Personal Flourishing
Worship
Personal Flourishing also includes participating in our robust and joyous community worship opportunities that the Center for Faith and Culture will sponsor throughout the year. These worship experiences include a service of remembrance during Homecoming and our highly popular The City Come Again service at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in December. All our worship services will feature the outstanding and award-winning William Jewell College Choir and Performing Arts students and faculty.
Classes
Personal Flourishing classes focus on faith as it relates to literature, science, politics, the arts, music, health, finance, biblical studies and more. Courses are taught by Jewell faculty and local pastors on campus and at local partner congregations.
Class Registration
Brendon Benz is an associate professor of history and religion and theologian-in-residence with the Center for Faith and Culture. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Benz was raised in the Lutheran Church and attended Lutheran school from kindergarten through 12th grade. He earned his B.A. in Sociology from Taylor University before teaching history at Martin Luther High School in Queens, New York. He later received his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was awarded the Goethe Institute Fellowship and the Henry Snyder Gehman Award in Old Testament. In 2013, he earned his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies from New York University, where he also received the NYU College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award. Benz is the author of The Land Before the Kingdom of Israel and is currently working on a book exploring the Greek philosophical tradition and the interpretation of the imago Dei in Genesis 1. His passion lies in teaching the Bible’s message, history, and context in ways that help communities of faith flourish.
Ian Coleman grew up in Bristol, England, attending Counterslip Baptist Church before leaving for college at 18. His evangelical background was influenced by the house church movement. Coleman later joined the Episcopal Church and has worked as a church musician since his teens. Now a professor of music theory and composition at William Jewell College, he teaches courses on music, culture, and composition.
Blane Baker is a professor of Physics at William Jewell College where he has taught since 1999. He is the author of "Science in the Arena" and "Critical Thinking in the Physics Curriculum" and serves as president of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. His interests include electronics, sustainable energy, and materials science. He is an active member of Second Baptist Church in Liberty.
Rodger Nishioka is the senior pastor of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village and former professor of Christian education at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Mark Buhlig is pastor at Englewood Church in Gladstone, Missouri, as well as a farmer, community organizer, and student of Agrarian Spirituality. His Agrarian work is expressed by way of Community Growers Network, an organization that encourages collaborative opportunities for churches, schools, and individuals to grow and distribute healthy food to those who struggle to find or afford healthy food.
Tom Petrizzo is the former CEO of Beacon Mental Health and has spent over 30 years in nonprofit behavioral health leadership. He holds degrees from Georgetown University, the University of Texas Law School, and the University of Houston. A long-time member of Church of the Resurrection, he enjoys hiking, jogging, and spending time with his family.