Bethany Theological Seminary will award 40 degrees and certificates during its Commencement Ceremony in Richmond, Indiana on Saturday, May 9, 2026. This is a largest graduating class since the Seminary relocated to Richmond from Oak Brook, Illinois. The commencement address will be delivered by Rev. David Witkovsky. Read more about the speaker here.
Bethany will also honor graduates from 2025 and 2026 during a second ceremony to be held in Jos, Nigeria, on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
The Seminary will provide a livestream of its May 9 Commencement Ceremony. See details below:
May 2026 Honored Graduates
Master of Divinity (May 2026)
Joseph K. Buohl II (Mountville, Pennsylvania)
Erika Nicole Clary (Brunswick, Maryland)
Clarke Edward Staton (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Desiree Marie Weaver-Spidel (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)
Master of Divinity (June 2026)
Elaine Jones (Mason, Ohio)
Meridith Anne Owensby (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Master of Arts (May 2026)
Omar Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, Dagestan; Moscow, Russia; Arcata, California)
Portfolio: Phenomenology of the Self: Existing in an Expressive Act
Jean Carlo Martinez (Jamaica, New York)
Portfolio: The Mosaic of Meaning: Reading the Poetry and Wisdom Books with Imagination
Erin Ruth Rinaca (Bridgewater, Virginia)
Portfolio: Let the Light Shine: Shining God’s Light of Healing and Empowerment for Those Impacted by Intimate Partner Violence
Brigitte Zawadi (Rubavu, Rwanda)
Portfolio: Women and Peacebuilding Strategies: Unveiling the Grassroots Catalysts
Isaac Paul Zika (Greenville, Ohio)
Portfolio: Reading Difference Differently: Thinking Theologically With William Stringfellow
Master of Arts: Theopoetics and Writing (May 2026)
Robert Leslie Amend (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Project: A Theopoetic Lens: Photography, Witness, and the Mystery of God
Camille Dubler (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Project: Liminal
Kelsi Kay Folsom (Kansas City, Missouri
Project: Love’s Resonance: Trauma Informed Performance as Divine Medicine
Omar Gadzhiev (Makhachkala, Dagestan; Moscow, Russia; Arcata, California)
Project: Lobster
Grace Beverly-Anna Hoover (Portland, Oregon)
Project: Hope is an Open Mic: Slam Poetry and Its Embodied Theopoetic Community in Portland, Oregon
Elyse Marie Jancosko (Denver, Colorado)
Project: Writing Towards Transformation
Jean Carlo Martinez (Jamaica, New York)
Project: Hudson River Psalms
Carl Edward McRoy (Beltsville, Maryland)
Project: Illuminating Theopoetics through Black Liberation Literature
Joel Jay Nagel (Holt, Michigan)
Project: Sea Change: A Theopoetic Primer for Reimagining and Rebuilding Faith through Scripture
Rachel Suzanne Witkovsky (York, Pennsylvania)
Project: Simple Gifts, Big Magic: An Advent Worship Series
Master of Arts in Spiritual and Social Transformation (May 2026)
Adam Michael Lane Boonesboro, Maryland
Certificate for Expanded MA Studies (May 2026)
Brigitte Zawadi (Rubavu, Rwanda)
Certificate of Achievement in Theological Studies (May 2026)
Rachel Suzanne Witkovsky (York, Pennsylvania)
Rebecca Rae Sidney Wolf (York, Pennsylvania)
Certificate in Theopoetics and Theological Imagination (May 2026)
Karen Doss Bowman (Bridgewater, Virginia)
Augustus Michael Fuller (South Bend, Indiana)
Eric J. Schmitt (New Carlisle, Ohio)
Postgraduate Diploma in Biblical Peacemaking (May 2026)
Musa Zuwarva Abdullahi (Auta-Balefi, Kara LGA, Nasarawa, Nigeria)
Chinenye Christiana Chundusu (Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria)
Hope Andakpo Daniel (Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria)
Simda Luka (Askira Uba, Borno State, Nigeria)
Lisa Rinret Moses (Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria)
Benjamin Samuel (Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria)
Victoria Friday Williams (Mbiaso, Nsit Ibom LGA, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria)
Postgraduate Diploma in Biblical Peacemaking (June 2026)
Solomon Peter Gambo (Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria)
Philemon Ibrahim (Gyani Village, Kachia LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria)
Joseph Kim-Kwat Monday (Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria)
Ahmadu Kefas Kwe (Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria)
Bitrus Garba Sarkin-Noma (Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria)
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