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...
by Danielle Boyd | Sep 21, 2011 | News Slider
SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) is an international non-profit organization on college and university campuses, where students do community based projects on relevant economic, social and environmental factors. “They go in and empower people based on those factors to improve their standard of living and quality of life through the positive power of business,” said Duncan Gross, a junior accounting major from Memphis, Tenn., and executive director of Lipscomb SIFE. The organiztion, established on campus Jan. 15, 2010, made its debut as one of the fastest growing student-led organizations on campus. When it first began, SIFE enlisted students to join the efforts for service within the Nashville community. “We sought to really work with the non-profits in Nashville to help them with the process and improvement of the projects they do within the community,” said Gross. Originally taking on 16 projects at a time, SIFE has narrowed down their mark this year to only three, giving students the opportunity to engage and serve at a more feasible work schedule. Within the past year, SIFE members have collaborated with many non-profit organizations such as Greenhouse Ministries in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “One of our biggest projects is Kilowatt Ours,” said Gross. “I plan to reenergize America.” For that project, SIFE members and organization leaders complete a series of workshops to help low-income families save energy and decrease their electric bills by at least $80. “This will help them save money, which they can reallocate to other aspects of life,” said Gross. As SIFE continues to grow, its service has reached beyond state lines and into the international level. In addition to serving the community, SIFE has also developed a pen pal project with David Lipscomb Middle School as well as...
by Leah Raich | Sep 14, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s reputation as a strong community of believers is taking a big step into the locker rooms. Recent grad Kayla Marsh, whose official title is “spiritual formation director,” has been hired with the goals of devising ideas and events that foster spiritual development among the university’s athletes. “My greatest expectation is to really create a community that is real and authentic with each other,” Marsh said, “because the truth is, we know the spiritual leaders, but they struggle just as much as the ones that aren’t.” An example of her program is the Bible study she is leading for the women’s basketball team. “This year we’ve rededicated our focus to spiritually develop our student-athletes,” said Philip Hutcheson, athletics director. “We are doing this through working with our coaches, team captains and members of the Lipscomb community who volunteer as team chaplains and mentors.” Another important aspect of Marsh’s new position is to find ways to create community between the athletes and the student body. Because the athletes are so busy with their respective sports, minimal time is left to interact with non-athletes. Many of the female athletes Marsh has met with have expressed a desire for spiritual growth. Marsh says she has great expectations for the future, with ideas such as beginning a discipleship-type program, in which former athletes (in the community) mentor the spiritual leaders on each team and invest in their...
by Danielle Boyd | Sep 9, 2011 | Uncategorized
This week, 28 students packed their bags and boarded a flight to study abroad in Vienna, Austria. Each year, Lipscomb offers students (sophomores and above) the opportunity to expand their horizons through a study abroad program. “Our world is globalizing very quickly, and studying abroad equips students and gives them tools they can’t learn in a classroom,” said Melissa Swann, site director for the Vienna study abroad program. While spending three months in the country, students will live in apartment-style housing at the International Student Housing Facility, a not-for-profit agency that provides housing for students from all over the world. With the apartments located in the center of the city, students will have fast and easy access to one of Vienna’s finest shopping centers. During these three months, students will also study German and experience a whole new way of life. “I have never spoke German in my life,” said Andrew Hunt, a sophomore student traveler majoring in law, justice, and society from Centerville, Tenn. “The only thing I know how to ask for is ‘tap water’ at a restaurant, so it will be interesting to be in a culture where I cannot communicate with many people.” In order to enhance their cultural knowledge and communication skills, students will study at the Austria American Institute, an 85-year-old experienced collaborator for students studying abroad. “This exponential learning experience is provided to enhance students’ knowledge of the world around them,” Swann said, “while also continuing to strengthen their faith through small groups and community worship.” “I think I am going to do a lot of self-searching out there, growing spiritually and maturing,”...
by Amy Estepp | Nov 1, 2010 | News Slider
A university that has received plenty of praise for other environmentally friendly efforts finally put into effect a campus-wide recycling program last week. Students and faculty are expressing satisfaction with what they’ve seen in the first week of the expanded — and expanding — program. Click here to see a video feature on the new recycling program. “I actually recycled for the first time last night,” said Kirk Averitt, a junior music major from Decatur, Ala. “Adding this to our already LEED certified buildings will make us more sustainable.” In fact, before the recycling was put into place, there were already plenty of green initiatives, like geothermal buildings, bike racks and tray-less dining here. But students pushed hard for recycling. Before recycling was introduced, many students would take their recyclables to the drop-off located at Hillsboro High School, just a few blocks from campus. Now Lipscomb students simply must take their recyclables down the hall of their residence halls. Jackson Sprayberry, student body president and Lipscomb senior, said that because so many students made the university aware of how important recycling is to them, the administration could not ignore the need for a recycling program. Scott McDowell, vice president for student development and dean of campus life, heard that need from the students. “Jackson resurrected [the issue of recycling] with a sense of urgency,” McDowell said. “Also, I had one of my freshman students, Ellie Stimax, who brought it back to me with urgency.” After 14 months of active pursuit for recycling from the SGA, receptacles were ordered on Oct. 20 and were in place three days later. Located in every residential hall, the bins are...
