Central Newsletter
September2011
Dr. Kyle Dunham's Trip
to Central
Pictured: Kyle and Judi Dunham and their daughters
As the peak of summer approached, our thoughts veered increasingly to our imminent move to Virginia Beach. Within the space of a few short months, the Lord had opened the door for us to join the faculty and staff family at Central Seminary. We were excited and eager. But we were also reflective. Knowing that to uproot from the routines of life in southern California, to move across the country, and to embed ourselves in a new community would be an enormous undertaking, we learned quickly to trust God in new and profound ways. There were a myriad of details to arrange and household items to pack, along with many heartfelt goodbyes to say. The former get easier with experience; the latter never does. Yet confident that God had orchestrated these events, we brimmed with earnest expectation of what the Lord was going to do.
We left our home in Santa Clarita, CA, on August 3 and spent the next eight days traversing the continent. We were able to take in a number of extraordinary sights and experiences along the way, some of which included three gorgeous yet widely diverse national parks in Utah (Zion, Bryce, and Arches—see us for recommendations!); a sizeable herd of elk, not to mention a peripatetic moose, in and around the rugged mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park; a spectacular lightning show along the plains of Kansas; panoramic views atop the St. Louis arch; the verdant hills and mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway; and several opportunities to catch up with old friends (not old in age but in nearness to our hearts).
We are truly grateful that the Lord has brought us here, and we look forward to what God will continue to accomplish through Central Seminary. Joyfully we concur afresh with the words of David in Psalm 33, “Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (vv. 20–22). It is a thrill to be part of the Central Seminary community.
Dr. Kyle Dunham
Assistant Professor
of Old Testament
Student Testimony: Don Curtis
Pictured: Dr. Don Curtis with his 7 children. His wife, Melynda, is not pictured because she is taking the picture
I will admit it was a big process just getting here to seminary but I can’t complain or take any credit for its completion. God was the one supplying all our needs, and He gave the strength to get it done. Now that we are here and classes have begun there are new challenges, the biggest being time management! How do I successfully juggle class work, marriage, children, and job? There are constant demands for my time and attention and yet class work has a legitimate priority since Seminary is the reason that God brought us here. Or is it? Did God really bring my family and me here just to obtain a degree? The more I consider that question, the more I get a glimpse into what God is really doing. God is conforming me into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. When I ponder the life of Christ here on earth I am amazed at what a servant He was. He was always attending to the needs of those around Him. In Mark 1:32-34, “the whole town gathered at the door” and we see Jesus healing the sick and driving out demons from many, probably late into the night, and all this after a day of teaching in the synagogue. I am just beginning this journey of seminary but I can already see the danger of becoming too self-absorbed in my studies to the exclusion of the needs of those around me. My prayer is that Jesus will keep me “others-focused” in the midst of my seminary training. I know He can do that if I keep my eyes on Him. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Dr. Don Curtis
MBS Student
Harvest Banquet
Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Virginia Beach
cordially invites you to attend the annual
Harvest Banquet
Thursday, October 27th
6:30 p.m.
Colonial Baptist Church Auditorium
Cost $10 per ticket
For more details and to register click here.
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Alumni: Daniel Lowe
Pictured: Deborah and Daniel Lowe and their two children
God’s faithfulness has been evident to the ministry of Sand Creek Baptist Church (SCBC) over these last five years. Since opening the doors for our first public service five years ago, we have seen many visitors come through our doors. A few have returned while many have never come back. The few that have stayed have been such a blessing.
The church has developed into a close knit family of believers. Rather than talk about numbers and attendance records I want to tell you about the people. I want to share some of their stories so you can understand what God is doing through their lives.
Mel and Nancy are faithful students of the Word. Mel has supported Nancy in her mission endeavors abroad. Nancy is a Nurse who works at a “Minute Clinic” here in the Twin Cities area. She uses all of her vacation time to take short term medical missions trips to countries in need of medical aid. Mel has been actively involved in our evangelism ministry from the start. Both of them have been such a blessing to our church.
David and Erin started attending the church about two months after our launching service. For the first year their attendance was sporadic. When we launched the evangelism ministry a year later, one of our evangelism teams went into their home and shared the gospel. We found out that they were both believers but had never been baptized. I met with them for several weeks covering basic doctrines of the Bible and they came to the realization that they needed to be baptized. Two months later they were baptized in the pool of one of our church members. It was great hearing their testimonies of faith and having the privilege of baptizing them. They have taught a children’s Sunday school class now for about two years. It has been great to see their growth spiritually and their willingness to get involved in ministry.
One last person is Staci. In October of 2009 she was going through some personal struggles. Katy, a single young lady in college, who is one of our church members, befriended her at work and showed love to her. Staci called Katy one evening and said “I am really struggling. What should I do?” Katy told her to get her Bible out and read it. Staci had a basic understanding of the gospel but didn’t understand the truth that she could have a personal relationship with Christ. She started reading in Matthew and it wasn’t till she got to the book of first Corinthians that she realized God would help her through a relationship with Jesus Christ. In chapter ten she read about Christ being the Rock and when she came to verses 12-13 she was encouraged by the truth that God could help her escape the “common to man” temptations in her life. She understood it and accepted Jesus as her Savior and since that time she has been soaking up the Scriptures like a sponge. We found this story out by sending one of our evangelism teams to visit her and she shared her testimony with those folks. She faithfully attends the church now.
I could continue telling you stories of how God is working in the lives of His children. It has been such a blessing to be a small part of God’s great work here at SCBC. Thank you for your many prayers and encouragement over these last five years and for Central's continuing goal to produce servants for global ministry.
Pastor Daniel Lowe
M.Div. 2004
New Interactive
Prayer Column
We would like to make our prayer requests column an interactive resource for everyone. Future newsletters will contain a link to prayer requests which will feature requests from faculty, students and alumni. This link will be changed whenever we receive new requests rather than simply monthly. Please email items which you would like to share for prayer and we will post in on this link. Please email requests to acampbell@baptistseminary.edu
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