2018 Stone Campbell Journal Conference

Check-In and Registration begin 7:45 a.m. on Friday. Sessions run from Friday at 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Cost includes coffee breaks but no meals.

A detailed conference schedule will be available by March 5. Check the SCJ website for any updated news as schedule develops

We invite your attendance and participation in the 2018 SCJ Conference. Here's what's in store in addition to the plenary sessions:

Parallel papers presented by attendees:

More than 50 papers will be presented on all topics, biblical, theological, historical, and more.  

The first 35 paper topics submitted were guaranteed a slot after which availability will be limited. (Deadline for submitting paper titles was January 20, 2018). 

CONTACT STEWART PENWELL, SCJ CONFERENCE PARALLEL PAPER COORDINATOR,(stewartpenwell@yahoo.com) FOR ANY REMAINING OPENINGS.

Stewart serves as contact for presenters now and at the conference. 

These study groups will meet:

• Acts and the Early Church | Judith.Odor@gmail.com
• Biblical Teaching on Women | jdmiller@milligan.edu
• Christian Education | jestep@lincolnchristian.edu 
• Ecclesiology and Social Ethics | shauncbrown@yahoo.com
• History and Theology of Stone-Campbell Movement | jgorman@johnsonu.edu 
• Jewish Scripture as Christian Scripture | dstark@faulkner.edu
• Old Testament in Near Eastern Context | jabembry@milligan.edu 
• Patristics | mweedman@johnsonu.edu
• Peace and Social Action | paulv.axton@gmail.com
• Philosophy |  justinaaronschwartz@gmail.com
• Second Temple Judaism | jon-michael_Carman@baylor.edu 
• Synoptic Gospels | barry.blackburn@point.edu -- NEW 
• Theological Anthropology | scone@lincolnchristian.edu
• Theology Reflection | jgordon@johnsonu.edu  

Presenters have been decided for each study group (deadline was December 15, 2017). Contact Dawn Gentry, Dean of the Study Groups, [dgentry1905@gmail.com] for more details or any possible openings due to cancellations.

Student paper competitions:

Student paper competitions are open each year in both undergraduate and graduate student divisions. Finalists will present their papers at a special conference session to decide winners in each category.

Undergraduates should be Juniors or Seniors. Graduates should be in Masters Degree Programs. (Paper submission deadline was December 15, 2017). Contact Les Hardin (lhardin@johnsonu.edu) for more information.  Prizes will be awarded at the conference. A $2500 graduate school scholarship at one of ten Stone-Campbell related schools will be awarded to the winner in each division.

Schools include: Abilene Christian University, Austin Graduate School of Theology, Brite Divinity School, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Harding School of Theology, Hope International University, Johnson University, Lexington Theological Seminary, Lincoln Christian University, and Phillips Theological Seminary.

The winners and finalists will be honored in the final session of the conference. They will also receive a modest stipend toward their conference costs plus other prizes, including a one-year membership in the Stone-Campbell Scholars Community.

Issac Errett Award winner presentation:

The Isaac Errett Award for papers in Stone-Campbell History for graduate school students is conducted and awarded annually by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. (Paper submission deadline was December 15, 2017).

The winner will be determined previous to the conference, and will make their presentation as a parallel speaker. The winner will be honored in the final session of the conference and awarded a cash prize of $250, plus a one-year membership in the Stone-Campbell Scholars Community. For more information about the Errett competition, contact Newell Williams, Brite Divinity School (n.williams@tcu.edu).

The 2018 SCJ Conference will be hosted for the first time by Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan on the beautiful Milligan campus in Johnson City, Tennessee.  

The main sessions and registration will be held in Milligan’s Gregory Center. For your reference, you may find a detailed campus map at https://www.milligan.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/campus-map.pdf.

Physical campus address for navigation:  300 Blowers Blvd, Johnson City, TN.  

Driving directions and airport information is available at https://www.milligan.edu/visit/#visit

The area is served by Tri-Cities Airport (TRI).  located about 30 minutes away from campus. Some travelers also fly into Asheville, NC (one hour away) or Knoxville (about 1.5 hours away).

Shuttle bus transportation will be provided twice a day on Friday and Saturday by Emmanuel to and from the conference hotel, the Johnson City Doubletree (more hotels details below). Transportation will also be provided to the optional Friday night group dinner. More details on all conference transportation will be available later.

In addition, Emmanuel and SCJ Conference will assist with pre-requested airport transfers to Tri-Cities Airport whenever possible. Local services are also listed on the website of https://triflight.com. Please indicate your transportation needs on the registration form.

Meals are on your own, not included in the conference pricing. On-campus options on Friday include made-to-order and grab-n-go meals in the Grill in the McMahan Student Center or cafeteria-style dining in the McCormick Dining Center, Sutton Hall: [Sutton Hall prices: breakfast $5.25; lunch $5.75, and dinner $6.50.] In addition, on Saturday, brunch will be available from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the McCormick Dining Center ($5.75). Please indicate your interest in these meals on the registration form.

Please also note these optional activities at meal time, and note your interest in these as appropriate on the registration form:

Female Scholars Event (all are welcome): Friday lunch meeting in Sutton Hall especially for female scholars and aspiring female scholars. Ellen Charry will be special guest. You will purchase your lunch and join the group in an adjacent private room. Contact Judith Odor (Judith.odor@gmail.com).

Prospective Seminary Student Lunch: Students interested in learning more Emmanuel’s degree programs are invited to a complimentary luncheon hosted by seminary staff on Friday. Emmanuel offers the MAR, MACM, MDiv, and DMin, as well as a Certificate of Graduate Study in Christian Ministries. For further information about these and other graduate programs, visit www.milligan.edu/gps/ 

Optional Friday night group dinner: In addition, on Friday night there will be an optional dinner out together at Tupelo Honey in downtown Johnson City. Tupelo Honey is a regional restaurant that specializes in new southern cuisine. We will order from the menu ($15-20) and everyone will pay for their own meal. However, space is limited and ticketed. To guarantee your spot, reserve when you register and your ticket will be in your registration packet. Transportation to the restaurant and back to the conference hotel will be available.

For 2018, the conference has booked a block of rooms at the Doubletree by Hilton, Johnson City, located at 211 Mockingbird Lane.

The nonsmoking rooms are available for the SCJ Conference for Thursday and Friday nights at a reduced rate of $79 per night plus tax with either two queen beds or one king bed. Rate includes free parking, and wi-fi. A limited number of rooms at the conference rate are also available on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

To get our guaranteed rate, you will need to request it when you make your reservation by calling this hotel directly at 423-929-2000 or use this link to obtain our rate online:

http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/T/TRIDTDT-SCJ-20180405/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG.

This rate is only guaranteed until March 17 and space is not guaranteed.

Shuttle service will be available to this hotel twice a day on Friday and Saturday, including after the optional Friday night dinner. Please note the shuttle service will only be available to serve conference attendees staying at this hotel.

This is a large hotel famous for its complimentary baked-onsite chocolate chip cookies. The hotel includes a casual restaurant as well as room service.  Located near the mall, there are also restaurants and fast food choices in the area. 

There is no on-campus housing. 

Please note tiered deadlines for registration. ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES MARCH 23, 2018. 

All persons involved in the program for the conference must register.

Registration for spouses is $30 ($20 for student spouses) and includes a name badge and access to conference activities. 

Spouse registration is limited to individuals who are not formally affiliated with participating academic institutions nor in professional ministry positions.  

In addition, Emmanuel Christian Seminary and Milligan College students may attend the conference for free BUT MUST REGISTER.

Conference registration includes attendance at all sessions, access to conferee-only discounted book sales, coffee and snack breaks, shuttle bus transportation, and on-site parking.