Simpson University (Redding, California) professors from the 1980s reunited the week of March 5–9, 2018, to teach at Jaffary Theological Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dr. Joe Barth and Rev. Tim Shuey were guest lecturers for an intensive course on the theology of worship.
Joe and Tim were both on the church music faculty from 1983 until 1988 during Simpson’s last years at the San Francisco campus. Since leaving Simpson, Joe pastored the C&MA church in Bellingham, Washington, for 10 years and has been pastor of the Alliance church in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, since 1999.
Joe is also on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Bible Institute and lectures on music in local universities. For 15 years he was a senior contributor to Just Jazz Guitar magazine, the author of Voices of Jazz Guitar (Mel Bay), and he remains active as a jazz guitarist in the Pittsburgh area. Joe’s jazz combos have toured France twice promoting the gospel and French C&MA churches to the local nationals who are indifferent to spiritual things but love jazz music.
Tim was music pastor for 10 years at the Alliance church in Silver Springs, Maryland, and for the last 20 years has been Music and Worship Arts pastor at the C&MA church in York, Pennsylvania. Tim is also a licensed hospital chaplain in the York area.
The more than 60 course attendees in Jakarta included Jaffray seminary students and faculty, district superintendents, and pastors. The course content addressed the definition of and reason for worship, the priority and substance of worship, hindrances to effective worship, and the role of music in worship.