Emmanuel offers holistic development in village setting

By Kathy Helms-Hughes
STAR STAFF
khughes@starhq.com

   Every English village has a cross in it. At Emmanuel School of Religion it is a 15-foot-tall bronze cross, designed and sculpted by Phoenix artist Randall Secrest.
   The cross was installed in October 2000 and is the center of The Emmanuel Village, an 8.9 acre Tudor-style student housing facility. The cross is a visible symbol of the purpose of Emmanuel. "He has risen! He is not here." The nameplate bears the inscription of Mark 16:6.
   Progress at Emmanuel is not measured in brick and stone, though enrollment is up and the school is moving into Phase II of The Emmanuel Village. Progress is measured in meeting the challenges of holistic development required of every student of God. Faculty members are faithful "mentors who are as concerned about who you are as what you know, who are as committed to spiritual development as to academic competency," according to Dean Eleanor Daniel.
   Emmanuel's faculty members have held strong ministries within the church while others have served on the missions field. Their approach to the study of Scripture is both scholarly and confessional, according to President C. Robert Wetzel. "Sound biblical scholarship is seen as a servant to the overall welfare of the church and it shapes the practical ministerial education Emmanuel students receive."
   According to the school's Web page (http://www.esr.edu), Emmanuel has more than 1,000 alumni serving Christ in 22 nations. Seventy-five percent of its graduates are in local church ministries as preachers, youth ministers, ministers of Christian education, ministers of evangelism and more. Eight percent teach on faculties of church colleges in the United States and around the world. A significant number are serving as missionaries, military chaplains, counselors, campus ministers, and new church planters.
   Emmanuel's Doctor of Ministry Degree program is designed to help students integrate deep reading and thinking in biblical, historical, and doctrinal paths with their practice of ministry in and with the church. The purpose of the program is to equip the church with leaders who are ready to serve the Lord in ways which are biblically grounded, historically informed, doctrinally clear, and relevant to the contemporary context.
   "Perhaps the Lord's itinerary will bring you to us," the school states. It has drawn students from all over the United States as well as from Brazil, Canada, Kenya, Korea, The Netherlands, Russia and Australia.
   "Our total enrollment for the year is 183. That's a really good number," said Rae Augunstein.
   Several Emmanuel graduates have returned to the school as faculty members. Others leave behind testimonials of the inspiration gained during their time at school.
   Gregory Ellsworth, a 1983 Master of Divinity graduate, created a stained glass window which adorns the school chapel. The focal point of the window is a Celtic cross. At the junction of the vertical and horizontal members of the cross are four hollowed-out areas surrounded by a circle of eternity which has been modified to represent the sun, the life-giving force.
   At the foot of the cross is blooming wisteria, suggesting the cycle of life, death and resurrection. The branches of the wisteria stand for the church. One branch, which has wrapped itself around the cross, symbolizes the strength and support given to the church by Jesus.
   The word "Emmanuel" was incorporated into the window to symbolize the incarnation, while a border of blue which encompasses the outer edge is symbolic of God's eternal love.
   The school is looking forward to spring, when landscapers can set to work and students can pause and reflect among the village flowers while taking in the beauty of the nearby mountains.
   "We have 26 apartments for students in that complex. We are beginning to seek funding for Phase II of the project which will be to build a community center for the village," Augunstein said. Phase III, which is not in the planning stage yet, will be more village cottages.
   The school will see several faculty changes this year.
   Christopher Rollston, an Emmanuel graduate, has returned as assistant professor of Old Testament and Semitic Studies. Rollston received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and has archaeological field experience.
   Dean Daniel will be stepping down at the end of the academic year and handing over the deanship to Dr. Robert Hull, a member of the Emmanuel faculty since 1978. Daniel, who is professor of Christian Education, will remain at the school part-time.