Somehow it all came together. Scholars arrived from around the world to present papers. Ministers arrived from throughout the English-speaking world to preach sermons. Calvinistic conference-goers eagerly joined them for the opening worship service of the Calvin 500 celebration in Geneva, Switzerland, commemorating 500 years since the birth of the great man. As the congregation stood to join in singing Psalm 100 to the old Genevan tune, we were all deeply stirred to know that we were worshiping in the same St. Pierre’s Cathedral in which Calvin had ministered so long ago. We were moved by the awareness that those walls had heard those same tunes countless times before as the faithful, often joined in Calvin’s day by persecuted French refugees, all seeking to worship God “according to Scripture.”

We visited the location of the house in which Calvin lived, and then Theodore Beza (1519–1605) after him. We walked the streets he walked, saw the fountain from which he drew his water, the lecture hall in which he taught, the chair in which he sat, and the pulpit in which he preached. We spent an afternoon on Lake Geneva (viewing the natural beauty that Calvin enjoyed??) and a day in Lausanne. There we visited the cathedral in which the famous Lausanne Disputation (1536) took place, Calvin, joined by Peter Viret (1511–71) and William Farel (1489–1565), refuting their Roman Catholic opponents. We also visited the St. Francis church in Lausanne, the church which Viret served. We enjoyed stimulating lectures (4 each morning!) and excellent preaching (3 each evening!). You were represented by Joan Ackley and Joe and Mary Van Puffelen.

We’ll be having our Calvin 500 celebration in October (10,11). The Rev. Dr. David Hall, the tireless organizer of Calvin 500 and author of several books on Calvin, will be bringing the messages commemorating Calvin’s life and ministry. We honor Calvin because he honored Christ, faithfully serving the gospel in ways that became a pattern for the church right to the present.

The last two months have been a blur for me. Sally’s graduation, back surgery, my father’s death, Calvin 500 in Geneva, student/parent orientation at UGA, family vacation. I’ve been gone a lot. It will be good to settle back into our regular routine. But with Sally leaving for college in August, I don’t think we’ll experience normalcy for some time to come.