Sunday and Monday of this week I drove 600 miles from Lexington, Kentucky to Marion, Indiana, and back. Along the way I visited 4 Indiana schools who could be sending their first participants to a National Festival of Young Preachers.
Marion is the home of Indiana Wesleyan University. The school has undergone enormous transformation in recent years, including the lauch of a seminary: Wesley Seminary. I spent an hour with their professor of preaching, Dr. Lenny Luchetti, and then introduced myself to the Dean of Chapel Jim Lo (whose office is in their new, spectacular chapel).
Down the road a piece is Taylor University, in Upland, Indiana. There I spoke briefly with professor Greg MaGee and left materials with their Campus Pastor, Randy Gruendyke.
On the way back to Indianapolis, I drove through Anderson and put up posters at Anderson University and Anderson School of Theology. I have been on that campus a number of time seeking to engage their faculty and students with news of the Academy.
Finally, just south of Indianapolis, I pulled off Interstate 65 to visit with David Weatherspoon, Dean of Chapel at Franklin College. As always he received me with great enthusiasm, and with the news that not only several students but perhaps he himself were good candidates for attending the festival this year.
During the first years of this Academy of Preachers, I am giving focused attention to the schools and denominations in this region: 300 mile radius of Louisville. There are still many schools I have not visited or even contacted. It takes a lot of phone work and travel. Far too many people have not yet even heard about the Festival of Young Preachers.
In the days ahead, I have trips planned to Atlanta, Kansas City and western Missouri, and eastern Tennessee. In addition, Lee Huckleberry will be in Boston for the better part of a week. All of these travels are designed to promote the Academy, recruit National Partners, and register young preachers for the National Festival in January.
I am very hopeful that Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor, Anderson, and Franklin with be sending their first young preachers to our 2011 festival in Louisville. If so, it will make it a much better and more successful festival.
