Phoenix Seminary Historic Milestone Events Part Three

(June 2020)

2017 To get the staff and faculty involved in the new campus planning process, Steve Johnson put up

butcher paper in the Thomas Road facility conference room so that staff and faculty could write

down their wish list for the remodeled academic building, classrooms and library.

Early in the year Jonathan Griffin, the Enrollment Director added the Student Services responsibility

to his job description and launched a new program which would help to reduce student attrition—

leaving their degree programs before completing them. He initiated the Student Services

Advisor positions. These positions had a greater level of responsibility than those of the past

Enrollment Counselors. While Enrollment Counselors attracted prospective students to the seminary

Student Services Advisors developed an ongoing relationship with student throughout their entire

academic career. They became trusted guides, confidants and friends. When struggles erupted, they

were there to make practical suggestions—matters of scholarships, finances, work opportunities,

counseling etc. Below are past and current Student Services Advisors (SSAs).

The Phoenix Seminary Board of Directors unanimously approved the hire of Assistant Professor

Dr. Peter Gurry on the 21st of April.

Dr. Gurry, received his ThM at Dallas

Theological Seminary and his PhD at the U. of

Cambridge. His Thesis was titled A critical

examination of the coherence-based

genealogical method (CBGM) in the catholic

epistles. He teaches courses in Greek Language

and New Testament literature. His research

interests range across Greek grammar, the

history and formation of the Bible, and the

history of New Testament scholarship. In 2017

Dr. Gurry authored both A Critical Examination

of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method

in New Testament Textual Criticism (Brill) and

as coauthor, A New Approach to Textual

Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence-

Based Genealogical Method (SBL

Press/Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft).

Jenny Miller our 1st

SSA from 2017-2018.

She held several

positions since 2011

Nick Fryberger served as an SSA from 2017-

2020; He was an MDiv

graduate in May 2020

Eden Henn served as

an SSA at the

seminary from 2018-

2020

Andy Clare served as an

SSA from 2018-2020. As a

2018 MDiv grad. He became

a Seminary Adj. Instructor.

David Wyman 2019-2020.

He is currently pursuing an

MDiv with a Biblical

Theological Studies focus.

2017 On May 10th and 12,th the seminary administrative offices were cleared from the 4th floor of the

4222 E. Thomas Road facility. All essential furniture equipment and computers were moved

to the recently remodeled administrative building and Chapel with Library Annex at 7901 E. Shea

Blvd. The library staff and Two Men and a Truck moving company handled the move.

See: https://ps.edu/library-seminary-history/ Library History 1994-2017.

The Library would continue to meet student research needs at the Thomas Road facility. Students

would make book requests of the library staff and Mitch Miller (who lived close to the Shea campus)

couriered items to the Library Annex (in back of the Chapel) where the Library Director had an office.

Reserve and Reference readings, computers, a printer and study carrels were available to students so

they would not have to travel to the Thomas Road facility while the new Biblical Research Center was

being built. This plan suggested to the President by the Library Director saved the seminary $250,000 by

not having to move the library collection to a remodeled temporary library facility.

On June 19, Dr. Hunter in an email to all stated, “Colleagues, President DelHousaye received word

today That the Institutional Actions Committee of the Higher Learning Commission has approved

the reaccreditation of Phoenix Seminary for 10 years!...Thanks again to those of you who participated

in developing materials for the lengthy Assurance Argument and to those who were interviewed by

the visiting team. Special thanks to Roma Royer, whose work brought it all together.”

The Seminary Cabinet made up

of (Left to Right) Provost, Dr.

Bingham Hunter, V.P. Dr. Chip

Moody, V.P. Steve Johnson and

President Darryl DelHousaye,

participated in the Ground

Breaking Ceremony for the

future Biblical Research Center

and Campus Grounds.

June 23rd 2017

Pete Evans a British exchange

student from Wales utilized the

Library Annex just prior to his

graduation. Jim Santeford readies

the Copy Machine for a project.

2017 Cuba Partnership: V.P. and past President of the Latin American Mission, Steve Johnson, traveled to

Cuba to help Cuban Pastors find opportunity for advanced theological education in cooperation

with Phoenix Seminary. Later when several Cuban pastors returned to the U.S., they shared

their experiences living under Fidel Castro’s socialistic government, and how the Church has been

allowed to exist without a lot of governmental interference. When storms devastate the island, the

government is slow to respond—it is the Church that reaches out to meet the needs of people and

Churches in their area. The seminary seeks to someday have vital theological and spiritual ties with its

Christian neighbors in Cuba, but currently we seek Latino leaders from Arizona communities who will

see the value of a seminary education.

On July 11th and 12th the second phase of the move focused on faculty books, files, bookshelves

and more classroom items. Faculty needed to store their personal books while they worked

remotely from home as some of the staff were doing. The seminary garage at 4222 E. Thomas Road

also needed to be cleared out where less used library periodicals and furniture items were stored.

In August heavy equipment, earth movers etc. were brought onto the Shea campus grounds to

remove all old lighting structures and black top in order to begin laying the foundation—all electrical,

plumbing and concrete. See: https://ps.edu/library-seminary-history/ Library History 1994-2017.

From the 1st to the 25th of September a foundation trench for the Biblical Research Center cut into

the ground, then the plumbing and wiring was laid, followed by the pouring of concrete. From the

Administration building, It was amazing to see the speed at which the structure was taking shape.

Dr. Hunter informed the September Board Meeting: 1) “The MAC program had grown

Significantly” and the seminary was now “in need of an additional counseling professor.” 2)

“a new professor in Old Testament in the next 18 month or so, would strengthen faculty

resources supporting the degree.” 3) “a consensus from the Board [was requested] to move forward

with the ATS 10-year accreditation visit and assessment process.” 5) “Income from [the] online program

[had] exceeded $1,000,000.”

Christian Cordova, a Masters

student at Phoenix Seminary,

is our Hispanic Studies

Director—a conduit and

Shepherd to our Latino

students.

2017 Executive V.P. Steve Johnson stated regarding Renovation/Construction/Move to the Board “we are

currently three weeks ahead of schedule, and $200,000 below budget.”

The new library being constructed was originally to be called “Phoenix Seminary Library” but Board

members wanted to name it after a major donor. The Library Director in discussion with the President and

V.P. Johnson suggested the facility should be called the (Name) Biblical Research Center. The major donor

humbly refused their name be placed on the building, thus it remained simply the Biblical Research Center.

How do events at the seminary happen? Who coordinates the events, takes the minutes…decorates

the tables… picks up the flowers,…orders the food and picks it up…moves the tables… pushes a

dolly stacked with boxes etc., etc., etc. These are behind the behind-the-scenes people who take care

of so many details they would make our heads spin—and they do it with full joy without complaining.

On October 3rd lumber was brought onto the campus and by the 11th cranes were moved into place to

Erect both wooden walls and metal support columns. There was a lot of noise on the property. Chip

Moody and I regularly observed “Tonka Toy” heaven out the administration building window.

Shannon Cox, alias

“rocket feet” for her

passion, energy and

joy, served as Dir. of

Events and Associate

Dir. of Advancement

from 2010 to 2014.

Yvonne Gonzales,

served as Exec.

Admin. Manager &

Campus Office

Manager since 2015.

A superb, efficient

event & executive

office coordinator.

Bonnie Jones, served

as Advancement

Coordinator and

Director of Events

from 2015 to 2020.

A master planner of

Conference/Fund-

raising Events.

Paul Newman, our

multi-talented Campus

Facilities Coordinator

has served the

seminary since 2017.

Paul can fix, move or

provide assistance with

just about anything.

2017 By the end of October lumber was erected into noticeable walls and surrounding the

construction site was a security fence and attached to that was an advertisement banner. It depicted

what the finished construction would look like. By the 22nd of November plywood sheeting was

attached to the exterior and a corrugated metal canopy was constructed in front of the Biblical

Research Center (BRC).

2018 On January 26th Dr. Hunter’s “request to the [Seminary] Board to formally designate Dr. Malcolm Hartnell

to ‘Professor of Intercultural Studies, Emeritus’…The Board unanimously approved the motion.”

Also at the same meeting, “Dr. Hunter shared with the Board a statement which came from the accrediting

Commission – Dr. Tom Tanner our ATS liaison. ‘Just started reading your schools self-study report and so

far, I am two-thirds through it. It looks superb, one of the finest I’ve read in a long time…the

[Commission] Board unanimously accepts the 2018 Self-Study.’”

On March 20th to the 22nd the ATS Accreditation team visited the new campus, and in April the team

recommended the “reaffirmation of the accreditation of Phoenix Seminary for a period of 10 years.

The seminary received exceptional praise on Library staff, Faculty and Board Members.”

On May 4th, a certificate of occupancy was given from the city of Scottsdale for the BRC and new

classrooms at the Shea Campus.

2018 On May 11 Graduation was held at Mountain View Presbyterian Church.

End of Part 2; See Part 3

Resident Faculty in

attendance, front row

(left to right):

Dr. Roger Ball, Dr.

Wayne Grudem, Major

Doug Olbert, Dr.

Darryl DelHousaye, Dr.

Josh Anderson, Ms

Roma Royer, Mr. Steve

Johnson. Back row (left

to right) Dr. Peter

Gurry, Dr. Brian

Arnold, Dr. John

Meade, Dr. Justin

Smith, Dr. Jonathan

Logan, Dr. Bing Hunter

and Dr. Chip Moody.

This would be our beloved colleague and friend, Chip Moody’s last event with the

seminary. He had been battling melanoma courageously for the last two years and on

June 21st the cancer would take his life. Chip served at the seminary since 2006. He

was an amazingly gifted homiletics professor who was the Dean of Students, V.P. of

Student Development and Director of Doctoral Studies.

The book at the right

was created and

compiled by Phoenix

Seminary graduate

Danielle Carpenter. It

is filled with many

positive honoring

memories of our

beloved Chip by those

who knew him best.

It has been catalogued

and entered into the

library collection so

that our remembrance

of him may never

fade.

2018 14-18 May: The library staff began working with Two Men and a Truck movers to download

the Thomas Road Library collection onto plywood carts to be shrink wrapped onto plywood

carts to prepare for shipment to the Shea campus location. All the library furniture used for many

years was removed and donated to both the Indian Bible College in Flagstaff and the American

Indian College in Phoenix, to make room for the packed plywood carts before shipping, while the

old library shelving was being dismantled for reinstallation behind the new shelving at Shea.

21-25 May: Classroom chairs and power tables were transferred from “Public Storage” to the newly

constructed classrooms. The summer session began on 21 May 2018.

Peter Nam (2021 Grad.) and Jordan Burnidge

(2020 Grad.) are student volunteers who

quickly moved and organized books on the

carts so the book order would remain the same

when offloaded at the new library.

The new 18 gauge steel shelving made in

Canada by Montel, was installed by Mark

Hurley’s team and overseen by Greg Gawin

the godly sales agent for Montel.

Where computer tables and chairs used to line the

southern wall of the library, carefully numbered and

shrink-wrapped book carts were readied for transport

to the new Phoenix Seminary Campus.

Nearly 100 carts were positioned in the center

isle of the new library and offloaded by staff and

movers to the shelves as soon as the new and old

shelving was anchored and end-caps secured.

2018 On Friday August 3th, the seminary was given the gift of office furniture for every office in the

BRC. A business in the Phoenix area shut down and a demolition company CEO miraculously called

our President Darryl to see if he might need furniture that was going to be removed. On Monday the

BRC offices were filled, as required, with beautiful red mahogany desks and book shelves—FOR

FREE. We just had to pay to have the desks, bookshelves and chairs be professionally transported.

August 17th was the date of Fall New Student Orientation

All the pieces began to come together to complete the Biblical Research Center Library. Powered

oversized Study Cubicles and Tables would eventually arrive in August.

The furniture arrived just in time for the kick off of the Fall semester on the 20th of August, and

Higher Learning Commission Accreditation visit the 23rd and 24th of the month. Our Accreditation

was reaffirmed for an additional 10 years.

Grand Opening of the BRC was Friday November 2nd. The opening was held in the evening.

The event was catered by the co-owners of the Historic Squa Peak Inn. Many were invited to the

event which included Phoenix Seminary Board Members, Donors, Faculty, Staff and Students.

Key Scottsdale City officials also were in attendance. The Executive Vice President of Strategic

Initiatives, Steve Johnson and the President of the Seminary, Dr. DelHousaye officiated the event.

.

It was announced on December 14th that Dr. Peter Gurry was elected to the Board of The Institute

For Biblical Research. Both Dr. Gurry and Dr. John Meade continue to work on development of the

Phoenix Seminary Text and Canon Institute.

Newly donated book shelves and

chairs line the center corridor of the

Biblical Research Center.

Dr. Wayne Grudem gets book

shelves, chairs and a desk for his a

newly completed glass-front office

in the BRC.

Dr. John DelHousaye, Dr. Justin

Smith, Dr. Peter Gurry, Dr. John

Meade and Dr. Brian Arnold and

Dr. Tracy all received furniture.