GALLATIN, TN—John J. DeBerry, Jr., Senior Advisor to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and Dr. Will Beauchamp, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church of Tampa, Seffner, Florida, will address the Welch College graduating class of 2024 on May 2–3. Beauchamp will bring the baccalaureate sermon Thursday evening, May 2, at 7:00 p.m. DeBerry will address the graduates during the commencement ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 3.
John J. DeBerry, Jr., is a native of rural West Tennessee who served for twenty-six years as a state representative in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. DeBerry graduated from Freed-Hardeman University and the University of Memphis. A distinguished representative to the Tennessee House, he served in a number of influential roles, including Speaker Pro Tempore. His leadership has emphasized character and the values of the Christian tradition and has focused on education and mentoring young people. He was married to his late wife Georgia for 40 years. They had two children, now grown, Chevida and Victoria.
Will Beauchamp, a 1994 Welch graduate, has served on the college’s Board of Trustees for the past twelve years, five as vice-chairman. A Florida native, he has been pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church of Tampa since 2012. He holds a master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Liberty University. In addition to serving as a Welch trustee, Beauchamp has been active in service to the Free Will Baptist denomination, especially in the Florida State Association. He and his wife Jennifer, whom he met at Welch, have been married for 29 years and have two daughters, Cadence, a Welch graduate, and Emory.
To learn more about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College President Matt Pinson announced today that this year’s Strong and Courageous award will be presented to Jerry Moll at the college’s annual banquet celebrating Christian faith in the Sumner County community.
Moll, a thirty-year resident of Middle Tennessee, originally from Michigan, holds two master’s degrees from Indiana University—Bloomington. He also is a graduate of the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and the Academy for Organization Management. Rev. Moll served as an Administrative Assistant to the Indiana Speaker of the House, a chamber of commerce president, and as a franchised auto dealer.
For the last fifteen years, Moll has been the Founder and CEO of Living Sent Ministries, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping leaders at all levels to serve and lead like Jesus. He is married to Ramona with two daughters, Lily and Katie, and is grateful to call Hendersonville, Tennessee his home.
Welch College’s annual Strong and Courageous banquet is a scholarship event to raise funds for Sumner County students. Strong and Courageous has raised almost $250,000 for student scholarships at Welch. Past award winners are: Rev. David Landrith (posthumous), Dr. David and Congressman Diane Black, Bob and Karen Goodall, Dr. Charles Lea, and Doug and Linda Varnado.
To support this event, contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at Welch College (615-675-5255) or visit welch.edu.
Gallatin, TN—The fall 2023 semester at Welch College ended with 68 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. This honor list includes both online and Enriched Adult Studies students whose fall courses ended in early December. “We congratulate the academic achievement of these students,” McAffee said. “They have worked hard in an effort to exemplify excellence in their vocation as students.”
Twenty-two made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—9 seniors, 5 juniors, 4 sophomores, and 4 freshmen. Forty-six earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s list—21 seniors, 8 juniors, 10 sophomores, and 7 freshmen.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College Provost and Old Testament professor Dr. Matthew McAffee recently co-authored the latest Hebrew textbook with B&H Academic, Going Deeper with Biblical Hebrew, according to Matt Pinson, president of Welch College.
Miles V. Van Pelt, the Alan Hayes Belcher Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Language at Reformed Theological Seminary, said in his endorsement that the book “provides students with a guided tour of the more advanced wonders of biblical Hebrew. The authors are to be commended for their excellent work, and students will be grateful for this tremendous resource as it deepens their ability to read, study, and teach the Old Testament.”
McAffee co-authored the book with H. H. Hardy II, who teaches Old Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. They wrote the book to equip second-year Hebrew students with the tools necessary to advance in their understanding and use of the Hebrew language in ministry.
The book fills a niche in the Hebrew language tools market, dominated by beginning and more advanced reference grammars. Students of biblical Hebrew often struggle through the intermediate level of their language acquisition given the limited resources available for this stage of the learning process.
“Going Deeper with Biblical Hebrew combines textual criticism, grammar, syntax, and exegesis all in one volume,” McAffee said. “It’s intentionally designed as a teaching resource benefiting teachers and students alike. Its easy-to-use format includes grammatical lessons, exegetical insights, practice exercises, guided readings from the Hebrew text, vocabulary, and more.”
“The book represents a collaborative culmination from our years of teaching Hebrew in the classroom,” he continued. “As a one-stop shop, intermediate-level teaching grammar, this work is unique among Hebrew teaching resources. We’re happy to make this contribution to the field and hope it will serve students well in their preparation for Christian ministry.”
Other scholars endorsing the book include Bill T. Arnold of Asbury Theological Seminary and Dominick S. Hernández of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
“Dr. McAffee has garnered an outstanding reputation at Welch among students, parents, and faculty colleagues alike,” Pinson said. “As Provost, Dean of Welch Divinity School, and Professor of Old Testament, he brings to the table a wonderful combination of scholarship, teaching, and leadership, always delivered with a humble heart for the ministry of the gospel.”
“This book is the latest in a long line of books that Dr. McAffee will produce,” Pinson continued. “It demonstrates Welch’s commitment to biblical studies and the high academic quality we value here.”
Those interested in the book may purchase it at B&H Academic and Amazon.
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Choir will conduct a three-state spring tour March 6-11, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The 30-member choir, directed by Dr. James Stevens, dean of the School of Music at Welch, will minister in six churches. The tour program, Walk Worthy, will consist of sacred choral selections and gospel songs designed to edify, encourage, and evangelize.
“We invite youth groups and local churches to make every effort to attend a service in their area.” Parrish said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for people to see what Welch is all about and to interact with our students. We also ask that people join us in praying for the health and safety of the choir as they travel and present the gospel message through music.”
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently announced that it was among the ten teacher education programs in the state of Tennessee that “exceeded expectations” on the annual Educator Preparation Report Card issued by the Tennessee Department of Education. The Report Card evaluated teacher preparation programs at forty-two Tennessee institutions. Welch’s overall percentage of points earned in the Report Card’s performance rating ranked fourth in the state.
Other colleges and universities that “exceeded expectations” included Carson-Newman University, Lipscomb University, Trevecca Nazarene University, Union University, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Dr. Stephen Beck, Undergraduate Dean of Teacher Education, said, “We are very proud of our students and graduates. Clearly, they are extremely well prepared for classroom teaching. This reflects well not only on them but also on their very capable faculty and our excellent program. The college faculty have done a superb job preparing them for their careers. We commend them all.”
Welch College has offered a teacher education program since 1976 which includes teaching licensure programs in Mathematics, Special Education, English as a Second Language, Biology, English, History, Music, Physical Education, Elementary Education, and Instructional Leadership. Hundreds of Welch graduates have taught not only in Tennessee but also across the nation, indeed, around the world.
For more information on bachelor’s and master’s degrees in teacher education at Welch, please contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.
