Faculty
REV. RACHEL BENEFIELD-PFAFF
COS 312: Our Theological Heritage: The Reformation
She earned a Bachelors of Science degree in American Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1985, a Masters of Divinity at Duke Divinity School, Duke University in 1988, and in 1999 a Masters of Philosophy in Systematic Theology and Religious Studies at New College of the University of Edinburgh. She is an ordained Elder in the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has served as associate pastor at Central Hall Methodist Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, pastor of Faith UMC in Pascagoula, and Handsboro UMC in Gulfport. Rachel has also served as campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at the University of Southern Mississippi, co-director of "Protestantism and Politics" in Edinburgh, Scotland in conjunction with the USM British Studies Program. She has led numerous retreats on prayer and spirituality. In her non-ministerial life, she has worked as an instructor in sailing and swimming, as a lifeguard, and as a bagpipe musician.
REV. STEVE CASTEEL
COS 114: Pastoral Care for Spiritual Formation
He studied at Wood College, Mississippi State University, and Emory University. He also participated in the Board of Discipleship's Academy of Preaching and Duke University's United Methodist and Cultural Study. He is an ordained Elder in the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has served as pastor of the Flower Ridge Charge (Louisville, MS), the Pleasant Hill Charge (Olive Branch, MS), Morton United Methodist Church (Morton, MS), Petal United Methodist Church (Petal, MS), and St. Matthew's United Methodist Church (Madison, MS).
REV. DR. DOROTHY DICKSON-RISCHEL
COS 314: Pastoral Care and Counseling
Dorothy Dickson-Rishel is an elder in the Mississippi Conference who is currently appointed to Memorial Hospital of Gulfport in an extending ministry as a clinical psychologist. She has been in this ministry of support and counseling to the medically ill since 1993. Dorothy has also served as pastor of churches in Biloxi and Liverpool, England and on pastoral staffs in Gulfport and Dallas.
Dorothy hold degrees from Southern Methodist University in English, Psychology, and Divinity. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. But more importantly, she proudly holds the titles of wife and of mother. Dorothy loves to travel, dance, and listen for the Word of God. Besides belonging to Jesus and her family, her heart is with the Phakamisa project of Pinetown Methodist Church in South Africa. This ministry continues to provide education and sustenance to children, women and families of rural communities devastated by the AIDS crisis.
REV. ANDY JOHNSON
COS 413: Worship and Sacraments
An ordained Elder, he currently serves as pastor of Gulfport First United Methodist and has pastored churches in Bold Springs , Georgia, and in Laurel, Wesson and Tylertown, Mississippi. Andy also served as the founding Director of the Center for Ministry and as a campus minister and instructor of New Testament at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. He earned a B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi and an M..Div. from Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
Andy has a great love for the local church and a passion for helping congregations journey with Christ, as well as planning and leading worship. His favorite pastimes include woodworking, fishing, reading, hiking and spending time with his family.
REV. DR. T.W. LEWIS III
COS 514: Theology and the Practice of Ministry
A native of columbus, MS, Lewis is married to Julia Aust, and they are the parents of Tom Lewis of Houston, TX and Catherine Wiygul of Madison, MS. They have four grandchildren. The Lewises live in Jackson, MS.
Lewis is a graduate of Millsaps College and Perkins School of Theology. His Ph.D. is from Drew University. Following seminary, he was the pastor of the Macon Circuit for three years. As a member of the Millsaps College faculty for thirty-seven years, he taught courses in biblical studies, religion and literature, and Methodism. He was also on the staff of the interdisciplinary Heritage of the West program and for two years was Director of Religious Life. In 1980 he and Julia hosted "Lands of the Bible" tours of Jordan and Israel for Millsaps alumnae. In the Course of Study he has taught The People of God I (now Hebrew Bbible I) and Performing Our Theological Task (COS 502). He is a participant in Kairos Prison Ministries.
REV. JOE MAY
COS 313: Our Mission from God: Evangelism
Joe W. May is an ordained Elder of the Mississippi Conference . He is a graduate of Rust College and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. He has served as a pastor, district superintendent, and administrative assistant to the Bishop. A member of the Mississippi Course of Study faculty for 14 years, Joe is currently the pastor of Anderson United Methodist, Jackson, Mississippi.
REV. DR. CHUCK MEADOR
COS 511: New Testament II
Currently serving as Associate Pastor at Christ United Methodist Church, Jackson, Chuck is an elder in the Mississippi Annual Conference. He is also founding pastor the The Connection in Ridgeland. Chuck has extensive experience in pastoring, leading Bible studies, developing innovative outreach programs, and discipling new Christians. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997; a M.Div. degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in 2000; and a D.Min. from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2006.
REV. SAM MORRIS
COS 211: Hebrew Bible I
An ordained Elder, Sam serves as Lead Pastor of Columbus First United Methodist Church. Contact Sam by post at Columbus First UMC, P. O. Box 32, Columbus, MS 39703 or by email
REV. DR. DON PATTERSON
Don ("Doc", as most of his parishioners call him) has a great love and respect for the ministry of the small-membership rural church. Indeed, his dream appointment is to once again ride the circuit on a three-point charge out in the country. For the time being, however, he greatly enjoys his role as pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Kosciusko, MS.
Dr. Patterson holds a Bachelor of Arts from West Virginian Wesleyan College, a Masters in Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Rural Sociology from Mississippi State University. He frequently leads seminars and workshops across the country in rural and small-membership church ministry.
He developed, operationalized, and directed The Foundry at Wood College in 1990 from out of which emerged the Mississippi Course of Study. And, as one of the original faculty members of the MSCOS, he has been teaching his course in historical theology uninterrupted since 1991. It's safe to say that Doc has a great admiration and respect for the ministry of part-time local pastors. His great loves in life are Terri, his wife of 26 years, their four children, and playing the guitar. A diehard bluegrass, dirty country (none of this modern production stuff), folk, and gospel music fan, Doc believes the only songbook used in heaven is the Cokesbury Hymnal.
REV. DR. JIM PORTER
Dr. Jim Porter has recently been named President of Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. As a pastor in Mississippi he has served on the staff of Heritage United Methodist Church, Hattiesburg and Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson.
Dr. Porter has several academic degrees:
Bachelor of Science in Education …………… Oregon College of Education
Master of Divinity…………………………….... Western Evangelical Seminary
Master in Educational Administration…………Wayne State College
Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction…………...University of Oregon
He has taught at Wayne State College, Vennard College and Wesley Biblical Seminary and is currently on the Mississippi Course of Study faculty. Dr. Porter was ordained in 1973, coming from the Evangelical United Brethren background (we were the ones who united the Methodists). He has pastored churches in Nebraska and Iowa before coming to Mississippi in 1980. Jim has also been involved in small group ministries. He has worked with Lyman Coleman and the Serendipity conferences. Jim has also worked with Pilgrimage Small Group Ministries (NAV Press) as a leader of small group seminars. He leads Christian Education and evangelism workshops. Dr. Porter has been involved with missions in Belize, leading seminars for the national pastors there for ten years. He has also been to Russia twice working to establish a Methodist Church in Krasnodar.
REV. DR. J. ERIC PRIDMORE
COS 311 New Testament I
Born and raised in Columbus, MS, Eric is an ordained Elder and pastors Memorial UMC in Bolton with his wife, the Rev. Lisa Pridmore. Eric is also on faculty at Hinds Community College in Raymond, teaching courses in Old Testament, New Testament, and sociology. In addition, Eric has previously pastored congregations in Oxford, NJ and Rolling Fork and Cary, MS. He earned an A.A.S. from Wood College (1991), a B.A. in sociology from Mississippi State University (1993), an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (1996), and a Ph.D. in the sociology of religion from the Graduate Division of Religion at Drew University (2010). Eric is co-chair of the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities, a member of the United Methodist National Task Force on Disability Ministry, and serves on the board of SEMAR in the Southeastern Jurisdiction. He enjoys reading, listening to all types of music, shooting basketball, and camping.
REV. DR. BOB RAMBO
COS 214: The Practice of Preaching
Bob Rambo is a native of West Point, MS. Bob entered the ministry in 1980 and has served churches small and large from Wren to Clarksdale, Ripley to Starkville. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. Bob attended Wood College ('75), Mississippi State University ('80), and Memphis Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, ‘84; Doctor of Ministry, ‘02). He also is a teacher for The Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies in Jerusalem, Israel, and enjoys leading groups to the Holy Land.
REV. DR. LEE RAMSEY
COS 414: Personal and Social Ethics
A native of Georgia, Lee is an ordained United Methodist minister and member of the North Georgia Annual Conference. He joined the faculty of Memphis Theological Seminary in 1998 to teach pastoral care and preaching. Ramsey's scholarly interests include the relationship between pastoral care and preaching, pastoral care in times of grief and loss, and the use of fiction and film to explore the practices of Christian ministry. He serves as the Project Director of Sustaining Pastoral Excellence, a program of the Seminary to support pastors for continued excellence in Christian ministry. Ramsey is the author of Care-full Preaching: From Sermon to Caring Community; Preachers and Misfits, Prophets and Thieves: The Minister in Southern Fiction; numerous articles and reviews in academic and professional journals. He is also a contributor to Lectionary Homiletics, Homily Service, and Explorefaith.org.
REV. DR. EDDIE RESTER
REV. CARY STOCKETT
Rev. Cary Stockett is the senior pastor of Crawford Street United Methodist Church in Vicksburg. A Jackson native, he grew up near Crystal Springs. He is a graduate of Mississippi College and Asbury Theological Seminary, and has also pastored churches in Hattiesburg, Byram, Carthage, and Leake County.
"Teaching this course is one of the highlights of my year," Cary says. "It really is! I have a blast teaching, and my students seem to have a great time, too. We get to explore the Gospel through the medium of the Scriptures, and my guiding principle is that the Gospel is far better news than we've ever dared to believe."
In addition to the pastorate, Cary has been actively involved in the work of Perichoresis, a Jackson-based teaching and publishing ministry with an emphasis on the cardinal doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. His pastimes include reading (history, biography, theology, and Sherlock Holmes mysteries), hunting (wild turkey and whitetail deer), and rough-housing with his sons. He also enjoys playing guitar, listening to all kinds of music, and creative writing.
REV. DR. H. WAYNE WEBSTER
COS 112: Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit
A United Methodist Elder, Wayne has served as a pastor for twenty-eight years and was also the Director of Theatre at Wood College. He currently pastors Brookhaven First United Methodist Church. Wayne has both Bachelor of Arts Education and Master of Fine Arts degrees from The University of Mississippi, a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Paul School of Theology. Wayne was ordained as an Elder in 1981.