Welcome to the Office of Faith and Service! Georgetown College is a Christian liberal arts college with a huge heart that welcomes everyone. On the left, you will find opportunities for spiritual development as a student at Georgetown College.
VISION: Every member of the Georgetown College community experiences the love of Christ in life-changing ways.
PURPOSE: To ignite spiritual growth by mobilizing a campus culture of prayer, compassion, learning and service.
Christian Identity Statement
Built on a Baptist foundation, Georgetown College pursues and cultivates a knowledge of and commitment to the Christian faith. Faculty, staff and students are called to embrace their role in our community, which is characterized by God’s redemptive grace for all people and traditions. Georgetown College promotes excellence as a means of discovering the truth about us, our world, and God through the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Committed to faith in God, the College encourages all to discern their mission and vocation to lead active and productive lives, as exemplified by the teachings of Jesus Christ.
SPIRITUAL COMMITMENTS
All are beloved, and everyone is inherently worthy. From those core values flow these six spiritual commitments:
1. HOLISTIC WELL-BEING
Spiritual wellness is one of the nine dimensions of wellness, and its interconnectedness with the other eight dimensions offers spiritual opportunities that affirm the wholeness of all persons. To foster holistic well-being, we provide spiritual care and nurture to the entire college community, including pastoral conversations and mentoring.
2. INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
We honor our Baptist roots, including the early Baptist distinctives of liberty of conscience and faithful dissent. We affirm the intellectual and spiritual freedom of all people and encourage opportunities for spiritual inquiry and exploration. One way we do this is through campus conversations that examine how our Baptist heritage and theological tradition shape our approach to faith and learning.
3. WELCOMING DIVERSITIES
We affirm God’s creativity by celebrating the inherent worth and uniqueness of all. In line with the Georgetown College Non-Discrimination Statement, we welcome people of all races, colors, ethnicities, sexes, sexual orientations, genders, ages, disabilities, or veteran statuses to participate fully in college life and programs. Rooted in Baptist religious liberty, we welcome students of all religions and support the free exercise of their beliefs. We promote open dialogue among people of different faiths, cultures, and experiences, especially when disagreements arise. We support student groups from various Christian traditions and other world religions by providing a welcoming community, supportive staff, and space for worship, prayer, and reflection.
4. SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
We prioritize opportunities for spiritual growth, breakthrough, and transformation. We provide worship experiences, ways to serve the local community, outdoor adventure trips, small groups, individual prayer and meditation spaces, and other ways for students to grow. We encourage, coach, and support student leaders of faith-based registered student organizations (R.S.O.s) as they provide opportunities for spiritual development.
5. SOCIAL JUSTICE
We encourage the campus community to respond to God’s invitation to live justly and advocate for marginalized persons. We believe in helping students live out the biblical calling to justice (Micah 6:8). We aim to educate about past and present injustices against minorities to foster repentance and a renewed commitment to justice. In line with Baptist tradition of dissent, we affirm that faith and dissent are connected, and that state-sponsored religion, coerced religious conformity, and Christian nationalism conflict with our Baptist roots.
6. VOCATIONAL EXPLORATION
We provide opportunities to explore and develop our life’s purpose, gifts, and interests. In partnership with the Graves Center for Calling and Career, we connect students with class-based service-learning opportunities, internships, and part-time job openings at local ministries and nonprofits. We also provide and foster leadership opportunities both on campus and in our community. We partner with the Christian Scholars Program to help facilitate vocational discernment for students.
CHAPEL SERVICES
Worship services are available to everyone at Georgetown College. Approximately 12 times each academic year, the College gathers for worship on Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM in the John L. Hill Chapel. These services are intended to provide challenge and inspiration, to appeal to the head and the heart, to expose students to worship leaders and preachers from different denominational backgrounds, and to incorporate both classic and contemporary elements of worship.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Collegiate Ministries
Our campus is home to several collegiate ministries, including Common Ground (a ministry focused on worship and relationship-building), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Newman Center (Catholic student ministry), and Delight (a small-group ministry for women). All ministries are student-led, with staff or faculty advisors, and qualify as faith-based registered student organizations (RSOs) through Student Life. These ministries meet weekly and play a vital role in helping us live out Faith and Service’s vision of each member of the Georgetown College community experiencing the love of Christ in life-changing ways.
Community Service
We encourage students to serve in our local community, with support from partners such as A.M.E.N. House (food and clothing pantry), Gathering Place Mission (community center and shelter), Ed Davis Center, and Elizabeth’s Village (women’s and children’s home). Many also volunteer with local churches and schools.
Service Trips
Each year, we offer an outdoor leadership trip in North Carolina that includes mountaineering and rafting in the fall, as well as a mission trip during Spring Break. In recent years, our Spring Break trip has been a joint venture with our Health Scholars Program, in which we serve at a free medical clinic in Costa Rica.
Leadership Development
As a place of learning, we provide our collegiate ministry student leaders with mentorship and coaching in ministry leadership. Our students can also take ministry classes through the Religion Department. These classes focus on spiritual formation and leadership development. They also connect students with local ministries, allowing them to serve there for class credit. We believe this field education element is vital to ministry leadership development.
CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN DISCERNMENT AND ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP
The Center for Christian Discernment and Academic Leadership (CDAL) provides leadership for activities and programs that strengthen and clarify Georgetown College’s Christian mission. These include programs for students, faculty, ministers, and the community. Since its inception, CDAL has received more than $700,000 in gifts from individuals and foundations, enabling students to attend church conferences, leadership events, and enhanced programs that support our mission. Learn more about the Faithways Leadership Academy and the Christian Scholars Program by clicking the links below.
MARSHALL CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
The Marshall Center for Christian Ministry was founded in 1997 to administer and support programs for the Georgetown College community and its various constituencies, with the aim of strengthening the College’s Christian mission and identity.
The Center was named for alumni William and Alice Marshall (’57). Bill Marshall and Alice Gardner met, fell in love, and were married at Georgetown.
The goal of the MCCM, from its inception, has been and continues to be a self-sustaining campus partner. Due to the love and dedication of Bill and Alice Marshall—Co-Executive Directors for the Marshall Center’s first decade—a strong financial foundation was secured. Learn more about the Marshall Center’s work below by clicking on an area of interest.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alice Marshall, Louisville, KY
Roger Jasper, Elizabethtown, KY
Rev. Dr. John Travis, Lexington, KY
Brenton Yadon, Lexington, KY
Emily Metcalfe, Lexington, KY
Lee Ann Watters, Westport, KY
Dan Shook, Brandenburg, KY
Patrick Messer, Lexington, KY
Rev. Susan Reed (Chair), Louisville, KY
Paola Roe, Frankfort, KY
Justin Sizemore, Lexington, KY
Susan Clifton, Lexington, KY
Jeremy Shannon, Southgate, KY
REDDING LECTURE
Dr. George Walker Redding was a Georgetown College graduate (1927) and served on the Georgetown College faculty for thirty years (1943-1973), primarily teaching Bible and chairing the Bible Department. Dr. Redding earned the Bachelor of Divinity and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He was known for his good humor, concern for students, and high academic standards. Dr. Redding was active in local Baptist churches, serving as interim pastor on twenty-eight occasions. The College awarded him an Alumni Achievement Award in 1973 and an honorary doctorate in 1981. After retiring from Georgetown in 1973, Dr. Redding continued to teach until his death in 1989. In 1997, Georgetown College inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
One might ask, “Why have the Redding Lectures on the campus of Georgetown College?” Simply stated, our hope is to inspire the spirit, challenge and expand the mind, and encourage further study. We trust that this worthy goal is achieved by hosting an annual lecture at Georgetown College that brings to our campus some of the best-known and most widely published Christian scholars in the United States and around the world.
ENLOW PREACHING WORKSHOPS
The Lord brought together the vision of Bill and Alice Marshall and the legacy of Eugene Isham Enlow and his late wife, Culley Yates Enlow. That vision was to create an annual preaching workshop, sponsored by Georgetown College’s Marshall Center for Christian Ministry, focused on enhancing participants’ preaching ministry. The first Enlow Excellence in Preaching Workshop was held in 1998 and featured Dr. Thomas G. Long. In the fall of 2003, Dr. Eugene Enlow, with the Kentucky Baptist Foundation, established the “Eugene and Culley Enlow Excellence in Preaching Endowment Fund,” the income of which is to fund future preaching workshops.
Dr. Eugene Isham Enlow is a beloved Kentucky Baptist pastor, preacher, teacher, writer, denominational leader, and a 1944 graduate of Georgetown College. Gene Enlow received a PhD from SBTS in Louisville. He pastored churches in Kentucky and Oklahoma and retired from Louisville’s Beechmont Baptist Church in November 1988. He also taught as an adjunct professor of OT, NT, and Evangelistic Preaching at Boyce Bible College. After retiring, he served more than 13 interim pastorates.
After the death of Dr. Enlow’s first wife, Culley, he married Bettye McSwain Lovorn Enlow. Gene and Bettye shared their lives, ministry, and love until his death on November 15, 2017.
MINISTER’S LEAVE TO OXFORD
The Minister’s Study-Leave Program, organized by the Marshall Center for Christian Ministry at Georgetown College, offers ministers a short break from their congregational or ministry duties. This period fosters professional and spiritual renewal, enabling ministers to return with renewed energy and fresh ideas. Each year, from mid-June to mid-September, three four-week sabbatical opportunities are available at Regent’s Park College, part of Oxford University in Oxford, England. This rare chance is made possible through a special agreement between Georgetown College and Regent’s Park College, a Baptist community established in 1810 and a “permanent private hall” of Oxford. Participants will have access to Oxford’s vast libraries, an intellectually vibrant environment, and centuries-old traditions that make Oxford a place of rich history.
CHRISTIAN SERVICE AWARDS
Each year at Baccalaureate, the Marshall Center for Christian Ministry honors campus members for their dedication to Christ and service in His name. These individuals exemplify humility, servanthood, courage, and authenticity of faith. The Christian Service Awards are given to a Staff member, a faculty member, and a Graduating Senior, with nominations from the campus community.
A main goal of the Marshall Center is to deepen the commitment of students, faculty, and staff to a global Christian perspective. We hope the awards celebrate exemplary Christian conduct and highlight the significance of such a life and witness within the academic environment.
The Christian Service Awards are named after outstanding Georgetonians, and the Awards are funded by their families. Named awards include:
George Walker Redding – Faculty Award
Gardner-Marshall – Staff Award
Norman and Martha Yocum Lytle – Graduating Senior Award
BIBLES TO GRADUATES
Every year, Georgetown College graduates receive a copy of the Good News Translation Bible as a gift from the Marshall Center for Christian Ministry, funded by the Wanda P. Higbee Bible Endowment. Wanda P. Higbee, a 1957 graduate and retired Maryland French teacher, established the endowment to support the college’s Christian mission. The Good News Translation was chosen because Dr. Robert G. Bratcher, a 1941 graduate, led its translation efforts. Bratcher, a missionary’s son from Brazil, earned degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and created the translation using “dynamic equivalence,” published in 1966 as Good News for Modern Man. It has since become a meaningful translation worldwide.
SUMMER MISSION TRIPS
The MCCM Board of Directors highly supports the Marshall Center’s efforts to back Georgetown College students—including staff, faculty, and others—in engaging in Christ-centered mission experiences locally and internationally. We aim to provide grants and scholarships for mission work that can be transformative by encouraging reflection and the sharing of His love. Recently, the Marshall Center has funded students, faculty, and staff involved in projects in countries such as Uganda, Cuba, Honduras, Wales, Australia, the Philippines, India, Thailand, and Haiti, as well as in Malaysia, and in regions in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. For more information or requests for funding, please contact Susan Reed at [email protected]
