The Walls Lecture will be Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the First Free Methodist Church sanctuary. Building on last year’s Walls Lecture, which told the story of the Bible’s past at SPU, professors Daniel Castelo and Rob Wall propose a rethinking of the Bible’s nature and practice as the church’s book for the 21st century. Rather than comparing the Bible with the twofold nature of Christ — i.e., the Bible is a human production of God’s divine word — a different analogy is proposed. The Bible’s nature and its Spirit-inspired witness are like the four “marks” of the church: The Bible also is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” Our pivotal affirmation: The Bible is the church’s book, formed by the church in order to reform and form the church after Christ’s likeness. Hear personal reflections on how this rubric may help shape SPU’s Wesleyan identity and the School of Theology’s brand of theological education. The Walls Lecture is free and open to the public. More information can be found online.

Campus Ministries will host an SPU Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3, 12 p.m. in Emerson Hall Lounge. Join SPU students, staff, and faculty in a time of worship and prayer for our community, the nation, and the world. The program will last about 50 minutes, but all are welcome to stop in when they can. Beyond this service, we invite you to take time for prayer throughout this day.  

What is the mission of God in our multiethnic world? How do Christian communities understand and participate in that mission? These are the questions that will be explored at “Multiethnic and Missional? Leading Diverse and Vibrant Churches,” a half-day event sponsored by Seattle Pacific Seminary (SPS). The event will be led by SPS faculty members Brenda Salter McNeil and David Leong, along with special guest Darrell Guder. Their collective work in Christian reconciliation, community development, and missional theology will set the stage for a vibrant conversation about holding these commitments together in the identity and ministry of the church. The event is Tuesday, May 15, 12–2 p.m., with optional breakout groups from 2–3 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Lunch will be provided. Ticket prices vary. Register to attend today.

RSVP to join the Center for Biblical and Theological Education, School of Theology, and Seattle Pacific Seminary for a special event highlighting their faculty authors and professors Daniel Castelo, David Nienhuis, J.J. Johnson Leese, and Rob Wall on Thursday, May 16, 3–4:15 p.m. at the Fine Center in First Free Methodist Church. Register by May 7 and receive a free book.

The Center for Applied Learning presents the final installment of the School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker Series for the academic year with Joseph Whinney, founder and former CEO of Theo Chocolate. Whinney will discuss how he came to found the first organic and fair-trade chocolate maker in North America. The presentation will be Tuesday, May 8, at 9 a.m. in the Ames Library Seminar Room.  Faculty and staff are invited to attend, but space is limited so please RSVP to us by emailing cal@spu.edu.

A message from University Advancement: Wednesday, May 9, is GiveBIG Day, a 24-hour fundraising event hosted by the Seattle Foundation. Our goal is to receive 400 total gifts, and each gift gives Seattle Pacific a chance to receive an additional $2,500 from the foundation. This year, we are creating a buzz around GiveBIG Day with a selfie video campaign on social media, and we are inviting faculty and staff to help us reach the SPU community. Your participation would be instrumental in helping us achieve our GiveBIG goal. Find out more about the selfie video campaign and how you can participate on Thursday, May 3, Demaray Hall 150, 3-4:30 p.m. Louise Furrow, Vice President for University Advancement, talks about the importance of your GiveBig gift in this short video.

A message from Tim Healy, director of INTERLINK Language Center at SPU (formerly A.C.E. Language Institute) and alumnus of SPU (MA-TESOL, 2003): The INTERLINK Language Center at Seattle Pacific University is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) for the period April 2018 through April 2028 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the United States For further information about this accreditation, please contact CEA, 1001 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 630, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-665-3400, or www.cea-accredit.org.

Do you know an SPU student with entrepreneurial instincts? Or a recent alum who would like to launch a small business? Encourage them to look into the new SPU Launch Fund, a pool of grant money designed to help SPU entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground. Awards can be for as little as $250 or as much as $2,000, and the first round of grants will be given out June 2018. Interested parties can learn more and find out how to apply online. If you have questions, contact the Center for Applied Learning at cal@spu.edu.

SPU staff are invited to celebrate the end of the academic year with the fourth annual Grand Pie Social, sponsored by Staff Council. Join us any time between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, for pie, a time to connect, and the annual pie-eating competition. More details to follow, but please save the date.

Under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Danny Helseth, the SPU Wind Ensemble continues their exploration of music by women composers in their final concert of the year. Come help the Wind Ensemble usher in spring as we celebrate the culmination of a year’s study in modern compositions for the band. This concert will be held on Friday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church. The event will be livestreamed.

Help raise money for the Apparel Design and Merchandising Seniors Professional Showcase at a bake sale on Thursday, May 10, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. in Peterson Hall. Le Panier, a classic French bakery located in Pike Place Market, is donating the baked goods.

Fall and winter reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island for full-time faculty and staff. The dates of stay are September 24, 2018,  through January 2, 2019. Reservation requests are due by June 1, 2018.  The fall and winter requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey. Please remember if you will be away from your SPU email to indicate an alternate email for contacting you, should your name be drawn. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. Visit the Camp Casey website to request a reservation.

Sonya Bilocerkowycz, the 2017–18 Milton Fellow in Creative Writing at Image journal, will give a talk titled "I Celebrate Spring With Apricot Jam: Translating Poetry from the Russia-Ukraine War" on Wednesday, May 2, at 3 p.m. in the Library Seminar Room. Sonya’s writing has appeared in Guernica, Colorado Review, The Southampton Review, Ninth Letter, Crab Orchard Review, and other journals. She holds an MFA from Ohio State and is the recipient of a Lilly Graduate Fellowship and a Fulbright Fellowship, and was named a finalist for the AWP's Kurt Brown Prize in Creative Nonfiction. Currently, she teaches creative writing at Seattle Pacific.

Find out more about the new Social Justice and Cultural Studies major on Friday, May 4, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Weter 202. Join us in celebrating the new major.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1, to have stationery orders delivered on May 11. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on May 1 will be delivered June 15. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to add or remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. Changes might include events that are expected to impact your benefits and deductions, such as your spouse or children gaining or losing coverage due to employment, birth, marriage, etc. Additionally, any changes you wish to make to your 403(b) account contributions must be made by the 10th of the month. For changes to your 403(b) account, contact Transamerica Retirement Solutions at 1-888-676-5512 (5 a.m.–6 p.m. PST), or 1-800-755-5801. If you have any other benefits-related changes, call Mardeth Hughes in HR at 206-281-2816.

Bloodworks Northwest will host a blood drive on campus May 3-4, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. near the entrance of Tiffany Loop. Schedule an appointment online.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week during the academic year. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity. The next deadline is Thursday, May 3. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, May 7.

SPU’s Ivy Honorary presents "The Last Lecture of Professor Kathryn Bartholomew" on Wednesday, May 2, 5 p.m. in Eaton Hall 112. The associate professor of languages and linguistics will retire this year after 29 years at SPU. Her lecture is titled "Language Matter, Languages Matter."

Human Resources would like to congratulate all of our amazing staff and faculty members who received years of service awards at our Celebration of Service on April 26. Highlights of the morning included:

• 86 staff and faculty receiving awards of five years or longer
• 17 honorees completing 30 or more years at SPU
• The first-ever 45 years-of-service award given to Professor of Old Testament Frank Spina

Also revealed was the 2018 Faculty Member of the year, Professor of TESOL Katya Nemtchinova. The Exempt Staff Member of the year is Josh Meier, director of software and data systems in Computer and Information Systems. The Oral V. Hemry Non-Exempt Staff Member of the Year is Kate Barker, budget and office manager in University Recruitment and Admissions.

Human Resources would also like to acknowledge Valerie Connor, the university welcome team manager in University Recruitment and Admissions, for her wonderful five years of service to the University. Her name was inadvertently left out of the COS program, but she is no less appreciated. She does fabulous work!

An article co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Joshua Tom titled "Addressing the Neglect of Students of Color: The Strategy of Life Coaching" was published in the April issue of Journal of Sociology and Christianity.

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro gave the last talk in a five-part series on various topics for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bothell on April 22. The last talk, titled "The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes," and explained how both complement each other and how they continue to have relevance today.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: Professor of Old Testament Frank Spina was recently honored for 45 years of service to Seattle Pacific, a new record for either a faculty or staff member. Select the link to see some pictures from the 1976 and 1977 SPU yearbook, Tawashi, showing Frank as assistant professor of Biblical studies in the School of Religion. Congratulations, Professor Spina!

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