Keith Beebe (2003-present) associate professor of theology
Greetings to you in the name of Christ Jesus! This has been a busy year for me, filled with extra teaching assignments, outside speaking engagements, and new department- chair responsibilities. Here is an update:

I spent several days in late June speaking at Tall Timber Family Camp in Leavenworth, Wash., on the topic "Communing with God," focusing on various biblical images related to the Lord's Supper. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tall Timber at the conclusion of the week, we recreated an 18th-century open-air Scottish Communion event -- the tradition from which modern camping ministry originated. Imagine about a hundred people sitting at long linen-covered tables, situated in a beautiful meadow set against the dramatic backdrop of snow-capped mountain peaks, with a kilt-clad clergyman (me) leading the congregation in the Lord's Supper. It was quite the memorable experience, complete with communion tokens and metrical psalm-singing! (To view photographs of the event, visit the Tall Timber website at http://www.talltimber.org/picture_archives/family_07/index.html).

Last July, after a few days visiting my mother in Olympia, I traveled to Oakhurst, Calif., to spend several weeks at Calvin Crest Conference Center speaking to high school students about "The Revolution That Jesus Started" -- a series of talks on the Kingdom of God. Besides being a fruitful time of ministry with young people, it turned out to be a surprisingly restful and refreshing experience for me, as I managed to get a lot of reading accomplished and enjoyed reconnecting with several long-time friends from my California days.

My fall semester was spent teaching my usual courses (Core 150, Jesus and the Kingdom of God, New Testament), and immersing myself in department-chair duties. In September, I spoke at a weekend conference at Westside Presbyterian Church, in Richland, Wash., on "The Kingdom-Driven Church: Reclaiming Your Worldview from Cultural Captivity," focusing on Jesus' central message of the reality and power of God's reign, and discussing the impact of post-Enlightenment worldview assumptions on the Western church.

Although I did not teach during Jan Term, I remained busy with department-chair responsibilities, preparing for our fall 2008 Britain and Ireland semester-abroad program, planning for our newly launched master of arts in theology program, and teaching an adult Sunday School class, "What on Earth Was Jesus Doing, for Heaven's Sake?" at Whitworth Presbyterian Church. I also joined the unofficial Spokane Snow-Shoveling Society -- lol (which is a text-messaging term that means: "laughing out loud" ).

This spring, in addition my usual Core 150 and History of Christianity II courses, I piloted a revised version of our theology senior seminar and taught the Introduction to British and Irish Cultures course in preparation for our upcoming semester abroad. And because I didn't really feel busy enough (lol), I also chaired the search committee for our newest theology faculty position.

As I reflect upon a full and busy academic year, I am grateful for such wonderful departmental colleagues,for  the privilege of serving the mission of Whitworth University, and for the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you and your loved ones in the coming year.