Bethany Recognized for Service

Bethany Theological Seminary has received a Corporate Caring Award from the Good News chapter of Habitat for Humanity during its second annual awards gala, which was held on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at the Leland Legacy in Richmond, Indiana.

The Seminary was recognized on the basis of a service day held on Nov. 9, 2024 which brought together students from all of Richmond’s institutions of higher education — Bethany, Earlham College (including Earlham School of Religion), Indiana University East, and Ivy Tech Community College. The group did exterior painting, landscaping, and yard cleanup for a Habitat home that was nearing occupancy by a family. The program was funded in part by a grant from the City of Richmond. Many of the participating students also took part in a leadership training with Acacia St. John of Forward Wayne County.

Derek Parker, coordinator of community engagement, expressed his gratitude to Habitat for Humanity for its partnership.

“At Bethany we strive to engage in holistic education of seminary students, and to bridge divides in the community where we learn and serve,” says Parker.  “We can’t do this without partners like Good News Habitat for Humanity, Earlham College, IU East, and Ivy Tech.  Definitely a win-win for everybody involved.”

Service in the community is a key aspect of Bethany BOLD, a program the challenges exceptional residential students that challenges participants to put their education and faith into action by working with local non-profit organizations to address real problems in the community. BOLD (which stands for Build, Organize, Love, and Dare) is funded with a grant from the Lilly Endowment.

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