Spring Arbor University’s annual Focus series is set for Wednesday, Feb. 13. This year’s theme is food, with various members of Spring Arbor University’s faculty and staff discussing how our relationship with food impacts our faith, our relationship with others and why it’s important to care about food. This event is free and open to the community.
The day will kick off with workshops starting at 8:30 a.m. This year’s keynote speaker is writer and editor, Leslie Leyland Fields. She has written books on various topics including food, wilderness, commercial fishing and parenting as well writing for many notable publications including Christianity Today and The Atlantic.
Following the keynote speaker will be the grand opening of the dining commons to reveal the recent renovations. The day will conclude with a follow-up workshop with Fields.
To preface the event, two films will be featured in the Ralph Carey Forum Feb. 11-12. The first showing will be the documentary “Fresh,” a film promoting sustainable agriculture and the plight of farmers. The film has won numerous awards at film festivals and has been well received with many good reviews. The film will be shown Monday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The second movie will be “Babette’s Feast,” a classic film about a woman named Babette who takes refuge in a Danish costal town under the refuge of a pair of sisters. The movie will be shown Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 8:30 p.m.
In addition to the keynote address and seminars, Spring Arbor University faculty, staff and community guests will host sessions relevant to food. View the full schedule below.
Monday, Feb. 11
7:00 p.m., Ralph Carey Forum, Film: Babette’s Feast
Tuesday, Feb. 12
8:30 p.m., Ralph Carey Forum, Film: Fresh
Wednesday, Feb. 13
8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. workshops (each workshop presented twice)
“The Discipline Of Fasting: Why It’s Important And Why You May Want To Avoid It”
Brent Cline
“God is in the Details: Inside the Dutch Still life”
Jonathan Rinck
“Gordon Food Services: A Case Study of The Role of Business In Preserving Biblical Values”
Caleb Chan
“America’s Deadly Obsession with Food: A Mental Health Crisis”
Terry Darling & Terri Pardee
“Molecular Gastronomy: The Chemistry Behind Making Fish Smell Good”
Bruce Baldwin
“Frankenfood To The Rescue”
Michael Buratovich & Aaron Wyman
“Ethical Eating: Frankenfood and Animals”
Matt Hill
“How Then Shall We Eat?? Eating ‘Thoughtfully’ in the American Food Culture”
Deb Varland
“Naming Our Oranges and Waking up to Our Desires: How Our Thoughts on Food Impact Our Relationship with God and Others”
Mary Darling & Robert Moore-Jumonville
“Growing Food, Growing Minds: Gardening as Liturgical Practice”
Jeff Bilbro
“Rebuilding The Food Pyramid With Traditional Food”
Peter Shackelford
10:45 a.m. Keynote, Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church
“Holy Kale + Noodle Casserole: Returning the Table to God.”
Leslie Leyland Fields
Lunch Hour - Dining Commons
Grand Opening Celebration of DC Renovation - hosted by Chartwells
2:00 p.m. Workshop/Keynote follow-up, Ralph Carey Forum
“Food For All: An Eater’s Guide to Feeding the World”
Leslie Leyland Fields
3:00 p.m. Food and Fraternization – White Library
Bring your friends and stop in for good snacks and even better conversation.
Each year Spring Arbor University sets aside time to come together as a community to focus on a specific topic important to our faith and relevant in the world. The event is sponsored by the University’s Committee for Christian Perspective in the Liberal Arts and the Office of Academic Affairs. All sessions are open to the public and free of charge.
Article provided by Cameron Robinson, a senior English writing major from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
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