Greetings from Bryan College.

If you weren't here this past weekend you missed a wonderful homecoming celebration! From the class reunion dinners to the walk up the new entrance to time for personal reconnections, alumni had plenty of opportunities to take a close-up look at Bryan. They saw that many things have changed, but the heart of the school – Christ Above All – is as solid as ever.

The coming month will be a busy one at Bryan, with guest lectures, a symposium on health care, and the Hilltop Players' production of Arthur Miller's “The Crucible.”

We hope you can join us for any of the events listed here, or just come by to visit. We're always glad to see you!

E-Lumine

Alumni celebrate heritage, future at homecoming

The rain and gloom of Friday gave way to a glorious Saturday as Bryan celebrated Homecoming 2009 Oct. 2-4, including a joyous march up the still-under-construction new entrance.

Major General Mastin Robeson, USMC and a 1976 Bryan graduate, challenged students during the alumni chapel to remember that each one who “loves the Lord Jesus Christ is going into full-time Christian service. The question is not ‘Are you a missionary?' but ‘Are you a good one or bad one?'”

Alumni played golf in a cool mist Friday, to kick off homecoming activities. Proceeds from the golf tournament were used to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, an organization supporting and encouraging service members who have been injured in combat.

Alumni, students and friends of the college got an up-close look at progress on the new entrance Saturday morning, walking from Richland Street to the campus terminus of the drive. Leading the walk were President and Mrs. Livesay; former President and Mrs. Ken Hanna; Dr. John Mercer, son of former President Dr. Theodore C. Mercer; and Mary Frances Rudd Carlson, daughter of former President Dr. Judson A. Rudd.

Alumni honored at the Awards Dinner Saturday night included:

· Henry Barrios, '04, Young Alumnus of the Year

· Mary Frances Rudd Carlson, '67, Alumnus of the Year

· Dr. Thomas B. Carlson, Honorary Alumnus

· Athletics Hall of Fame: Jerri Beck Morgan, '92, basketball and volleyball; Steve Hicks, '84, cross country; John Shalanko, '77, and Rocky DaCosta, '80, soccer.

Read more about homecoming and see pictures here.

Hilltop Players to present 'The Crucible'

“The Crucible,” Arthur Miller's drama that explores themes of forgiveness, redemption and goodness, will come to life on the Rudd Auditorium stage Oct. 22-24.

“‘The Crucible' is not about the Salem witch trials, although it takes place in that setting,” Director Bernie Belisle said. “It deals with John Proctor, a man determined to find forgiveness, goodness, and redemption in a situation in which society defined truth and goodness according to its own purposes.”

While the McCarthy anti-communist investigations sparked writing the play, Miller used the Salem witch trials “to bring into focus an issue that still weighs heavily on American culture—the problem of guilt by association.”

Mr. Belisle said he chose the play because “it is one of my favorite plays of all time, and it is dramatically challenging to the cast. It really tests their maturity and development as actors. It's a good solid drama, and we haven't done one of those for a while.”

Heading the cast are Ethan Hargraves of Harrison, Tenn., playing John Proctor; Lindsey Wolfe of Indianapolis, Ind., as Elizabeth Proctor; Mariana Sterne of Alexandria, Va., as Abigail Williams; Cameron Lane of Dayton, Tenn., as Deputy Governor Danforth; and Brian Huff of Chapel Hill, N.C., as Reverend Parris.

Tickets for performances, which will be at 7:30 p.m. each day, may be purchased at the box office (Rudd 114) Monday through Friday from noon to 4:30. For further information call 775-7500. Credit card purchases can be made by calling the bookstore at 775-7271.

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Symposium to offer health care 'freedom solution'

“Health Care in America: The Diagnosis and the Cure” is the theme of the first symposium to be presented by the Bryan Center for Law and Public Policy Oct. 30-31. This symposium will examine the “Freedom Solution” to the current health care crisis, a non-partisan reform proposal founded on greater health care freedom and consistent with a Christian worldview.

The Center for Law and Public Policy was established this past spring to communicate a thoughtful, logical, ethical and Constitutional view of law and public policy issues in the context of a Christian worldview. Professor and center Director Dr. Kevin Clauson said, “We wanted our first subject to be timely, yet profound and challenging, and this issue is all of those. I hope that people who hear these addresses will come away with a new way of looking at health care policy. We want to go beyond mere negativity. We have some real, time-tested ideas that will work.”

The speakers represent different aspects of the health care debate, specializing in topics including health care public policy, medical ethics and economics. Speakers include James Lansberry, vice president of the Public Policy Department at Samaritan Ministries International and president of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries; Franklin E. Payne, M.D., former associate professor of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, where he taught for 25 years; and Timothy Terrell, Ph.D., associate professor of Economics at Wofford College.

Sessions are free and will be held in Rudd Auditorium beginning at 6 p.m. For additional information and a full session schedule, visit our website.

Couch takes center stage in Lion's Den

Something big has come to the Bryan College student center, and it's there to stay. The graduated Class of '09 presented the college with an oversize sofa as their senior gift. The project was inspired by a similar sofa at Ponderosa Bible Camp in Mentone, Ala.

The Class of '09 enlisted the aid of Bryan alum Tony McCuiston, head of product development at La-Z-Boy Tennessee. McCuiston agreed to construct it, working with several colleagues during their spare time all summer. College payment for the project was minimal, as La-Z-Boy generously donated both materials and construction time.

The couch frame is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. A wooden platform beneath the cushions serves as a miniature stage.

The couch now resides in the Lion's Den, where it is the hub of student activity.