The way Curtis Haynes explains it, the Lord led him to come twice to the Seminary, first as a student, second as the man who will soon be in charge of the Seminary's business operations.

Haynes until recentlyhad been an ITT employee, working for Caesar's Casino in Atlantic City as financial manager, then for the Sheraton in Atlantic City, where he was the comptroller. "The lights, glitter, the sound of money had all appealed to me when I sought the financial manager position at Caesar's, and I got the job," he explains. That was about five years ago.

Curtis says he had "16-20 people reporting to me, and when ITT wanted all of its holdings around the country to unify their accounting systems, I was part of the team that carried out the task to establish the same charts of accounts for everyone."

But while Curtis was engaged in a busy financial career, he was also becoming more involved in his congregation -- Bethany Baptist Church in Somerdale, NJ. In January 1997, he was ordained as a deacon in the church. Enter the first of his "calls" to Seminary life.

"I woke up one morning in July 1997, and the Lord was telling me to go and get an education," Curtis says. "The Lord didn't tell me what plans he had in mind for me. He just told me to get the education at a seminary." Curtis already had two degrees from Fairleigh Dickenson University, a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA in Finance. Curtis asked around about seminaries and was given the name of LTSP. He called and spoke with the Rev. George Keck, director of Admission. Haynes has been enrolled since in the Seminary's Urban Theological Institute, which specializes in preparing African American leaders to become pastors, counselors or outreach coordinators while they continue to hold their regular jobs. UTI students prepare evenings and weekends.

Enter the second "call." "I had been commuting from Marlton (his home) to Caesar's working 10 and 11 hours a day, and I asked the Lord for a new direction. I told Him I needed something else, something better." That same day, the issue of this newsletter arrived at his home with an ad seeking a Business Manager for the Seminary. "Am I getting a message here?" Haynes wondered. He compiled his resume and sent it in. "A few weeks later, Ken Feinour (the Seminary's Chief Operating Officer) called, and here I am." Curtis Haynes sees his work and study at the Seminary as part of the mission God has in mind for him.

Initially, Curtis will be working with Ed Schofield, who has devotedly served the Seminary in the Business Office for 20 years, to learn the scope of his new duties. Then, he'll take the reins of the office in March as Ed retires.

After that? "I see myself as assisting the senior management team here to develop the systems and practices to make us more proficient in how we do business, help us develop together the financial knowledge that goes into our budget practices and helping others to better read the numbers of our operation," Curtis says." Ed Schofield has been very methodical and dedicated in his work in the past, and he is helping me a great deal to get ready for my new duties. I am really excited about the opportunity I have to serve here."

Curtis Haynes lives in Marlton with his wife, Geraldine, and his two daughters, Crystal, 16, and Carly, 12.