On Friday, Oct. 2, the board of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society celebrated new beginnings in a historic place. With the groundbreaking for a new archive facility, complete with greetings from Hal and Evelyn Watkins, DCHS is on its way for a planned fall 2016 opening of the facility. Read the full newspaper story here
For those familiar with Disciples history, Bethany College is a touchstone of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell for “the instruction of youth in the various branches of science and literature, the useful arts and the learned and foreign language,” as laid out in the original charter, Bethany is celebrating 175 years of academic pursuits. It is located in West Virginia adjacent to the Campbell Mansion.
Now in the 21st century, Bethany College is celebrating two moves of historical importance. The archives of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society will be moved there and the college has just named a long-time Disciple as its 20th president.
President Elect Tamara Rodenburg said, “On the eve of this historic 175th anniversary, I am honored to join Bethany College. As Bethany becomes the new home of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, we lift up the wisdom of the past as we face the challenges of our common future. Value based leadership and transforming dialogue requires critical and reflective thinking -persons educated in the various branches of science, literature, arts, history, philosophies and religious traditions. We are being called, once again, to be a society of the learned conversant across disciplines and languages for the sake of transforming the world.”
