This week is our annual Ignite Series, a Spiritual Emphasis Week when we’re asking God to light a spiritual flame in each of us. One that will move us to know Him more fully, follow Him more deeply and reflect Him more brightly. Our guest speaker is Reverend Courtney Richards, a global missionary who has spent his life and ministry focus on mentoring young leaders in the church and training others to make disciples. Courtney graduated from Bethel University with a degree in psychology. He also studied Theology at Jamaica Theological Seminary. He received his master’s in psychology from Wheaton College. During the 90s, Courtney served at Bethel University as Director of Student Life, Associate Dean of Students, Assistant Professor of Psychology and a counselor. He went on to serve at Jamaica Theological Seminary as head of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department and Senior Lecturer in psychology, counseling and spiritual formation. Courtney now serves as the Founder and International Director for Renewed Ministries and organizations celebrating 25 years of global impact. Renewed’s mission continues to focus on evangelism, mentoring and leadership training in the Caribbean and around the world, helping Christ’s followers to realize their full potential for the glory of God. Would you please welcome back to Bethel University, Reverend Courtney Richards.
This morning we are blessed to hear from our president, Dr. Barb Bellefeuille. Prior to assuming her role as President, Barb served the university for nine years as Vice President for Academic Services. Barb grew up in Michigan, where she went to school and played several sports. During her college years, she drove an earth mover during the summers to pay for school. She holds degrees in education from Columbia International University, reformed Theological Seminary, and Virginia Tech. She’s been a middle school and high school teacher, college professor, departmental chair, and university administrator. Basically, she’s been around the educational block. Dr. Bellefeuille has a deep love for and commitment to Christian higher education. She views herself as a shepherd to our learning community and wants to see every student flourish in their God given talents and abilities. Barb loves chocolate, Michigan cherries and the Packers. She owns miniature donkeys, and as part of a bucket list wants to jump out of a plane, preferably with a parachute. Would you please give a warm welcome to our president, Dr. Barb Bellefeuille.
President Chenoweth’s annual chapel to end the school year.
We are blessed to hear from Sheila Wise Rowe, a truth-teller who is passionate about matters of faith and emotional healing. Sheila advocates for the dignity, rights, and healing of abuse survivors, those carrying racial trauma, and racial reconciliation.
Sheila is a graduate of Tufts University and Cambridge College and holds a Master’s in counseling psychology. For twenty-five years she’s counseled and taught counseling in Boston, France and for a decade lived in South Africa where she ministered to homeless women and children.
Sheila is a member of the Community Ethics Committee of Harvard Medical School, a policy-review resource for its teaching hospitals. She is also co-founder of The Cyrene Movement, an online community for people of color seeking healing for racial trauma.
She is a sought-after speaker and the author of Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience, a book that our campus has used this year for our Campus Reads Program.
Reverend Bill Jones is a veteran World Partners’ missionary and has been involved in evangelism and discipleship for over 50 years. Prior to serving overseas, he was involved in outreach to college students at Marshall University and Ball State University. He served as the Head Men’s Resident Adviser at Fort Wayne Bible College and as Assistant Pastor at Grace Church in Mooresville, Indiana. He is an ordained minister in The Missionary Church which he has served faithfully full-time since 1974. He has ministered on four continents – North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
After serving in France for 15 years in evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training, Bill and his wife Debbie, have been on special assignment at Bethel University for the last 21 years as Missionaries-in-Residence. At Bethel they have overseen the Missions-Discipleship House, the Student Mission Fellowship, and past Missions Conferences. They have directed the Summer International Institute and set up Student Summer International Internships on World Partners’ fields.
You will often find them discipling, mentoring, and counseling one-on-one with Bethel students and grads. Over the last ten years, they have seen over 1,500 faculty, staff, and students find freedom in Christ through the Breaking Free 101 series which they developed. They also aid Bethel MKs (Missionary Kids) in their cross-cultural adaptation to America, and they reach out personally to students on the campus of Indiana University South Bend.
Stephen Love was born in South Bend, Indiana, and came to know his Savior Jesus Christ at his father’s South Bend church plant as a young boy.
Stephen and his wife, Mandy, have been married since 2010 (they first met in 7th grade) and have been blessed with four beautiful children: Stephen Jedidiah Jr. (b. 2012), Elias Nathanael (b. 2014), Jade Ruth (b. 2015), and Simeon Joseph (b. 2017).
Stephen received a B.A. in Pastoral Studies from Moody Bible Institute, a M.A. in Theological Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and a certificate in history from The University of Oxford, England.
He accepted the call to preach the gospel in 2002 and served the body of Christ at New Life Fellowship Church in Waukegan, IL as Assistant Pastor and Elder.
In 2019, Stephen and his family accepted the call to plant Redemption City Church in South Bend, IN. RCC was launched on September 13, 2020.
Stephen is the self-proclaimed biggest Notre Dame and Denzel Washington fan!
Dr. Don Bartlette is a Native American who speaks all over North America sharing his testimony of being a child overcome by hate and becoming a man overwhelmed by the love of God.
He shares how one Christian women helped him during a difficult childhood and how that later helped him to become a Christian.
Dr. Bartlette lives in Ohio, is married, and is the father of seven daughters and one son. His son Seth attended Bethel College and is now serving in ministry in California.
Each year one student from the Homiletics class is selected by his or her peers to preach in chapel. The goal is to choose someone with a capacity to study and rightly interpret a passage of Scripture and then deliver a biblical message in a compelling way. It is a recognition that, even while they are preparing for ministry beyond their university studies, our Christian ministries students are effectively in ministry to those of us on campus now.
Today we are blessed to hear from Skyler French. Skyler is a Senior Christian Min major. During his years at Bethel, he has served as an FYE Block mentor, a member of the Summer LEAD team, executive treasurer of the Student Council, and a member of the Campus Activities team. Last summer he participated in a SOAR Internship at Nappanee MC.
Like Waldo, Skyler can be spotted all over campus – playing Spikeball, sipping coffee with Religion & Philosophy professors, and hanging out with friends.
