By Jenny Williams
Bethany Theological Seminary is encouraging
seminary and graduate school, college, and high school students to
think creatively about peacemaking and to share those thoughts for the
greater good. The Bethany Peace Essay Contest is being reinstated this
coming January as part of the peace studies program at the seminary.
The
contest, open to all full-time students in the categories above,
invites reflections on how personal and local peacemaking efforts can
address universal concerns. Participants may choose to explore this
theme in one of the following areas, relating to personal experience:
art, music, or poetry; the just peace movement; protest or change
movements; social media, or interfaith efforts. Prizes of $2,000,
$1,000, and $500 will be awarded for the top three essays.
A
natural fit within the teaching and learning in peace studies at
Bethany, the essay contest is underwritten by the Jennie Calhoun Baker
Endowment, funded by John C. Baker in honor of his mother. Described as a
“Church of the Brethren woman ahead of her time,” Jennie was known for
actively pursuing peacemaking by meeting the needs of others, providing
community leadership, and upholding the value of creative and
independent thinking in education. John Baker saw her vision and
modeling of contemporary peacemaking reflected in Bethany’s
collaborative leadership among the three Historic Peace Churches and
thus selected the seminary to administer the endowment’s programs.
John Baker, a philanthropist for peace with a distinguished career in
higher education, and his wife had also helped establish the peace
studies program at Bethany with an earlier endowment gift. “John and
Elizabeth Baker were deeply committed to building cultures of peace,”
says Scott Holland, professor of theology and culture and director of
peace studies and cross-cultural studies at Bethany. “This peace essay
contest is intended to encourage thoughtful writing on peace in essays
that are informed by the rich traditions of God's shalom and Christ's
peace yet articulated in voices that are public, ecumenical, and
interfaith. There is also the hope that this contest will lead to
international networking and partnerships in pursuit of peace.”
Holland
is administrator of the Baker endowment programs and is working with a
new Peace Essay Contest Committee to re-envision the contest after a
hiatus of several years. Committee members are from the Historic Peace
Churches: Kirsten Beachy, assistant professor of visual and
communication arts at Eastern Mennonite University (Mennonite); Nathan
Hosler, Office of Public Witness for the Church of the Brethren; Abbey
Pratt-Harrington, 2013 alumna of Earlham School of Religion (Friends);
Anne-Marie Roderick, student at Union Theological Seminary (Brethren);
and Lonnie Valentine, professor of peace and justice studies at Earlham
School of Religion (Friends).
Bekah Houff, coordinator of
outreach programs at Bethany, chairs the committee and is assisting with
the administration of the contest. “The committee has been fabulous to
work with and represents a variety of talents and experiences. Their
input and planning have been crucial to the process. We hope to have
some good ecumenical involvement in the contest while mostly focusing on
the peace churches in our publicity. In the future we hope to expand to
different forms of media for entries, such as video and art.”
Holland also notes that the endowment can be used to underwrite peace
sermon contests, which have been held previously and likely will be
again.
Judges of the essays include Holland and Valentine; Randy
Miller, editor of the Church of the Brethren magazine “Messenger”; and
Anna Groff, associate editor of “The Mennonite.” Essays can be submitted
between Jan. 1-Jan. 27, 2014, and results will be announced by the end
of February 2014. Plans are being made to publish the winning essays in
some of the journals and magazines of the Church of the Brethren,
Friends, and Mennonite faith communities.
For guidelines, terms, and submission procedures, go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/peace-essay . Contact Bekah Houff at houffre@bethanyseminary.edu or 765-983-1809 for additional information.
-- Jenny Williams is director of Communications and Alumni/ae Relations for Bethany Seminary.
Source: 10/11/2013 Newsline
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