I started a blog and twitter about the 800 plus letters, using The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn, published by Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. The concept is simple: every day or so a twitter with a quote, linked to a blog which quotes the paragraph the quote can be found.

I wanted to read all of his letters and consider this project a good (and fun) way to keep me going. So, I started to read every single letter, and I’ll blog and twitter what catches my eyes. I hope it will deepen my understanding of Gregory the Great. And I also hope followers will be inspired by it. I do feel Gregory the Great still has something to say to us.”

link to twitter: http://twitter.com/Saint_Gregory
link to blog: http://letters-gregory-the-great.blogspot.com

Theologian dr Arnold Smeets

Centre of Patristics CPO, Utrecht, the Netherlands

One of the topics that has been raised most persistently and with greatest passion in recent years at both the general business meetings and the meetings of the Board of Directors of NAPS is the importance of our graduate student members and the need to support that constituency effectively.  Consequently, at the 2009 business meeting of our society, the membership approved a change in our By-laws allowing for an expansion from seven to eight in the number of Directors that may be elected to the Board:  this was done to pave the way for the creation of a student representative to the Board.  It should be said that nothing prevents student members also being elected to any of the four positions for Members-at-large, though this has to my knowledge never occurred in the relatively brief history of our society.  What is desired is to secure the voice of at least one student member on the Board every year by the addition of this new position.

The ad-hoc appointment of graduate students to the Board in 2008-09 and 2009-10 has already enriched our conversations and planning.  This was evidenced in the last Annual Meeting by the addition of a pre-conference publishing workshop and a graduate student breakfast hosted by present and former presidents of NAPS; this year we plan to continue the initiative with a pre-conference teaching workshop and another graduate student breakfast.  There are also further conversations underway regarding how we might best mentor and financially support graduate students who are submitting paper proposals for the annual meeting.  It is expected that a regular student voice on the Board will continue to contribute to shaping the direction of the society in a way that fosters further integration of graduate students into the life of the society and its Annual Meeting.

In order to make the appointment of a student member to the Board of Directors permanent, the Board has drafted an amendment to the NAPS Constitution that will be considered and voted upon at the NAPS business meeting on Friday, May 28, 2010. The NAPS Constitution requires that the society’s members be notified of any proposed amendments at least thirty days prior to any vote. We are therefore circulating this proposal in advance of the meeting; changes are marked in bold:

RESOLVED, the NAPS Board proposes amending the NAPS Constitution Article II, Section 3 to read,

“There shall be a Board of Directors composed of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary‑Treasurer and FIVE other members elected by the membership, ONE OF WHOM MUST BE A STUDENT. FOUR OF these latter FIVE members shall be elected for a two‑year term and shall not be eligible to succeed themselves immediately; THE STUDENT MEMBER SHALL BE ELECTED FOR A ONE-YEAR TERM. Division of service shall be determined by lot.  Editors of Society publications, appointed by the Board of Directors, shall be ex officio non‑voting members of the Board of Directors. It shall be the task of the Board of Directors to conduct the business of the Society in the period between Annual Meetings.”

RESOLVED, the NAPS Board proposes amending the NAPS By-Laws Article II, Section 3, Part D to read,

“The members shall elect four (4) additional directors for a term of two (2) years each AND ONE (1) STUDENT DIRECTOR FOR A TERM OF ONE (1) YEAR. THE TERMS OF THOSE DIRECTORS SERVING FOR TWO YEARS [in cases of enlargement of the Board of Directors, terms] shall be staggered so that half of the directors shall be elected in one year and the other half in the subsequent year.”

Gratefully yours,

Virginia Burrus
NAPS President, 2009-2010

Baker Publishing Group mourns the loss of a colleague and friend, Jeffery A. Wittung. Jeff, one of Baker’s academic editors, was injured in a car accident on his way to work January 6, 2010. He passed away the evening of January 10. He leaves behind a wife, Marne, and two daughters: Ana (5) and Kate (1).

Jeff joined the Baker staff in April of 2006. He quickly established himself as a colleague of exceptional intellect, wise judgment, gracious spirit, and keen wit. Academic authors who worked with Jeff frequently commended the quality of his editorial interactions. In the workplace, Jeff combined an old-fashioned work ethic with cutting-edge theological insight, wrapping them in a polite, cordial, and good-humored demeanor.

Jeff’s scholarly acumen was also on display outside the workplace. He held an advanced degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary (MDiv) and had just finished work for his MPhil from Drew University, completing his comprehensive exams at Drew with distinction. Jeff’s interest in the theology of the early church was evident while at Drew, where he was involved in the production of volumes in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series and was coeditor of a well-received volume of academic essays, Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions.

His academic and professional skills and accomplishments, however, were not the primary focus of his life. Jeff was a devoted family man who loved his wife and daughters deeply. He also expressed his knowledge and spiritual gifts in teaching and preaching at his local church, Encounter Community Church of Belding, Michigan.

We at Baker Publishing Group will miss Jeff greatly, and we invite you to pray for the family Jeff leaves behind: his wife and daughters; his mother, father, and sister; his in-laws; and the extended family. They find comfort in Jeff’s faith and in their own, but their loss is severe.