Executive Secretary:
Rev. Dr. James S. Currie
If you or your church are interested in becoming part of the Presbyterian
Historical Society of the Southwest, please contact Dr. Currie.
Contact: 713-965-0766
jscurrie51@yahoo.com
4807 San Felipe
Houston, TX 77056
What a wonderful
opportunity to grow in the faith, standing on the shoulders of those who
have gone before us and preparing for future generations of disciples!
I invite you to join us as we look to the past with
gratitude and to the future with hope.
The Presbyterian Historical Society
of the Southwest is also engaged in establishing the Thomas White Currie,
Jr. Chair in American Church History with an emphasis on the Southwest at
Austin Seminary.
In addition, the Society is actively working to see to it
that histories of Presbyterianism in each of the four states in the Synod of
the Sun are written soon.
Finally, the Society is seeking new and young
members, persons who have a passion for God’s people and God’s story in and
through the church.
James S. Currie serves Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary as the
Associate Dean for the
Houston Extension program and
Assistant Professor of American Church History.
BA, MA, MDiv, ThM, PhD; University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University,
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Rice University. |
MAKING HISTORY TODAY
James Currie's column appears in
The Presbyterian SUN.
ON WHOSE SHOULDERS DO YOU STAND?
Whose
shoulders do you stand on? At recent commencement exercises of Austin
Presbyterian Theological Seminary listeners were reminded that none of us
goes it alone.
None of us begins with nothing. All of us, in one way or
another, build on what has been done by others. Even if we are trying to do
something new, we depend on what has been done by those who have gone before
us.
That is what the work of the Presbyterian
Historical Society of the Southwest is all about, namely, heightening our
awareness of and our appreciation for those who have gone before us and
their contribution to God’s work in this part of the kingdom.
How well do you know the story of your own
congregation? And what of those church camps you attended as a youth or
which your children or grandchildren attend now? Who taught your Sunday
School class? Where and under whom did you learn the language of faith and
the content of faith itself? Has your church ever sent out or supported
missionaries? Your pastor attended a seminary. Who contributed to his or her
education and spiritual formation?
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the
Southwest works to encourage you to record these stories. As disturbing as
world events can be, there are pockets of followers of Jesus Christ who
selflessly, graciously, and joyfully labor to make a difference in people’s
lives in the name of our Lord. We all stand on their shoulders.
Membership in the Society is a modest $20 per
year per individual or $25 per year for a couple. Churches and institutions
may join for $50 per year. Please send membership dues to the Society at
4807 San Felipe, Houston, TX 77056.
All members receive a copy of the presentations
that are made at the annual meeting. Meetings are held in March at Austin
Seminary or other locations in this synod.
The seemingly most ordinary person, calling
no attention to himself or herself, might make the most extraordinary
contribution to God’s kingdom, but in quiet, humble, self-effacing ways. A
small country church might exhibit qualities of the kingdom in winsome and
extravagant ways that cannot be found in larger, wealthier churches. Do we
know those stories?
It is such fun to make such discoveries, to
come across lives of saints who have made a difference in the life of
someone, but who did so never drawing attention to self.
We stand on their shoulders.
Just as we stand on the shoulders of those
who have gone before us, so also will those who come after us stand on our
shoulders. We have the opportunity to make history now by living in the
present knowing that God calls us into God’s future.
James Currie
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