Читать книгу Bread for the Journey - Thomas W. Currie - Страница 5

In writing these weekly notes over 13 years, I was aided by my colleague in the dean’s office, Mrs. Terry Johns, who not only kept my schedule and posted helpful reminders to me, but also who collected these notes and made sure they were preserved in one place. For this and many other reasons, I need to acknowledge my indebtedness to her.

There are others I would mention as well. Our faculty and staff would meet regularly on Wednesday mornings for devotionals. Since many of these notes were written on Wednesday afternoons, the witness of those morning devotionals often loomed large in my thinking and writing. I would like to thank my faculty colleagues, Richard Boyce, who is the current dean, and Pamela Mitchell-Legg, Rodney Sadler, and Sue Setzer, as well as staff colleagues, David Mayo, our librarian, Susan Hickok, Nadine Ellsworth-Moran, Susan Griner, Lisa McLennan, Anne Rankowitz, and student participants, Thomas Agbemenou and Kevin Davis.

From the very beginning I received unflagging support from Louis Weeks, who as President of the seminary, invited me to serve as dean, and from Brian Blount, the current President, who was and continues to be a source of encouragement not only to me but to all who are engaged in theological education.

In 2014, the board of trustees granted me a sabbatical during which I was able to put these notes in some form of coherent order. I want to thank them for that extraordinary gift. I spent part of the sabbatical at Westminster College in Cambridge, England, where I was made to feel most welcome by the Principal, Neil Thorogood, and the staff, particularly Syd Harper and her administrative colleagues. My wife and I are deeply indebted to Westminster College for the hospitality we received there, and I particularly want to thank the minister of St. Columba’s United Reformed Church, Nigel Uden, for his pastoral care to us during this time and for the preaching and worship that congregation shared with us.

Upon our return, we moved temporarily to Shreveport, Louisiana, where my son, Chris, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church. I want to thank him for providing his father some space to finish this book. In particular, I want to thank Ann Dodson, the church librarian, who was helpful in tracking down certain sources for me.