CBTS President Emeritus E. R. Jordan passed into eternity on Wednesday, November 18, 2009. A memorial service at Calvary Baptist Church is planned for 7 pm, Tuesday evening, November 23.

Dr. Jordan, known affectionately to the seminary community as "Chief," was the founding pastor of Calvary Baptist Church and later went on to found Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in 1976. Dr. Jordan fought a battle with Parkinson's disease for more than a decade; the disease advanced quickly over the course of the past two years.

In his role as president through the first half of the seminary's history, he left an indelible impression on his students and was known for his ongoing ministry in the lives of the seminary's many church-planting alumni. For those who knew him in his years of public ministry, he is remembered for his passionate and outspoken testimony for the Gospel and for the contagious energy he brought to life and ministry. For students who knew him in more recent years, he was a quiet man who, though bent with the pain of Parkinson's, moved slowly around the building and grounds, helping with whatever maintenance tasks he was able to perform.

Tuesday's memorial service will begin at 7 pm and will be simultaneously streamed live for those unable to attend the service. A DVD presentation of Chief's testimony will be played in the Calvary Baptist Church auditorium at 6 pm.