Some of Gerhardt’s hymns were translated into English first by John Wesley (1703-1796) and largely by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), who also devoted a chapter to him in her book on German hymnwriters. “His hymns seem to be the spontaneous outpouring of a heart that overflows with love, trust, and praise,”[4] she said. Much of the depths... Continue Reading

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the death late Monday night (March 30) of TE Tim Russell. He had been hospitalized with COVID-19 for about two weeks. He served as Assistant Pastor for Middle Adults at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis and was a member of the EPC’s Revelation 7:9... Continue Reading

Patrick’s six-year captivity in Ireland had prepared him for this mission. He knew the language and customs of the country, and could relate to the people. He reaped both joys, with the baptism of “many thousands,”[1] and innumerable sorrows, including beatings, verbal abuses, threats, a kidnapping, and an imprisonment.   Every year, we read articles... Continue Reading

Only recently, critics have stopped judging Phillis’s works in light of what they could or should have been, and have taken them for what they are and what they represented during her time. What Phillis’s modern critics often fail to see is that the gospel was an integral part of her thoughts. She was, first... Continue Reading

Understand the reason why Calvin initially wrote the Institutes. My guess is that hardly anyone reads the preface of a book, including the lengthy one Calvin provides to his Institutes. It is, in effect, a letter to the French King, Francis I, explaining why French Protestants (like Calvin, then living in exile from his native... Continue Reading

The parish website reported the Rev. Anthony Kowbeidu, St. Andrew’s associate rector for missions, had also tested positive for COVID-19 but was showing no symptoms of the illness. A third member of staff, the Rev. Randy Forrester, has also been tested for the virus. Bishop Wood and Mr. Forrester self-isolated themselves last week after becoming... Continue Reading

If God allows me to wake up next Sunday, I will thank Him that I woke up. I will pray for a happy day, enjoy my breakfast and then meet with our Session (being a small group) to discuss routine issues and pray for our morning worship service just as we do every Sunday. I... Continue Reading

She spent the rest of her life in Los Angeles, ministering to the Chinese community, writing her autobiography, and sharing her story with the help of translators. One of these translators was Rev. Samuel E. Boyle, a missionary to South China who traveled with Jeanette around California. Once, he asked her if she thought the church... Continue Reading

Parenting, again, is not so much about single actions of teaching, grace, mercy, and provision, but instead about a long, sustained pattern of consistency. That’s where the true power is. It’s true in parenting, just as it is in exercise, in budgeting, even in reading. And it’s also true in discipleship. Gates’ quote rings especially... Continue Reading

Her life was devoted to a task she had found essential: the academic and religious education of children of all races. It’s probably safe to suppose that she continued to face each new circumstance with the same readiness to draw answers from Scriptures and the same humility, honesty, and trust in God’s care that she... Continue Reading