Dear PCF,
God has again opened a door of ministry for us as a church. From February – May 2018, I’ll be teaching a course on the Gospel of John at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (the course will be a few hours each week). I’m thankful that the PCF Elders see this as an important ministry and have given me their blessing to teach this course.
Gordon-Conwell is located in South Hamilton, MA (about an hour from Pepperell). Many of you know that I did my seminary training at Gordon-Conwell and taught there for a year before becoming the pastor of PCF, so it’s very dear to me. Pastor Jeff graduated from Gordon-Conwell and our ministry intern Tyler Yates is currently a student there.
Gordon-Conwell draws students from 86 denominations and 47 different countries. Many of these students enter full-time vocational ministry after graduation, and many who come from other countries return to those countries to do gospel ministry. I’m praying that the students who take my Gospel of John class will be encouraged and equipped to make their study and teaching of the Bible central to their ministries. Teaching this course to future ministers is a way to serve the many churches they will one day teach and shepherd. I’m asking God to multiply the effectiveness of this course and display his worth to these students.
I’d love for you as the PCF congregation to partner with me in serving these seminary students. When I taught a GCTS course on 1-2 Thessalonians last year, some of you sent cookies for the students and many of you adopted a student to pray for (we put their first names in the PCF bulletin, and will do that again this year). It was wonderfully encouraging to the students.
I’ll teach the course in ten sessions beginning on February 1, each session on Thursday afternoons from 2–5pm (Feb 1, 8; March 1, 8, 15, 22; April 5, 12, 19, 26). Would you pray for these class sessions, and for the students taking the course, that God’s Word will be sweet, nourishing, powerful, inspiring and convicting? Please pray for me, that God will equip me to teach this class with excellence and passion. Please pray that the ripple effects of the class will be great – that churches around the country and the world will benefit as these future Christian workers fall more in love with God’s Word and with the One who inspired it. Thanks for participating in this ministry to seminary students!
Gratefully, and with anticipation,
Pastor Stephen