Commencement 2001
 Seminary
commencements at all of Bethel's locations were marked by students’
readiness to lead and be led. Their mandate: “Whatever you
have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will
go” (Joshua 1:6). At the St. Paul commencement on June 2,
John Ortberg, teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church,
challenged students with his address: “If You Want to Walk
on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.” On June
3, San Diego graduates heard from Ronald Youngblood, professor
of Old Testament, who retired in 2001. At Seminary of the East
on July 15, Rev. Stephen A. Macchia, Ph.D., president of Vision
New England, spoke on “The Upward Call of Downward Mobility.”
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Thorson Honored for Distinguished Service
Meg Thorson, executive assistant to Provost Leland Eliason,
is among several employees honored for their distinguished service
at Bethel’s annual spring community appreciation event. Thorson
serves the seminary community and provost’s office in multiple
capacities and also coordinates the annual Transformational Church
Series. According to Provost Eliason, Thorson performs her duties
with “careful attention to a myriad of details and with a
joyful, positive attitude toward everyone. In other words, Meg
embodies Christian hospitality with unusual effectiveness on behalf
of Bethel Seminary. It doesn’t matter who it is—students,
pastors, parents of students, prospective faculty—the words
of appreciation are deeply felt and frequent. She gives exceptional
Royal Care, with notable dedication to Bethel and its mission.”
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San Diego Kicks Off Campaign
On May 17, 2001, Bethel Seminary San Diego kicked off its $7.5 million
capital campaign with a Celebration of Servant Leadership dinner,
an evening of celebration and challenge featuring Dr. Ken Blanchard,
author of the best-selling book, The One Minute Manager.
More than 300 guests heard Blanchard speak about Jesus as the great
model of servant leadership and were introduced to the seminary’s
vision for providing a Center for Servant Leadership and a Bethel
conference center as part of the “Vision Grows” capital
campaign. The campaign aims to raise funds for these building projects
as well as scholarship endowment. Bethel leaders attending the event
included Dan Denton, director of development, San Diego; John Lillis,
dean and executive officer, San Diego; Leland Eliason, provost and
executive vice president, St. Paul; Bruce Kunkel, vice president
for campus services; Ron Harris, vice president for development;
and George Brushaber, president of Bethel University. •
Capital campaign
More than 300 guests helped kick off the
“Vision Grows”
capital campaign for Bethel Seminary San Diego.
Retreat Ushers in Academic Year
Late September marked the start of a new academic year at Bethel
Seminary, and there were plenty of activities to help students,
faculty, and staff connect and prepare for a stimulating year
of growth and learning. New student orientation, appropriately
called “Genesis,” featured presentations by the financial
aid office, the provost, the registrar, and the deans of the three
centers of the St. Paul seminary. Students also received a campus
tour and a library orientation. A faculty/new student lunch enabled
students to meet and interact with faculty in an informal setting.
The highlight of the fall’s events was the Great Fall Getaway,
Bethel’s all-seminary retreat, held at Camp Lebanon in Upsala,
Minn. The retreat included St. Paul students and staff as well
as faculty and administrators from St. Paul, San Diego, and Seminary
of the East.
Tom Correll |
Tom Correll, new dean of the St. Paul campus’ Center
for Spiritual and Personal Formation, was the featured speaker.
He brought a wealth of experience and wisdom through his teaching
and storytelling. •
Leaders Share from the
Heart
Seminary chapel attendees were privileged to hear from Bethel
College & Seminary President
George Brushaber |
George Brushaber during an informal, fireside discussion
in the seminary’s upper campus center on November 8. The president
shared recollections of humorous moments during his presidency,
thoughts about his family, and perceptions about the special challenges
he has faced in his own spiritual journey. Quoting authors Gary
Thomas and Eugene Peterson, whose writings have had particular meaning
in his spiritual walk, Brushaber characterized his spiritual journey
as a “long miracle of spiritual transformation” and a
“long journey of obedience in the same direction.” The
30-minute sharing time went so quickly that chapel organizers are
eager to invite the president to return for a time of questions
and answers as well as community prayer for him as the leader of
Bethel University.
On November 29, Bethel Seminary
Leland Eliason |
Provost Leland Eliason participated in a similar fireside
conversation with chapel attendees. The provost shared about his
roots, his family, influential people and experiences in his life,
and his vision for Bethel Seminary. About fulfilling that vision,
he stressed, “Though lost people do not seek us out at the
seminary, we must remember that lost people are still our main concern.”
He emphasized that the seminary students’ training in leadership
and character formation will serve to help them fulfill the seminary’s
vision to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ among all people in
culturally sensitive ways. The provost concluded with an emotional
statement of his personal vision: “We must make the wise, strategic,
lifelong commitment to give ourselves for what Christ gave Himself.
That’s what this place is about, and to whatever degree I can
shape it that way, I will.” Chapel ended with a brief time
of prayer for Provost Eliason and his family as he continues to
provide leadership to Bethel Seminary. • 
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Distinguished Alum
Paul D. Johnson received the Distinguished
Alumni Award 2001 at the Bethel Seminary breakfast during June’s
annual meeting of the Baptist General Conference (BGC) in Arlington
Heights, Ill. Johnson is senior pastor of Woodridge Church in Long
Lake, Minn., but he also is a shepherd of many pastors and churches
across the United States. As director of church planting for the
BGC and as faculty associate in church planting at Bethel Seminary,
Johnson has been involved in starting new and growing churches around
the country.
Johnson came to know Christ in high school in Green
Bay, Wis. He immediately got involved in student ministries and
then broke all precedents by planting a church before he was even
out of college. While still in their 20s, Johnson and his brother
Steve became the catalysts for a church planting movement for the
Great Lakes Baptist District of the Baptist General Conference.
This became the basis for TeAMerica, the national church planting
movement of the BGC. Johnson was personally involved in planting
churches in Shawano, Fond du Lac, and Beaver Dam, Wis. In 1990,
he became the church planting pastor for Wooddale Church in Eden
Prairie, Minn. There he helped to craft a church planting strategy
that has resulted in numerous church plants across the Twin Cities.
Johnson planted Woodridge Church in 1991 and continues to pastor
there while carrying on his church planting ministries. He is known
as one of the foremost strategists on church planting in the country
and has consulted and lectured on the topic throughout the United
States and Canada.
Johnson exemplifies the growing number of Bethel Seminary
students who are actively involved in ministry even while they complete
their seminary education. Since 1980, he has woven together active
ministry and seminary training, finishing his seminary degree in
1997. As a faculty associate at Bethel Seminary, Johnson brings
the excitement and relevance of contemporary ministry experience
into classroom teaching and has been a leader in helping the seminary
align itself with cutting-edge ministries. •
Running for a Reason
Harry Stephenson, supervisor of St. Paul seminary
buildings, ran in both Grandma’s Marathon in June and the Twin
Cities Marathon in October as a means of raising money for the Matthew
Stephenson Foundation. The foundation was established in memory
of Stephenson’s 13-year-old son, who was killed in a car accident
two years ago. To date, Stephenson has received more than $8,500
from sponsors of his runs. The Twin Cities Marathon was Stephenson’s
17th and his most rewarding, he said, because “I was running
it on behalf of the displaced children around the globe, especially
those in Brazil.” He explained that while he and his wife Vicky
were devastated by their son’s death, in their grief God gave
them a glimpse of His own heart and His longing to see His children
come home. “This glimpse stirred within us a deep compassion
for children who have no father or mother,” he continued. “And
out of this compassion we began the Matthew Stephenson Foundation
as a means of reaching out to…the orphans of the world.”
Foundation officials decided last spring to provide
monetary assistance to a relief organization that helps needy children
in other parts of the world. They chose Rainbows of Hope, a ministry
to street orphans in Brazil, and in October presented the organization
with a $3,000 check. The money will be used for the construction
of an orphanage for young boys.
Stephenson offered the following suggestions
for readers who are interested in participating in this type of
ministry: 1) identify with suffering children by skipping a meal
a day or a week, then donate the cost of that meal to a children’s
relief organization; 2) ask people to sponsor you in an organized
run/walk and donate the contributions to the Matthew Stephenson
Foundation; 3) sponsor one of the distance runners who run in support
of the Matthew Stephenson Foundation. Information and pledge forms
are available from the Matthew Stephenson Foundation; Harry Stephenson,
Project Director; 527 Kingston Ave.; Maplewood, MN 55117; or email
Harry at
h-stephenson@bethel.edu. •
Check transfer
Harry Stephenson presents
$3,000 to Rainbows of Hope, a ministry to street orphans in Brazil.
TCS 2001 Hot Ticket
Attendees of Bethel Seminary’s sixth annual Transformational
Church Series (TCS) on October 12 experienced the warmest of Hawaiian
hospitality despite Minnesota’s fall chill. Thirty-two members
of New Hope Christian Fellowship O’ahu, Hawaii, brought music,
dance, and drama from the islands as they demonstrated to seminary
students, pastors, and lay ministers their methods of “doing
church as a team.” Senior pastor Wayne Cordeiro presented plenary
and workshop sessions on a variety
Wayne Cordeiro |
of topics, including “Dream Releasers”
from his forthcoming book of the same title. New Hope Christian Fellowship
grew to nearly 8,000 weekend attendees just five and a half years
after its beginnings in 1995, with 5,800 of them receiving Christ
for the first time through New Hope’s ministries. New Hope is
currently one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation.
Bethel’s Transformational Church Series is the
fulfillment of Provost Leland Eliason’s vision to bring staff
members of transformational churches to Bethel Seminary to teach
students and local ministry personnel how to best reach out and
minister to those they are called to serve. Since 1996, the series
has featured gifted ministers from among the nation’s most
effective churches and has been enthusiastically received by students
and local ministry leaders alike. A comment from one of this year’s
attendees is typical: “The joy of the Lord was expressed in
meaningful, multi-dimensional ways. The model of Jesus’ ministry
heart of love, service, dreams, and the harvest will long be remembered.”
Make plans now to be blessed and inspired at the next Transformational
Church Series on October 11, 2002. •
O’ahu aloha
Guests from New Hope Christian Fellowship
O’ahu, Hawaii, demonstrate “doing church as a team”
to TCS attendees.
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Pacific-side
Happenings
Several memorable events have taken place at Bethel
Seminary San Diego in recent months. In October, approximately 125
people gathered at College Avenue Baptist Church to celebrate the
multiple ways God is using Bethel Seminary in the community and
the world. The program included Gillien Cheung, a current Bethel
student, and Chaplain David Walden. Bethel’s development department
organized the event. In November, the seminary sponsored an all-day
guided contemplative retreat at the historic Mission San Luis Rey
in Oceanside. The retreat was designed for students in a spiritual
formation course, but was opened to the wider Bethel family as well.
Retreat directors were Kent Eaton and Natalie Hendrickson. Also
in November the seminary hosted a Christian Association for Psychological
Studies (CAPS) luncheon featuring Arlys Norcross McDonald, Ph.D.,
who spoke on “Trauma Recovery.” •
Enrollment Highest
Ever
The
numbers are in, and enrollment at Bethel Seminary is officially at
an all-time high. According to Lori Jass, seminary registrar, the
rate of increase this year is the highest rate of increase since 1996,
with all campuses showing strong enrollments. This fall’s enrollment
total is 1,018, with 750 students in St. Paul, 200 in San Diego, and
112 at Bethel Seminary of the East. Of that total, 780 students are
full time. Compared to records from 10 years ago, enrollment is up
75 percent at the St. Paul campus and 70 percent in San Diego. Diversity
among enrolled students also is climbing. Compared to numbers in 1995,
the percentage of women in the student body has increased from 21
percent to 35 percent; the percentage of students of color has risen
from 12 percent to 15 percent; and the number of BGC students has
decreased, from one in two students, to one in five students. Students
this fall are distributed among a variety of degree programs, with
63 percent in the traditional resident program; 42 percent in the
M.Div. program; 18 percent in InMinistry; and 11 percent in the D.Min.
program. •
St. Paul Welcomes New Faculty
Thorsten Moritz, associate professor of New
Testament, and Peter Vogt, instructor of Old Testament, have
joined the faculty of Bethel Seminary St. Paul this fall. Moritz
is a German national who came to faith as a result of participation
in a youth group. To prepare for work in youth ministry, he attended
the Freie Theologische Akademie in Giessen. There he studied with
Don Verseput, now a Bethel Seminary professor of New Testament,
and realized that his gifts best fit an academic vocation. After
studying in Giessen, Moritz traveled to England to earn a Master
of Theology degree at London Bible College, then on to King’s
College, University of London, for a Ph.D. in New Testament under
Professor Graham Stanton. Moritz wrote his dissertation on Ephesians.
In 1991, Moritz began teaching at the Cheltenham &
Gloucester College of Higher Education, where he was senior lecturer
prior to accepting his position at Bethel. He specializes in Pauline
studies and has also taught in the gospels, while his publications
address topics throughout the New Testament. He and his wife Ute
adopted a son, Dominic, in South America. This required the couple
to establish residence there. In England, the Moritzes were involved
with a Christian house group in Cheltenham, reaching out to lost
people whom they believed could not hurdle the cultural obstacles
involved in attending a traditional church.
Peter Vogt is a Twin Cities native who earned an M.Div.
from Bethel Seminary in 1997 after a stint as an officer in the
Navy. He then traveled to Cheltenham & Gloucester College of
Higher Education to pursue a Ph.D. in Old Testament. He was the
student of evangelical scholar Dr. J. Gordon McConville and wrote
his dissertation on Deuteronomy. Vogt is married to Bethel Seminary
alumna Cami and has a young son, Joshua. During their stay in England,
the Vogts attended the same church and house group led by Thorsten
Moritz. Vogt’s ministry experience includes work as a lay chaplain
in the Navy, a singles intern, and a part-time college instructor.
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Bethel’s Premier
CD-ROM is Here
 Bethel
Seminary’s 2001-2002 CD-ROM is now available to prospective
students, donors, and friends of the seminary. A comprehensive information
tool about the seminary’s multiple locations and offerings,
the CD-ROM is a simple and viable alternative to the stacks of brochures,
maps, and catalogs normally associated with the seminary admissions
process. Unlike other seminary CDs, Bethel’s CD is highly interactive,
including such features as:
- interviews with faculty, students, and administrators;
- the complete seminary catalog and viewbook;
- information on all degree programs and delivery
systems, including a link to the seminary web page;
- endorsements from a number of respected church
leaders;
- photos and live action video from the seminary’s
campus locations across the nation;
- a virtual tour of the St. Paul campus;
- an interactive historical timeline of the seminary;
- maps and driving information;
- complete contact information; and
- a feature that allows pastors, college officials,
development personnel, and others to design a customized presentation
highlighting selected information about Bethel Seminary.
“We have found this medium to be a very effective
way to communicate, especially with younger students who are visually
oriented and computer savvy,” says Morris Anderson, director
of admissions and financial aid. “This tool helps keep Bethel
in the forefront of the electronic revolution in ways that are relevant
and engaging.” The CD-ROM will be updated annually, so information
will be as current and accurate as possible. To
get your free Bethel Seminary CD-ROM, sign up on the web. •
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