Fall is a time of change in Pennsylvania. God directs the trees to take on new hues. Some animals prepare for hibernation, while others begin long migrations to winter homes. There is another migration, of sorts, to Western Pennsylvania. Each September, a new group of students journeys to the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, joining returning students seeking to glorify God in many different ways and callings in life.

This year has been a bit different. The seminary has always been blessed by a varied student body with Reformed Presbyterian and non-RP students from around the country, but 2011 brings an interesting variety of students from all corners of the United States and around the world. This fall, God has prepared a color palette as differentiated as the forests of the nearby Allegheny Mountains. RPTS has more than 110 students arriving from 11 states and 9 countries. Akin to a difficult geography quiz, the RPTS enrollment has map push-pins placed all across the U.S. and the world.

While some students learn to adjust from a rural setting to a bustling urban environment, some students add the task of trying to master English while engaged in advanced-degree classroom work. This is done by the grace of God through long hours of study and extra classroom time. Add learning Greek to the mix, and one sees how large this task can be.

RPTS president Dr. Jerry O’Neill notes that, when the Board of Trustees adopted the seminary’s mission statement several years ago, five additional statements were adopted to provide further clarification of the seminary’s unique mission. One of these five statements reads: Our training emphasizes scholarship in Biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history; the cultivation of personal godliness and interpersonal skills; and the development of spiritual gifts—all with a vision for discipling the nations of the world. Envisioned in such a statement is the potential to send men and women around the world to minister in the name of Christ to a lost and hurting world. That continues to be the case.

But what we are also experiencing is the fact that representatives of the nations of the world are coming to us to receive their training. “We have seen this in past years,” comments Dr. O’Neill. “This year seems to be a special demonstration of that reality.”

RP students in their first year at RPTS include: Joe Allyn, Brandon Cox, James Curran, Luke Dinkledine, Christian Eriksson, Jordan Feagley, Gil Garcia, Eun Kim, Stephen McCollum, Sam McCracken, and Namsik Yang. Here is more about a few of the new students at RPTS.

Eun Kim and Namsik Yang are from South Korea, via the Los Angeles RPC. This young couple, if the Lord is willing, will seek to plant the first RP church in Korea. Immersed deep into her studies, Eun takes time to note how cold it is in Pittsburgh in August. Wait until January, Eun! Namsik and Eun have been very active in helping others in the seminary community move in and get settled. Namsik is pursuing a master of divinity degree, while Eun is a master of theological studies student, with a concentration in biblical counseling.

The Pacific Coast Presbytery had not sent a student to RPTS in four decades; however, in addition to Eun and Namsik, the Los Angeles RPC has sent another family, this year. Gil and Eva Garcia, along with their children, Emiliano and Valentina, are quickly adapting to Pittsburgh. Gil notes that when staff or faculty members at the seminary ask how you are, they really mean it, not just as a casual greeting. When asked why he decided to study at RPTS, Gil responds, “I really want to learn how to be a pastor from professors who are themselves pastors.” Emiliano is a regular fixture at RPTS, chasing squirrels from tree to tree with a huge grin across his face.

Brandon Cox is from Ottawa, Ontario, and worships at Providence RPC. Brandon was attracted to RPTS by its reputation as a conservative seminary and on the recommendation of friends and university professors. Brandon seeks to pursue a doctorate in church history prior to teaching in a university setting, along with a chaplaincy. “This is such a welcoming atmosphere,” notes Brandon. He indicates that the varied background of the students is a real blessing as they share their experiences and knowledge. There is some good-natured ribbing from our brother from the Great White North, as Brandon provides what he calls a “dash of Northern flair” to the seminary community.

Christian Erikkson is from North East, Pennsylvania. Both he and his wife, Heather, are Geneva College graduates and call Cambridge, Mass., RPC their home church. Christian chose RPTS as he wanted a “solid and strictly Reformed seminary education” and he really likes Pittsburgh. The Lord has not yet fully revealed how the Erikksons are to minister, so they patiently wait for that answer.

Joe Allyn hails from Lenexa, Kan., and along with his wife, Maggie, and son, Judah, arrived in Pittsburgh early in August. “I was surprised to find that the community around the seminary is like an RP hub with so many RP churches, Crown & Covenant Publications, the denominational offices, the RP Home and Seminary all nearby!” states Joe. “We have only been at RPTS for a few months yet we feel we are part of a family—a family with Christ at its head and Christ at its center.” The Allyns joined the Shawnee, Kan., RPC shortly after their marriage in 2007.

Huntingdon, Pa., is the home of Jordan Feagley. Jordan, a recent graduate of Geneva College, enjoys the weekly prayer time shared among the students, faculty, and staff. Choosing RPTS because all the professors have the extensive pastoral experience needed to prepare him for effective ministry, Jordan greatly appreciates the mentoring of these men. “I am particularly interested in ministry to the elderly,” says Jordan. “My volunteering at various facilities has shown me that many elderly people don’t have family, or their family doesn’t bother to visit them.”

Sam McCracken along with his wife, Julia, and son, Wade, appreciate the strong sense of community at the seminary. Sam is very thankful to all of those who support RPTS, with their prayers and finances, with the aim of building Christ’s kingdom. Sam states that his greatest surprise since coming to RPTS is “how much there is to learn and how much I have to grow.” The class on the Pentateuch is particularly rewarding. “I love just digging into the text,” says Sam. Another special part of each day is chapel, where the seminary community comes together to worship. This past summer, Julia cooked for the hungry teens participating in the Theological Foundations for Youth program at RPTS. Sam shares his gift as a skilled carpenter by helping Rev. Paul Martin care for the campus.

The seminary is also delighted to have three pastors from the RPCNA in the doctoral program. Nathan Eshelman (Los Angeles, Calif.), Joel Wood (Sterling, Kan.), and Micah Ramsay (Eastvale, Pa.) are tackling this intensive program with a concentration in biblical counseling. Please keep these men, and their other classmates, in prayer during this time of continued ministry and in-depth study.

Finally, the seminary has several East Asian students from churches with similar convictions and backgrounds to the RPCNA. For security purposes, details about these students are being kept to a minimum so that they might study unhindered by worries in their home country. The Lord is doing some incredible things in this country, and His name is being greatly glorified!

Please keep the seminary in your prayers. The students, faculty, and staff greatly appreciate your remembering to lift them to the Lord. The work taking place at RPTS has a great impact in the church both in the States and now, more than ever, around the world. The changes that take place in God’s creation in autumn are taking place now, but also God’s people are being transformed for service in His kingdom!

—Mark Sampson