A few facts from the Bethany Seminary Luncheon

By Karen Garrett

The Bethany Theological Seminary Luncheon during Annual Conference was held on Friday, July 4. Following a delicious meal in a comfortably filled large room we learned:

–The person who came the farthest to attend the luncheon traveled 38 hours from New Zealand. That person is a current Bethany board member.

–Two graduates from Bethany’s old Van Buren campus in Chicago, Ill., attended the luncheon.

–We honored three graduates from Seminario Biblico Anabautista Hispano (SeBAH) including Richard Zapata in memoriam.

–Brethren graduate education will celebrate 120 years this fall.

–This is the final year of the seminary’s capital campaign, with $11.3 million raised to date. Over the next 12 months, Bethany plans to increase participation to help reach the goal of $12 million.

–The seminary has signed agreements with all the Church of the Brethren-related undergraduate colleges and universities to partner in a program for juniors and seniors to begin graduate school study at Bethany while they continue as undergraduate students.

–For the 2024-2025 academic year, no Bethany students used federal loans.

From the interview between Bethany president Jeff Carter and faculty member Denise Kettering-Lane we learned:

–Teaching Brethren studies includes encountering Brethrenism from the perspective of ecumenical students, which enriches the class discussions.

–Kettering-Lane teaches courses that broaden the Brethren studies offerings to include courses on Christian history such as “Readings in Church History,” a survey of primary sources.

Cupcakes shared at the “Cupcakes with Carter” event (below). Photos by Donna Parcell