What began as a seven-year-long prayer to participate in a beloved Lipscomb University program has led to a dream career position and a God-sized story for Kate Watkins, executive director of the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) program and assistant professor in the College of Bible and Ministry.
“I remember reading a very small article in a Lipscomb Now Magazine in 2007 about the LIFE program while I was pursing my Master of Divinity degree in Lipscomb’s Hazelip School of Theology,” said Watkins. “Immediately something leaped in me and I knew there was something important going on there, so I began to pray, ‘Lord, if there is ever any way that I can be part of this, please let me be part of it.’”
Founded in 2007 by Richard Goode, professor of history, the LIFE program provides traditional Lipscomb students the opportunity to enroll in a liberal arts course held on-site at the Tennessee Prison for Women (TPW) and study alongside residents of the prison affectionately known as “inside students.” LIFE is one of only a handful of programs in the U.S. to offer a college degree to prison residents.
“Before I completed my Doctor of Ministry degree in 2014, I was hired onto Lipscomb’s College of Bible & Ministry’s staff as a temporary administrative assistant, and eventually transitioned into a role as the academic program director for the Doctorate of Ministry program and adjunct professor for the ‘Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Living’ class,” said Watkins.
“I will never forget the day when Dr. Goode showed up to my office in 2014 asking if I would teach a Biblical Ethics class at TPW for the LIFE program, and I audibly gasped. My response must have startled him because he assured me that I didn’t need to make a decision on the spot, but I quickly replied, ‘You don’t understand—nobody has known, but I have been praying to be a part of this program for years.’ That day was so significant because it was the day that God said yes to that seven-year prayer.”
After teaching her first semester at the women’s prison, Watkins said she couldn’t stay away from the prison. She was struck by the deep lessons she was learning from the inside students.
“I knew from that first class that I had so much to learn about both God and humanity from these women who live at the Tennessee Prison for Women,” she said. “If someone has a narrative of horrific abuse, and can look me in the eye and say they know that God is good, then I want to know how they know that. Because if I had their narratives, I’m not sure I would cling to that truth. It was evident they knew a dimension of God that I had yet to know.”
Goode later offered Watkins a volunteer position to lead workshops for TPW residents who were not enrolled in the LIFE program, but greatly needed exposure to critical thinking skills.
“I learned so much from each of these workshops, and was deeply inspired by the community that was formed. For a year I was able to get to know the hearts of these women through these workshops and by the end of that year several women joined the LIFE program to continue their education.”
In 2016, Goode sat Watkins down to let her know he was stepping away from his leadership role in the program and wanted to know if she would become the new executive director of LIFE.
“This opportunity terrified me,” said Watkins. “When I think about the faithfulness of God and literally how a small article buried in Lipscomb Now Magazine called the Spirit at work in me to pray, and then nearly a decade later would lead me to directing this incredible program, it is truly humbling and such a marker of God’s faithfulness in my life.”
For the next two years, Watkins coordinated all undergraduate liberal arts courses that would be held on-site at TPW, and was able to see a very significant milestone take place for the program as six inside students received the first bachelor’s degrees in program history.
“There have been three special commencement ceremonies for the LIFE program at TPW starting in 2013, when nine inside students completed their requirements for an associates degree, and in 2015, when the second cohort received their AA’s as well,” said Watkins. “Although any degree is a significant accomplishment, 2017 was a very special year for the LIFE program as we awarded the first bachelor’s degrees.”
This accomplishment also led to a realization for Watkins and Goode: “For these women, many of whom had life sentences, their participation in this academic community had become a sacred, spiritual rhythm, and we wanted to be able to provide an opportunity for them to continue to be a part of it if they wanted to.”
So, along with Leonard Allen, dean of the College of Bible & Ministry, and Frank Guertin, director of the Hazelip School of Theology, Watkins helped launch a special Master of Arts in Christian Ministry for inside students in 2018.
“It will take four years for students to complete this 36-hour degree because the inside students are only allowed to take one course per semester. I have jokingly called it a ‘contemplative degree’ because the pace is slower than usual. We decided to invite professionals in the community to enroll as traditional Lipscomb students and participate in this cohort with our inside students,” said Watkins. “We currently have five women from the outside: a therapist, a life coach, a retired professional, and two business professionals who every Wednesday night are taking these classes with 13 women from the inside. They are learning a theological foundation along with pastoral skills so that they can serve as ministers of presence, regardless of where they live.”
This spring, LIFE will add 40 new students to the program and begin work in the men’s prison.
Watkins says that working with LIFE, helping oversee the MACM at the prison, and being an assistant Bible professor means that she has the best job on campus.
“I am so thankful for my role within the LIFE program and am grateful to Dr. Goode for his wisdom, counsel and continued commitment to the LIFE program through the years,” said Watkins. “I love the beautiful partnership between the College of Professional Studies and the Hazelip School of Theology that has developed along with the strong commitment from the university as a whole for LIFE. I am also deeply grateful for my role as an assistant Bible professor and the opportunity to teach traditional students in the Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Living class as they expand their understanding of God’s work in the world and lean into the mystery of who God is.”
Watkins says her journey at Lipscomb has been filled with God’s goodness as God has led her to unexpected places and prepared a way each time.
“I often compare my life and spiritual journey to that of Mary leaving the empty tomb in Matthew 28:8, which reads, ‘so the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy,’” said Watkins. “So much of what God has called me to has been terrifying and I often feel unequipped, but I also recognize how incredible it is and I am filled with joy to be part of it, fully knowing God journeys with me.”
To learn more about the LIFE program, which is housed in the College of Professional Studies, the College of Bible and Ministry and the Hazelip School of Theology, click here.