Georgetown College receives $598,000 grant for summer academy

For high school students

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (Dec. 17, 2015) — Georgetown College has received a $598,000 grant to establish Faithways Academy, a 12-day summer experience for high school students. It is part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, which seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues and examine how their faith calls them to lives of service.

“We are excited to expand our offerings so high school students can learn from our faculty and explore the world of faith and service,” said Dr. Roger Ward, director of the Center for Christian Discernment at Georgetown.

Faithways Academy is an on-campus living experience for rising sophomores to graduating seniors from all denominations. The program includes instruction in biblical knowledge and interpretation, Church tradition and theology, worship, Christian ethics, travel for a mission experience, and recreational community building activities.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to have a fun pre-college campus living experience, build community with new friends and faculty, and learn about and practice their faith in rich meaningful ways,” said Dr. Sheila Klopfer, chair of the Religion Department and co-writer of the grant

The Academy is schedule to begin in June 2016. Information about registration and tuition will be available on the college website in March, 2016.

Georgetown College is one of 82 schools participating in the initiative. The schools are located in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Although some schools are independent, many reflect the religious heritage of their founding traditions. These traditions include Baptist, Brethren, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches, as well as Roman Catholic, non-denominational, Pentecostal and historic African-American Christian communities.

“These colleges and universities are well-positioned to reach out to high school students in this way,” said Dr. Christopher L. Coble, vice president for religion at the Endowment. “They have outstanding faculty in theology and religion who know how to help young people explore the wisdom of religious traditions and apply these insights to contemporary challenges.”

The Endowment is giving $44.5 million in grants to help a select group of private four-year colleges and universities around the nation to create the institutes. The grants are part of the Endowment’s commitment to identify and cultivate a cadre of theologically minded youth who will become leaders in church and society.

An additional grant to the Forum for Theological Exploration will establish a program that will bring together leaders of the high school youth theology institutes to foster mutual learning and support.