They may not be perfect, but they have perfect intentions. This is the philosophy by which the Bethel Track and Field team lives, and it’s been the key to their success.
Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams won the 2015 NCCAA Indoor Championships this past spring, totaling eight national championship wins for the team in as many seasons.
Their secret: Christ-centered unity.
Softball player Jordan Mathison ’17 spent two weeks this summer in intensive leadership training at the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C. She was one of just 12 student-athletes (among 200 applicants) chosen to intern with the American Red Cross/NAIA Collegiate Leadership Program, which engages some of the best and brightest student-athletes in the country.
Tim Firestone ’96 found his passion at Bethel College – and it wasn’t at all what he expected. The new owner of Blackthorn Golf Club, a sprawling 226-acre course in South Bend, Ind., came to Bethel in 1992 on a partial basketball scholarship. Around that same time, the athletic department was re-launching the golf program and looking for players.
Here are some examples of the GREAT momentum building on campus as we strive to become GREATer, for the greater glory of God.
On a day that threatened stormy weather, the skies cleared as seven students followed a call to baptism in Bethel’s reflection pond after chapel. The baptism service was a celebratory conclusion to Spiritual Emphasis Week, a time on campus when students, faculty and staff are encouraged to engage in an extra set of chapel services that help establish the tone of the new school year.
On Wed., Aug. 26, the historic Morris Performing Arts Center in downtown South Bend, Ind., held the premier of the movie Woodlawn, a film based on the true story of the Woodlawn High School football team that finds itself caught between severe racial tensions and the 1973 Jesus Movement. Bethel College helped promote the premier of the movie along with Empowered Living, Life Action Ministries, and various churches, businesses, and groups within the community. As a result of the partnership, 150 free tickets were offered to Bethel students who wanted to attend the premier. While it was a night of entertainment, the evening was about far more than the glitz and glam of the red carpet.
Lindsay Sherburn ’13 recently returned to the United States after the globe-trotting experience of a lifetime. She trekked through the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal, taught English in Moldova and Thailand, wrote newsletters and prepared land for farming in Romania, served as a Spanish-English translator in Guatemala, crossed the Pacific Ocean by fishing boat from El Salvador to Nicaragua, ate strange and interesting food and learned about how the love of God knows no borders.
It was all part of World Race, an 11-month, 11-country mission trip where participants are trained and equipped to work with local churches and organizations to meet community needs while living radically for the sake of the Gospel (worldrace.org).
Joel Dendiu ’07 recently opened his own law practice in Mishawaka, Ind., called Mishawaka Law. Dendiu specializes in personal legal issues, primarily related to family law (such as divorces, guardianships, adoptions). He also handles estate planning and probate, bankruptcy, real estate transactions and general litigation. He strives not only to be a good attorney but also a good listener, serving his clients to the best of his ability.
When Shelby Glantz ’15 first heard about an opportunity to teach art classes for students at the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, she was immediately intrigued. This would be a way to use her passion to meet a need in the community.
When Jenny (Dyer) McGee ’99 graduated with a degree in literature and language, she never imagined that, one day, she’d be running an international business.
She set out to do mission work in East Asia and had a heart for women who were victims of trafficking. McGee envisioned Bible studies and one-on-one ministry with these women but soon discovered they could not build a new life without something extremely practical – a new way to earn a living.
