Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Equipping preachers, pastors, & churchmen for Christ's Kingdom

Profiles in Church Planting

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Greenville Seminary students, faculty, and alumni have a strong track record of evangelistic church-planting ministry in a variety of settings, both foreign and domestic. For example, Dr. L. Anthony Curto (Professor of Missions & Apologetics) and Mrs. Kathleen Curto (Registrar) dedicated ten years to church-planting missions work in northern Uganda before coming to Greenville Seminary. At various times in the past, our faculty have been instrumental in serving on provisional sessions and in core groups for church plants in the Greenville area and elsewhere around the country. Presently, members of the Greenville Seminary community and alumni network are actively involved in mission works of several Reformed denominations.

Pastor William Castro (ThM ’09) is the Organizing Pastor of Emmanuel Upstate Presbyterian Church (Iglesia Emmanuel), a mission work of Calvary Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in Greenville, SC. Emmanuel Upstate is a multicultural church plant that conducts worship services in English and Spanish. A number of current students and their families are involved in the work, and the church enjoys enthusiastic support from Calvary Presbytery and local congregations in the Greenville area. For more information about Emmanuel Upstate, visit emmanuelupstate.org.

Pastor William Castro (ThM ’09) is the organizing pastor of Emmanuel Upstate PCA, a multicultural church plant in Greenville, SC.

Pastor Bradley Peppo (MA ’14) serves as an Evangelist in the Presbytery of Ohio of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), and has been involved in a series of church plants in the Miami Valley of Ohio since 2013. In 2014-15, Pastor Peppo was instrumental in the planting of Living Water Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Springfield, OH while serving as interim pastor for Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Vandalia, OH. After Living Water particularized in 2017, Pastor Peppo began looking for new church-planting opportunities in the area surrounding Dayton, OH. A group initially formed in western Montgomery County, and ultimately became First Street Reformed Fellowship (OPC) in downtown Dayton. While this work was coalescing, Pastor Peppo labored to plant what is now Wilmington Reformed Church (OPC) in Wilmington, OH. For more information, visit pohopc.org, the website of the Presbytery of Ohio of the OPC.

Pastor Bradley Peppo (MA ’14) serves as an Evangelist for the Presbytery of Ohio (OPC). He has been instrumental in a number of church plants in recent years.

Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. (President Emeritus & Professor of Systematic and Homiletical Theology) was recently called by Calvary Presbytery of the PCA to serve as Organizing Pastor of Antioch Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Woodruff, SC, not far from the Seminary. Zachary Groff (Class of 2021) is serving the mission work as Dr. Pipa’s Ministerial Assistant, and Johann Xie (Class of 2022) is coordinating media production for the work. Antioch originally formed in 1843, was reorganized in the early twentieth century, and is experiencing its second reorganization beginning this year. The mission of the work as a parish church at the crossroads of Greenville and Spartanburg Counties is the gathering and perfecting of God’s people through biblical worship, evangelism, and pastoral care. For more information, visit antiochpca.com.

Pastor John Blevins (MDiv ’15), Associate Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN, is leading an effort to plant a new PCA congregation in the Powell area of Knoxville, TN. Currently in its earliest stages, the Powell Area Church Plant has established a support network centered on Covenant PCA in Oak Ridge, but emanating out across Tennessee Valley Presbytery of the PCA and beyond. Pastor Blevins maintains a prayer support group through social media and email. To get in touch with Pastor Blevins, visit covenant-pca.com.

Pastor John Blevins (MDiv ’15) is Associate Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA), serving alongside of Dr. C.N. Willborn (Adjunct Professor of Church History). Pastor Blevins is planting a new church in the Powell area of Kingsport, TN.

Pastor Nathan John Hilton (MDiv ’18) and Pastor Florian Weicken (MDiv ’19) are actively involved in planting new congregations of the growing Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) denomination. Pastor Hilton is planting Sunderland Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPCEW), which currently meets at the Fulwell Community Library in downtown Sunderland. Pastor Weicken is planting Zurich Presbyterian Church (Zürich Presbyterianische Gemeinde) with a core group of 22 souls in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Both Pastor Hilton and Pastor Weicken are originally from their respective church planting locales, and are remarkable in their zeal for Christ’s glory as articulated in the Westminster Standards. More information about Sunderland Evangelical Presbyterian Church can be found at sunderlandpres.org.uk; more information about Zurich Presbyterian Church can be found at zuerichpres.ch.

There are other church plants and alumni which we could (and will) highlight as we celebrate God’s answer to our prayers for an enduring Reformation among the nations. For more information, please contact the Seminary’s advancement office at advancement@gpts.edu or by phone at 864.322.2717.

This article will appear in print in the Fall 2020 edition of Foundations, the newsletter of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, scheduled to arrive in recipients’ mailboxes later this month. If the content of this article appeals to you, consider making a year-end gift in any amount to help Greenville Seminary continue to equip preachers, pastors, and churchmen for Christ’s Kingdom among the nations at gpts.edu/donate. Thank you!

From Appalachian State & RUF to Greenville Seminary

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In March 2018, the Seminary announced the creation of a new scholarship program for full-time in-residence Master of Divinity students with backgrounds in student ministry, our RUF & Student Ministry Fellows Awards Program. Since the launch of the program, students from a range of college ministries – including Cru, InterVarsity, and church-based outreaches – have benefited from the program. This fall, M. Dale Hagwood began his studies with us, having graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where he was actively involved in the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) chapter on campus.

Why did you choose Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary?

I chose Greenville Seminary because I appreciate the Seminary’s stance on and commitment to the Westminster Standards. Not to disparage other seminaries I was considering, but Greenville Seminary stood out as an option because of its strong emphasis on historic Presbyterian and Reformed theology. This was important to me because I do not have a strong theological background and I wanted to study under a faculty committed to sound doctrine.

Have you been surprised by any aspect of your experience as a student so far?

I understood quite clearly from the beginning that seminary was going to be very difficult in many ways – it is a Master’s program, after all. But one of the things that I have found most surprising was that though Greenville Seminary is known for its strong convictions to the Westminster Standards, I have found among the faculty and the student body some of the most winsome, kind-hearted, and gracious men I have ever known.

I have found among the faculty and the student body some of the most winsome, kind-hearted, and gracious men I have ever known.

What kinds of opportunities have you had in the local church since arriving at Greenville Seminary?

Since I have come to Greenville Seminary, I have been blessed with a strong local church home in Roebuck Presbyterian Church (PCA), and I have been invited to serve as a ministerial intern under Dr. Richard Winston.

What has been your favorite feature of the Metro Greenville area since moving here?

The strongest feature that I have appreciated the most is the plethora of strong PCA churches committed to the inerrancy of the Scriptures, our Reformed faith, and obedience to the Great Commission.

For more information about the Seminary’s scholarship programs, please visit gpts.edu/tuition-aid or contact the Seminary at info@gpts.edu.

This article will appear in print in the Fall 2020 edition of Foundations, the newsletter of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, scheduled to arrive in recipients’ mailboxes later this month. If the content of this article appeals to you, consider making a year-end gift in any amount to help Greenville Seminary continue to equip preachers, pastors, and churchmen for Christ’s Kingdom among the nations at gpts.edu/donate. Thank you!

Fall 2020 Foundations Available Online

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Our Fall 2020 Foundations newsletter is now available in printable-PDF format here. It will be printed and mailed to the Seminary’s mailing list later this month.

This biannual newsletter is intended to encourage friends of the Seminary community to remember our faculty, staff, and students in prayer and in financial support (where possible).

In this edition, we feature news from the Seminary community, including:

  • a welcome message from Dr. Jonathan L. Master, who began his tenure as President on July 1, 2020.
  • an interview with our first RUF Student Fellows Award recipient, Mr. M. Dale Hagwood. Dale graduated from Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) this past spring, and has been thoroughly enjoying getting plugged into the Seminary community this semester.
  • profiles of Greenville Seminary alumni, faculty, and students involved in church planting around the world.
  • an interview with Professor of Biblical Studies Dr. L. Michael Morales about his new book from InterVarsity Academic Press, Exodus Old & New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption, published this year.
  • a financial update as we go into our year-end appeal.
  • a brief description of the place of memorial gifts/giving in functioning and mission of the Seminary.
  • a preview of the 2021 Spring Theology Conference.

Thank you for praying with and for Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Please stay connected (via this website and our various social media platforms) for updates. Thank you.

For information about our how to make a donation to the Seminary, be sure to visit gpts.edu/donate. For information about our Spring Theology Conference, please visit gpts.edu/conference. To visit our bookshop, please visit gpts.edu/shop.

GPTS Prayer Points 14(1) – January 2020

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Our January 2020 PrayerPoints dispatch is now available in printable-PDF format here.

This document is designed to be a resource to you and your church (for prayer meetings and congregational distribution).

In this edition, we are requesting prayer especially for:

  • For our winter intensive classes meeting this month: Introduction to Homiletics (Pastor Breno Macedo), Reformed Worship (Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr.), Pastoral Theology of Calvin & Owen (Dr. Ian Hamilton), and Presbyterian Church History (Dr. C.N. “Nick” Willborn)
  • Our spring intensive class that is meeting later this month: Introduction to Biblical Counseling (Dr. Kevin Backus)
  • The family of GPTS alumnus Phillip Sealy (MDiv ’04), as Phillip passed into glory earlier this week after battling cancer for two years
  • The family of retired adjunct professor of biblical counseling, Dr. George “Skip” Scipione, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is receiving hospice care at home
  • For our staff as we prepare for the Spring Theology Conference

Not mentioned in this PrayerPoints dispatch (for want of space) is the success of our year-end fundraising campaign which concluded at the end of December. We praise the Lord that He continues to provide for our every need, and we continue to see modest year-over-year growth in donation revenues. We are in a strong financial position for the New Year, and for that we are very grateful – both to God and to our generous supporters around the world. A more detailed report on the year-end campaign is forthcoming. Thank you!

June 2018 Financial Update

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Next week, we will be gathering together with dear saints in the PCA, OPC, and URCNA for the annual meetings of those denominations. We had the privilege of witnessing an historic moment at the ARP’s General Synod this week. These meetings remind us of the great task we have to equip ministers for Christ’s church.

During the month of May, we brought in $127,669. For the month of June, we are hoping to raise another $222,331 to meet our $350,000 goal for this year’s Spring campaign. Every gift makes a difference, and we are thankful for the blessing of an expanding donor base this year.

If you can make a financial gift to the Seminary, you may do so either online at gpts.edu/donate or by mailing a check containing your gift to GPTS, PO Box 690, Taylors, SC 29687. Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a registered 501( C )(3) charitable organization, and all gifts are tax-deductible. Thank you for your generous support! Ω

Veteran Board Member Mr. John Van Voorhis Granted Emeritus Status, Endowed Scholarship Established

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Mr. John Van Voorhis

After 24 years of service as an active Board member, Ruling Elder Mr. John Van Voorhis has graciously joined Dr. George W. Knight III and Pastor Randy Riddle as an Emeritus Trustee. Mr. Van Voorhis has been one of the Seminary’s strongest proponents for many years, serving on the Board since 1994 in several capacities. He has served as both Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board for over two decades. He has also consistently and sacrificially served on the Administrative Committee of the Board, which is responsible for recommending strategy and personnel-related decisions to the Board as a whole.

Mr. Van Voorhis is the first graduate of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s Master of Ministry for Ruling Elders (MMRE) program, and he currently serves on the Session of Covenant Community Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Taylors, SC. However, his history of Presbyterian churchmanship and involvement in Christian education goes back 57 years, to 1961.

In 1961, Mr. John Van Voorhis took vows and was ordained as a Ruling Elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church at Knox OPC, and immediately went to his first General Assembly. That year, Professor John Murray served as Moderator of the Assembly. Within ten years, Mr. and Mrs. Van Voorhis were involved as one of four founding families in the formation of Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Burtonsville, MD. He served as an elder in the Burtonsville congregation from 1968 to 1970, before moving first to Charlotte, NC, and then to Philadelphia, PA. In both Charlotte and Philadelphia, Mr. Van Voorhis served as a Ruling Elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPC-ES). From 1970-1973, he served on the Session of Faith Church in Charlotte, and from 1973-1980, he served on the Session at Christ Church in Oreland (outside of Philadelphia).

John & Mildred “Millie” Van Voorhis

During the Van Voorhis’s time in Philadelphia, Mr. Van Voorhis served as Vice Moderator of the Philadelphia Presbytery for two years, Moderator for two years, Chairman of the Permanent Judicial Commission, active member of the Board of National Presbyterian Missions, and member of several synodical committees. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Philadelphia-Montgomery (Phil-Mont) Christian Academy in suburban Philadelphia, and as a member of the Board for The Presbyterian Guardian.

From 1983 to 2005, Mr. Van Voorhis served as a Ruling Elder at the Second Presbyterian Church (PCA) of Greenville, SC. In that time, he served twice as Moderator of Calvary Presbytery and from 1996 to 2000 as an active member of the Standing Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church in America’s General Assembly.

In 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Van Voorhis were involved as one of the founding families of Covenant Community Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Taylors, SC, where he currently serves as a Ruling Elder. Reflecting on his vast and varied experienced as a Presbyterian churchman, Mr. Van Voorhis testifies, “I have found, to no one’s surprise, that no denomination is perfect, but it has been a great joy to serve in Christ’s Kingdom for 57 years as an elder, and for 25 years on the Board of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.”

Mr. Van Voorhis with other GPTS Trustees (May 2018)

When asked for a statement of reflection on his time of service to the Seminary, Mr. Van Voorhis warmly recalled,

“It has been a tremendous blessing and encouragement to me to sit under the instruction of Dr. Morton Smith and other good men, and then to become a part of a Board which has been fully committed to the Reformed faith since Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary had its onset. As I leave my active participation on the Board, I am greatly encouraged by the godliness and quality of my fellow Board members, in whose hands I feel confident of God’s continued blessing in future years.”

In honor of Mr. Van Voorhis’s many years of service to the Seminary, the Board of Trustees voted to establish the John & Mildred Van Voorhis Endowed Scholarship to fund full-tuition need-based scholarships for full-time resident Divinity students. Details about the endowment and scholarship are forthcoming, and additional announcements will be made in coming weeks. Ω

Editor’s Note: Click here for more information about the John & Mildred Van Voorhis Endowed Scholarship, and to contribute to the fund.

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