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25
May
2024

Anamnesis 51: May 2024

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Anamnesis: The IWS Community Newsletter

Contents

Kent Walters

From the Editor:
25th Anniversary Edition

By Kent Walters, D.W.S., Director of Alumni Activities

Happy 25th Anniversary, IWS!

Andrew Hill, Robert E. Webber and Darrell Harris

June 1999, 20 new IWS students gathering on campus in Orange Park for the inaugural Opening Convocation in Grace Episcopal Church. The photo on the right was taken that night (Bob Webber, Chaplain Darrell Harris, Andrew Hill). Many congregants from the church were present that night so the sanctuary was quite full. Jim Hart and I were privileged to be part of the Alpha Class, which was taught that week by Bob Webber, Andy Hill, and Richard Leonard. Bob’s vision was coming to fruition.

25th Anniversary Events

Now, 25 years later, we will celebrate our 51st Opening Convocation on Wednesday, June 19. You’re invited! In fact, you’re invited to all of our 25th Anniversary Celebration events during the June Session.

  • 51st Opening Convocation, Wednesday, June 19, 6:30 p.m., HAB Sanctuary
  • 23rd Commencement, Sunday, June 23, 5:00 p.m., HAB Sanctuary *
  • Alumni Dinner Reception, Sunday, June 23, 7:00 p.m., bb’s Restaurant *
  • Legacy Chapel, Monday, June 24, 8:30 a.m., HAB, featuring alumni
  • Legacy Chapel, Tuesday, June 25, 8:30 a.m., HAB, featuring alumni
  • Worship Seminar, Monday and Tuesday, June 24-25, 9:00-3:30, HAB Chapel *
  • First City-Wide Town & Gown, Monday, June 24, 7-8 p.m., HAB Sanctuary followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall *
  • 25th Anniversary Celebration Lunch, Tuesday, June 25, 12:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall *
  • Healing Eucharist Service, Tuesday, June 25, 6:30 p.m., HAB Sanctuary
  • Concluding Chapel, Wednesday, June 26, 10:15 a.m., HAB Sanctuary
  • Zoom Chat Rooms—for alumni who can’t be on campus. Hosted by Valerie Grissom (DWS 2018)
  • Live streaming of events (Commencement, Town & Gown, Alumni Chapel)
  • 25th-anniversary IWS merchandise available online and in the bookstore

  * Contact the IWS office to RSVP. See more 25th Anniversary information here.

On June 23, 2024, we hold our 23rd Commencement. As Bob Webber insisted, Commencement must be celebrated in the context of a fully Eucharistic service of worship. Again, you’re invited to attend. Alumni will be honored and are invited to process with the faculty (with or without your regalia).

First Commencement in 2002

It’s altogether appropriate that we remember our first Commencement service in June 2002 by hearing Bob Webber’s inspiring Commencement sermon. It’s only 9 1/2 minutes long. Bob was always (most always) short and sweet! I guarantee that you will be blessed, encouraged, and motivated by his words. Take a listen!

Share Your Story

One of our 25th Anniversary endeavors is hearing and sharing personal stories from the IWS community (alumni, students, faculty, staff, friends) on how the IWS experience has touched and impacted lives and ministries. Won’t you share your story? Celebrate with us! Folllow this link and then click the Share Your Story button. It’s really easy. We’ll be sharing stories on our websites throughout this anniversary year.

Useful Resources

In case you missed these posts and resources, follow the links below for some interesting and useful stuff.

Now check out this NEW video from Acting President, Dr. Constance Cherry!

Acting President’s Column:
Only Words. But So Much More.

By Constance Cherry, D.Min.

If I asked each alumnus to express in one word, and only one word, what their experience as an IWS student has meant to them, I think we would have a whole lot of words coming from 710 graduates! It would be exciting if we could see all these single words written on a mural. It doesn’t take a paragraph to describe the meaning our school holds to each one of us; it doesn’t take a sentence. It only takes a word. I think we would all get the message each word carries. We would get it, not only because we are familiar with the dictionary meaning of the various words, but more importantly in this case, we would read each word in the context of IWS, our very special community of learners. We would immediately identify with each word. We would see that they are only words, but they are so much more.

A few weeks ago, I awoke to words. Only words. Two words, to be exact: Faithful. Forward. That morning, these very words formed a bridge from sleeping to awakening. They were the first thing that entered my mind on that new day. I began to contemplate their meaning. They were only words, but they seemed to represent so much more. I perceived these words had meaning for our IWS community.

Faithful

God has been faithful in sustaining IWS for twenty-five years of training leaders in worship renewal. Yet God was faithful long before our start year of 1999. God had planted deep in the heart of our founder, Robert Webber, a concern for the disconnect between what he observed so widely in worship services and the biblical, historical, theological moorings needed to situate worship in the stream of Christian worship from Pentecost to the present. Several of us heard Bob speak of this concern, and of the stirrings in his heart to start a graduate school exclusively for worship leaders.

Forward

This is what God is calling us to do as a community. God doesn’t lead backwards though it may seem like it at times. God leads forward. The call of God also uses only words, but they are so much more: Come, Follow, Belong, Lead, Believe, Serve, Sacrifice. We don’t need a paragraph to explain what each word means. We get it because we know the words and we know the context. Alumni, faculty, administrators—we all are finding our way through difficult terrain in a time of transitional leadership. But this we know: God is calling us forward for one and only one reason—caring for the future of an academic ministry that is changing the world one church at a time.

Faithful. Forward. Only words, but so much more.

To the IWS Community

By James R. Hart, D.W.S.

Dr. James Hart

It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve at IWS for 25 years as Dean of Students, Executive Vice President, and, for the past 17 years as President. I had the great joy of working closely with Bob Webber as my professor, mentor, and friend, and was tasked with continuing to advance the mission God bestowed on the Institute for Worship Studies, “…forming servant leaders in Christian worship renewal through graduate academic praxis, grounded in biblical, historical, theological, formational, cultural, and missiological reflection in community.” In this article I am sharing with you my charges to this community of faith.

Pursue Union with God through Christ

In the book of Revelation, the ascended Christ is primarily referred to as the paschal lamb, the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the earth, the paschal victim for all time. He is God taking on flesh as a living sacrifice for us and for the world, and calling us to sacrifice our own selves, following his infinitely supreme model of eternal sacrifice for the life of the world. He has elevated all humanity into the eternal realm, enabling divinization, which progresses toward union with God. Union with God through Christ is real, it is mystical, and it is eschatological. I charge the IWS community to continue pressing on toward sacrificial union with God. “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).

Be Priests of Creation

The Lamb of God became a living sacrifice to make the created order holy, to restore all things, especially us, back to the Creator. Then, according to Romans 12:1-2, he calls us to become “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God,” and that IS our spiritual worship. In other words, as living sacrifices, we also in turn participate as agents in his mission to make holy all creation and all humankind. I charge the IWS community to fulfill your priestly duty to be agents of God’s mission to make holy the entire created order.

Sacrifice your Life to the Lordship of Christ

Since everything in this world is created by God, everything finds its end in union with God. This is especially true for humankind, we who are created in the imago Dei, the fully integrative image of the Triune God. The difference between humans made in the imago Dei and the rest of the temporal creation is that we alone have the dignity and right to say “no” to God. And we do that every day, even multiple times a day. Worship centered around Word and Table functions primarily to turn our nos into yeses. That is why IWS exists—to show the world how to turn their nos to God into a giant sacrificial yes! Biblically centered and historically rooted worship calls forth that yes to God, every week, every day, every hour, and every minute. When we fully enter into transforming worship, it beckons us to active, conscious, and full participation in Christ and submission to the God Who is love without limit. Then we go, in sacrificial love to the world as agents of this loving God who makes all things holy in his time to his glory. I charge the IWS community to say yes to God, and to pray for eyes to see the Paschal Lamb as an eternal offering every time you worship, especially at Word and Table. Then sacrifice your life to the Lordship of that ascended Paschal Lamb, allowing His One sacrifice for all time to make you holy for mission, for the sake of God’s kingdom.

To summarize, pursue union with God through Christ. Accept your call to be priests of creation. Sacrifice your life to the Lordship of Jesus the Christ.

Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Chaplain’s Column:
Ancient-Future Hope

By Nancy Nethercott, D.W.S.

Greetings from your chaplain as we celebrate 25 years of God’s faithfulness and goodness to IWS and each of us!

Our chapel themes each day for the coming June session will be informed by our founder’s books on ancient-future sensibilities. Bob Webber’s heart for helping us understand God’s work through the lens of the BIG picture of God’s story is meaningful for all of life.

In this article, I’d like to reflect on how ancient-future thinking can minister to our souls.

Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflecting on our lives is a form of examination and it helps us live life well. We often look back on our lives (the “ancient”) with either nostalgia or pain. Sometimes we can work through the bad on our own, or we may need the help of a therapist or spiritual director. One’s past experiences can help to shape and grow us IF we let God use them for our good and God’s glory. Sounds like James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-5!

Romans 5 invites us into HOPE, which is the “future” aspect of a reflective life. As we look back on our past and grow from the struggles through which we have persevered, growing in character in the process, hope for the present and the future is born in our hearts and minds. The truth is that God meets us in our reality—NOW—bringing healing from our past, assuring us of God’s faithfulness and goodness, so that we can move with hope into the future.

I experienced an aspect of ancient-future spirituality recently while in Thailand on a ministry trip. Night Light is a ministry in Bangkok that is “compelled by love to reach out to, rescue, and restore all those who are negatively impacted by sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.”

Rachel Wilhelm (MWS student) and others from United Adoration were invited to lead a 2-hour creative time with 10 of the women who have been rescued out of exploitation. I shared a short devotional using the Japanese art of Kintsugi (mending broken pottery with resin and gold) as an illustration of our brokenness and God’s healing grace. Then Rachel led the women in a time of healing through art as they chose four paint colors representing pain and hurt and then four colors representing hope and healing. Using those colors, they drew butterflies and colored in the wings—one side symbolizing pain, the other side hope. It was a joy to be present with them and pray for them as they created and then shared their stories and the art that came out of those spaces of brokenness and hopefulness.

Below are a few of those butterflies to encourage you, too, to take time to reflect on the past and ask God to give you hope for the future—ancient-future LIVING!   

I look forward to seeing many of you on campus in June for the IWS Worship Seminar!!

A wounded healer myself,
Nancy

Alumni News and Stories

Rebecca Abbott, D.W.S. 2010

This column is a combination of alumni news and 25th anniversary stories of gratitude for the IWS experience and community. We plan to highlight stories from alumni during the June Session and beyond this year. Please share your story by clicking this link.

Rebecca is a co-winner of the composition competition for the George MacDonald Bicentenary Conference 2024, and will perform her winning entry, “He Has Begun a Story,” at the conference at Wheaton College on May 29. Rebecca says, “I grew up among my father’s thousands of books on the Inklings and their inspirations, which included MacDonald’s fantasy works and other fiction. I was especially taken with C. S. Lewis’s understanding of myth as a ‘gleam’ of truth falling on the imagination, and found this thought presented even more enticingly in MacDonald’s Phantastes; the world of ‘Faerie invade[s] the world of men’ (ch. 13). I wanted to tie it in more deliberately with the idea of story, so I opened with a phrase the fairies say to mock the main character: ‘He has begun a story without a beginning, and it will never have an end’ (ch. 8). Those words suggested beginning the song in the middle, as it were, without any more introduction than an arresting chord—a first invasion of Faerie. A couple different keys for the song are suggested simultaneously throughout, like the over-layering of two worlds at once. Then we hear a couple measures of higher notes, suggesting ‘the lights and influences of the upper worlds,’ which then descend into our world. I closed with the same chord as the opening, but an octave higher, which is my interpretation of the worlds joining more closely, of our being lifted up into the other realms that even now saturate our own.”

Sheri Bradley, D.W.S. 2023

My journey of earning my doctorate at IWS was a tremendous blessing, and it came through a divine appointment. In September 2018, my church sent me to the Getty Worship Conference in Nashville. Wandering through the vendor gallery, I recognized the IWS logo. Having studied under Dinelle Frankland for my master’s degree, I knew she earned her doctorate at IWS. I decided to go talk with the rep to tell them we knew someone in common, which was highly out of character for me as an introvert. Jim Hart was very friendly and welcoming. I told him I had thought about going back to school for a second master’s in a different specialization. He said, “No, you should get a doctoral degree in your field. Go deeper into what you know. You can always go back and broaden your education later. You want to chair a worship department.” I thought, “You’re right! I do!” I started at IWS in January 2019. As I progressed through the program, I endured a number of serious personal struggles. I never felt judged but always welcomed and supported by my fellow students and the faculty. I often received encouragement and check-ins from both Jim and Carol Hart. I am so very grateful that I had the opportunity to study worship in such an engaging, encouraging, multi-denominational, and multi-cultural atmosphere. I did get a chance to chair a worship degree department at a Bible college for three years. Jim Hart was right

Laurie Lee Cosby, D.W.S. 2023

I am grateful for the IWS experience. It shaped me into a communal worshiper who is more deeply connected to the God who is present, the elements of worship, and to my fellow brothers and sisters who share in this incredible story of God. Dear God, thank you for sending me to IWS and making me more aware of your presence in all things. Thank you for showing me the beauty of baptism and communion and how they display your beautiful grace. Thank you that I have learned to relish the communal worship of your people. May I always be present in the heart of your story. Amen.

Frank Fortunato, D.W.S. 2013

Ten years ago, Jim Hart returned from an Asian trip with a vision to increase the global impact of IWS. Given my career in missions, he asked me to help launch a center devoted to global worship. This resulted in the formation of the GROW (Global Renewal of Worship) Center. Chaplain Nancy Nethercott, who served as a missionary in Japan for 30 years, was named co-director along with me. Jim developed plans for the Center that included connecting with current international students studying at IWS, recruiting future students, as well as working with mission agencies and denominations to facilitate worship education around the world through workshops, seminars, and resources. Jim invited me to accompany him to attend conventions of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE), which led to GROW’s connecting with the Asia Theological Association of India and plans to develop worship courses for India seminaries and Bible schools. Jim’s world-sized vision is a legacy to IWS along with his investment in my personal global journey in worship. I am forever grateful.

Tony McNeill, D.W.S. 2009

Tony has been appointed Affiliate Professor of Worship and Seminary Musician at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA.  Read this article that introduces Tony and his role at the seminary. “Worship and the arts are not just tools to make people feel good, but to inspire them and to help people shape their understanding of the God within–the imago Dei” (Tony McNeill).

David Porter, D.W.S. 2011

About six years ago, I left my teaching job to volunteer for church seminars and other activities, including dedicated time to writing this book. After more than four years of working on this project, it has finally seen the light of day.

With less than 1% of the population in France being evangelical, churches are much smaller than in North America, resulting in fewer Christian resources. There are very few books on the theology of worship in French. I wrote the book in French to better capture the context and mindset of the French-speaking European world—Lui rendre le micro? (Pass the Mic to Him?), with its subtitle translating to “A Renewed Dialogue on the Challenges of Worship in the Local Church.”

The book is designed for:

  • Worship leaders or musicians who have not had the opportunity to study the theology of worship, but who faithfully serve the local church through their musical gifts.
  • Pastors who reflect on the content of worship in the local church and its place in the life of the community.
  • Worship leaders who are responsible for the non-musical elements of worship
  • Artists and people with artistic gifts other than music.
  • Church members who have questions ranging from the most general to the most specific.

I’m particularly pleased that our daughter, Carys, was able to design the book cover and provide illustrations for each chapter. I’m also thrilled that Graham Kendrick, a long-term worship leader and singer-songwriter, agreed to write the foreword for the book. Graham has visited the French-speaking world on several occasions and has stayed in our home.

There is a link on my website to the book and an interview with the publisher (in French). Feel free to use an online translator. An English (translated) version of the book is in the final stages of preparation, with specific French cultural references adapted to equivalent concepts. Please pray that the book and forthcoming translation will be valuable tools for worship renewal.

Robin Ziegenfuss, D.W.S. 2004

I began attending IWS in 2001 as a member of the Delta class. Like many others in those days, my decision to come to IWS was driven by having attended worship seminars led by Bob Webber. Attending IWS had a ruinous effect on my life! After my first session, I was never the same. In the years since, I have been able to influence worship renewal in the churches I served and as an adjunct teacher for a seminary. Although my role has changed over the years, I continue to serve my congregation in different ways and have the privilege of designing and coordinating worship services, influencing younger worship leaders and leading worship. Attending IWS Alumni Seminars continues to bring me refreshment and personal renewal. There is so much more to learn!

In Memoriam

Robert “Bob” George, Jr., D.W.S. 2007 (1944-2024)
Gary McCoy, D.W.S. 2006 (1948-2024)

By James R. Hart, D.W.S.

The IWS community recently lost two cherished alumni. I asked Jim Hart to reflect on the life and legacy of these IWS friends.

The Rev’d. Dr. Robert James “Bob” George, Jr. passed away at home in Bedford, PA, on March 23, 2024, at the age of 79, surrounded by his beloved family. He is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Janice (Renninger), four children, and six grandchildren. Bob earned a B.S. in Physics at Penn State University. He served as a high school math and science teacher at various Pennsylvania high schools, ending his teaching career at the Navajo Methodist Mission School in Farmington, NM. He retired from teaching to become a United Methodist minister, attending Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He served as pastor at Masontown UMC (1982-2000) and Smethport UMC (2000-2011). During retirement, Bob served at TransRun UMC and Bethel UMC as well as leading several Bible studies at Bedford UMC.

Bob’s thesis at IWS was titled, “A Method to Address the Worship Expectations of those Attending the United Methodist Church of Smethport, PA.” He authored The Mystery of Worship: What Happens When Christians Worship? published by Webber Institute Books. While matriculating at IWS, he wore a wide assortment of physics-related tee-shirts, which were often the topic of lunchtime conversations! Dean Emeritus of the Chapel Darrell Harris particularly liked one of the shirts, so Bob made him a copy: “The Truly Educated Never Graduate.”

Bob and his wife Janice established “The Robert and Janice George Scholarship Fund,” which benefitted many IWS students over the past 18 years.

The Rev’d. Dr. Gary McCoy died on May 9, 2024, in the Jacksonville, FL area, surrounded by his family. He was a true icon of Baptist theological education, having served much of his career as a professor at Gateway Seminary, ending his career with the status “Senior Professor of Worship and Church Music.” Before teaching at the Seminary, he served in Korea as a music missionary with the International Mission Board for 17 years. His work in Korea included teaching at the Korea Baptist Theological College/Seminary in the areas of composition, voice, and church music ministries. 

Gary’s IWS thesis was titled: “Seeing as Believing: Growing Faith Through the Visual Experience.” He authored several published and unpublished works including Look to the Manger; Easter Praises; Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee; Hymn Arrangements for the Korean Church Pianist; and His Only Son: God’s Gift at Christmas.

Gary is survived by his loving wife, Mary Nell, and their three children and grandchildren. Since Gary moved to the Jacksonville area, I always enjoyed seeing him, meeting up for coffee, and cultivating the wisdom of his many years of ministry and teaching. Gary and Mary Nell were always very generous donors to IWS and appreciated seeing the fruit of their support by visiting campus whenever they could.

Bob and Gary were both committed alumni to IWS and lifelong friends to many in their cohorts. Their love and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew them. Let us weep with those who weep, and let us join with family and friends in releasing and commending these men of God to the God of all peace and comfort: 

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servants Bob and Gary. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, sheep of your own fold, lambs of your own flock, sinners of your own redeeming. Receive them into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.”

Remembering Gary McCoy IWS announcement

Library Focus: Award and Celebrations

By Jennifer Nicholson, Director of Library Services & Institutional Effectiveness (M.W.S. 2022)

Association of Christian Librarians Research Award

Congratulations to MWS student Rachel Mann, who is the inaugural recipient of the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) Research Award from the IWS Library. The ACL Research Award recipient is nominated by the Library Director considering several criteria, including excellence in research, being in the final year of study, displaying exceptional qualities, showing leadership, demonstrating Christian character, and receiving approval from institutional faculty. 

Rachel has been passionately delving into research at the library, particularly concerning her Baptist denomination. Excelling in academics and writing, she utilizes a wide array of library resources to enrich her understanding of worship practices within her denomination for her coursework. Recognizing her leadership and commitment, the Library Director recommended her to serve as a student representative on the IWS Library Advisory Committee, where she contributes valuable insights and voluntarily evaluates new tools, reflecting her commitment to service and Christian values. Rachel will graduate in June 2024. Congratulations, Rachel!

Books Authored by our Alumni

During the June 2024 intensive session, the IWS Library will showcase a special display of books authored by our alumni to commemorate the 25th anniversary. We invite you to contribute a copy of your work to this display and have it permanently included in the IWS Library collection. 

You can donate your book in two ways: mail a print copy to our address, along with a note containing your name, year of graduation, and email address, or donate online funds designated for the purchase of your book. If you choose to donate online, please go to this link https://iws.edu/support/now/. In the comment field, specify your name, the title of your book, and indicate that the donation is for the Library. Kindly notify the library via email at library@iws.edu upon making an online donation to facilitate timely procurement. All donations of materials or funds to the IWS Library will be promptly acknowledged with a letter of receipt for tax purposes.

Resources from Spring 2024 Webinars

We hosted two worship webinars this spring, each featuring the author of a recently published worship-related book: Meaning In the Moment: How Rituals Help Us Move Through Joy, Pain, and Everything in Between by Amy Davis Abdallah, and Let Us Draw Near: Biblical Foundations of Worship by Ron Man.

Resources from these webinars are available here:

25th Anniversary Worship Seminar, June 23-25, 2024

Theology & Practice: IWS Faculty Perspectives on Transformative Worship

As part of our 25th-anniversary celebration, the worship seminar event this year features 8 of our faculty:

  • Amy Davis Abdallah, Ph.D. — Worship that Honors Death
  • Jeff Barker, M.F.A. — Why Art is Important for Worship & Life
  • Douglas Curry, D.Min. — Worship Best Practices Across Worshiping Contexts
  • Andrew Hill, Ph.D. — Music in the Biblical World
  • Jennifer Nicholson, M.W.S. — Contemporary Issues in Copyright & Worship
  • Carl Park, Ph.D. — Recovering from Me-and-Jesus Spirituality in Corporate Worship
  • Alan Rath, Ph.D. — Holy Fire: Ancient Wisdom for Future Worship
  • Dan Sharp, D.M.A. — The Sun & the Moons: Redemptive Solutions for Church Staff Difficulties

Biblical and historical worship is much more than choosing 5 songs, texting drummers, and downloading fresh pads! My studies at The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies continue to bless me. This seminar offers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into aspects of worship (check out this list of topics!). It is a test drive for what a master’s/doctoral degree in worship studies entails. It’s so affordable. Just 2 days, in and out.

Mike O’Brien, M.W.S. 2016

Details on the seminar including session descriptions are available here. The event will include honoring alumni during Commencement on Sunday, June 23, 5 pm at Hendricks Avenue. Please RSVP here. The two-day seminar on Monday and Tuesday, June 24-25 will begin with special Alumni Chapels at 8:30 am each day.

The seminar will conclude with a special Alumni Chat: A Conversation with Acting President, Constance Cherry and Board Chairman, Eric Bolger at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25. This conversation will be live-streamed.

You can still register for the seminar! Here’s the link.

Calvin Worship Symposium 2024

About 25 people attended the IWS Reception at the Calvin Worship Symposium in February this year. Attendees heard an update on IWS events and activities from Kent Walters (D.W.S. 2002), Director of Alumni Activities and inspiring words from Jim Hart (D.W.S. 2002). Here are a few pictures.

Turkey 2025

Save the dates for an IWS pilgrimage in Turkey — June 30-Juy 10, 2025 — led by Dr. Amy Davis Abdallah, D.W.S. 704 professor.

We will begin in Istanbul, ancient Constantinople, visiting many sites including two famous ancient churches, the Hagia Sophia and the Chora church. We continue to Nicea, the site of two of the first seven ecumenical councils, and then on to the caves of Cappadocia, from which hailed the Cappadocian fathers of the church. We will visit Perga at the coast where Paul landed from Cyprus, and enjoy the beautiful city of Antalya. From there we visit the seven churches of Revelation, the hot springs of Pamukkale, and the modern city of Smyrna.

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About the author

Alumni Director, Practicum Professor, and DWS graduate.
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