Dear NEAS member,

 

I hope this message finds you well. The 2023 annual meeting in San Antonio was a big success. We experimented with four virtual presentations and several members attended virtually. It went smoothly. In 2024 we will expand the virtual attendance option. Based on the feedback I received, our booth was the best one we have ever had. It pleases me to report that our membership is steadily growing. Please invite your colleagues to join NEAS. Membership questions should be directed to Abigail Leavitt, our new membership chair.

 

As you know, we unanimously approved dozens of edits to our Constitution and Bylaws. The updated version of the governing documents is now available on our website.

 

In publication news, Chris McKinney resigned as NEASB editor. I appreciate his four years of faithful service. I am working with publications chair Kevin Larsen on appointing a new editor. 

Also, John Wineland resigned as editor of the Festschrift for Edwin Yamauchi. Mark Hassler has agreed to assume the role of editor for this important project. Gordon Govier and Clyde Billington continue to do a stellar job publishing ARTIFAX.

 

One goal of NEAS is to support excavations in the land of the Bible. Toward that end, in 2023 we launched an annual campaign to help underwrite the costs of scholarships for NEAS student members to participate in an excavation. Funds may also be used to offset the cost of special projects like the new website and the Festschrift. Our second annual campaign will run February 1–29, 2024. Please join me in contributing online. If possible, please donate at least $76.00 in honor of our 76th anniversary. We will also do a crowd funding campaign to support this initiative. We will award our first scholarships this spring. Student members wishing to apply can download the scholarship form from the website (.doc, .pdf).

 

Finally, I want to give big shout-outs to two members of The Bible Seminary’s staff who went above and beyond to make our 2023 annual meetings a resounding success. Allison Taylor worked the booth all three days and oversaw the setup and breakdown. Blake Quimby resolved all our technology issues related to virtual presentations and filming. Thank you, Allison and Blake.

 

Digging the Bible,

 

Scott