Last night RTS Charlotte hosted its biannual vision banquet with speaker Kevin DeYoung and musician Andrew Peterson. It was a very special event with a great turnout and a focus on raising funds for student scholarships. I am so grateful for everyone who participated.
Kevin, as most readers know, is the senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan and the author of numerous books, most recently Taking God at His Word, Crazy Busy, and The Hole in Our Holiness. He spoke on 7 reasons why he loves seminaries, and 3 reasons why he loves RTS in particular. It was a perfect address for the occasion.
Before the vision banquet, Kevin spoke in chapel and then I interviewed him about some of the latest developments in his ministry. Then we took Q&A from the students. That session was videoed so I will post that shortly.
Andrew is a well known singer and songwriter, and now award-winning author. His most recent album, Light for the Lost Boy, has been widely acclaimed. Last night Andrew was fantastic (as expected) and was a great blessing to listen to.
His lyrics are biblical, thoughtful, insightful, and inspiring. It was amazing to have both Andrew and Kevin at the same event.
I spoke briefly at the end of the event on the vision of RTS Charlotte. In short, I made the point that our ministry is strategic because it is “the ministry behind the ministry”–i.e., it is the ministry that fuels so many other ministries. We train the leaders that go on to be missionaries, counselors, campus ministers, pastors, and more. Our ministry helps so many other ministries succeed by ensuring that its leaders are well-trained in how to handle the Word of God and faithfully proclaim its message.
Here are a couple of photos of the event: