To the Ends of the Earth – TOGETHER
November – Erskine College
Greetings and blessings to you from the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC) General Synod. This month’s emphasis is on Erskine College and Seminary, which this month is celebrating its 185th birthday as a four-year college. The school was founded as an academy in 1835, and the seminary was started in 1837. In 1839 the academy became Erskine College, the first church-sponsored college in South Carolina.
In 2014, Erskine celebrated 175 years as a Christian academic community, and in Fall 2022, Erskine’s student population topped 1,000 for the first time in the institution’s history. In recent years, Erskine has been consistently ranked nationally among the best liberal arts colleges by various listings, including U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.
Recently, Erskine College announced that U.S. News and World Report has ranked Erskine #2 for Best Value Colleges in the South. Just 25 colleges and universities earned a place in Best Value Colleges in the South. Congratulations to Dr. Adamson and all the faculty, staff, and students at Erskine for attaining this recognition!
There are several other issues that I am asking you to pray for this month:
- Please be in prayer for the family of Mrs. Candy Joldersma, who passed away this past Tuesday. Candy was the wife of Rev. Matt Joldersma, senior pastor at Neely’s Creek ARP Church in Rock Hill, SC
- Continue to pray for continuing relief efforts in Western North Carolina and in central Florida due to the effects of hurricanes Helene and Milton; especially noteworthy are the relief efforts spearheaded by the folks of First Presbytery in North Carolina
- Please pray for traveling mercies for a group going to Rwanda in early December to attend the first graduation ceremony for those men and women who have completed the Global Diploma in Theology and Christian Leadership program. This is a joint project between World Witness and Erskine Seminary. This program has the potential to have a tremendous impact on church expansion and Christian influence in Africa and Pakistan.
- Be in prayer for Erskine College as the school’s accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools considers Erskine’s 5-year assessment report and – Lord willing – will reaffirm the college’s accreditation status.
It is my hope that this short note will be helpful to you in some way, and I believe asking you for your prayers and consideration will be helpful to all of us as we move through the year. And as we approach the Advent season, let us remember to thank Almighty God for providing us with the greatest gift we could ever receive – His son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to you and yours,
Alan J Broyles
Moderator