GALLATIN—The Welch College Choir will conduct a three-state spring tour March 8-14, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The twenty-member choir, directed by Dr. James Stevens, Dean of Welch’s School of Music, will minister in five churches.
The tour program, Bless the Lord!, will consist of sacred choral selections and gospel songs designed to evangelize and encourage.
“We invite local churches and youth groups to mark their calendars and make every effort to attend a service in their area,” Parrish said. “We ask that people join us in praying for the health and safety of the choir as they use their spring break to travel and present God’s Word through music. Pray with us that God’s Spirit would be evident in every service.”
Spring Tour Schedule
For more information about Welch College, please visit www.welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—The album Song in the Night, featuring the 1979 Free Will Baptist Bible College (now Welch College) Choir, has been made available in digital format. The recording features the songs of Doug Little arranged for the College Choir, includes such favorites as “He’s Been So Good to Me” and “Now I Belong to Him.”
Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, said, “In the history of the Free Will Baptist denomination, few people have been more closely associated with or have contributed more to the music of our movement than Doug Little. Without a doubt, he has given our denomination a rich musical gift that will last for generations.” Little, a widely known pastor and denominational leader, has had a strong relationship with Welch for many years, having graduated from and taught at the college and having served on the Welch Board of Trustees as a member and board chairman.
Bethany McClain Hired as Administrative Assistant for Teacher Education and M.A.T. Program
GALLATIN, TN—Miss Bethany McClain has been hired to assume a newly structured role in Teacher Education that includes the role of the TE institutional licensure officer recently vacated by Mrs. Jena Simpson, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, vice president for Strategic Initiatives. Miss McClain will assume responsibilities as Administrative Assistant for the Master of Arts in Teaching and undergraduate Education program and will also provide some assistance in the Academic Office.
Mrs. Jennifer Thompson will assume Mrs. Jena Simpson’s responsibilities with Welch Online Studies along with her role as administrative assistant for Adult Studies. Mrs. Thompson will continue her role as Liaison for Welch Dual Enrollment.
Miss McClain is a California native. She graduated from Bethany Christian School in Wasco, CA. She worked for Chick-fil-A in Bakersfield, CA, before being employed by Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) in Hendersonville, TN. Her work with ACE included Convention Office Secretary for national meetings in Indiana and Pennsylvania and ACE Learning Center Supervisor. She recently completed an Associate of Arts degree and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Welch College.
Miss McClain is a member of Hendersonville Free Will Baptist Church, where she has served as a children’s church worker. One of her hobbies is Taekwondo.
On Tuesday, January 10, around 2:30 p.m., Mrs. Verna Malone, wife of Welch College President Emeritus Dr. Tom Malone, passed from this life and was taken into the presence of our Lord. Mrs. Malone leaves behind her a legacy of faithfulness to Christ and His church and a commitment to Christian higher education.
A native of Darlington, South Carolina, Verna met Tom Malone in their college years. They married in 1961. After Dr. Malone’s graduation from Welch in 1963, which was then Free Will Baptist Bible College, they remained in Nashville while he assisted in the college’s promotion and fundraising arms. Mrs. Malone then served faithfully as a pastor’s wife, chiefly at First Free Will Baptist Church of Florence, Alabama, where she served as a kindergarten teacher and later bookkeeper at the Christian school affiliated with the church. Her greatest joy was being the mother of five daughters, Carol, Marianne, Kristi, Aimee, and Tommie Jo, all of whom would go on to graduate from Welch College.
Mrs. Malone became more widely known and dearly loved in her years as first lady of Welch College from 1990 to 2002. She distinguished herself as a woman of God whose deep commitment to the mission of the college and profound love for the institution and its students made an indelible imprint on the college family and the wider denomination. Her love for the institution manifested itself in the attendance of eleven of her grandchildren at Welch (the other two are still in high school and expect to attend Welch).
The funeral service for Mrs. Malone will be held at New Hope Free Will Baptist Church in Joelton, Tennessee, Friday, January 13, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, and before the service Friday at 11:00 to 1:00. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to Welch College, 1045 Bison Trail, Gallatin, TN 37066, where the Verna Malone Scholarship for a female teacher education student and a female business student will be established.
Please be in prayer for Dr. Malone and the entire family, and please join the Welch College community in expressing gratitude to God for the life of Verna Malone.
GALLATIN, TN—Anna Pinson, a member of the Welch graduating class of 2022, recently joined the Marketing Team as part-time communications assistant, according to Daniel Webster, Enrollment Services and Marketing Director.
Webster said, “I’m so excited to add Anna to our team. She brings a wonderful blend of interests to the table with her liberal arts education in English and her interest in the arts. These types of attributes are essential for effective communication, design, and marketing.”
Pinson, elected Most Outstanding Student by the Welch faculty and Best All Around Student by the student body, graduated in May with a B.A. degree in English where she was active in student government, serving as student body president her senior year.
She was also active in the arts, performing in musical theater and touring with the Evangel Players drama team, the College Choir, and the Rejoice! Ministry Team. She is currently enrolled in Welch’s new master’s degree program in humanities.
GALLATIN, TN—Mitchell Moody has received the Elvin and Joyce King Award Division II Men’s cross country from the NCCAA. This award says, “The NCCAA honors student-athletes for excellence in their Christian testimony, in the classroom, and in their sport.”
Mitchell came to Welch College in the fall of 2019, majoring in math education and music education. “Mitchell has a servant’s heart, and it has shown through his leadership on campus,” stated Cross Country Coach Matt Bracey. “He has been a model student-athlete who loves the Lord and strives to glorify Him in all he does.”
Mitchell has been named to the President’s Honor Roll every year of his matriculation, as well as the Music Student of the Year and the Welch College Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He has also remained engaged in his local church, Sylvan Park Free Will Baptist Church, playing piano and teaching children.
Athletic Director Greg Fawbush said, “Mitchell has been the model student-athlete for Welch College. He achieved high marks in the classroom while excelling in the sport of cross country and setting a high standard for the rest of the student-athletes to try and reach.”
Moody qualified for the NCCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Championship all four years of his career, running his career-best this past year with a time of 30:30 (6:08 per mile) for 8k (4.97 miles).
“We are so proud of Mitchell,” said President Matt Pinson. “He’s one of our premier athletes, demonstrating that perfect combination of academic and athletic excellence.”
Questions about Welch College’s Cross Country team may be directed to Coach Bracey at mbracey@welch.edu or Athletic Director Fawbush at gfawbush@welch.edu.
