By: Trisha Welstad on July 13, 2018
“A year from now you will wish you had started today.”[1] This phrase, etched on a piece of wood for some kitschy church art, caught my eye every month when our leadership board met. I would occasionally consider what things I might be putting off or pondering that needed to be initiated in my life.…
By: Jay Forseth on July 11, 2018
From Montana to the world! That’s how I would summarize my first year in the Portland Seminary at George Fox University DMin LGP8 program. I am thankful for the opportunity to expand my horizons, and feel like this first year has been worth every sacrifice and investment. It’s about people! Yes, this is academic, but…
By: Mark Petersen on July 9, 2018
Mark Petersen is a Canadian ministry entrepreneur with a rich background of experiences and relationships in places like Colombia, the Philippines, and across Canada. For fifteen years he led a private family foundation that jumpstarted innovation by Canadian Christian charities. It was a journey with thrilling mountaintops and desperate valleys, high impact grants and dead-end…
By: Geoff Lee on July 7, 2018
I would like to reflect on three words that sum up this first year of the Leadership with Global Perspectives doctorate programme that I have just completed with Portland Seminary. The first is stretching. From the Advance in Oxford and London and the initiation and orientation sessions, meeting a new cohort of unknown…
By: Jennifer Williamson on July 7, 2018
A few days into our trip to Cape Town, after touring the District Six Museum, we have a 45-minute wait for the bus that will take us back to the hotel. Not wanting to stand around, my friend Trisha and I set out to explore the neighbourhood. We happen upon the Cape Town Central Library,…
By: Trisha Welstad on July 5, 2018
Getting Wet Cape Town is situated at the southwest tip of Africa. It is a port city joining the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Off the coast of Cape Town rests Robben Island, picturesque and serene yet with a torturous past. The whole of South Africa is beautiful while painfully complex in its history and culture.…
By: Kyle Chalko on July 3, 2018
The disparity that came with South Africa was disorienting. Black, white. Rich, poor. Christian, non-christian. Untamed wilderness, under-developed townships. In the midst of the same day, I would begin my day in a vibrant city with the hipster trends of Portland and just a few hours later I would be standing in the grueling poverty…
By: Dan Kreiss on July 3, 2018
There is an old proverb that states; “Those who dance appear insane to those who can’t hear the music.” Dan Kreiss generally doesn’t care that others think he is insane (let’s be honest, there is a good chance they are correct) but has spent his life desperately trying to help others hear the music and…
By: Chip Stapleton on July 1, 2018
It is hard to believe that a year ago at this time I had not yet bought my ticket for London and was having serious questions with my wife and my friends and (mostly) myself about whether or not pursing a doctor of ministry degree was a good idea or not. At the end of…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on June 29, 2018
I would like to introduce you to Jake Dean-Hill, originally from Southern California and currently residing in Richland, Washington for the past 24 years. He spent the first 10 years after graduating with a BA in Religion from Azusa Pacific University in full-time church ministry as a youth and associate pastor. While at Azusa Pacific…
By: Jay Forseth on June 27, 2018
JAY FORSETH BIOGRAPHY Superintendent for the Western Conference of the Evangelical Church (MT, WY, ND, ID) Former Lead Pastor at Columbus Evangelical Church for 15 years (Columbus, MT) Former Athletic Director and Vice-President for Advancement at Rocky Mountain College (MT) Current Professor at Arrowhead Bible College since 2003 (Fishtail, MT) PERSONAL Lives in Columbus,…
By: Mary Walker on June 27, 2018
“I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in (me) will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). What am I doing? Why would I think I can handle this work? I am a farmer not a professional minister like my colleagues. The name of our program…
By: Dan Kreiss on June 25, 2018
Cape Town Advance – LGP Elite 8 What will it mean? A rest would have been nice. I completed my final M Div course in June of 2017, took students on an inner city mission trip, spoke at a couple of youth conferences then buckled down to study for my ordination exams for the Presbyterian…
By: Mark Petersen on June 23, 2018
In all his whiteness, the Afrikaner grandson of the architect of apartheid stood before us. Lamenting. A Black Christ was pierced through and bleeding on the cross. “That man,” Wilhelm Verwoerd exclaimed with his thick Afrikaans accent. Curiously, he pointed with his middle finger at the soldier who stood mocking the Christ-figure, and continued, “That…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on June 18, 2018
Student’s Personal Interests: One of the first things to spark my interest at the CapeTown Advance was making the connection with my amazing LGP8 cohort. The diversity and quality of each individual impressed me and the quick connection I made with many of them blew me away. In a very short time, I felt bonded…
By: Katy Drage Lines on June 14, 2018
To view the presentation, click here: Blended Hope: The Terroir of South Africa [turn on sound; manually move between images; wait for audio. Total run is approx 8’30”]
By: Kristin Hamilton on June 8, 2018
Who is Kristin Hamilton? “She’s a bossy little thing; always telling everyone how it could be done better. She is naughty and talks too much, but don’t let her catch you being mean to her friends. She is a fierce protector and she can get real mean.” – Mrs. Chicka, kindergarten teacher Kristin lives out…
By: Dave Watermulder on May 28, 2018
By: Trisha Welstad on May 16, 2018
Trisha Welstad: Apprentice, wife, mother, pastor, entrepreneur, friend, and random creative. Trisha is passionate about investing in others to see them become all God has created them to be. Her roles combined with her passion create a scope for her life and work in Oregon. As an apprentice, Trisha seeks to live her life following…
By: Greg on May 16, 2018
Growing up on the island of Fiji has allowed me to appreciate not only good beaches and pineapple but also a love for a multi-cultural life. Being a pastor’s kid and a missionary’s kid confirmed for me that ministry was not something that I wanted my life to involve. God has an incredible sense of…
