WPSU Interview, November 29, 2019

Ben Wideman is the campus pastor for 3rd Way Collective. He helps Penn State students grapple with big questions that lie at the intersection of faith, peace, and social justice.

Wideman talked with WPSU about his Mennonite background, how he came to do this work, and what it means to find a third way in a country that often wants us to choose sides.

To listen to this interview, please visit this website.

Daily Collegian Article, November 22, 2019

Sophia Maier was born under another name, and yet “Sophia” is the truest name she said she’s had.

An English graduate student at Penn State, Maier identifies as a bisexual transgender woman, who has evolved from the conservative Christian family she was born into.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

WJAC Article and Video, August 21, 2019

STATE COLLEGE— The state college officials held a news conference Tuesday about the findings of the officer-involved shooting in March. A board of five members within the department assessed the policies and whether they were followed.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

Centre Daily Times Article, April 19, 2019

A group that turns guns into garden tools has been to Happy Valley before, but Wednesday’s visit had more significance for the organizers and community members who attended.

A crowd of about 40 attended the Beating Guns tour at The Makery in downtown State College, organized by Ben Wideman, campus minister at Penn State and leader of 3rd Way Collective, who said he wanted to open up a dialogue after the death of four in January and the Osaze Osagie shooting last month.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

WJAC Article and Video, April 17, 2019

STATE COLLEGE – Authors Shane Claiborne and Mike Martin are working together to turn heavy to hope. The two wrote the book “Beating Guns: Hope for People who are Weary of Violence” which talks about guns in America. The book shares sad stories and facts about gun violence.

Claiborne grew up in Philadelphia where there is a heavy gun violence presence on the streets. Meanwhile Martin is from Colorado, where they’ve seen multiple mass shootings, especially while he was growing up.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

PSU Underground Article, March 29, 2019

Austin Channing Brown, author and a new voice for racial justice, is “committed to exploring the intersections of racial justice, faith and black womanhood.”

Her talk was moderated by campus pastor and 3rd Way Collective leader, Ben Wideman, along with the Outreach Director for MLK Commemoration Week, Nyla Holland. They both asked Brown a series of questions throughout the evening.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

Daily Collegian Article, March 29, 2019

Austin Channing Brown addressed the people of color in the room, making sure they knew she wished to speak to them first. She wanted them to know, in her eyes, the white man’s hour is over.

Leading voice on racial justice and author of “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness,” Brown gave a lecture regarding racial injustices and how to overcome them at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center Worship Hall. The lecture was sponsored by 3rd Way Collective, Westminster Presbyterian Fellowship, Wesley PSU and Lutheran Campus Ministry.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

WPSU Article and Radio, January 29, 2019

A vigil was held in downtown State College Monday afternoon for the victims of last week’s mass shooting at P.J. Harrigan’s and at a home near the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in State College.  More than 50 people attended, bundled against the cold, to honor those affected by the tragedy.

At the Allen Street gates in downtown State College, Ben Wideman, campus pastor for 3rd Way Collective at Penn State, spoke to a group of more than 50 local residents and Penn State Students.

To read and listen, please visit this website.

Centre Daily Times Article, January 29, 2019

Holding on to one another and bowing their heads in reverence, more than 50 people prayed together in front of the Allen Street Gates on Monday afternoon, remembering the victims of Thursday’s deadly shootings, looking for healing, and asking for guidance.

The people who showed up to the vigil were there for different reasons. Some were there to mourn, some there to show support for the community, and others to find solutions so events like that which unfolded Thursday evening, leaving four people dead and another injured, don’t happen again.

To read the full article, please visit this website.

Onward State Article, January 29, 2019

Penn State students and State College residents came together at the Allen Street Gates on Monday to remember the victims of the shootings that occurred last Thursday.

To read the full article, please visit this website.