PTS Out and About

2023

Feb. 2
Shan Overton
The Presbyterian Outlook (Virtual)
"Creative Writing as a Spiritual Process" Webinar

Feb. 5
Erin Davenport
Baldwin Community UMC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Feb. 5
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Covenant Community PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching

Feb. 6-8
Tanner Capps
Symposium on Reformed Theology & Social Ethics, Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
Attending

Feb. 6
Kimberly Russaw
Preaching and Preachers with Dr. Martha Simmons (Facebook Live Webinar)
Panelist, "Sisters and Scripture"

Feb. 12
Tanner Capps
The Dante Society: Friends of the Beatrice Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Leading "Theologies of Blood & Land" Seminar

Feb. 15
Kimberly Russaw
Westar Institute (Webinar)
"Reinvestigating Rahab"

Feb. 17
Asa Lee
Virginia Clergy Leadership Project, Richmond, Va.
Teaching

Feb. 17-19
Chris Taylor
Coalition for Christian Outreach Jubilee, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Admissions Recruitment

Feb. 19-20
Tanner Capps
Southminster PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Teaching

Feb. 19
Hunter Farrell
Shadyside PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Teaching Adult Education Class

Feb. 19
Leanna Fuller
Sewickley PC, Sewickley, Pa.
Teaching Adult Education Class

Feb. 20-24
Sean Thomas
Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference, Atlanta, Ga.
Admissions Recruitment

Feb. 24-25
Hunter Farrell (with Asa Lee, Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston) 
Vanderbilt PC, Naples, Fla.
James and Cindy Craig Lecture on Church and Mission

Feb. 26
Asa Lee (with Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston) 
Vanderbilt PC, Naples, Fla.
Preaching

Feb. 26
Leanna Fuller
Sewickley PC, Sewickley, Pa.
Teaching Adult Education Class

March 4-9
Asa Lee, Hunter Farrell, Jennifer Kaaland
Reformed University and Seminary of Colombia
Observances in honor of International Women's Day

March 5
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Concord PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching and Presiding

March 12
Scott Hagley
Mission del Sol PC, Tempe, Ariz.
Preaching

March 13
Scott Hagley (with Asa Lee, Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston) 
Mission del Sol PC, Tempe, Ariz.
Lecture, “Christianity for Today’s World: New Possibilities for Faith and Practice, Renewal and Mission”

March 14
Scott Hagley, Asa Lee, Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston 
Mission del Sol PC, Tempe, Ariz.
Alumni and Friends Luncheon

March 16
Scott Hagley (with Asa Lee, Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston) 
San Dieguito UMC, Encinitas, Calif.
Lecture, “Christianity for Today’s World: New Possibilities for Faith and Practice, Renewal and Mission”

March 17
Scott Hagley, Asa Lee, Charles Fischer, Carolyn Cranston 
San Dieguito UMC, Encinitas, Calif.
Alumni and Friends Luncheon

March 18
Erik Hoeke
Meeting this Moment Symposium, Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Paper presentation, "Doing Good: Institutions, Cultures, and Enabling Morally Virtuous Action"

March 19
Asa Lee 
San Dieguito UMC, Encinitas, Calif.
Preaching

March 20-22
Asa Lee
ATS Student Personnel Administrators' Network Conference, Dallas, Texas
Keynote Address

March 26
Hunter Farrell
Union PC, Union City, Pa.
Preaching

Feb. 26
Asa Lee
Berkley Hills Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching at Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration

March 28
Sean Thomas
Messiah University Mission Fair, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Admissions Recruitment

April 16
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Oakmont PC, Oakmont, Pa.
Preaching

April 16
Hunter Farrell
New Wilmington PC, New Wilmington, Pa.
Preaching

April 16
Asa Lee
First Unitarian Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching

April 23
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Covenant Community PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching

April 23
Asa Lee
First PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Attending 250^th Anniversary Celebration

April 30
Asa Lee
Sewickley PC, Sewickley, Pa.
Preaching

May 1-3
Hunter Farrell
Zephyr Point Conference Center, Lake Tahoe, Nev. 
Keynote Speaker at North Central California Justice Conference

May 13
Asa Lee
Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa.
Preaching at Baccalaureate Service

May 18-20
Hunter Farrell and Bala Khyllep
First Presbyterian Church, Evanston, Ill.
Speaking at PCUSA Ethiopia Mission Network 

May 19
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Concord PC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching

May 21
Hunter Farrell
First Presbyterian Church, Evanston, Ill.
Preaching

June 16-17
Erik Hoeke
Fred Rogers Institute, Latrobe, Pa.
Paper presentation, "Fred Rogers: Public Theologian"

June 16-18
Hunter Farrell
St. Mary's College, South Bend, Ind.
Paper presentation on intercultural conflict at the American Society of Missiology

June 25
Asa Lee
Crafton Heights UPC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Preaching

July 17-21
Edwin Chr. van Driel
International Consultation on Ecclesial Futures, San Francisco, Calif.
Chairing the Meeting and Presenting

July 23
Asa Lee
Montreat Conference Center, Montreat, N.C.
Keynote Address

Old Testament

• Book of Psalms (Creach)
• Old Testament Prophets & Justice (Creach)
• Wisdom Literature (Creach)
• History and Literature of Second Temple Judaism (Ferda)
• Pentateuch (Russaw)
• Ancient Near East Literature (Russaw)
• History of the Ancient Near East & the Religions of Israel (Tappy)
• Extrabiblical Texts and What They Tell Us about Biblical Israel (Tappy)
• The Tel Zayit Abecedary and the Origins of the Alphabet (Tappy)

New Testament

• The Life of Jesus and the Gospels (Ferda)
• Parables of Jesus (Hancock)
• Life and Thought of Paul (Ferda)
• The Letter to the Hebrews (Kaaland)
• Contemporary Uses of the New Testament (Kaaland)

Themes, Interpretation, Languages

• Violence in the Bible (Creach)
• Feminist and Womanist Biblical Interpretation (Russaw)
• Women in the Bible (Russaw)
• Bible and/in Popular Culture (Russaw)
• Biblical and Theological Library Research Methods (Spomer)
• Biblical and Ancient Near East Archaeology (Tappy)
• Biblical Interpretation (Hancock)
• New Testament Exegesis and History of Interpretation (Ferda)
• Bible Study in the Church and Theological Formation (Ferda)
• Contextual Biblical Hermeneutics (Kaaland)
• History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo)
• Northwest Semitic Languages (Creach, Tappy)

Church/Religious History

• Religion, Race, and Resistance; African American Religious Experiences (Mingo)
• Early Christianity (Kaaland)
• Christianity from Late Antiquity to Present (Woo)
• World Religions (Hagley)
• Asian-American History and Theological Perspectives (Woo)
• History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo)
• History of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (Russell)

Theology

• Sacraments (Burgess)
• Practical Theodicy: What Do Christians Do When Bad Things Happen? (Hancock)
• Eschatology (K. Smith, van Driel)
• Christ and the Incarnation (van Driel)
• Ecclesiology (van Driel)
• Practical/Public Theology (Overton)
• African American Contextual Theology (Lee)
• Feminist & Black Feminist Theology (Overton)
• Feminist Theology (Riggle Young; Giver-Johnston)
• Liberation Theology (Riggle Young)
• Black Theology and Womanism (Riggle Young)
• Theology and the Arts (Capps)
• Religious Ethics and Political Theology (Capps)
• Theological Research (Russell)
• Theological Librarianship (Russell)
• Biblical and Theological Library Research Methods (Spomer)

Christian Traditions/Denominations/Movements

• Evangelicalism in North America (Hagley)
• Reformed Confessions (Burgess)
• John Calvin and Civil Disobedience (Hancock)
• John Calvin and the Reformed Tradition (Woo)
• Theology of Martin Luther (Woo)
• Anglican/Episcopal Tradition and Theology (Fischer)
• Methodist/Wesleyan History and Theology (Hoeke)
• History of African American Methodism (Hoeke)

Worship

• Worship: Congregational Song, Corporate/Liturgical Prayer (K. Smith)
• Teaching through Sacred Music (K. Smith)
• Taizé-style Worship (K. Smith)
• Christian Worship and the Sacraments (Fischer)
• Christian Worship, Sacraments, and the Arts (Hancock)
• Preaching/Homiletics (Lee; Hancock; Giver-Johnston)
• Writing and Reimagining Liturgy  (Rohrer; Giver-Johnston)
• Congregational Song (van Driel)

Education and Formation

• Continuing Education/Lifelong Learning for Lay and Ordained Faith Leaders (Blier)
• Youth Ministry (Blier, Davenport, Hagley)
• Youth Empowerment (Capps)
• Older Adult Ministry (Davenport)
• Social Work and Social Justice (Davenport)
• Religious Identity Formation (Kaaland)
• Spiritual Formation (Lee, Owens, Teter)
• Contemplative Spirituality (Owens)
• Lectio Divina (Overton)
• Writing: Theological, Spiritual, Creative (Overton)
• Coaching and Spiritual Direction (Teter)
• College Ministry/Chaplaincy (Overton)

Christian Leadership

• Vocational Discernment/Call (Blier, Rohrer, Teter)
• Leader as Educator (Blier)
• Congregational Discernment (Owens)
• Conflict in Congregations (Fuller)
• Spirituality for Christian Leadership  (Owens)
• Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
• Change Leadership/Culture Shift (Rohrer)
• Reimagining Church (Rohrer)
• Leading and Supporting New Faith Communities (Rohrer)
• New Worshipping Communities and Congregational Redevelopment (Teter)
• Church Planting (Hagley)
• Rural Church Organizing (Capps)
• Theological Education (Lee; Giver-Johnston)
• Stewardship (Cranston, Fischer)
• College Ministry/Chaplaincy (Overton)
• Pastoral Ministry (Giver-Johnston)

Pastoral Care

• Death, Dying, and Grief (Fuller)
• Conflict in Congregations (Fuller)
• Family Systems Theory and Congregational Life (Fuller)
• Safe Church Practices (Davenport)
• Mental Health and Christian Counseling (Davenport)
• Trauma-informed Ministry (Greenhow)
• Faith-Based Social Service Organizations (Greenhow)
• Faith and Hospitality (Greenhow)

Christian Mission

• Congregational Mission and Leadership (Farrell)
• History of Presbyterian Mission (Farrell)
• Cross-Cultural Mission, Cultural Humility, Intercultural Communication (Farrell)
• World Mission and Justice (Farrell)
• Short-term Mission (Farrell)
• Cultural Humility and Cross-Cultural Communication (Khyllep)
• Congregational Mission and Leadership (Khyllep)
• Preaching in a Global Context (Khyllep)
• World Mission and Justice (Khyllep)
• Short-term Mission (Khyllep)
• Mission and Evangelism: History, Practice, Leadership (Hagley)
• Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)

• Church and Politics in Russia and Ukraine (Burgess)
• Christian Perspectives on War and Peace (Burgess)
• Christianity and U.S. Foreign Policy (D. Smith)
• Faith and Public Life (D. Smith)
• Women and Social Protest Movements (Mingo)
• Religious Social Ethics (Mingo)
• Popular Media and Constructions of Race and Gender (Mingo)
• Civil and Human Rights Struggles (Mingo)
• Ethics and Public Theology (Woodward-Lehman)
• Religion and Politics (Woodward-Lehman)
• Religion and Social Movements (Riggle Young, D. Smith)
• Theological Responses to Incarceration (Capps)
• Criminal Justice (Woodward-Lehman)
• Sociology of Urban Religion (D. Smith)
• Social Justice (Woodward-Lehman)
• Race, Racism, and Intercultural Competency Development (Teter)
• Christianity, Race, and Class (Fischer, D. Smith)
• Anti-racism (Woodward-Lehman)
• Educational Diversity (Riggle Young)
• Information Literacy (Russell)

Helen Blier
Director of Continuing Education
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1346

John P. Burgess
James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology
jburgess@pts.edu
412-924-1430

Franklin Tanner Capps
Director of the Miller Summer Youth Institute
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1368

Jennifer Christmas
Associate Curator of the Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology
jechristmas@pts.edu
412-924-1394

Jerome F. D. Creach
Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1428

Carolyn Cranston
Director of Alumnae/i and Church Relations
ccranston@pts.edu
412-924-1375

Erin Davenport
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1385

Hunter Farrell
Director of the World Mission Initiative
hfarrell@pts.edu
412-924-1402

Tucker Ferda
Associate Professor of New Testament
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1391

Charles L. Fischer III
Vice President for Seminary Advancement
cfischer@pts.edu 
412-924-1362

Leanna K. Fuller
Joan Marshall Associate Professor of Pastoral Care
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1459

Donna Giver-Johnston
Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
dgiverjohnston@pts.edu
412-924-1421

Scott J. Hagley
W. Don McClure Associate Professor of World Mission and Evangelism
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1399

Angela Dienhart Hancock
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics
ahancock@pts.edu
412-924-1453

Jennifer Kaalund
Associate Professor of New Testatment
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1386

Bala Khyllep
Associate Director of the World Mission Initiative
bkhyllep@pts.edu
412-924-1364

Asa J. Lee
President and Professor of Theological Formation for Ministry
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1366

AnneMarie Mingo
Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership and Acting Director of the Metro-Urban Institute
amingo@pts.edu
412-924-1401

Mary O'Shan (Shan) Overton
Director of the Center for Writing and Learning Support
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1454

L. Roger Owens
Hugh Thomson Kerr Professor of Pastoral Theology
lowens@pts.edu
412-924-1458

Tracy Riggle Young
Senior Director of Enrollment Services
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1423

Karen Rohrer
Director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry
krohrer@pts.edu
412-924-1412

Kimberly Russaw
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1407

Kendra Buckwalter Smith
Director of the Worship Program
ksmith@pts.edu
412-924-1419

R. Drew Smith
Henry L. Hillman Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1457

Michelle Spomer
Donald G. Miller Librarian and Director of the Clifford E. Barbour Library
mspomer@pts.edu
412-924-1408

Ron E. Tappy
G. Albert Shoemaker Professor Emeritus of Bible and Archaeology and Director of The Zeitah Excavations
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1427

Ayana Teter
Associate Dean for Students and Formation
ateter@pts.edu
412-924-1398

Edwin Chr. van Driel
Directors' Bicentennial Professor of Theology
Click to view e-mail
412-924-1425

Kenneth Woo
Assistant Professor of Church History
kwoo@pts.edu
412-924-1350