Upcoming Events: Ruth Graham and Commencement 2010

Billy Graham's daughter Ruth will be hosting her Get Growing Conference at Davis

William J. Chatlos- president of the Chatlos Foundation

PBTS Alumna Grace Fabian's book Outrageous Grace

There are a couple of exciting events coming to Davis soon.

To start off with at the end of this week Bill Graham's daughter Ruth Graham will be on the campus to host her Get Growing Conference (Friday, April 23, 2010-Saturday, April 24, 2010). It is for both men and women is designed to provide practical teaching and tools to equip you and your church to better understand life-controlling behaviors and how they affect our society today. It is a free conference and a love offering will be taken. To learn more click here.

Only two weeks after Ruth Graham it will be Commencement 2010 and the class of 2010 will be graduating from Davis. On Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 10 AM the Seniors will begin the march down the center of the aisle in the Robb Activity Center. The Commencement speaker will be Dr. Gene M. Williams who the President Emeritus of Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Georgia. During the Commencement there will be two honor doctorates given by the college as was last year. This year two very special people will be honored and I personally as the writer of the blog am looking forward to it.

The first one that is getting honored is my good friend Grace (Jones) Fabian (Class of 1959). Grace who has just published her autobiography Outrageous Grace about her time in Papua New Guinea where her and her husband Edmund translated the New Testament into the Nabak language. Her story is a story of forgiveness in the midst of her husband being murdered. I encourage everyone to read her book. You will be challenged.

The second person who is getting honored is William J. Chatlos who is the current president of the Chatlos Foundation Inc. The Chatlos Family has been part of the history of Davis College going back to the 1930s when two of William F. Chatlos' children attended PBTS (William J. Chatlos* and Alice E. Chatlos). William J. Chatlos only attended a short time and died at an early age, while Alice E. Chatlos graduated in 1935 and continued to teach at PBTS for many years. In the 1960s Mr. William F. Chatlos donated to PBTS to have the Main Building constructed and he named it after his son (~the William J. Chatlos-Gordon C. Davis Memorial Building). He also donated to the library and named it after his daughter (~Alice E. Chatlos Library). Over the years the Chatlos Foundation has continued to provide funds to the college to help it improve.

Along with these two honorary doctorates around 50 students will be graduating. If you are in Johnson City on May 8, 2010 I encourage you to come by and see this wonderful ceremony. In any case say a prayer for the students as they go out as sheep among wolves. Pray that they will be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

Congratulations to all in the Class of 2010

*Note: The William J. Chatlos receiving the honorary doctorate this year was named after the William J. Chatlos that attended PBTS in the 1930s.