News & Events
In Memoriam: Dr. R. Laird Harris (1911-2008)
It is with great sorrow that we announce the recent passing of one of the Seminary's founding fathers and a great man of faith: Dr. R. Laird Harris, who went to be with the Lord on Friday, April 25, 2008. Dr. Harris died peacefully at the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, where he had lived for many years. He was 97 years old. The entire Seminary community grieves with Dr. Harris's family at the loss of this faithful servant of God, yet we rejoice as well that he is now face to face with the Savior whom he loved so much.
Dr. Harris was a wonderful example of how God's grace flows through his servants to bless and build up His people. Though originally trained as a chemical engineer, Dr. Harris was called into ministry in 1932. He studied under J. Gresham Machen at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before going on to a long and distinguished career as a Christian educator. He helped to train generations of pastors and biblical scholars, first at Faith Theological Seminary, where he served from 1937 to 1956, and then as a founding faculty member of Covenant Seminary, where he taught in the Old Testament department from 1956 until his retirement in 1981. From 1964 to 1971 he also served as dean of the Seminary. Upon his retirement he was granted the title professor emeritus. In honor of Dr. Harris's outstanding contribution to biblical scholarship, the Seminary each year presents a graduating student with the R. Laird Harris Award in Exegesis (the textual study of Scripture).
Throughout his long career, Dr. Harris's influence as a teacher and man of God stretched far beyond the Seminary campus and even outside the United States. He often served as a visiting professor in many nations, including India, Hong Kong, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and Brazil, and he also lectured in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Widely known and respected for his biblical scholarship, Dr. Harris was also a dedicated churchman, serving as moderator for the 1956 General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church and for the 1982 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He was chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation which produced the New International Version (NIV), and he translated key sections of the NIV Old Testament. Dr. Harris was a consulting editor of and a contributor to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible and editor of the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, and was the author of the books The Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, and Man -- God's Eternal Creation, as well as a commentary on Leviticus in the Expositor's Bible Commentary series, and other distinguished works.
Dr. Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Seminary and a former student of Dr. Harris, notes, "Dr. Harris was a man of great curiosity whose wide-ranging interests led him to explore with eagerness science, theology, people, and the world around him in his quest to better understand and appreciate God's creation. His love for God's Word and the goodness of the Gospel made him a great teacher who demonstrated that brilliant thought and simple faith were not contradictory. His humble and fun-loving heart was a great gift to the two generations of church leaders he helped to train."
Dr. Harris was preceded in death by his first wife, Elizabeth Nelson Harris, who passed away in 1980. He is survived by his second wife, Anne P. Kraus Harris, his three children, Grace Sears, Allegra Smick, and Robert Harris, as well as ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of this remarkable man. Though he will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him, we celebrate his life of faithful service and look forward to the day when we will be reunited with him in glory.
Visitation will be held Thursday, May 1, from noon until 2 p.m. at Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church, 611 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville, Pennsylvania, to be followed by a service at 2 p.m. Dr. Harris will be buried at Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where his father ministered for 14 years. Interment will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 2. Arrangements are being handled by Reynolds Funeral Home in Quarryville, Pennsylvania.
Memorial contributions in Dr. Harris's honor can be made to: Covenant Theological Seminary, 12330 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63141. Or you may donate online here.
50% Ministry Leadership Scholarships Still Available for Fall Semester
Prospective students looking to begin their degree program in the fall may still apply for financial aid, including 50% Ministry Leadership scholarships. To apply for the Ministry Leadership scholarship, the student must apply to the MDiv or MAEM program, submit a written testimony, and be interested in ministering in a local church context. For more information, please look at the 2008-09 Financial Aid Handbook, or contact the Admissions office at admissions@covenantseminary.edu.
Join Covenant Seminary and the PCA for 50 Days of Prayer, May 1-June 19
Mission to North America (MNA) and Christian Education and Publications (CE&P) join once more in calling the PCA to 50 days of prayer beginning May 1 (the National Day of Prayer) and ending June 19, following the 36th General Assembly. A devotional guide entitled Men, Message, and Ministry: A Charge to the Rising Generation, written by Mike Ross, pastor of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Matthews, North Carolina, is available to help walk individuals, families, or church prayer groups through the 50 Days of Prayer.
Find out more at www.pca-mna.org/fiftydaysofprayer.php
Spring 2008 Men's Leadership Breakfast: "Living By the Book"
Covenant Seminary's Men's Leadership Breakfast is back -- and men from all walks of life are invited to join us for this time of fellowship, conversation, and Bible study led by a member of our renowned faculty of pastor-scholars. This spring, we are blessed to sit under the teaching of Dr. Jimmy Agan, associate professor of New Testament, who will focus on the topic "Living By the Book: Life Applications from the New Testament.
The goal of this study is to connect the splendor, power, and majesty of Jesus to the daily lives of all who participate -- from mature Christians to those new to the faith to those who are skeptical about Christianity but open to learning more. Dr. Agan will take a "big picture" view of several New Testament books, connecting the life circumstances of the original readers with contemporary life questions. Each of the books chosen addresses practical issues that face us on a daily basis, and several contain "hidden treasures" -- major life applications that tend to get lost because the book is generally neglected, too familiar, or rarely viewed as a whole.
The Men's Leadership Breakfast meets at 7 a.m. in Buswell Library classroom B111 on the following dates:
- February 5 and 19
- March 4
- April 1 and 15
- May 6
- May 13 (make-up date for session canceled due to bad weather)
A light breakfast is provided and everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact our Development Office at 314.434.4044.
Hear lessons from past Men's Leadership Breakfasts.
New Monthly Devotionals Offer Scriptural Reflections from Alumni
We recently asked our alumni to provide us with devotional thoughts based on some of their favorite passages of Scripture. This month, we begin the series with "Weeping for Saul," a reflection on
2 Samuel 1:11-12a by Tom Stein, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Indiana, who challenges us to engage compassionately with the brokenness of others.
If you are a graduate of Covenant Seminary and would like to contribute a devotional, contact Joel Hathaway, director of alumni relations, at joel.hathaway@covenantseminary.edu for all the details. Selected devotionals will be spotlighted on this Web site and in future editions of e-Connect -- with the hope that 365 of them will eventually be bound together into a devotional booklet that is biblical, Reformed, culturally relevant, applicable, understandable, and accessible for the whole family.
Download writing guidelines for Alumni Devotional Project (PDF format).
Free Counseling for Students and Community
Free counseling is available at Covenant Seminary for students and members of the community. This service is provided by MAC students who are in the internship portion of their degree program, and is offered from August to April (although summer sessions may also be available at times). These counseling sessions are confidential, supervised by members of the counseling faculty and other counseling professionals, and take place in offices at the Seminary. This program currently has a wait list, as the existing counseling interns are preparing to graduate. If you are interested in this service, please call 314.392.4208 to be placed on the wait list until a new counselor is available.
New Pastoral Mentorship Program Begins
In a recent informal survey of men who have had successful ministries -- that is, they have weathered seasons of conflict and confusion and are still proclaiming the Gospel faithfully -- nearly every man indicated that he could not have done it without the support, encouragement, and friendship of another pastor -- a mentor. Yet, seminaries all across the country are graduating class after class of pastors who enter the ministry alone, with no close friends, confidantes, or mentors.
Covenant Seminary's Alumni Office is looking to begin the MENTOR (Ministry Enrichment Through Ongoing Relationships) partnership with pastors, in which graduates in their first five years of ministry would be partnered with pastors who have eight or more years of experience in the ministry. This volunteer program will draw on the experience, wisdom, and guidance offered by older pastors to younger ministers of God's Word. The hope is to develop deep and abiding relationships that will foster a lifetime of fruitful ministry.
If you are willing to participate in this program either as a mentor or recent graduate, e-mail Joel Hathaway, director of alumni and church relations.
Portal Access for All DMin and MDiv Alumni Now Available!
All Covenant Seminary graduates with DMin and MDiv degrees now have access to the Alumni Portal and the growing benefits that it offers -- including the ATLAS Serials Database of religious and theological journals, an e-mail forwarding service, and regular updates concerning alumni-related events. To request your Portal ID and password, please go to: https://portal.covenantseminary.edu/login/cePortalForgotPasswordAlumni.asp and click the "Request ID/Password (Alumni Only)" link.
Covenant Seminary Helps Sponsor Calvin Quincentenary Celebration
Covenant Theological Seminary has joined Calvin500.org as an official sponsor for the celebration honoring the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth, to be celebrated in 2009. The celebration will culminate in multiple conferences in Europe and the United States during that year. Dr. Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Seminary, will serve on the Calvin500 Presidential Council to implement details of the international commemoration. In addition to Dr. Chapell, other Covenant Seminary faculty members are involved in planning and publishing efforts for the event.
Please visit www.Calvin500.org for more information.
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