Randolph-Macon College recently hosted Convergence, a nine-day program for high school youth who want to discover the realm where faith and science meet. Randolph-Macon College faculty, staff and alumni led participants in exploring a variety of topics—such as the origin of the universe, the beginnings of life, care for creation, sustainability, and artificial intelligence—from a wide array of religious and scientific perspectives.

RMC Chaplain, Rev. Kendra Grimes, along with Associate Professor Hal Breitenberg, chair of the Religious Studies department, co-direct Convergence. Coordinator of Special Projects, Laura Ruxton ’14, serves as the program coordinator. Associate Professor of Physics George Spagna, and Director of the RMC Counseling Center, Craig Anderson, serve as senior advisors. This Youth Theology Institute is made possible by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Introspection, Discovery, Fun
The 37 rising 10th, 11th and 12th grade students—from Virginia and as far away as the Philippines—followed an itinerary that was jam-packed with introspection, discovery and fun. The program kicked off with a dynamic worship session led by Katie Wax ’20.

During the week participants learned about sustainable farming and volunteered at Shalom Farms as they considered the intersection between creation care, food and faith; enjoyed canoeing and hiking at York River State Park; explored how a future vocation might grow out of interests in faith and science; and participated in a songwriting workshop led by Urban Doxology.

Campers also created liturgical resources and led worship at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church.

Grimes says, “I will never forget when we introduced the theme of ‘Seeing God in Creation’ and a student commented that most people hear the theme and think of the mountains, the beach or a sunset. But this camper said that he sees God when he looks through a microscope, and he marvels at the amazing details he has observed in a science lab that convince him how amazing our Creator is.”

The Convergence of Science and Religion
RMC faculty and staff led workshops that explored the relationship between science and religion.

Professor John McManus ’84 (computer science) led the students in a presentation and demonstration on robotics and artificial intelligence. In a workshop led by Professor Melanie Gubbels Bupp (biology) campers learned about genetics and used both their faith and scientific knowledge to answer ethical questions.

In addition, Professors Charles Gowan (biology) and Eric Douglass (religious studies), and Breitenberg, Grimes, Spagna, and Anderson met with students to discuss various aspects of faith, science, vocation, and points of convergence between them. Professor John Vest of Union Presbyterian Seminary, and the Rev. Pat Watkins, a missionary of the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Missions, led informative workshops and reflections for students.

“Much of what we know about the world we live in comes from various fields of science, while religions and faith communities provide many of our values, principles, goals, duties, and virtues,” says Breitenberg. “Convergence examines different ways people understand the relationship between these two significant areas of life: religion and science. The program invites high school students to explore how they see faith and science and consider connections between them.”

RMC alumni Rev. Lindsey Baynham ’09, Rev. Anne West Kesner ’09, Sammi Scarola ’18 and Ashley Easterling ’19 presented or served on panels where they shared their expertise in faith and science fields.

Mentorship, Guidance, Feedback
Eight RMC students and alumni served as Convergence counselors: Sam Armstrong ’21, Caroline Dwyer ’21, Lexi Hanks ’19, Alli Harris ’19, Kaitlyn Horak ’20, Sommer Jordan ’19, Noah Morgan ’21, and Darryl Williams ’19. Union Presbyterian Seminary students Kenny Daniel ’16 and Mary Grace Reynolds served as mentors to the RMC counselors.

“Seeing our current students and young alumni come together as camp counselors, mentors, and guest speakers affirms to me that we are doing amazing things in the classroom and on campus at RMC,” says Grimes. “Some were science majors. Some were religious studies majors or pre-ministerial students. But all of them were able to lead our campers in a way that brought the truths of faith and science together to inspire and invigorate others.”