by Hunter Patterson | Apr 20, 2012 | News Slider
Brett Flener, a Law, Justice and Society major who is the co-founder of Open Table Nashville, was announced as the 2012 recipient of the Mary Morris Award for Exemplary Service to Society, an annual award given to a member of the Lipscomb family. The family of Dr. Mary Morris, faculty member in the Department of Education and founder and director of the Center for Character Development at Lipscomb, established award in her memory. Open Table Nashville, which Flener helped establish as a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2011, is an interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness. Earlier this year, Lumination talked with Flener about Open Table. ”We’re not really here to ‘fix’ people,” he said. “We don’t see these people as problems. We see them as brothers and sisters to be journeyed with.” “What we are looking to do, especially through our community houses, is to plug in and say ‘We want to be that family now. We want to be that support system now. We want to grow with you. We want to walk with you even through the hard times.” The Mary Morris Award for Exemplary Service to Society is conferred on a member of the Lipscomb “family” who has demonstrated a high level of service to the community and the church. Nominees may include faculty, staff, alumni, current students and others who are advocates for Lipscomb University. The selected recipient should exhibit a spirit of volunteerism, engage in meaningful civic activities in the community that help spread God’s light, demonstrate a commitment to Christian missions wherever they...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 31, 2011 | News Slider
Senior law, justice and society major Brett Flener was arrested on Friday night along with 26 other protesters on Legislative Plaza as part of the Occupy Nashville movement. The arrest was captured on video by Nashville Scene reporter Jonathan Meador. The video is currently making its rounds on YouTube. At the :06 mark you hear Meador introduce himself as a reporter with the Nashville Scene to the protestors At the :13 mark Brett Flener, the Lipscomb student, introduces himself At :22, an office, over a bullhorn, tells the protestors that their “time is up” (the new Plaza curfew is at 10:00 p.m. with 10 minutes given to demonstrators to leave the area) At :26, you hear a protestor say, “they are approaching!” At :35, the trooper, pictured above, approaches Meador At :38, Meador, tells the trooper that he is “getting off” several times At :40, Meador is told that he is under arrest, and at the same time, Meador exclaims that he is a member of the media At :45, the trooper tells Meador that he “had his time” At :46 The troopers tells Meador that he is “resisting arrest” At :54, the initial trooper tells a fellow officer to “tell him when you get him up there, charge him with resisting arrest” At 1:10 you hear a very distinct sound of handcuffs clasping around Meador’s wrists At 1:38, the officer tells Meador, or “Hoss” at this point apparently, that the camera is going in his pocket The group was released later that evening by night court magistrate Tom Nelson. Earlier this month, senior Clay Smith gave us a video...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 12, 2011 | News Slider
If you either got the scent of a delicious meal or heard some good music this past Monday night, thank the folks at Open Table Nashville. Open Table Nashville recently hosted its 2nd annual Southern Cookin’ and Music Festival in the Flatt Amphitheater. The event was created to help raise money for the non-profit, interfaith organization. Brett Flener, a senior Law Justice and Society major and one of the organization’s co-founders, is very appreciative of the social and service clubs that helped with the event, as well as the other supporters of the organization. In addition to the southern food, there were several musical acts including Sarah Carter and the Pretty Ponies, Hogslop Duo, Jo’shua Odine, Relapse and Chrome Pony. Flener likes to think of the event as “spreading joy just to spread more joy.” He sees it as a “win-win” situation for everyone involved. Open Table Nashville defines itself as “a non-profit, interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.” Open Table also works to provide community and transitional housing. Flener says that he wants everyone to know that Open Table Nashville is a community. ”We’re not really here to ‘fix’ people,” he said. “We don’t see these people as problems. We see them as brothers and sisters to be journeyed with.” Flener said that he wants Open Table Nashville to provide a community for those who have lost their own. “What we are looking to do, especially through our community houses, is to plug in and say ‘We want to be that family now,” he said. “We...
