Community Engagement and Public Service Activities

Sprawling cities with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, popular sporting events, impressive technological innovations, cutting edge art and architecture – characteristics that we might associate with modern day society are, in fact, perfect descriptions of the Mayan civilization that existed before the arrival of the Spanish to the New World. This civilization, along with cultural practices that it spawned and exist to this day, was the focus of an exploration trip taken by the students and professor of FHU course SPA 365 – Latin American Civilizations and Cultures.

With the support of the Engaged Learning Initiative, five FHU students – Wesley Baker, Charlie Fulton, Mallorie Gardner, Collett Heenan, and Elzy Peters – along with Dr. Perry Hardin, traveled to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to discover and learn about Mayan civilization and culture firsthand. In addition to visiting 5 sites of ancient Mayan ruins (Tulum, Cobá, Muyil, Chichen Itzá, and Uxmal) the group contrasted ancient Mayan culture with modern culture by taking stops in the cities of Tulum, Valladolid, Mérida, and Cancún. These eye-opening experiences led the group to discover that Mayan culture lives on through more than 6 million descendants, more than 30 languages, and the rich history still seen in traditions, beliefs, and practices.

Dr. Brian Butterfield and Lee Barton are leading group of research students to characterize turtle diversity and life history characteristics of the turtle assemblage at Horse Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. To date, the group has marked and measured over 150 turtles representing seven species. This is a long-term study that began in 2012.

Though this community may not be at the top of a traveler’s “must do” items when visiting England, a trip to Durham, in the northern part of the country, brings rewards worth the trip. Two dominant elements in the cityscape are Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral, and the city is also home to Durham University, the third oldest university in England.

With assistance from FHU’s Engaged Learning Initiative, the twenty-four students and their four chaperones traveled to Durham, England, to learn more about the interplay of history, religion, politics, and culture surrounding this city in northern England. By visiting both Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral, the students were exposed to the history of this community with its origins dating back to the time of William the Conqueror. With an investigation and tours of both the castle and the cathedral—and the opportunity to stay overnight in the castle—the travelers came to appreciate just how English kings and the bishops of Durham combined both religion and politics to shape life and culture so far from London.

On May 13-19, 2024, the Zeteo women's Bible study club at Freed-Hardeman University had the privilege of conducting the first ever Mission Ladies' Day. Seven students and their sponsor were able to travel to Albert Lea, Minnesota and spend the week ministering to the local congregation and their community, culminating in a ladies' day on Saturday. With a regular Sunday morning attendance of 12 Christians, the ladies' day was a tremendous success with over 30 local women participating, some of whom had driven three hours to attend. By the end of the week both the local brethren, and the participating students were asking to make this an annual event. 

Click Here to View Additional Images

On May 22, 2024, five students from Freed-Hardeman University, along with their sponsor, traveled to East Africa, specifically Tanzania. They spent three weeks working in Kisongo and Arusha. Their work involved leading two children's seminars, two mental health seminars, and one on the Holy Spirit. They made more than 60 visits to community members to offer encouragement, prayers, and Bible studies. During their time there, more than 25 Africans were baptized into Christ, becoming Christians. 

In addition to their work with local churches of Christ, the students had the opportunity to engage the culture and witness some of the wonders of God's creation while participating in two safaris. They toured Arusha National Park and the beautiful landscape of Mount Meru, seeing several amazing animals roaming in their natural habitat. The group also traveled to the Ngorongoro Crater—the world's largest inactive volcano. There, they traveled over the volcano's rim, into the lush grass area that has become one of the homes to Africa's Big Five—leopard, lion, African buffalo, elephant, and rhinoceros. One final treat before leaving Tanzania was a beautiful view of the tallest free-standing mountain in the world—Mount Kilimanjaro. 

The students who traveled to Tanzania are currently pursuing degrees in missions, music, photography, nursing, and counseling. One of the great benefits of this trip was learning that no matter their academic interest and future employment, they know that they are equipped to serve God in a global community.

Click here to read the Full Report

Read more about this story in FHU's Reflections.

Rising out of the sandy surface, the pyramids of Egypt dominate their landscape. Coupled with the temples at Luxor, these edifices relate stories from the ancient past, stories which touch on Old Testament history. From May 25-June 5, seven students from the course BIB599A Biblical Archaeology, along with another twenty fellow travelers, visited Egypt with Dr. Jonathan Moore and Dr. Richard Brumback III, to learn first-hand about these ancient sites, Egyptian history, and connections with Bible accounts.

Visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the group learned more about the Egyptian pharaohs connected with the period of the Exodus and the early national life of Israel. They also gained deeper knowledge of the pantheon of Egyptian gods and their connection to the Bible. In addition, the group visited the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple in Luxor, the ancient capital of Egypt. Within those structures were carvings, hieroglyphic records, and other elements which all served to corroborate biblical records. To this was added the visits to the Great Pyramid (the last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and several others such as the Step Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the library of Alexandria near the ruins of the famed Library of antiquity.

Not only was this a rewarding trip from a cultural standpoint, but it also helped link the biblical record of early Israel with the extra-biblical records and material culture in an enriching way. The interplay of history, culture, and the Bible left an impact on every traveler.

As part of the 2023 course, Intro to Data Analytics, students worked with publicly-available datasets, FHU faculty/staff reviewers, and the Kaggle data platform to create projects of their own interest. Taking the tools learned in class and in their own exploration, they developed and answered research questions in areas from sports to business to board game development.

Freed-Hardeman University’s College of Biblical Studies hosted 12 young participants for the inaugural Equip Ministry Camp on campus May 28-31. The mission of the camp was to provide a learning environment for young men, ages 13-19, to study the Word of God, prepare and present lessons and enhance their ability to minister in a congregational setting. Participants came from a variety of states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia. The camp partnered with three area congregations to provide a place for the young men to engage church members, practice ministry skills, and to share in a meal together. At the conclusion of camp, students delivered 15-minute exegetical sermons before a live audience of guests, staff and peers. 

Oxford, England, is home to Oxford University, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. And every four years, the university plays host to an international conference focused on the study of early Christianity. In August 2024, the 19th International Conference on Patristics Studies was held there, and three FHU professors presented their original research as part of the conference program. Dr. Justin Rogers, dean of the College of Biblical Studies, Dr. Richard Brumback III, director of the Graduate School of Theology, and Dr. Donnie DeBord, program coordinator for the M.A. in New Testament program, joined more than 1,000 other scholars from around the world to discuss the early history and theology of the Christian church. This allowed the professors to share their own work with international colleagues, enhancing our knowledge of the early church and looking to potential collaboration on future research and publishing projects.