Title: Bethany Seminary president Eugene F. Roop announces retirement Subject: Church of the Brethren Newsline Date: March 27, 2006 From: Church of the Brethren News Services Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103 E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)
BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRESIDENT EUGENE F. ROOP ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
March 27, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- Bethany Theological Seminary President Eugen e F. Roop announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2007, at the March 24-26 meeting of the seminaryâs Board of Trustees in Richmond, Ind. Roop has served as Bethanyâs president since 1992. Bethany Theological Semina ry was founded in 1905 and is the graduate school and academy for theological educa tion for the Church of the Brethren.
Board chair Anne Murray Reid of Roanoke, Va., shared the announcement with the Bethany community. âThe board accepts Dr. Roop's announcement wi th regret, and with deep appreciation for the 15 years of dedicated service he has give n to this Brethren institution,â she said.
Roop led the seminary through several major transitions and accomplishments , including a move from Oak Brook, Ill., to Richmond, Ind., in 1994, and an affiliation with Earlham School of Religion. With the sale of Bethanyâ €™s Illinois property and the establishment of prudent financial practices, the seminary retired all debt and built a significant endowment. The current $15.5 million financial campaign, âInspired by the Spirit--Educating for Ministry,â has added additional financial strength. Bethany met the initial goal of the campaign in Sept. 2005, and projections indicate that by the campaign†™s conclusion on June 30, the total may top $17 million.
All of the current fulltime teaching and administrative faculty members joined Bethanyâs staff during Roopâs tenure. Among programs developed during his years as president: an educational partnership with Earlham School of Religion; Connections, a distributed education program; the Brethren Academ y for Ministerial Leadership, a non-graduate level ministry training program administered in partnership with the Church of the Brethren General Board; a n Institute for Ministry with Youth and Young Adults; Ministry Formation, a distinctive design to the Master of Divinity program in partnership with chu rch congregations and agencies; Cross-Cultural Bank, a program to help finance cross-cultural study for Bethany students; and off-site graduate courses hos ted at the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center in Pennsylvania.
Roop is a graduate of Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.; Bethany Theological Seminary; and Claremont (Calif.) Graduate University. In 2001 he was awarded a D.D. âhonora causaâ from Manchester College. Roop began his theological teaching at Earlham School of Religion in 1970. His career at Bethany began in 1977 as associate professor of Biblical Studies. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including âLiving the Biblical Story â and two commentaries in the Believerâs Church Commentary series: †œGenesisâ and â Ruth, Jonah and Esther.â He was a significant contributor to †œBethany Theological Seminary: A Centennial History,â published in 2005.
Board of Trustees member Carol Scheppard of Bridgewater, Va., will chair th e search committee for a new president. The committee will open a search in late spring, reviewing candidates until an appointment is made, with the hop e of bringing a candidate for board approval in March 2007. The committee anticipates that the new president will take office July 1, 2007. Other sea rch committee members are board members Jim Dodson, Connie Rutt, and Philip Sto ne, Jr.; Ed Poling, pastor of Hagerstown (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Elizabet h Keller, Bethany student; and Bethany faculty members Stephen Breck Reid and Russell Haitch.
In other business the board expressed appreciation to several people who ar e retiring or completing their service to the seminary; unveiled a new logo as part of its institutional identity project, under the direction of Hafenbrac k Marketing of Miamisburg, Ohio; called leadership for the 2006-07 academic year including Anne Reid continuing as board chair; approved a $2.15 millio n operating budget for 2006-07 fiscal year; and approved 11 candidates for graduation.
For more information contact Marcia Shetler, Director of Public Relations, Bethany Theological Seminary, 765-983-1823 or _shetlma@bethanyseminary.edu_ (mailto:shetlma@bethanyseminary.edu) . For more about Bethany Theological Seminary, go to _www.bethanyseminary.edu_ (http://www.bethanyseminary.edu) .
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its fa ith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
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CONTACT: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave. Elgin, IL 60120 847-742-5100 ext. 260 _cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ (mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org)
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