I am delighted to inform you that Dr. Davis has agreed to come on a more permanent basis as Minister in Residence where, among some other things, he will be the Sunday evening preacher. Truth is, Dr. Davis retired a few years ago and lives in Tennessee, but he and his wife Barbara have already begun to look for housing here in Columbia. He will begin preaching on Sunday evenings in January of 2014.

In the November 10, 2013 bulletin, Dr. Derek Thomas announced that Dr. Dale Ralph Davis will be joining the staff of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., as Minister in Residence and preach regularly in the Sunday evening service. First Presbyterian Church is a member of the Associate Presbyterian Church (ARP). The announcement from Dr. Thomas said the following:

Our Sunday evening congregation has expressed a great deal of enthusiasm over the ministry of Dr. Dale Ralph Davis this fall. Many have asked if it might be possible to extend our invitation to him to preach on Sunday evenings beyond the eight occasions planned for the fall of 2013. I am delighted to inform you that he has agreed to come on a more permanent basis as Minister in Residence where, among some other things, he will be the Sunday evening preacher. Truth is, Dr. Davis retired a few years ago and lives in Tennessee, but he and his wife Barbara have already begun to look for housing here in Columbia. He will begin preaching on Sunday evenings in January of 2014. Dr. Davis will not be a full-time minister but will be considered Stated Supply by our Presbytery and Session, both of which have agreed to this arrangement.

Dr. Ralph Davis (“Ralph”) taught Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson campus) for many years, and subsequent to his retirement, he was the Senior Minister at Woodland Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He has written extensively on the Old Testament and his commentaries on the historical books (Judges, Joshua, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings) are legendary. Our church is enormously blessed to have him and his wife among us. They are looking forward to getting to know you better (as you are eager to get to know them better). Again, we will have more to say later.