A WIM week to remember

When Julie and I sat down shortly after July 1 and reflected on all of the many great and rewarding experiences we had during our first year of service to Whitworth, one of our fondest memories took us all the way back to last summer’s Whitworth Institute of Ministry (WIM).  WIM is an annual 5-day ministry conference for pastors and lay leaders, as well as for other community members, focussed on biblical teaching and preaching, as well as fellowship and encouragement.  Last year, WIM was the first official university event that Julie and I had the pleasure of officiating.  Our heads were spinning from all of the newness in our lives after having arrived on campus only two weeks before, but we remembered that last year’s WIM was an amazing experience to see how Whitworth reaches out to support those in ministry.

Timothy George preaches on the great reformers of the church

So, as Julie and I looked forward in our calendars to our sophomore year at Whitworth, we immediately circled WIM as a highlight that we were both looking forward to attending.  WIM concluded last Friday after five wonderful days of worship and learning.  I invited my good friend and former colleague at Samford University, Dr. Timothy George, to preach our evening services.  Timothy serves as dean of Samford’s Beeson Divinity School, and he is a world-class scholar and teacher on the history of the church.  Each evening, Timothy delighted us with his incredible story-telling and historical insights into the great church reformers, such as St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Niemöller and Karl Barth.  What was made so apparent through Timothy’s masterful teaching is how each of these giants of the church stood for one thing primarily, that the church of Jesus Christ would benefit from the reading and preaching of the Word of God.  Through persecution, war, imprisonment and other obstacles, these men stood for Christ, and we benefit tremendously from their insights and wisdom, even today.

Dale Bruner teaches on the death and resurrection of Christ from all four gospels

Also teaching for us at WIM this year was Whitworth favorite and professor of theology emeritus, Dr. Dale Bruner.  Dale is a biblical scholar of the first order who delighted decades of Whitworth students before his retirement, and his gospel commentaries have enlightened pastors and biblical teachers and students across the globe.  Dale, using his patented stick figure drawings to illuminate his teaching, drew on all four gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It was an amazing thing to watch as Dale gave each and every one of us new and fresh perspectives on familiar accounts.  One new Whitworth staff member told me afterward, “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”  Dale’s next project is a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans.  We can’t wait!

Finally, rounding off our amazing trio of teachers was Whitworth’s own professor of theology, Dr. Karen Petersen Finch.  Karen is a masterful instructor, and Whitworth students rave about her classroom.  We all got a glimpse of her genius as she brought John Calvin’s complex and often misunderstood teaching down to the congregation.  I know we all left with a much richer and clearer understanding of Calvin and his teachings, and also much encouragement through Karen’s remarkable giftedness and ministry.

Karen Petersen Finch lectures on the teachings of John Calvin

Next year’s WIM is scheduled for July 9-13, 2012.  You will want to make plans to attend now.  Podcasts of this year’s programs will be available soon on the WIM website.  I encourage you to listen.  Soli Deo gloria!