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RPTS 2009 Commencement Scheduled for May 22

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) – May 13, 2009 – The Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) will honor 17 graduates during its commencement ceremony on Friday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m., at New Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) on 2225 Grandview Avenue in Monroeville, Pa.  Ten graduates will receive their three-year master of divinity degrees and seven graduates will receive their two-year master of theological studies degrees.

Rev. Donald Piper, retired pastor of Seattle Reformed Presbyterian Church and a more than 20-year board member of RPTS, will be the commencement speaker.  The event is open to the public.

Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Graduates:

Noah M. Bailey.  Originally from Kerhonkson, N.Y., Bailey and his wife, Lydia, live in Beaver Falls, Pa.  They have three children: Katherine (2years, 9 months),Michael (20 months), and Julia (2 months).  Bailey is a deacon and pastoral intern at First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Beaver Falls.  This May, he will relocate to Enid, Okla., to plant a church as associate pastor for the Stillwater Reformed Presbyterian Church. 

Jason A. Camery.  Camery came to RPTS through the Sycamore Reformed Presbyterian Church in Kokomo, Ind., where he served as a pastoral intern and deacon and plans to return following graduation, possibly planting a church in Marion, Ind.  Camery previously served as a chaplain for a rescue mission that is devoted to working with homeless men.  He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children: Megan (17), Sidney (15), and Luke (12).

Daniel W. Drost.  Drost grew up in Beverly, Mass., and graduated from Gordon College.  He currently is a member of Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, where he has served in preaching, outreach, visitation, and teaching.  Drost plans to serve as a pastor after Seminary.  He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Abigail; they are expecting their first child, William Perkins Drost, in August.

Ryan McLean Hemphill.  A member of the Shawnee Reformed Presbyterian Church in Shawnee, Kan., Hemphill, who grew up in Kansas City, has attended and been an intern for the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills while going to Seminary.  He was recently called to a church planting ministry in Manhattan, Kan., home of Kansas State University.  He and his wife, Alicia, currently live in Allison Park, Pa., with their newborn son, Ezra McLean.

Anthony J. Kladitis.  Kladitis is director of youth ministry for Northminster Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Pa., where he plans to continue to serve following graduation. He and his wife, Christen, live in New Castle, Pa. 

Patrick Marx.  Marx lives and runs a discipleship house in Wilkinsburg, Pa.  He serves in leadership with outreach, foreign missions, evangelism, discipleship, and jail ministry at Covenant Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg, Pa.  He was a former missionary in Romania.  A business turnaround consultant, Marx was among those recognized with the 40 Under 40 Award by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2005.

Michael Shane Sapp. Sapp came to RPTS from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was a member of the Springs Reformed Church.  Prior to studying at RPTS, he worked in the satellite industry as an electrical engineer.  In April, he moved to Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church in Westminster, Colo., to begin serving as pastor. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Broomfield, Colo., and have two children: Grover (6) and Clementine (3).

Jeremy J. Vogel.  A member of Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Vogel’s future plans center on serving in ministry.  He hopes to travel to Uganda to visit a Compassion International child, Japan to visit with fellow RPTS students, and Europe.  Vogel also aspires to be a military chaplain. 

Toby L. Warner.  Warner grew up in Titusville, Pa., and came to RPTS through Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa.  He currently is a member of Covenant Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg, Pa., and has served churches occasionally as a preacher during Seminary.  He hopes to serve in the ministry following graduation. 

Michael E. Weathers.  Originally from Altus, Okla., Weathers is a member of Second Reformed Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Ind., and has recently been serving Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church in Meadville, Pa., as an intern while at Seminary.  He senses a call into pastoral ministry. Michael and his wife, Connie, have four children:  Lyndsi, Loran, Lacey, and Luke.

Faithe D. Bryant.  Bryant lives in Monroeville, Pa., and is a member of the Sanctuary of Praise Church in Pittsburgh, where she serves in various ways, including as a choir member and cell group leader.  Following graduation, she plans to continue to serve as cultural liaison at Pittsburgh Mercy (formerly Mercy Behavioral Health), and in ministry at her church. 

Sherree Crouch Cobbs.  Cobbs has been involved in the Stephen Ministry that is focused on counseling the hurting, as well as a Precepts Inductive Bible Teacher.  She lives in Pittsburgh, and is a member of South Hills Assembly where she serves as the church’s co-facilitator of Griefshare Ministry. Her future plans include developing a curriculum of Church History for Hillcrest Christian Academy, and teaching Scripture to women and children.

Jill M. Klaassen.  Klaassen came to RPTS from Marquette, Kan.  She is a member of Sterling Reformed Presbyterian Church in Sterling, Kan., and has attended Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh while a student. She first had exposure to RPTS professors and classes when she participated in the seminary’s summer Theological Foundations for Youth program while in high school.  Klaassen hopes to attain a college resident director position, and later pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy. 

Jonathan J. Mayak.  Mayak has served with Go Time Ministries, which works with local un-churched youth and has included mission work to Russia, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  A resident of Finleyville, Pa., he is currently a member and youth pastor for Nottingham Christian Center, and plans to be a full-time youth pastor after graduation. 

James Timothy Miller.  Miller lives in Pitcairn, Pa., with his wife, Rochelle.  He is a member of New Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Monroeville, Pa, and serves as youth director for First Baptist Church of Monroeville, where he plans to continue working for the church along with Elmer’s Aquarium.  Miller aims to teach at a college, university, or seminary as well as teach presuppositional apologetics for youth. 

Teresa K. Pegors.  Pegors is a member of Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, and has been working at Carnegie Mellon University in a research lab that studies how infants acquire language. She decided to study at RPTS before entering a Ph.D. program, which she will begin this fall in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania.  Her desire is to become a professor and help the church be able to understand brain research from a Christian perspective, for which she thinks RPTS has helped prepare her.

Jason James Sauereisen.  Sauereisen lives in Highland Park, Pa., and is a member of Covenant Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg, Pa., where he serves as an usher and photographer and helps with the Kid Zone community outreach.  He also has evangelized with Gideons International for more than five years and he distributes Bibles through street evangelism.  As well, he preaches on occasion at the Light of Life homeless shelter in Pittsburgh.   The day after graduation, James will go to Istanbul, Turkey, with a team of about 10 missionaries.  He feels called to evangelism, discipleship, and capturing natural revelation through digital photography coupled with citations of special revelation.