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PCA Women’s Ministry pillar–Georgia Settle–goes to be with the Lord

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In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to
Women In The Church Ministry of The Presbyterian Church in America,
c/o Second Presbyterian Church, 105 River Street,
Greenville, SC 29601.

georgia-settle.jpg‘Georgia’s eyes twinkled, and she could not stifle her grin. Her whole face betrayed her excitement. She was leading a devotion for the women on our committee.”Girls,” she announced with glee, “we are frapping cables!*”‘

Paul Settle announced the passing of his loving wife and companion of 54 years in an email he sent to family and friends this morning (Monday, 9/20):

“Georgia was received by Jesus Christ into His immediate presence, on the Lord’s Dayevening, September 19, at 8:30 o’clock. I was with her, and the children and grandchildren andother family membershad been with her off and on for several days. Please keep praying for us.’To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. AMEN!

As close friends had known, Georgia had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for the past eight years.Paul kept stepping back from church-related duties as things progressed, and they finally moved back from Dallas to their adopted home town of Greenville, SC (where he had served as Senior Pastor at Second Presbyterian (PCA) for fourteen years).

Paul wrote another email just a short 16 days ago in which he described the pain of having to finally put her into a care center – one of those crushing decisions that faces far too many people in families that struggle with this disease.One can sense the love and emotion behind these words:

It was the most difficult decision I have ever made, but Georgia and I and our children, David and Jo Lynne, and some close friends who have made the same decision for one or more of their loved ones, agreed that it was necessary. I took Georgia yesterday, September 3, to the Hawthorne Inn, a fine nursing home offering special care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients within a warm, friendly, Christian atmosphere. She did well-we broke down only a time or two-and enjoyed some very special times in the Word and prayer andas deep discussion as is possible with her very limited ability to speak.

Georgia‘s condition was serious, but now is grave. She deteriorated alarmingly fast about sixweeks ago and is now only a shadow of her former self. She is unable to see clearly, speak coherently, hear accurately or remember anything or anyone more than a few seconds (though sometimes she seems clearly aware of conversations or events that have occurred in the past few days).She knows me most of the time, and welcomes me with tears and kisses. Today, after she had fallen (but thankfullywas unhurt),I lay beside her on her bed, holding her hands and stroking her hair while she “came and went.” From time to time she stirred, took one of my hands and placed a soft kiss on each finger. Needless to say my visits are a blessingthough emotionally difficult.

Your prayers have lifted us repeatedly for years and especially in the past few months. We cannot thank you enough for your faithfulness. Please keep it up!

A Memorial Service will be held this coming Saturday, September 25, in the Sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville at 11:00AM

___________________________________

Georgia Brown, born on March 6, 1935, was from Betsy Lane, Kentucky. She met Paul Settle from Charleston, WV while they were students at Bob Jones University in the mid-50’s.Shortly after their shared graduation, they were married back in Betsy Lane on August 22, 1956.To understand Georgia’s story, you have to understand Paul’s story, as they are so closely intertwined.

Together they went to seminary at Columbia in Decatur, GA and Paul received his MDiv three years later.He immediately returned to West Virginia where he took a call and was ordained as Pastor of the Pliny Presbyterian Church about 35 miles northwest of downtown Charlestown.That church, although very small these days, is still open and is in New River Presbytery of the PCA.(I drive past it all time going to and from Dayton, Ohio to see grandkids. DKC)

Following Pliny, Paul followed his love for Christian Education and spent four years as Minister of Education at Trinity PC in Montgomery, AL followed by three years in the same position at Coral Ridge PC in Fort Lauderdale, FL.During this time they were raising a family, a boy – Paul David (now living in Greenville) and a girl – Jo Lynn Sprouse (now living in Waynesville, NC).

Paul’s love for education was shared by Georgia, as she taught speech education in public schools in Winfield, WV, Smyrna, GA, and Montgomery, AL and served Library Assistant at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA during these years.

In 1969, Paul took a call to become pastor of the Northside Presbyterian Church in Burlington, NC and dropped right into the middle of the struggle of conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (known as the Southern Presbyterian Church) against a denomination that was slowly moving away from its Biblical and Confessional roots.

By 1971, things were moving swiftly towards the formation of a new denomination (now the Presbyterian Church in America). Paul and Georgia moved to Montgomery, AL where Paul became the Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Churchmen United, one of four groups that provided the facilitation for churches who wanted to leave the PCUS to form a new denomination.Georgia, not surprisingly, became the office manager!When the denomination was about to be formed in 1973, the job title became Executive Director of the Continuing Presbyterian Church.Then, at the formation of the denomination, Paul became the Coordinator of the Committee for Christian Education and Publications (CE/P). They changed the office title to the new name and stayed in Montgomery.

Georgia shifted from her role as an administrator and began to help Paul in the ministry, especially in establishing a Women’s Ministry in the PCA.She became the initial Christian Education Consultant to the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee of the Presbyterian Church in America, a position now known as Director of Women’s Ministry.

1978 Resource Quarterly.jpg

In 1976, after 7 years of organizational work, Paul was called to be Senior Pastor of the historic Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville and he served there for over 14 years.During that period, Georgia turned her attention to the needful work of Historian of the PCA, as well as writing her first book, called ‘Women In The Bible’.It was published by the CE/P Committee as a Women’s Bible study in 1978, but sadly, it is out of print (I just bought the only used copy available at Amazon! DKC)

In the role as Historian she personally completed oral histories with some of the preeminent leaders of the continuing church movement and the early PCA including (alphabetically): Jim Baird, John Clark, Bill Hill, Ken Keyes, Harold S. Laird, Arthur Matthews, Will McIlwaine, Don Patterson, Robert Rayburn, John and Kitty Richards (the Settle’s co-workers with PCU), Paul Settle (that one was easy to schedule), Kennedy Smartt, Morton Smith, Aiken Taylor, Steve White, Ben Wilkinson, and Jack Williamson.

As Wayne Sparkman, current Director of the PCA Historical Center noted in putting this list together for The Aquila Report: “she did a BUNCH of interviews. The entire PCA will always be in her debt.”

Besides just doing these oral histories, Georgia wrote the small handbook that is still in use for those who want to do some of this very interesting and very crucial work of creating history for the future.You can download that handbook at:http://www.pcahistory.org/local/oralhistory.html

(Contact Mr. Sparkman by email:
// archivist@pcahistory.org
//
for more information about all of the oral history interviews and their transcriptions.)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
//

In 1988, still while Paul was at Greenville, Georgia published a second book, entitled Seasons of Change, Seasons of Grace, also published as a study by the CE/P in Atlanta.

In 1991, the founder and primary gift-giver to establish Ridge Haven Conference Center, a PCA ministry in the mountains of southwestern North Carolina, Kenneth Keyes, Sr. asked Paul to put his combination of administrative and education skills together and so he left the pastorate and took the job as Executive Director of Ridge Haven for two years.

But as soon as things were organized there, Paul and Georgia moved on to Paul’s next and final call, on the staff of the Park Cities PC (PCPC) in Dallas. The Senior Pastor was Skip Ryan, who with Paul was a Board Member of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.By that time PCPC had grown to mega-church status (2,000+ people) and Paul came on as Associate Pastor with his primary work of discipleship (which is to say, Christian Education in its basic form).

Among those who were part of the discipleship work were many college and seminary students.It wasn’t long before a Reformed University Fellowship chapter was started at Southern Methodist University, and Georgia again pitched in to serve as the Executive Director to the Campus Pastor.

In 2003, when Georgia began the ‘Long Goodbye’ as many Alzheimer’s caregivers call it, Paul stepped down from the staff at Park Cities and spent most of his time caring for Georgia.A few years ago, they moved back to Brevard, NC to be closer to their children.Then, this September, the ‘Long Goodbye’ became a final farewell to family and friends on earth and a joyous arrival in heaven to be with Jesus and all the saints who have gone before us.

Surviving Georgia, in addition to her husband, are a son, Paul David Settle and wife, Shirley, of Greenville; a daughter, Jo Lynne Sprouse and husband, Ken, of Waynesville, NC; two granddaughters, Shelby and Carly Sprouse; a step granddaughter, Alyssa and a brother, Billy Brown and wife, Faye, of Belleville, MI.
____________________________________

Two of the ladies who came after Georgia in the work of the PCA Women’s Ministry, Susan Hunt (the first official Director) and Barbara Thompson, a long time Advisory Committee Member and recent staff member in Atlanta, wrote a book entitled:The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood (click on hyperlink to order from PCA bookstore)

The two authors dedicated the book to Georgia, just as she began her battle with Alzheimer’s.Here is their dedication, which will tell you way more than all the facts in the story to this point put together about who Georgia Brown Settle really was!

Georgia Settle is not a settler. We dedicate this book to her because she is a pilgrim whose progress has encouraged and inspired countless daughters of the covenant. She embodies the helper design. She is a life-giver. She represents the scores of women who have given the legacy to us.

From Susan Hunt:Georgia’s influence in my life is deep and wide. Her sweet love for Jesus has reached the perimeters of my life. As a young pastor’s wife, I watched her from a distance and saw her love for her husband. I once heard her describe herself as the happy wife of a happy pastor. This joyful statement lodged in my heart and often kept me from falling into the “poor me” trap.

Her constant passion for God’s glory and love for His church often steadied me, though she was unaware that I was watching. And then I became Director of the Women in the Church ministry for our denomination. Georgia had served in this position sev

How We Teach and How They Learn, Part 6 – The Common Sense Learner

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Don’t you just love it when you know someone who can take all the information you have and make something useful with it? This is the strength of the Common Sense Learner. He is able to take all the facts gathered so accurately and sequentially by the Analytic Learner and put them to good use.

Some of the characteristics of this learning style include:

  • Goal oriented – not just satisfied with facts unless they can test them
  • Excel at problem solving “how tos”
  • They live in a realistic world and not an “idea” world (concrete thinking vs. abstract)
  • They see skills as knowledge rather than facts
  • They don’t want to be given answers; they prefer to work out the solution. And here is the key, they want to be active and involved with discovering the solution.
  • They prefer to work by themselves rather than in groups (very unlike the Imaginative or Dynamic Learners)
  • They too do not like lectures! This is true of three of the four learning styles, yet most teachers insist that this is the most effective method. Well, remember next time, that

An Interview with Anthony Bradley

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An Interview with Dr. Anthony Bradley


We recently read and reviewed the following book by our friend Dr. Anthony Bradley. Because we believe this is an important and timely book, to be read especially by church leaders, we asked Anthony several questions to lead into the book review. Dr. Bradley is presently visiting professor of theology at The King’s college, New York and serves as a research fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. He has appeared on numerous TV programs.

Anthony has been a good friend, a scholar, and g rowing spokesman in our circles. His presentations at our 2008 discipleship conference were outstanding. (They are available from the CEP Bookstore).

In connection with his book, Liberating Black Theology, the Bible and the Black Experience in America, I asked Anthony the following three questions:

1. Would you highlight how your book can help us better understand and implement our desire to make a difference in reconciliation?

It is important to remember that black liberation theologians in the late 1960s and early 1970s had legitimate questions regarding the lack of attention paid to intersecting the Kingdom with loving one’s neighbor on issues of race. In those days, both mainline and evangelical Protestant theologians were generally silent on issues of racial justice and the need for the church to speak out against the dehumanization of blacks.

In my book, I highlight specifically the deleterious consequences of not acknowledging past social abuses and corporate sins for reconciliation. My sense is that those in the dominant culture are not sensitive enough to the importance of this issue for minorities. Even though the Bible clearly presents a model for confessing the sins of previous generations, there are some within the Reformed community who seem to want us to explain away the past racial oppression without discussing present implications. Some have suggested, for the sake of looking past those sins to “move on,” that we primarily accentuate the positive aspects of sinful history.

Thankfully, this is not the biblical pattern. Nehemiah 9:2 provides a fascinating standard of corporate confession and repentance: “And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.” God’s people spent time repenting of the past sins of multiple generations within the confines of intimate covenant community because it was a necessary component of moving forward in sanctification. Perhaps some of the Westminster Divines were influenced by this aspect of the biblical narrative by calling Christians to repent specifically: “Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man’s duty to endeavor to repent of his particular sins, particularly (chapter 15, paragraph 5). This is beautiful!

My book aids in understanding why this is important for both blacks and whites to suggest a way forward that maintains orthodoxy while making a case for the church to continue to speak publicly about sin like we regularly do with issues like abortion. The writings of Herman Bavinck have been particularly helpful to me in this regard. I hope that reconciliation does more than dismisses the opportunity to corporately wrestle with the gospel in community for the sake of embracing cultural norms to “hush up” about granddaddy’s sins.

Admittedly, I don’t have all the answers but I think the denomination will benefit greatly when men like Rev. Ligon Duncan and Rev. Randy Nabors help the denomination articulate confessing of past sins, repentance and reconciliation initiatives. Both Rev. Duncan and Rev. Nabors and others older and wiser than me, and who have been involved in reconciliation efforts in their cities, are better positioned to lead on this. For starters, Rev. Nabors says,”[o]ne thing I try to do at Presbytery exams on church history is to ask candidates if they know the ‘racial’ history of the PCA, and what have we done about it. I encourage all Presbyteries to make this part of their church history expectations. Those who are ignorant of history seem condemned to repeat it.” Knowing our own story and talking openly about it will help us not repeat it.

2. You have said that many of our attempts at reconciling blacks and whites are 50 years too late and outdated. I don’t want our efforts to be impotent. How can your book help us to be more effective?


The last two chapters of the book wrestle with the complexities of applying the gospel in a multi-ethnic, global Christian context like we live in today. Therefore, cultural anthropology and contextualization matter when it comes to applying the gospel to people’s lives.

First, many of our efforts at reconciliation have been too narrowly focused on reconciling whites and blacks as if it were 1970 on the heels of the civil-rights movement. There is still work to be done in this area because many of the white Christians who promoted segregation are still alive today. However,America’s current demographic reality-14.4 percent Hispanic/Latino, 12.8 percent black, 4.3 percent Asian-calls for ethnic initiatives that move the church forward in reconciling various tensions and past sins between all of those groups and sub-cultures. For example, there has been so much emphasis on reconciling whites with blacks that may be missing the need to also reconcile whites with Native Americans or heal the deep tensions between blacks and Koreans.

The black/white focus is too limited and often leads to a false sense of accomplishment. I think conservative evangelicals are among the only communities in America who would consider a church of blacks and whites in 2010 extraordinary.

Second, many of the reconciliation efforts are merely cosmetic and still represent old paternalistic paradigms where a white male is in charge and has a congregations of black and Latinos who are less educated and socio-econoimcally subordinate. Churches where there is a class-based power dynamic of upper middle-class whites with working and lower class blacks and Latinos have been coined “plantation churches” by some blacks I know in the PCA.

If we take cultural anthropology seriously, in the ways I suggest in the book, we would expect the result of racial reconciliation efforts to produce in the future ethnic minorities in denominational leadership as agency heads, seniors pastors of more and more churches, presbytery moderators, and so on. I have an ongoing dream that one day the PCA have a Mexican American serve as Senior Minister of the First Presbyterian Church (in whatever city) with a session of blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and so on, wherever possible. Minorities in leadership will be a powerful witness to our world of the socially subversive and transformative nature of the gospel as was demonstrated in the books of Acts, Galatians, and the early church.

Those yearning for revival and another “Great Awakening” in America will only see it come when the church leads the culture on issues of racial diversity in leadership.

3. You have an unsually perceptive grasp of a kingdom world and life view prespective. You demonstrated that so clearly and effectively at our 2008 conference on Kingdom Disicpleship. Would you give us a few things to consider as we read your book and think about our challenges and opportunities as a church and as kingdom people wanting to genuinely make a difference? Can you help us not to be outdated and too late with the challenge?


The PCA has an opportunity to lead on race issues in ways that no Presbyterian denomination (or any other evangelical denomination, for that matter) has experienced in American history. Despite the racial inconsistencies with the gospel in some aspects of Southern Presbyterian history, the PCA can tap all of her denominational resources to provide an astounding witness of the Kingdom of Christ to the world as we move forward.

The denomination’s churches and educational institutions, like Covenant College and Covenant Theological Seminary, missions agencies, college ministries, Christian Education and Publications provide excellent pipelines to raise up new denominational leadership to America’s truly multi-ethnic reality.In 1900, Europe and North America accounted for 82 percent of the world’s Christian population. In 2005, that number is down to 39 percent. To date 60 percent of world’s Christians are in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Moreover, by 2023, half of America’s children will be non-white. As these trends continue, America will likely have a white minority by 2050. By taking cultural anthropology seriously–as was necessary as the gospel spread to Gentiles–carefully applying Scriptures, holding fast to our confessional standards, practicing particular confession and repentance, embracing new vistas for denominational leadership, and so on, the PCA can position herself to build a church that bears witness to the fact that in Kingdom of Christ includes women and menfrom every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9) who earnestly live for the glory of God.

To begin this process, every member of the PCA should listento Rev. Randy Nabors’ August 1, 2010 sermon on unity and reconciliation in Galatians 3:26-28 titled “Right Sight” at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga on their website. Nabors’ sermon is the best first step in seeing the claims of Christ pressed everywhere in a culture like ours where diversity is the norm as we press the claims of Christ everywhere in our world. It is leadership like this that will equip us to reach God’s diverse people.

Anthony, thank you for your insights and candidness. CEP is in the process of planning its third reconciliation for February 2011. Details will be posted on our website as the Atlanta Conference comes together.

Kingdom Disciples: A Product of Covenant Faithfulness

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By Eric Wallace

The latest research reveals that 75% of the children raised in evangelical churches are leaving the faith. It appears that the church is hemorrhaging its covenant children out into the culture. Did Peter know something that we don’t when he preached, “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off…”?

children-150.jpgA heart for seeing this promise fulfilled is what brought together 20 passionate leaders from around the PCA on May 4th to discuss the 2020 Vision Strategy for Growing the Church Through Ministry to Youth and Children.

Having been a children’s ministry leader in the PCA, and having met many children’s and youth ministry leaders over my 21 years of ministry, I can say that the efforts of the men and women who faithfully and lovingly serve on staff are not in question. In fact, the problems we see cannot be laid at the feet of these programs.

I submit, as I did at this meeting, that we’ve lost sight of some very basic biblical principles. A renewed focus on these principles could make the difference in seeing Peter’s promise move from elusive dream to reality.

On one hand, Children and Youth ministry leaders are saying, “We’re doing all we can, but we can’t disciple children in one hour per week. We need parents to step up to the plate.” On the other hand, parents are maxed out, stressed out, and sometimes checked out of the daily process of making kingdom disciples of their own covenant children.

The Word of God Provides the Solution in a Simple Pattern

What does God’s word tell us about how God expects us, through the power of His Holy Spirit, to establish covenant faithfulness in the home? I begin with a short story.

I remember one Christmas Eve becoming quite frustrated while putting together a toy for my son. I finally, humiliatingly, after two hours of exasperation, found the directions and actually read them. I learned that I had missed an important step. I imagine anyone reading this has had the same experience at some time or another. The pieces are all there, but they were not put together in proper order. Successful completion of the project remains elusive until we read, or re-read, the directions.

What we discussed at the May 4th meeting was a sort of “re-reading” of the directions for making kingdom disciples.

Very simply, it looks like this:

The Simple Pattern for Covenant Faithfulness in the Church and in the Home


  1. There is a presupposed pattern submitted to, pursued, and applied for God’s glory and our good, which when rightly applied has one central motive.
  2. The aim of this pattern is heart-level obedience. (True godly desires verses bare-legalistic duty-oriented behavior).
  3. Heart-level obedience is lived out through heart-level relationships with God and one another (You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbor…) which are the ultimate end to which we are all accountable.
  4. This heart-level obedience and these relationships are not indiscriminate but maintained along covenantal lines (e.g. marriage, family, church).
  5. The primary methodology of growth in regards to heart-level obedience and heart-level relationships is speaking the truth (the gospel) in love within these relationships, for which we are all accountable to know and to be known.
  6. This growth, otherwise referred to as sanctification or renewal in the likeness of Christ, involves putting off the old man with its lusts and putting on the new man (Christ in you). The love that comes from Christ to God and others, being rooted in the accomplishment of Christ and applied by faith, makes covenant faithfulness not only possible but expected, and not a burden but a joy.
  7. Heads of Households are men (or single women, or women unequally yoked to a non-believer) with the responsibility of overseeing this heart-level transformation for their households.
  8. Overseers (elders) are men assigned to see to it that this transformation is being faithfully maintained in the broader Household of God (the Church). Practically speaking, overseers accomplish their jobs primarily by graciously equipping and holding responsible those whom God holds accountable (heads of households).

How to Re-emphasize This Pattern

The challenge that we began to discuss at the 2020VISION meeting was how to re-emphasize this basic pattern in our churches.

I will begin by stating what this does not mean. It does not mean a jihad against church programs. Truth is, these programs can actually help facilitate the re-establishment of this pattern and even enrich it. But let’s be clear, if the simple pattern is not vigorously and intentionally at work, these programs carry a load they were never intended to carry and as we have seen cannot fabricate covenant faithfulness.

What this does mean – In the midst of supporting our Children’s, Youth, and Sunday School ministries, this pattern should be heartily pursued no matter what else is happening programmatically because it represents what God has already clearly revealed in His word to guide us.

The place to start is with the establishment of this basic pattern of covenant faithfulness in the entire body of Christ. The big picture is beautifying the Church: the Bride of Christ. Do we really believe Ephesians 4:15-16? Are we building each other up by speaking the truth to one another in love? Faithful shepherding-and accountability-by the elders of the heads of households to fulfill their role is a clear biblical element that must be re-established if we are to accomplish covenant faithfulness and produce kingdom disciples.

Heads of households pursuing covenant faithfulness in the home is not a’ nice-to-have’, but a primary, foundational and non-optional element in the church’s ministry.

This represents an exciting challenge for elders, ministry leaders, heads of households, Christian Education and Publications and Great Commission Publications. The need for resources now extends well beyond curriculum for classrooms and includes resources for elders and heads of households to help them grow in their understanding and application of this biblical model.

Our rich covenantal theology has given us a simple pattern that we must livein order to see Peter’s promise realized in our time…and beyond.

2010 Reformation Insert: Liberation of the Church

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Reformtion10v1_Page_1 - 220.jpgThe 2010 Reformation Inserts are here! This year we celebrate Reformation Sunday on October 31st. Reformation Sunday is a time to celebrate our theological roots. It is a great opportunity to educate our congregations on the importance of what the Reformers did and the implications that it has for us today.

This year’s insert focuses on the Liberation of the Church. The insert explains how the church had reached a point that was outside of God’s creation design for it, and had actually even come to have a tyrannical hold on Christianity. To read more about how God sovereignly has worked through history to redeem his people, click here to read the entire text of the insert.


Click here to order the Reformation Insert