September 2010
Dear Friends,
Warm greetings to everyone. In many zones, that means a very, very warm kind of greeting! If you are living in Aix-en-Provence, well, they are pleasantly in the mid-80s. But in many other parts of the globe, record highs are posted.
Let me do something a bit different with this newsletter. Several friends have asked for updates on our basic numbers. This is a fair question, the answers to which are mostly quite encouraging.
Let’s begin with Aix-en-Provence. If you have never done this, please do visit their excellent website: http://www.fltr.net/. Currently, Aix has slightly over 100 students enrolled. About half of those are distance students. The rest live either on campus or in the neighborhood. All the degree programs are full and excelling in quality. The professors are marvelously solid, and are more and more involved in lecturing, publishing, and working in the church. Three are just finishing their doctoral dissertations.
For those who are interested, fiscal year 2009 in Aix showed a deficit of 85,651 Euros (about $108,800). In the current year it’s struggling, really struggling, as of now. If you check the recent report from Treasurer Patrick Keller on their web site, you will find the pie charts explaining percentages of costs and income. Not unexpectedly, salaries and benefits for instructors and administrators (with the very high rate of taxation) represent the great majority of expenses.
The Huguenot Fellowship’s principal mission is to support the Seminary and its professors. The total goal of our James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology is $750,000. To date, we’re about 2/3 there! In addition, until it is finished, we have committed to supporting the Chair’s occupant, Frédéric Hammann, to the tune of $48,000 per year, far less than what a full-time professor needs, but all we can afford.
I hope this is helpful information. While the numbers are somewhat concerning, the fact is, year after year, the Lord has provided. Not a cause for sloth, but still, we are very encouraged. And how can we thank you enough for your own generous participation in this great cause?
Very Truly Yours,
William Edgar, President