news at welch college   Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College) in Gallatin, Tennessee, has been the official college of the Free Will Baptist Denomination since 1942. To find out more information about the school, visit www.Welch.edu.

 

Athletic Director Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Welch College Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach Greg Fawbush (pictured below with his players) was inducted into the National Athletic Association of Private Schools Hall of Fame on March 29, according to Welch President Matt Pinson.“We’re very proud of Coach Fawbush achieving this honor,” Pinson said. “The Hall of Fame is for private school coaches, players, and athletic directors who help build and advance the cause of private schools.”

Fawbush coached at Seffner Christian Academy in Tampa, Florida, for 22 years before joining the Welch staff in 2017. On January 26, 2019, Fawbush achieved his 400th win at the Welch vs. Georgia Northwestern Tech game (104-71).

Since beginning at Welch, Fawbush has added soccer (men and women) to the college sports program and has led the school to rejoin regional play in NCCAA Division II.
For more information on Welch College athletics, visit welch.edu/athletics.

President Pinson Honored by Southern Seminary

Welch College President Matt Pinson was recently honored with an award from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) in Wake Forest, North Carolina, according to Welch Provost Matthew McAffee.

“Each year, Southeastern Seminary honors several evangelical scholars at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS),” McAffee said. “At this year’s annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, SEBTS honored President Pinson along with four other honorees—Kevin Vanhoozer of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Peter Gentry of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Nathan Finn of North Greenville University, and Matthew Emerson of Oklahoma Baptist University.”

In particular, Pinson was recognized for generating outstanding scholarship as both an author and editor at the academic and popular levels while also leading a college at the highest administrative level. Among those works that SEBTS Provost Bruce Ashford highlighted were A Free Will Baptist Handbook: Heritage, Beliefs, and Ministries (Randall House, 1998), Four Views on Eternal Security (Zondervan, 2002), Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views (B&H Academic, 2009), Classical Arminianism (Randall House, 2011, by F. Leroy Forlines, edited by Pinson), Arminian and Baptist: Explorations in a Theological Tradition (Randall House, 2015), and Sexuality, Gender, and the Church: A Christian Response in the New Cultural Landscape (Welch College Press, 2016).

McAffee, along with Welch colleagues Jeff Cockrell, Matt Bracey, and Jesse Owens, who also attended the annual meeting, joined Pinson for this special recognition. McAffee remarked, “I am delighted to see our president receive this well-deserved recognition. It is encouraging to see the impact Welch College is having on the broader evangelical community. Welch College is exceedingly proud of its president and his accomplishments.”

Choir Tours Three States

Over spring break, March 13-19, the Welch College Choir traveled to Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia during their annual Spring Choir Tour, according to David Williford, vice president for Institutional Advancement. The 40-member choir, directed by Dr. James Stevens, chairman of the Welch Music Department, ministered in seven churches, an assisted living center, and two Christian schools during the seven-day tour.

The program, "Oh, Praise the Name," consisted of sacred choral selections and gospel songs designed to encourage and evangelize. Selections included: "Blessings," "How Great Thou Art," "Is He Worthy?," "Come Thou Fount," and "Praise the Name."

Todd Parrish, who traveled with the choir, shared: “The tour has been wonderful, and the Holy Spirit has been evident in every service. Free Will Baptist people received our students with tremendous enthusiasm and expressed incredible excitement and thanksgiving for what God is doing at Welch College.

It was a joy to see choir members using their talents to serve Christ and make an impact for His Kingdom! What an honor it has been to ‘praise His name!’”

For more information about booking Welch musical groups, visit www.Welch.edu.