Bethany Ruhl (Class of 2028, At Large) is the Manager of Spiritual Wellness at Saint Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center, which serves children experiencing mental health crisis in the Kansas City area. She is a Board- Certified Chaplain and recently graduated with a Master of Counseling Degree. During her time at Crittenton, Bethany received a grant to create a new chapel space, and she commissioned a local artist to create a series of social justice murals with Crittenton patients. Bethany chairs the Crittenton Ethics Committee and was recently named an Ethics Champion by the Center for Practical Bioethics. Bethany specializes in mental health and trauma-informed care. Bethany grew up in Lawrence, Kansas where she first found the United Church of Christ in college, and she is now a proud member of Southwood UCC in Raytown, MO, as well as the Missouri Mid- South Conference. Before entering the ministry, Bethany was a world traveler and spent time living and teaching abroad France & Germany. She speaks French and has a Master’s Degree in French Literature. During her seminary career Bethany won several social justice awards for her work with women’s issue and racial justice issues. A significant life experience for her was working in the drug & trauma treatment program of a women’s prison during seminary. During her free time, Bethany enjoys pot-lucking with her friends, long conversations in coffeeshops and thrift stores. She also enjoys perusing famer’s markets with her Italian Greyhounds Lulu and Anubis.”
