|
|
|
An occasional newsletter from the Office of Church Relations Click here for Covenant Connections Archive Want to travel to Scotland this summer? The beauty of Iona, the grandeur of Edinburgh castle, the great history of Stirling Castle, Stirling Bridge, and Bannockburn, the visual richness of ancient Edinburgh, the majesty of St. Giles Cathedral, and the Presbyterian history embodied in the John Knox house, the roots of the Scottish Reformation in the quaint towns of St. Andrews and Perth. Perhaps the richness, and beauty of our Presbyterian history and tradition is calling you to visit Scotland...how about this summer? Because of the Heritage Trips that our Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars have taken over the past several years, many of you have asked about a trip to Scotland for Presbyterians, Alumni and Friends of The University of Tulsa. In response to your request and to honor and strengthen the covenantal ties between The University of Tulsa and the Presbyterian Church USA, the Office of Alumni Relations at TU in conjunction with the Sharp Chaplain is in the process of designing a trip to Historic Scotland for this coming Summer (2006). The dates of the projected Scotland trip will be July 30th through August 9th. These dates have been chosen to allow for the possibility of attending the 2006 Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, and to see Scotland at the height of its summer beauty. The trip is being designed to take in a grand tour of Scotland including historical sights in and around, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oban, Iona, Inverness, Stirling, Perth, and St. Andrews. In order to gauge the level of interest folks might have for participating in a Summer 2006 Scotland trip (and in order to see if we might have enough folks to make a trip), we need your help. If you and/or members of your church might be interested in participating in The University of Tulsa's summer trip to Scotland, and would like more information concerning trip specifics and cost, please contact via regular mail, email or phone, Sandy Willmann, Director for Alumni Relations at The University of Tulsa, 600 South College Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74104, sandy-willmann@utulsa.edu, (918) 631-2092; or Jeff Francis, Sharp Chaplain, The University of Tulsa, Sharp Chapel, 600 South College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104, jeff-francis@utulsa.edu, (918) 631-2084. Applications to become a Presbyterian Leadership Scholar or a Westminster Leader now available. The Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars program at the University of Tulsa continues to grow and prosper. Applications are now available to graduating Presbyterian high school seniors to become either a Presbyterian Leadership Scholar (with a scholarship opportunity of up to $6,000.00 available with selection) or a Westminster Leader (a non--scholarship selection with opportunity to participate in the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars program of Leadership). A priority deadline of February 15th is set for applications (applications posted after the February 15th date will be evaluated as they are received). To be eligible to be named a Presbyterian Leadership Scholar and to potentially receive the accompanying scholarship, 2006 graduating Presbyterian high school seniors must graduate in the top 10% of their high school class and be recommended by their home church pastor as an outstanding leader. Graduating Presbyterian high school seniors who do not feel they are eligible to meet the criteria for being named a Presbyterian Leadership Scholar, but would like to participate in the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars leadership program as a Westminster Leader may do so by completing the Presbyterian Leadership Scholar application, and being recommended by their home church pastor as an outstanding leader. To receive a Presbyterian Leadership Scholar application, please write or email Dr. Jeffrey C. Francis, Sharp Chaplain at Sharp Chapel, The University of Tulsa, 600 South College Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74104 or jeff-francis@utulsa.edu. Current members of the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars program at The University of Tulsa include the following exceptional folk: Graduate student
5th year participant
4th year participants
3rd year participants
2nd year participants Kari Brumback, Ridglea Presbyterian Church, Fr. Worth, TX, so 1st year participants
Members of the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars complete successful mission trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Several Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars and two chaperones from The University of Tulsa traveled to Bay St. Louis, MS in November to assist in the recovery efforts related to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. The nine PLSers gave up the first five days of their Thanksgiving break, November 18 th - 22 nd to travel 14 hours to the Gulf Coast to bring healing and hope to an area which was devastated by the hurricane. The group stayed on the grounds of First Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis, which has become a recovery and restoration work center. Each week, the church opens its door to an average of 75 - 100 Presbyterians from all across the country who come to provide intense physical labor to help in the area's rebuilding effort. One church, University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Washington, has committed to sending a team of workers each week through the end of January. Their commitment began in September. Several of the folks with whom we had the chance to work were there for their second (and in one case, third) time, giving a week of their lives to help victims. The Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars were assigned a home that had not been touched since the Hurricane hit in late August. Our task was to gut the home, taking it down to the 2'x4's. We even had the opportunity to meet Lucy, the owner, upon beginning the operation. Lucy now lives in upper Louisiana with family. She drove in on the morning we started to help show us which of her belongings to save. All of Lucy's salvageable possessions amounted to only a few items stacked temporarily in one corner of what used to be her living room. As a result of Katrina, the floodwaters reached a height of 6'7" in Lucy's home. What was left after the waters receded, and which had to be shoveled out, was a layer of "muck" mixed with water-soaked household items. It seemed like most of the debris ended up in the kitchen - which literally was the "grossest" spot in the house. The kitchen drawers still had floodwaters standing in them. The washer and dryer were turned upon each other in the middle of the kitchen floor, the double-side refrigerator and freezer was on its side and what used to be a cooking island was on top of all of this. There were also two multi-gear mountain bikes in the mix as well. And the floor of "muck" had several inches of mud, pine needles, pinecones, and canned goods from the cabinets. The absolute worst was the double-sided refrigerator/freezer, which had not been opened since the flood. We all learned, firsthand what "putrid" meant when we turned it upright in order to move it out of the kitchen. In fact, one of the tasks that the students had to accomplish was duct-taping all of the refrigerator/freezer seals in order to keep the release of internal liquids at a minimum when it was turned upright. Our students did an excellent job of taping the appliance, but when it was righted, it leaked a significant portion of the foul internal liquid of rotting food, which left a stench that cleared us out of the house for over an hour (in fact the smell never truly dissipated even after pouring several gallons of bleach on it). Once the debris was significantly removed, the students began tearing down dry wall, molding, doors, door jams and removing all nails, pulling out insulation, ripping up carpeting, carpeting-pad and pulling up the underlying linoleum, demolishing tile and removing bathroom fixtures. Our focus was to take everything inside the house down to the concrete slab and the bare wood so that the next crew could spray bleach on the remaining internal materials to kill any residual black mold and begin the rebuilding process. Gutting a house like this normally coasts around $5,000.00 in labor, which was all free to Lucy because of the tireless work of Presbyterians from across the country coming together in Bay St. Louis. The gutting work will also provide Lucy with about $8,000 in instant equity when she begins rebuilding. Our crew worked two-and-a-half solid days gutting the house. The Sunday morning of our trip was spent in worship, which was itself a remarkable experience. And the first and last days of our trip were spent driving. These incredible Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars, in two and a half days accomplished their goal - accomplishing it in about a day and a half less than normal. And their house-gutting work is even more remarkable when you take into account the amount of time they spent cutting down and removing at least 15 pine trees which averaged approximately 12 inches in diameter each from around the house (six of these we had to remove before we could even get into the house to start clearing debris). Two of the many significant experiences during the trip were during times of prayer. As we closed our first day of work on Lucy's house, we took an opportunity to gather with her in prayer before she returned to her temporary home. We asked for comfort and strength for Lucy and her teenage daughter, and Lucy offered thanksgiving and praise to God for our presence. It was a powerful few moments - as was our final time of prayer with Rev. Ted and his wife. Ted is the pastor of the Bay St. Louis church. He and his wife lost everything in the Hurricane. And yet, even though they have no congregation to speak of -- most members were forced out of the area because of the destruction -- they are committed to remain and help in the recovery effort as long as it takes. They prayed for our safe journey and thanksgiving for our presence; we gave thanks to God for their sustained hope and energy in ministry to such a devastated area. Angel Tree mission and mission of angels As we have in past years, the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars took responsibility again this year to staff the Salvation Army's angel tree at Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa. PLSers spent nearly 100 hours at the beginning and in the middle of their finals to help individuals select children and adults from the Angel Tree, as well as receive and store the gifts returned by these Salvation Army Angels. PLS members even became Salvation Army Angels themselves by raising nearly $450.00 and buying presents for three children selected from the tree. Dr. Joseph Bottum, editor of First Things, will be featured speaker at the 2006 Snuggs Lectures at the University of Tulsa Every university is able to point to important faculty and staff members who contribute richly to her history and in many ways become synonymous with the spirit or memory of the university. If you were to ask an University of Tulsa alum from the 50's or 60's about the University, more than likely one of the first memories shared would be something relating to Rev. Dr. R. Grady Snuggs. Dr. Snuggs, who culminated his academic career at the University of Tulsa as Head of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, was known, quite fondly, as an amazing and gifted teacher. The Snuggs lectureship was created in the 1970's to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Snuggs. Tethered to the Department of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Tulsa, the lectures have brought a number of significant lecturers to campus. And this year's lecturer is no different. On January 29th, 2006 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Study of McFarlin Library, the Snuggs Lectureship will present Dr. Joseph Bottum, Editor of First Things. The title of Dr. Bottum's lecture is "The Power over Life and Death: Christians, Capital Punishment, and Government." The lecture is free and open to the public and one you won't want to miss. For further information please contact the Department of Religion and Philosophy - 918.631.2279. Final Thoughts... As I begin my second year as Sharp Chaplain, I continue to be extremely thankful for this opportunity to serve in a wonderful ministry, in a very special place, during a very exciting, rich and vibrant time at Sharp Memorial Chapel. Soli Deo Gloria! Jeffrey C. Francis, Ph.D. P.S. - I would welcome your response. Please contact me either via mail: The University of Tulsa - Sharp Chapel, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104, email: jeff-francis@utulsa.edu, facsimile: 918.631.2066, or phone: 918.631.2084. |
Webmaster | ©2003 Pinklotus' Designs
Copyright © 2001-2002 [The University of Tulsa]. All rights reserved.
