Bethany Names Commencement Speaker

Bethany Theological Seminary has announced that Rev. L. David Witkovsky, MDiv 1983, will be the featured speaker at its 2026 commencement ceremony in Richmond, Indiana. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m., in Nicarry Chapel. The ceremony expects to honor 40 graduates — Bethany’s largest class in decades — including the speaker’s daughter, Rachel Witkovsky. 

Rev. L. David Witkovsky is a lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren with a distinguished career in pastoral leadership, college chaplaincy, and youth ministry. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Elizabethtown College (1978) and an M.Div. from Bethany Seminary (1983).

Rev. Witkovsky began his ministry serving as pastor for two churches in the Middle PA District over a period of 16 years. He then served for 20 years as the College Chaplain at Juniata College, retiring at the end of 2018. Throughout his career, he has been deeply committed to youth and young adult ministry, including roles as Pastor of Nurture, district youth advisor, denominational Youth Ministry Training Team member, and college chaplain. He continues this work in retirement as a youth Sunday School teacher and advisor.

His service to the Church of the Brethren spans local, district, and denominational leadership. He has served as a local church and district moderator, been involved with Voices for an Open Spirit, and served ten years on the Bethany Seminary Board of Trustees. Trained in mediation and conflict management, he was a member of  the Middle PA Shalom Team, Ministry of Reconciliation and he is also a certified Spiritual Director through Oasis Ministries.

Rev. Witkovsky has taught classes in Community Engagement at Juniata College and pastoral care and counseling at Bethany Seminary, as well as the TRIM program through SVMC. In retirement, he remains active in his community, volunteering with AARP to assist seniors with tax filing and serving as president of his local condominium association. He currently chairs the Facilities Care Team at his congregation.

He and his wife, Rev. Kim Witkovsky, have been married for nearly 48 years and reside in York, PA, near their two children, Matthew and Rachel, and their two grandchildren. Family and grandparenting continue to be great joys in his life in retirement.

Bethany currently enrolls 122 students and offers five master’s degrees and nine graduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas. The seminary is well known for the quality of its faculty, its innovative curriculum, and it’s commitments to accessibility and affordability.

This year marks the 32nd commencement held in Richmond — the longest Bethany has been in any one location. Later in May, President Jeff Carter and Dean Steve Schweitzer will travel to Jos, Nigeria to celebrate a Commencement Ceremony with Nigerian graduates.

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