Worship leaders lead the audience in song May 4, 2019, the final night of Harbor. This year’s Bible lectures have been canceled.
Photo courtesy of Harbor.
As the local, state and national community continues to respond to COVID-19 developments, Pepperdine has decided to cancel the annual Bible Lectures to prevent potential infections.
The annual lecture series, also known as “Harbor,” is one of the largest and longest-running campus events. This will be the first time the series is canceled after 76 consecutive years. The event was planned to take place Wednesday, May 4, through Monday, May 9, following the theme “Called and Sent: The Vital Role of the Church.”
In an email notifying participants of the cancellation, the Office of Church Relations wrote that the decision was made after prayerful consideration and conversation with government health agencies. They also said full refunds will be provided to those already registered.
In 2019, the event included over 200 speakers from around the world. This year, the series planned to feature speakers from Pepperdine and other universities across the nation, as well as keynote speakers such as Phil Brookman, Wade Hodges and Tiffany Dahlman.
In addition to the community loss, the cancellation could also cause financial losses to the Pepperdine Legacy Partner’s (PLP) Helen Young Scholarship fund, formerly known as the Associated Women for Pepperdine (AWP) Scholarship.
Every year, the foundation raises funds that benefit scholarship recipients by serving pie and coffee following evening events. The scholarship has provided financial assistance to students who are members of the Church of Christ since 1958.
The Office of Church Relations plans to continue the series in 2021 and hopes to provide participants with the same roles.
_______________
Email Lindsey Sullivan: Lindsey.sullivan@pepperdine.edu
