
A
tremendous sense of community exists among students, faculty, and
staff at RPTS. Opportunities for interaction inside and outside the
classroom abound. Several of the single men live on campus and enjoy
especially close fellowship. They often eat together, pray together,
and provide some of the care of the building and grounds.
Married students
are encouraged to live near the Seminary in order to facilitate
a spirit of community in which their wives and children also can
be a part. A few apartments on campus are available for married
students.For more information on the Pittsburgh area and
housing, see also
While
there is no formal program of extracurricular activities, both students
and faculty help to provide opportunities for all students to participate
in various athletic, social, cultural, and spiritual activities.
Individual and group leadership of these activities is encouraged,
according to interest.
In addition,
the Seminary provides a number of opportunities for the entire student
body to be together for fun and fellowship: an opening day school
picnic, a Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas party, and an end-of-the-year
picnic at the home of one of the professors.
Seminary wives
meet monthly for fellowship, instruction, and encouragement. This
is a tremendously important aspect of Seminary life for a significant
part of the Seminary community. Faculty wives, student wives, and
married women taking classes at the Seminary are all encouraged
to take advantage of this opportunity for fellowship and personal
growth.
A significant
aspect of Seminary life involves times of praying together. Faculty
members meet weekly with their advisees for prayer. Informally,
students often get together in groups of two or three to pray and
prayer marks the one-to-one times between faculty and students.
About forty
denominations and independent congregations are represented in the
student body. This offers a valuable opportunity in the setting
of a denominationally controlled seminary for students to learn
to appreciate their distinctive denominational contributions and
to develop an understanding of the basis for Scriptural ecuminicity.
An indispensable
educational component for students preparing for future ministry
is active participation in a local church while studying at the
Seminary. Students are expected to become involved in the church
life and ministry of the congregation of their choice.


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