Bethany Sponsors Service and Leadership Event for Local Students

With funding from the City of Richmond, Bethany Theological Seminary brought together students from other local institutions of higher education for an event focused on community engagement and leadership development. This high-impact learning opportunity included students from Bethany, Earlham College (including the Earlham School of Religion), Indiana University East, and Ivy Tech Community College. Participants from each school gathered on Friday, November 8, for  a leadership training session led by Acacia St. John of Forward Wayne County. On Saturday, November 9, the students heard a presentation about Habitat for Humanity from Dan Groth, and then volunteered at the Habitat projects in Richmond.

Students from each of the institutions participated in the two-day event, which also included lunch and opportunities for students from the various institutions to get to know one another.

The project was funded, in part, by a $10,000 grant from the Mayor’s Office at the City of Richmond. Mayor Ron Oler is an enthusiastic supporter of the initiative, which emphasizes that Richmond is a Knowledge Town, with an unusual number of higher education entities for a city of 36,000 people.

“The City of Richmond is very pleased to support Bethany Theological Seminary’s commitment to community service. Bethany’s decision to bring together students from all the local institutions of higher education provides a great model for the things we can accomplish when we work together. I am thankful to Bethany for partnering with other schools to help to engage with the Richmond community, and I am delighted to be able to provide financial support for this important project,” says Mayor Oler.

President Jeff Carter notes that this grant connects to the core of Bethany’s educational mission.

“One of the key aspects of a Bethany education is providing students opportunities to put their faith and education into action, and we are excited to welcome students from other institutions to this day of service and learning. We are grateful and excited that Mayor Oler and the City of Richmond are supporting this effort and embracing the concept of Richmond as a Knowledge Town.”

Bethany has worked with leaders from other Richmond institutions to make this project a reality, by building on existing partnerships. Bethany has enjoyed a close connection with Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion for 30 years, with students from both institutions taking classes together, and Earlham sharing some technology and library resources with Bethany. IU East Chancellor Dennis Rome announced a partnership with Bethany focused on community service during last spring’s commencement. Faculty at Bethany and IU East have collaborated on a community engagement program, and the two institutions recently entered into an articulation agreement with Bethany, opening select courses to students from the Seminary. Chad Bolser, chancellor of Ivy Tech in Richmond has been supportive of collaboration between institutions with a focus on shared commitments. Conversations among local education leaders made clear that all the institutions shared an interest in service.

With offerings ranging from technical and pre-professional certificates, to 2- and 4-year undergraduate degrees, to a range of master’s degrees, Richmond enjoys an unusual wealth of educational opportunities for a community its size. Carter and the leaders of the other local institutions agree that students at all the schools stand to benefit from partnerships.

“Bethany knows from experience the power of relationships and collaboration,” notes Carter. “We regularly partner with other institutions nationally and internationally, so it only makes sense to strengthen our relationships with our Richmond neighbors. These schools obviously have distinct missions, but we all share the goals of providing students with high quality learning opportunities, and we all want to help our students engage with the surrounding community, and make a difference through service.”

This partnership will build on the success of Bethany BOLD, a service-based program that invites exceptional students to live and study in Richmond, while putting their education and faith into action by working with local non-profit organizations to seek solutions to issues like racism and poverty. BOLD (which stands for Build, Organize, Love, and Dare) provides participants with free housing, full-tuition scholarships, and a monthly living stipend.

With the support of the city government, and in partnership with the other institutions, Bethany plans to sponsor a similar event in the spring of 2025, and plans to collaborate with IU East to host an event honoring the participating students in the spring.

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