Bethany College will host a very special event on campus Monday and Tuesday. The 59th annual Oreon E. Scott Lectures will be held April 28-29 at our Mountainside Conference Center.
Dr. Charisse L. Gillett, President of Lexington Theological Seminary, will be the keynote speaker. This year’s lecture series is titled “Sustaining Pastors in Ministry: Key Factors in Clergy Health and Wellness.” In addition to serving as the 17th president of LTS, Dr. Gillett has served in administrative and faculty positions at Transylvania University, Midway College, Robert Morris College and the University of Northern Iowa. She holds a doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University.
The Oreon E. Scott Lectures are funded through the Oreon E. Scott Foundation, which was established to strengthen the Christian Church and support Disciples-related colleges and institutions. Since its founding in 1840 by Alexander Campbell, Bethany has been affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This religious body, of which Campbell was one of the principal founders, continues to support and encourage the College, although it exercises no sectarian control. Buffalo Seminary of Bethany College is an outreach to the Christian Church and serves as a sponsor of the Scott Lectures. The first Scott Lecture was held on March 1, 1956, with Professor Arthur M. Schlesinger, Harvard University historian, as the keynote.
Dr. Gillett will present three lectures to the gathering of over 100 church and lay leaders from thoughout the nation. Monday morning she will address “Exploring Challenges to Clergy Wellness and Sustainability: Understanding the Ministerial Context.” That afternoon she will speak on “Developing Habits of Self-care and Family-care.” Her final lecture on Tuesday morning will be “Cultivating Mentors and the Value of Clergy Peer Groups.”
Other events include a Monday luncheon focusing on Bethany’s Campbell Scholars, an evening sermon at Bethany Memorial Church entitled “Embracing Sabbath: Reclaiming Spiritual Wholeness Isaiah 58:13-14,” and a reception at Christman Manor.
Once again, our Buffalo Seminary and Office of Church Relations, headed by Dr. Larry Grimes, has put together a wonderful program that will be well received by a wide audience. I know you join me in thanking Larry and Judy Pyle (assistant) for their hard work on this program and in welcoming our special guests to campus.
