Bethany Board of Trustees hears update on financial campaign, plans for centennial.

The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered for its semi-annual meeting March 26-28. Highlights included a report on Bethany's financial campaign, plans for the seminary's centennial in 2004/2005, plans for a pastoral excellence program, and news of a faculty member's invitation to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Gifts and pledges for the financial campaign are more than $12.3 million to date, according to a release from the seminary. The congregational phase of the campaign was launched at the 2003 Annual Conference. Congregational visits will take place in 11 districts this year, with nearly 125 volunteers providing leadership for the visits. Special presentations will be made at the 2004 district conferences of the remaining districts.

In other reports, committees of the board heard about events for the centennial, with activities to begin at the 2004 Annual Conference and more information available soon on Bethany's website; and plans for the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence grant received by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Linda and Glenn Timmons will coordinate the program, which will provide pastors with two tracks for continuing education: Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership and the Vital Pastor program.

The board's Academic Affairs Committee received news that Scott Holland, associate professor of Peace Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies, has been invited to address the National Press Club this summer. He will speak on the "Watu Kwa Amani: People of Peace" conference Aug. 8-14 in Nairobi, Kenya, one of a series of Historic Peace Church conferences that are part of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence. Bethany's Baker Trust Fund is a major sponsor of the conference. Other agenda included an advisory committee for "Connections," the seminary's distributed education program, and a self-study process by the school's teaching and administrative faculty as part of an accreditation review in 2006.

In other action, the board approved a budget of $2,067,280 for 2004/2005, a three percent increase from the previous year, and chose officers for 2004/2005. Anne Reid, of Roanoke, Va., will serve as chair; Raymond M. Donadio, Jr., Greenville, Ohio, as vice-chair; Ed Poling, Hagerstown, Md., as secretary; Carol Scheppard, Mount Crawford, Va., as chair for Academic Affairs; Ron Wyrick, Harrisonburg, Va., as chair for Institutional Advancement; and Jim Dodson, Lexington, Ky., as chair for Student and Business Affairs.

The board celebrated the appointment of Nadine Pence Frantz as full professor of theological studies, honored Theresa C. Eshbach's service as executive director of Institutional Advancement, and expressed appreciation to members concluding their terms of service: John Gingrich, Claremont, Calif.; Robert Knechel, Bethany, W.Va.; Phil Norris, Lititz, Pa.; and Jonathan Wieand, Goshen, Ind. For more information contact the Office of Institutional Advancement, Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374; 800-287-8822; www.bethanyseminary.edu.

Source: Newsline 4/16/2004 top