an M.A. (1978) in Bible, a Mas-ter of Divinity (1980), and a Ph.D. in Theology (1985).

A colleague mentioned that Mark is a natural for teaching the class on theories and methods of counsel-ing. In addition to his keen insight into people, Mark has demonstrated a gift for dealing with people one on one in counseling, cutting through to the real issues, and direct-ing counselees to the applicable truths in Scripture.

Those who have had occasion to work beside him know that Mark is a diligent worker who considers no task beneath him. One co-worker said of Mark: “He would be willing to work at any task if it led to his service to his Saviour.”

Mark has pastored the Malvern Free Presbyterian Church in Malvern, Pennsylvania, for eight years. The men and women who have faithfully filled the pews in Pastor Allison’s church remark about not only his scholarship and insight into God’s Word, but his ability to serve meaty truth in an easily digestible fashion.

Mark’s love for the Lord and His Word is inescapable. One friend wrote: “He is always studying, always looking for someone interested in studying the Bible” and “nothing

… appeared to take precedence [over] his commitment to Jesus Christ and the Word of God.” Even while Mark was a young theologian, “his insight on particular subjects was worthy of consideration.”

When he was in college Mark was often teased for being a “member” of “Bachelors Till the Rapture.” How-ever, to his friends it was obvious that he needed a wife to complement his ministry. While yet single, he never mastered the most rudimentary culinary skills. Victuals in the fridge that required even the most incidental prepara-tion routinely languished there. His nutrition depended largely on the kindness friends, and he would gratefully eat almost anything placed before him—except that his “inability to down cranberries he could not conceal.” Not just a meat-and-potatoes-kinda-guy, Mark has a fondness for sweets. Said one who knows him well: “Mark is known for two things: his grasp of justification and his love for desserts.”

That theme of justification is the keynote of Mark’s ministry, according to a fellow pastor. “He has seen that the heart of the gospel is justification by faith alone in Christ alone.” His comrade of the cloth further notes that Mark is always ready to “take the battle … right to the doorstep of the enemy.” He has preached at anti-abortion rallies and defended the gospel on college campuses.

Mark was saved in high school in Michigan and began his college pursuits in 1973. While living in Green-ville and attending Faith Free Presbyterian Church, he worked with the youth and in other outreach ministries. He has worked in college campus ministries and youth camp ministries, including serving as director of the Free Presbyterian Youth Camp. He has been a deacon, an elder, and an assistant minister at FFPC and currently serves as chairman of the mission board of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America.

Dr. Allison and his wife, Charlene, married in 1987 and have a daughter, Hannah Ruth, who was born in 1989.

—Paul Peters is a deacon at Covenant Free Presbyterian Church in Lexington, South Carolina.

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Graduate Interview

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Matters for Prayer• Graduation service on June 6 with Dr. Joel Beeke from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan

• Success for the new distance-learning program

• This year ’s graduates—Vicente Alcivar, Jason Boyle, & Richard Winston—as they enter the next stage of preparation

• All the graduates, that the Lord would direct them to a place of ministry, enflame their passion for the ministry, and keep them faithful to their calling

• The next generation of faculty

• Rev. Reggie Kimbro as he continues to work toward his doctor- ate and Dr. Charles Barrett as he begins some post-doctoral studies

• Men gifted and called by God to train in the seminary and to go to labor in the harvest

• Funds for all the ongoing operations of the seminary, including library resources, equipment, salaries, and student aid (the more the seminary can raise to support itself the less it will have to depend on presbytery aid, freeing up funds for other denominational projects and needs)

From the Inside Out: An interview with GRS graduate Aaron Dunlop

(Continued from page 1) But Mike Simmons, a mem-ber of the Greenville congregation, is most competent and has agreed to set up, monitor, and maintain all the technology. GRS now has its own IT man—that’s impressive! Although I person-ally cannot envision what everything will look like, I know with Mike’s supervision it is going to be a first-class operation. It will require increased work for all involved and some increased expenditures, but it will undoubtedly increase the exposure and influence of GRS as well.

The increase in labor and expense amounts to a significant investment in the future of the work. Do keep in mind the inseparable connection between the seminary and the entire church. This venture holds promise for our whole denomina-tion. To that end, I am willing to increase my workload and to commit the rest of the faculty to do the same. As you pray for the seminary, pray specifically for this new ministry, particularly for Mike Simmons as he supervises the system, for the faculty as they supply data for the courses, and for the funds to operate the program. I believe eventually it can pay for itself, but in the meantime we have had to purchase some hi-tech equipment and there are other upfront and maintenance costs to cover. We hope to have some online offerings by the fall term and then to add to the curriculum regularly.

The presbytery has also approved a certificate program for laypersons interested in formal biblical studies. Some evening classes are being offered to accommodate those whose schedules preclude daytime classes, and eventually the online courses will be available for those interested. The seminary is doing what it can to be of service to as many as possible. Continue to pray for us that the Lord will increase our influence and ministry and keep us faithful to the mission He has set before us. I thank you for your prayers and support.

—Michael P. V. Barrett, President

Inside: When did you graduate from GRS? With what degree? AD: I graduated June 2006 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree.

Inside: What is the most important thing (or two things) you learned in the semi-nary?AD: The two most important things I learned in GRS were the necessity of con-centrated study and the importance of a good library.

Inside: What was your favorite class?AD: I would have to say my favorite classes were the languages, Greek and Hebrew. Studying the original languages and seeing the application of them in ex-egesis and then in homiletics is most satisfying.

Inside: What was your least favorite class?AD: My least favorite class had to be homiletics, because to be done right it required the most time and effort but always got the least, due to time constraints.

Inside: Where did you do your internship?AD: I did my internship in Victoria, British Colum-bia.

Inside: What are you doing now?AD: At present I am seeking to establish a Free Pres-byterian church in the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Inside: Briefly, how did the Lord lead you to this place?AD: While I was studying in Vancouver and attend-ing the Free Presbyterian church in Cloverdale, there was a request from LTBS radio listeners on Vancouver

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May 2008

�207 Haywood RoadGreenville, SC 296�5

Publication data: Inside GRS is published semiannually at no charge by Geneva Reformed Seminary, the theological seminary of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. President: Michael P. V. Barrett; Editor: Michael P. V. Barrett; Production: Judy Brown & Cathy SimmonsGeneva Reformed Seminary, 1207 Haywood Rd., Greenville, SC 29615 Phone: 800-477-7058 or 864-268-7071 Web address: www.genevareformed.org E-mail: genevareformed@freepres.org

Island to begin a Free Presbyterian church. At that time I began assisting Rev. Ian Goligher in this satel-lite work and the Lord exercised my heart regarding a fulltime position there. Inside: What do you find most challenging about church planting?AD: In general I would say probably the instabil-ity and uncertainty of a pioneer work. Specifically, I find the legal documentation difficult and tedious. I strongly dislike application forms and bureaucracy!

Inside: Tell us about your family.AD: I am married to Grace Goligher from our Clo-verdale congregation and have one son, James, who is 9 months old.

Inside: How, specifically, do you want people to pray for you and for the work?AD: Pray for our outreach programs, that the Lord would prosper and build them up: the vacation Bible school each summer and particularly our new Internet ministry, thinkgos-pel.com.

Inside: Are there other ways people can help you?AD: We are trying to promote thinkgospel.com beyond the bounds of our own ministry here in Victoria and encourage people to use our thinkgospel.com business cards in personal evangelism. I have mailed cards to different parts of the world for individuals to use. See the “Support” page on thinkgospel.com for further information.

Victoria Free Presbyterian Church is located at 733 Vanalman Ave., Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 3B6. Phone: 250-383-2785. Websites: www.victoriafpc.org; www.thinkgospel.com.

Alumni NewsClass of 2002On March 4, 2008, Craig Vosekalns and his wife, Sharon, rejoiced in the safe arrival of their son, David Gresham.

Class of 2006Aaron and Grace Dunlop welcomed their son, Robert James Ian, on July 16, 2007. They are calling him James.

Micah McCormick is completing his Th.M. program at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and will begin pursuing a doctorate in the fall.

Alumni News: GRS alumni are invited to send in their news (weddings, births, relocations, etc.) for publication. Send news to genevareformed@freepres.org or GRS, �207 Hay-wood Rd., Greenville, SC 296�5.