With the 30th anniversary of DISCIPLE Bible Study and the 15th year of the Institute in 2016, we wanted to take time to explore how DISCIPLE helped shape the foundation of the Institute. ------------------------------------------------ by Steve Wilke, executive director of the Institute for Discipleship DISCIPLE's influence DISCIPLE Bible Study began in 1986 and was like a 5th child in the Wilke family – labor-intensive and sometimes quite demanding! But over time, it became clear that DISCIPLE was making a positive contribution to many around the world. DISCIPLE's essential elements of Bible study and small group discussion drew upon…
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JULIA KITCHENS WILKE, 1932-2016 Julia Kitchens Wilke was born on July 28, 1932, in Texarkana, Texas, the daughter of Chester Kitchens, a pediatrician, and his wife Edith. She was raised to love the Methodist church, and she relished memorizing Bible verses and grew in her faith in the youth group. She met her future husband, Richard (Dick) B. Wilke, while attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas. After she graduated with a degree in elementary education, they were married on June 20, 1953, in Julia’s family church in Texarkana, Ark. The couple moved to…
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January 8-13, 2016, the annual SPARK Youth Ministry Conference in Dallas was held at Kessler Park United Methodist Church. Youth workers attended seminars, received training, applied to Southwestern College's Master of Arts in Specialized Ministries' youth ministry emphasis, and more. Bishop Richard Wilke was in attendance doing what he does best: leading the daily Bible study. Bishop Wilke led studies on Sabbath, Food & Foreigners, and Outsiders -- three topics that are all relevant to those who come in contact with youth on a daily basis. He also participated in a "Real World Conversations" where he discussed "How…
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(from sckans.edu) Fans in Stewart Field House raised $1,260 in donations for the Nothing But Nets campaign at the Southwestern vs. Bethel basketball doubleheader Jan. 12. According to Ashlee Alley, campus minister at Southwestern, Imagine No Malaria is a project of the United Methodist Church to educate and protect those most vulnerable to malaria and help treat those affected by it. “The work of fighting malaria in our little corner of the world has been a team effort: For the last several years, Bishop Dick Wilke has continued to set the challenge of malaria…
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