Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service April 13, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOARD HONORS PRESIDENT EUGENE F.
ROOP
(April 13, 2007) Elgin, IL -- The Board of Trustees of Bethany Theological Seminary meeting in Richmond, Ind., on March 23-25 celebrated and recognized the service of president Eugene F. Roop, who is retiring on June 30 after 15 years as president of the seminary. Bethany Theological Seminary is the Church of the Brethren graduate school and academy for theological education and ministry training.
Roop was honored at a dinner for board members and guests on March 24. The dinner included a time of recognition, with faculty of the seminary, and representatives of educational, civic, and church organizations participating.
The board also expressed appreciation to Jeff Bach, associate professor of Brethren and Historical Studies, for his 13 years of service. Bach has accepted an appointment as director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, effective this summer.
In other business, the board approved 19 candidates for graduation pending successful completion of course work, the largest number since 1998. This includes Bethany's first graduate of Connections, the school's distributed education Master of Divinity program: Christopher Zepp of Bridgewater, Va. The board noted that the undergraduate grade point average of Bethany graduate students continues to rise, with 43 percent at a 3.5 undergraduate GPA or above.
A budget of slightly more than $2.2 million was approved for the 2007-08 fiscal year, approximately 2.5 percent increase from the current year. The board approved searches for administrative staff and teaching faculty positions: a half-time coordinato r for Ministry Formation, and two faculty positions in historical studies and theological studies.
Ted Flory of Bridgewater, Va., was named as the new chair, beginning July 1. Other officers called are vice chair Ray Donadio of Greenville, Ohio; and secretary Frances Beam of Concord, N.C. Carol Scheppard of Mount Crawford, Va., was called as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee; Elaine Gibbel of Lititz, Pa., as chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee; and Jim Dodson of Lexington, Ky., as chair of the Student and Business Affairs Committee.
The board thanked Marie Willoughby, ex-officio member representing the Council of District Executives of the Church of the Brethren, and Anne Murray Reid, current chair, for their service to the board as they complete their terms.
For more about Bethany go to 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 faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
--Marcia Shetler is director of Public Relations for Bethany Theological Seminary.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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