College Avenue The latest from across campus
Pastor Returns to University Church Bryan Focuses on Pastoral Ministry
known for his Jesus-focused sermons and his ability to connect with people, both from the pulpit and in oneto-one interactions. His involvement in campus life includes teaching theology and business classes. “I am both humbled and energized by the sacred work which takes place on our campus,” Bryan says. “I believe Adventist Christianity in the Pacific Northwest enjoys a biblical blend of deep faithfulness and bold innovation—and Walla Walla University plays an important roll in growing both. I look forward to partnering with teachers and students—and with church members and church leaders across our region.” Bryan, his wife Nicole, and their two children will return to Walla Walla in June.
Grassroots in Ghana Social Work Students Complete Field Experience in Africa A YEAR AGO, Stefanie Pritchett stepped into a different world. The social work student traveled to a Ghana orphanage called Save Them Young, home to more than 70 children, ranging in ages from infancy to 18 years. Putting her social work training into practice, Pritchett used skills in advocacy, social policy, and ethical reasoning. She worked with students—assessing, evaluating and then making recommendations for interventions. And, she pitched in where needed—taking students on field trips, reorganizing the library, and teaching group lessons. Pritchett, and Trina
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Westwind Spring 2014
Zwibel, another Walla Walla University social work student, are Walla Walla University’s first social work students to complete field instruction in another country. Known for its emphasis
on clinical experience, the School of Sociology and Social Work is working to expand options for students interested in global service. Social work professors Wayne Pollard and Susan Smith worked closely with
GOING GLOBAL 2013–14
40 Students in Adventist Colleges Abroad
96 18 Student Missionaries
Stephanie Pritchett’s internship drew her into the children’s lives.
Countries represented in student body
Beyond leading University Church ministry programs, Pastor Alex Bryan has taught theology and business classes at Walla Walla University.
a WWU alumna and former professor to secure internships in Ghana. Beth Dorsey Okantey lives in Ghana with her husband, Carlos. Pritchett’s internship experience drew her into the children’s lives in unexpected ways. She says she fell in love with the children. She speaks fondly of Ama, a 13-year-old who wants to be a doctor. Having escaped a sexually abusive home life, Ama was a good student who took pride in herself and her work. Pritchett and her husband will be sponsoring Ama’s secondary education. “It was helpful to see at a macro level what was happening in the country, but it really came down to what is happening at a micro level. Working at the grass roots is the best way I can make a difference,” says Pritchett.
BRYAN: MATTHEW ZIMMERMAN BANDERAS
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LEX BRYAN IS returning to the pulpit of the University Church as senior pastor. “I’m happy he decided to come back,” says Brooklyn Larson, junior humanities major. “Pastor Alex connects well with students and is involved in so many ways in our campus life.” Bryan served as senior pastor of the University Church from 2009 to June of 2013, when he relocated to Kettering, Ohio, to serve as president of Kettering College. His return to pastoral work was driven by what he says was “an ever-growing and ever-clearer prompting from God that I should return to pastoral and pulpit ministry—and particularly in the context of Christian higher education, where young men and women are shaping convictions about God and his purposes in the world.” Among University Church members, Bryan is