new church life: november/december 2017
The tailgate party featured lunch and snacks sold by College and Secondary
Schools clubs, including AKM, Deka, Phi Alpha, Sigma Delta Pi, the Honor
Society and FeelGood. Vintage athletic jerseys were also on sale.
On Thursday evening there was a free concert in the Mitchell Performing
Arts Center featuring local singers and songwriters: Turner Adams, Michelle
Chapin, Aurelle Genzlinger, Angella Irwin, Anders Hyatt and Reade
McCardell.
(See four pages of Charter Day photos beginning on page 547.)
Charter Day Banquet
The Rev. Dr. Thane P. Glenn, Dean of Academics at Bryn Athyn College, was
emcee for the banquet, attended by 340 alumni and friends. He introduced
the program, which focused on service as part of the College experience. He
framed the philosophy of service with True Christian Religion 457: “God loves
each and every human being; and because He cannot do good to them directly,
but only indirectly by means of other people, He therefore breathes into people
His love.”
Maia Wyncoll, one of two student speakers, came to the College from
Kempton, Pennsylvania, with a passion for religion and hard work. She was
looking for a sense of community within the College, which she found in
FeelGood, a national organization with roots in Bryn Athyn that is focused on
raising awareness and funding for fighting poverty.
Her roles as chair of Marketing and Public Relations, then Education and
Recruitment committees, have given her the confidence to reach out to others
and create a community of service.
She said: “As I learned more about the FeelGood mission, which aligns
with and supports sustainable development goals, I became closer to its
mission. I saw the connections between my home and FeelGood and school
communities. Those principles of religion and hard work are centralized
around service as a form of loving the neighbor. Service has been an integral
part of my college experience and aligns strongly with the College’s mission of
thinking for yourself and living for others.”
Student athlete Jon Carr – captain of the lacrosse team and Male Athlete
of the Year – quickly took to the social responsibilities that come with the role.
He saw this primarily as being an ambassador for the team in the community
and around campus.
“Service work,” he said, “as inferred from the Heavenly Doctrines, is an
embodiment of charity. In order to properly represent the College and my
team, it was necessary to understand every aspect of the image this institution
prides itself upon. Knowing that, it became a focus for myself – and the lacrosse
team – to also embody the teachings of charity through our efforts.”
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