by Daniel Webster | May 13, 2022
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College conferred degrees on 41 students, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Commencement exercises were held in the Student Activities Center. The gymnasium space was converted into a 700-plus seating auditorium for the Baccalaureate service on Thursday evening, May 5, and the Commencement ceremony on Friday morning, May 6. The college awarded degrees in multiple programs, including associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, the Master of Arts degree in Theology and Ministry, and the Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
Dr. Paul Harrison, pastor of Madison Free Will Baptist Church in Madison, Alabama, delivered the Commencement address. Harrison urged graduates to wage war with the weapons of God—seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. Rev. Steve Lindsay, pastor of Red Bay Free Will Baptist Church in Red Bay, Alabama, delivered the Baccalaureate sermon, providing a character study on the life of John the Baptist and urging graduates to follow in his example of living lives that make an impact for Christ.
President Matt Pinson recognized retiree David Williford on his retirement for his twenty years of faithful service as Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Welch College. His work in this role spanned across the college’s constituencies in building relationships with churches and individual donors and was vital in the funding of the Building on the Legacy campaign. Dr. Jeff Crabtree, chairmen of the college’s Board of Trustees, recognized President Pinson and his wife Melinda, honoring their twenty years of service in the role of college president. Dr. Sarah Bracey, Program Coordinator of Psychology and Campus Counselor, was named Academic Advisor of the Year.
The college congratulates the 2022 graduating class and commends them to the service of Christ’s kingdom.
Associate of Science Degrees
Macey Elyse Bowman
Tullahoma, Tennessee
Biology
Charles Buford Elam, Jr.
La Vergne, Tennessee
Ministry
Adam Anthony McKinnis†
Birchwood, Tennessee
Ministry
Joshua Bennett Simpson
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Biology
Samesha Chantel Thomas
Gallatin, Tennessee
Ministry
Associate of Arts Degree
Tiphany Renee Smith
Bethpage, Tennessee
Bachelor of Science Degrees
Emelia Grace Barnett***
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Child Development and Learning
Licensure K-5
Lauren Elizabeth Batey**
Cross Plains, Tennessee
Business Administration
Abby Grace Bragg***
Senoia, Georgia
Child Development and Learning
Licensure K-5
Sara Jean Carman***
Hartsville, Tennessee
English
Licensure 6-12
Luke Robert Charlton
Nashville, Tennessee
Business Administration
Hannah Eve Dyson
Greenville, North Carolina
Business Administration
Bryson Andrew Foulks***†
Chuckey, Tennessee
Exercise Science
Alexandrea Katherine Foust**
Gallatin, Tennessee
General Christian Ministry
Michael Joseph Fulcher
Ormonsville, North Carolina
Mathematics Education
Licensure 6-12
Jorden Brice Hoffman
Ashland City, Tennessee
Youth and Family Ministry
Cheyenne Meagan Johnson*
Cedar Hill, Tennessee
Child Development and Learning
Licensure K-5
Krista Janae Lindsay**
Red Bay, Alabama
Business Administration
Jonathan Peter Lisbona
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Exercise Science
Meredith Anne Locklear***
Gastonia, North Carolina
Mathematics Education
Licensure 6-12
Music Education
Licensure K-12
Victoria Rose Masters**
Ahoskie, North Carolina
Business Administration
James Ben Miller III
New Boston, Michigan
Pastoral Ministry
Jonathan Garrett Pelleaux*
Smyrna, Tennessee
Business Administration
Abigail Renee Scott**
Raleigh, North Carolina
Biology Education
Licensure 6-12
Devan Luke Sexton**†
Owasso, Oklahoma
General Christian Ministry
Spencer Ryan Smith†
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Business Administration
Sydney Shae Walker**
Washington, North Carolina
Business Administration
Zealtiel Zuñiga Anaya***
Springdale, Arkansas
Music Performance
Bachelor of Arts Degrees
Benjamin Andrew Barcroft***
Jacksonville, Illinois
Intercultural Studies
Sarah Elizabeth Benton*
Trenton, North Carolina
History
Micah Quentin Borck***
Lebanon, Tennessee
History
Karah Nicole Delgado*
Cottontown, Tennessee
Intercultural Studies
Psychology
Alexander Ray Johnson***
Alpedrete, Spain
Intercultural Studies
Worship Ministry
Ryan Thomas Payne***
Ina, Illinois
Biblical Studies
Anna Elizabeth Pinson***
Gallatin, Tennessee
English
Brooklyn Paige Strickland
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Humanities and Arts
Ashten Leigh Winter
Decatur, Illinois
Intercultural Studies
Master of Arts Degree
Gregory Allen Eaton†
Waynesboro, Tennessee
Theology and Ministry
Thesis: History of the Tennessee River Free Will Baptist Association
Master of Arts in Teaching Degrees
John William Lancaster†
Nashville, Tennessee
Teaching
Thesis: Effectiveness of WIDA English Language Development Standards in Moving English Learners Toward Proficiency
Andrea Michelle Mefford
Kinston, North Carolina
Special Education
Authentic Learning Experience Compendium: Special Education Services within the Christian School Environment
Morgan Blake Riffey
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Teaching
Thesis: A Proposal for Restorative Justice Implementation in High School Education
*** Summa Cum Laude – 3.75
** Magna Cum Laude – 3.50
* Cum Laude – 3.25
† Not Present
by Daniel Webster | May 13, 2022
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Evangel Players drama team announces that their summer tour will begin Saturday, May 14. The team will have fourteen services in five states over their three-week tour.
This summer’s tour will feature C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which will be broughtto life through an old-fashioned radio program. The members of the 2022 Evangel Players are Sarah Benton, Caleb Boivin, Alexander Howell, Faith Miller, and Anna Pinson.
“It is a joy to share the gospel with our churches through the power of theater,” said AnnaGee Harris, director of the Theater Department at Welch College. “Theater brings stories to life, and we couldn’t be more excited to take this particular story on tour.”
Please make plans to attend one of these presentations:
May 15 AM Crossroads Free Will Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Arkansas
May 15 PM First Free Will Baptist Church, North Little Rock, Arkansas
May 18 PM Sutton Free Will Baptist Church, Pocahontas, Arkansas
May 19 PM First Free Will Baptist Church, Farmington, Missouri
May 22 AM First Free Will Baptist Church, Park Hills, Missouri
May 22 PM Mosaic Church, Rolla, Missouri
May 24 PM Ina Free Will Baptist Church, Ina, Illinois
May 25 PM First Free Will Baptist Church, Owensboro, Kentucky
May 26 PM Hazel Dell Free Will Baptist Church, Sesser, Illinois
May 29 AM Hendersonville Free Will Baptist Church, Hendersonville, Tennessee
May 29 PM West End Church, Springfield, Tennessee
June 1 PM Bethlehem Free Will Baptist Church, Ashland City, Tennessee
June 2 PM Good Springs Free Will Baptist Church, Pleasant View, Tennessee
June 5 AM First Free Will Baptist, Chipley, Florida
by Daniel Webster | May 10, 2022
GALLATIN, TN—Alyssa Hill, who has served as the Financial Aid Office Assistant at Welch College since 2018, was recently promoted to Student Accounts Coordinator, according to Craig Mahler, Vice President for Financial Affairs. Miss Hill assumes the role recently vacated by Kay Clark, who relocated to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
“I was delighted to learn of Alyssa’s interest in this position,” states Mahler. “She loves Welch College, believes in its mission, and is a capable individual. I am thankful she agreed to pursue this opportunity.”
In her new role, Hill will serve in the Business Office and manage student billing while also overseeing important HR functions, such as onboarding new employees, processing payroll, and assisting with employee benefits.
Alyssa is from Norton, Virginia, and a 2018 summa cum laude Welch graduate in Business Administration with MBA Prep Emphasis.
Hill begins in the new role immediately. She will continue to serve in Financial Aid on a limited basis until the college can move forward with staffing plans in the Financial Aid Office soon.
by Daniel Webster | Apr 18, 2022
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—David Williford recently informed President Matt Pinson of his desire to retire from his long-standing role as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Welch College.
“David Williford has been one of the longest-standing leaders in the history of Welch College, and it’s going to be hard to see him go,” Pinson said, commenting on Williford’s two-decade tenure in the post. “Not only has Mr. Williford been a top advocate for Welch, but he’s also built bridges for the college across its alumni, denominational, and donor constituencies and served as a pace-setter in fundraising and denominational relations.”
Williford was Pinson’s first major hire in early 2002 after being named Welch’s president-elect in late 2001. “I went and heard David preach at First Free Will Baptist Church in Chipley, Florida, my last Sunday before moving to Nashville. He had been serving as part-time promotional director for the Florida State Association of Free Will Baptists. I knew right then he had to be at Welch.”
A native of Slocomb, Alabama, Williford married his wife Donna in 1973, and they came to Welch for David to enroll as a student in 1976. The Willifords have two grown children, Michael and Stephanie, both of whom are Welch alumni. Williford established himself as an effective pastor of Free Will Baptist churches in Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida before being named promotional director for Florida Free Will Baptists in 2000. He served two terms as a member of the Free Will Baptist International Missions Board.
In addition to representing Welch across diverse constituencies, Williford oversaw the most productive era of fundraising in Welch’s history, with more than $12 million having been raised thus far toward the ongoing Building on the Legacy campaign for Welch’s recently constructed campus in Gallatin, Tennessee.
“David Williford has been not only a loyal and effective chief advancement officer for the college but also a trusted friend and advisor to me,” Pinson said. “Our plans are to keep him tied in part-time as fundraiser and Welch ambassador as he moves into retirement from his vice president role.” Williford will continue until this June, when he will have served twenty years in the position.
by Daniel Webster | Apr 11, 2022
GALLATIN, TN—On April 9, Kregel Academic published a new book by Welch College president Matt Pinson entitled 40 Questions About Arminianism. The book is an introduction to Arminianism to the wider evangelical community.
Kregel Academic is the academic imprint of Kregel Publishers, an evangelical publishing house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The new book is the latest in the 40 Questions series, edited by Benjamin Merkle, Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Pinson said, “I’m so excited Kregel Academic has released this new book. It seeks to answer 40 key questions people often have about the theology that emerged from the teaching of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius. It’s not intended just for Arminians but for people from diverse quadrants of the evangelical community who want a survey of the Arminian doctrine of salvation.”
A number of scholars have recommended the new book:
“. . . provides readers with the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with a vibrant, evangelical Arminianism that is rooted and grounded in Reformation theology.” —Robert E. Picirilli, Welch College
“. . . the best resource in print that provides trustworthy insight into a comparison of Arminianism and Calvinism . . . an irenic apologetic for which Arminius himself would issue high praise.” —W. Stephen Gunter, Duke Divinity School
“Anyone who wants to be thoroughly informed about Arminianism must read 40 Questions About Arminianism.” —Roger E. Olson, Baylor University
“. . . may well rank as the best available exposition of evangelical Arminianism . . . a gracious and profoundly learned response to the biblical Calvinism that I embrace.” —Michael A. G. Haykin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Pinson conveys a beautiful irenic tone, helping inform fellow brothers and sisters in Christ about many of the frequently misunderstood features of the great tapestry which makes up Christian theology.” —Timothy Tennent, Asbury Theological Seminary
“Matthew Pinson cogently articulates what Arminius and Arminians actually believe, and why they believe it.” —Steve W. Lemke, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
“I’m not an Arminian. However, I am deeply appreciative of the Arminian theological tradition and its contributions to the church catholic. As such, I’m thankful that Matt Pinson has written this important volume.” —Nathan Finn, North Greenville University
“Pinson is very well versed in both Arminianism and Calvinism and challenges both Arminians and Calvinists to rediscover their shared Reformed roots, to get a clear picture of the real differences, and to engage once again in the real conversation about them.” —William den Boer, Theological University Kampen, the Netherlands, and author of God’s Twofold Love: The Theology of Jacob Arminius (1559-1609)
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Looking for more books from J Matthew Pinson? Check out these titles from Welch College Press. You can find 40 Questions About Arminianism on Amazon.
