The Pillar:
Alumni & Community Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 6
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We encourage alumni to attend Preview Day at any of our four centers in Ashland, Cleveland, Columbus or Detroit and bring a prospective student on April 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. Attendees can expect to leave with a much clearer picture of Ashland Theological Seminary and how we can equip them to pursue their calling. Our heritage goes back 110 years to 1906. Since then, we have trained pastors, counselors, missionaries and teachers.
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Change or transformation, aren't they both the same?
By DJuana Drew
Some would say yes, but I say no. Let me explain.
To change can mean to make the form or nature of something different than it was previously. I can change my mind, change clothes, change direction and change my behavior. An animal called a chameleon can change its color to match its background, making itself invisible to predators. People change jobs, partners, cars, their minds, cell phone carriers and a myriad of other things in their lives. Interestingly enough, the word transformation is used to define the word change (when the word "into" is added). I believe the word transformation suggests a deeper meaning.
Read More
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John Byron, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament, offered a lecture about "The Mystery and Message of Revelation" to our alumni and friends in Smetzer Auditorium on January 29.
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The condition of your heart matters. Your heart condition impacts the way in which you interact with others and with God. Let's examine Mark 7:5-8, NIV:
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?" He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions."
The Pharisees came down from Jerusalem to Galilee to argue with Jesus. The disciples would not comply with the Pharisees and wash their hands. Jesus challenged the Pharisees for pretending to honor God, when their hearts were far from him as they held onto ceremonial law.
Traditions can be very helpful and comforting in life. They can be passed from generation to generation. They mark holiday seasons and special occasions. In your work, traditions can be synonymous with best practices. Man-made traditions can also hinder you from being open to fresh things the Lord may want to accomplish through you. They may even keep you from connecting with God at all by making you spiritually unaware of His leading and prompting.
Examine your day-to-day activities to ensure that you are relying on the Holy Spirit to guide your plans and measures of success instead of tradition.
Let the Holy Spirit guide your conversations with family, friends, and coworkers. Be open to new possibilities in your life and in your work. Allow God to shape your thoughts and plans and purify your heart. Ask Him to open your eyes to opportunities before you that you may not have expected.
Warmly,
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Who's in Your Space? A Reflection on the Book of Ruth
March 24 | 7 to 8:30 p.m. | Detroit Center
The Christian discipline of hospitality encourages us to welcome others into our sphere of belonging, as an extension
 of God's welcome of us into the divine life. Join us for a dinner, fellowship and reflection on the book of Ruth, one of the most elegant biblical pictures of this core spiritual practice. Daniel Hawk, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, will lead the reflection.
Set within a world of strife and division, the book of Ruth presents an alternative vision of hospitality that expresses the essence of God's love. The vision focuses on a field outside of Bethlehem, a Moabite immigrant who enters the village's space, and a Judean who draws her into the community's sphere of belonging. Our presentation will enter that world and reflect on how it challenges Christian faith and practice in response to the strangers who enter the spaces of our own communities.
The event is free, but registration is required.
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Alumni Lunch at the Detroit Conference of the United Methodist Church
May 15 | Noon | Adrian College
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| Adrian College; Adrian, Michigan |
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oin us for an alumni luncheon with Paul Chilcote, Ph.D.; Academic Dean and Professor of Historical Theology and Wesleyan Studies; at the 47th annual session of the Detroit Annual Conference.
Clergy and laity from more than 400 local churches will come together for worship, learning, and discussion on how to GROW disciples during the conference. With questions about the luncheon, contact Angie Weimer at aweimer2@ashland.edu or 419.289.5926.
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Alumni Chapel Service
April 8 | 9:40 a.m. | Ronk Memorial Chapel
Alumni and community members are invited to attend our Easter service in Ronk Memorial Chapel. Alumnus and Senior Pastor of Grace Brethren Church of Homerville Reid Firestone, will deliver the message "Timeless Tips," based in Matthew 28:1-8. Visit with seminary faculty, administration, and staff members during a reception after the service in the chapel lobby.
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John and Charles Wesley Retreat
April 24 & 25 | Complimentary for Book Study Participants | $50 Standard
United Methodists from across the North Central Jurisdiction are invited to immerse themselves in serious examination of the lives and works of John and Charles Wesley. The retreat is the culmination of an eight-month long study with the primary resource being, "John and Charles Wesley," by Paul Chilcote, Ph.D., Academic Dean and Professor of Historical Theology and Wesleyan Studies. Dr. Chilcote will offer four lectures throughout the retreat including "A God of Grace and Love," "The Community: A Family in which to Grow," "The Discipline: A Pilgrimage of Accountable Discipleship," and "The Servanthood: A Mission in God's World." We will also enjoy worship and communion together. Those that did not participate in the book study are welcome to attend the retreat.
Learn More and Register Now
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Invitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley Barton
May 12 | 7 p.m. | $10 | Ashland University, Upper Convocation Center
Solitude is the Christian discipline in which we withdraw from our life in the company of others in order to give our full and undivided attention to God. Silence deepens our experience of solitude as we allow the noise of our own thoughts, strivings, and inner compulsions to settle down so we can hear a truer and more reliable Voice - God himself speaking in the depths of our being.
Spiritual Director Ruth Haley Barton will introduce individuals to a journey into solitude and silence as referenced in her book "Invitation to Solitude and Silence," InterVarsity Press, 2010. We encourage you to attend with your small groups, Sunday School classes, retreat groups, and friends.
Learn More and Register Now
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Lead Me to the Rock: Leadership Conference
April 17 & 18 | Mt. Zion Oakwood Village
Standard Price: $50 | Alumni Price: $40 | Groups of 5 or more: $30
Join us for a two-day equipping and worship event in Northeast Ohio. Ashland Theological Seminary's
 Cleveland Center invites you to learn from Rev. Marvin A. McMickle, Ph.D., President & Professor of Church Leadership at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, as well as other inspiring voices on leadership. Experience the power of the Lord to transform faint and weary hearts. A program, materials and dinner are included with your registration fee. View the full conference schedule at
LeadMetotheRock.eventbrite.com, or access our
media release.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
Psalm 61:2-3, NIV
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Columbus Center Open House 
May 19 | 4 to 7 p.m.
We will celebrate our new Columbus Center location with an Open House. Join us for tours of the new facility and an opportunity to interact with staff and faculty. Learn more about current Seminary programs and events. Our Center location is 8425 Pulsar Place, Suite 400, Columbus (across the highway from Polaris shopping center).
We are excited to share our new Center location with our alumni and friends. No reservations are required. Contact Mary Lutz, Ph.D, Columbus Center Coordinator of Education with questions at 614.396.9130 or mlutz@ashland.edu.
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MINISTRY OF GROWING GENEROUS DISCIPLES SERIES
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Stewardship 101: Cultivating Generous Givers
March 12 | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Cleveland Center
Stewardship is the management of ALL the gifts God has given us including life, time,
talents, relationships, environment, assets, money and of course the greatest gift of all, God's Son, Jesus Christ. However in the life of the church we equate "Stewardship" with "money" and for most churches, it is an ongoing struggle t
o have adequate funds to accomplish all God is calling us to accomplish for making disciples and reaching out in missions.
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Stewardship 201: Next Steps to Growing Generous Givers
April 9 | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Columbus Center
Are you ready for the next step to cultivate generous givers in your congregation? Become equipped with the tools to take generous giving to next level and discover how to implement your stewardship plan. Receive strategies for working with significant donors and understanding their motivations.
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Creating a Planned Giving Strategy
May 19 | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Ashland Campus
Stewardship in the church has largely been focused on tithes and offerings from income for the ongoing operational expenses of the local church. We faithfully give out of our income but spend little time talking about planned giving from our assets, especially as part of an estate plan. It is projected that $42 trillion will transfer from one generation to the next in the coming years. In 2013, 8 percent of all philanthropic giving or $24.4 billion came from bequests.
Register Now
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REGISTRATION COSTS FOR ALL SEMINARS
CEUs: .8 |
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tandard Price:
$55 |
Alumni Price:
$45
Groups of 3 or more from the same organization: $40 per participant
Current MDiv & MAPT Students:
Lilly Grant Scholarship
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Ashland Theological Seminary
PH 419.289.5926 | FX 419-207-6077
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Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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