Following an extensive search for just the right match, Dr. Franklin Tanner Capps, Th.D., was installed Sunday, August 25 as the Benfield-Vick Chaplain of Davis & Elkins College. In an innovative and unique partnership, Dr. Capps serves as chaplain for both the College and the Vandalia Davis Health System.
The installation service included representatives from the local community, the Presbytery of West Virginia, the student body, College and hospital leadership, and two pastors who have had significant impact on Tanner’s ministry. The Rev. Dr. James L. Morgan, Jr., from Laurinburg, N.Ca. preached his message, “The Rooms We are Locked In” based on John 20:19-23, reminding the congregation that they are not to dwell on mistakes in life and in ministry, but are to trust God’s promise to be with us even in the midst of them.
Tina Vial, chair of the Chaplain Search Committee and the Installation Commission propounded the Constitutional questions to Tanner. Susan Perry, Ruling Elder and former moderator of the Presbytery of West Virginia, led those gathered in vowing to support and encourage Tanner personally and in his work. The Rev. Rich Cardot of the Valley Parish gave the charge to Tanner, reminding him to keep all aspects of his life “charged” and in balance in order to remain effective in ministry. The Rev. Kristi Shay Moore, pastor of Edgewood Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg, W.Va., charged the congregation to remember their impact in supporting Tanner’s ministry and to continue to provide that foundation for the benefit of the whole community. Mike Bell, Executive Director of the Davis Health System Foundation led the congregation in the Confession; The Rev. John Creasy of The Open Door Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa. read scripture; and Sidney Megna, Class of 2026 and president of the Student Government Association at Davis & Elkins College, and Sherri Elliott, Ruling Elder from Beverly Presbyterian Church both led prayers in the service. Donna Baroudi-Huffman, Instructor of Music at D&E, provided piano accompaniment.
President Chris A. Wood opened the service with a word of welcome to those gathered, sharing the origins of the Benfield-Vick Chaplain’s Chair. “The First Presbyterian Church of Charleston, W.Va. laid the foundation for this chaplaincy in honor of two of their pastors, Dr. William A. Benfield and Dr. George H. Vick, who also served as members of D&E’s Board of Trustees. At D&E, we not only focus on the intellectual and academic growth of our students, but we believe in tending to their spiritual needs as well, providing for the whole person while they are here,” Wood said. “Having Tanner here will provide students with opportunities to explore their faith and find spiritual support while pursuing their education.”
Davis Health System Foundation’s Mike Bell reflected, “We are very excited about this new partnership opportunity. Small colleges and smaller community hospitals have limited resources. By working together, Davis & Elkins College and Davis Medical Center can better meet the spiritual care needs of our students, patients, staff, and community. Dr. Capps will be a true asset to our efforts to bring better health – physical and spiritual – to those we serve.”
As part of the service, Tina Vial presented Tanner with a banner depicting the Robbins Memorial Chapel unique stained-glass windows and the Celtic cross. The banner is believed to have been an art project of a D&E student at some point over a decade ago, though the details of its origin remain a mystery. Vial’s remarks focused on that mystery and the perseverance of this piece to land in Tanner’s hands as symbols of his new calling. “I hope that it will hang proudly in your office as a reminder that God will continue to bring mystery and perseverance to your ministry rooted in history unknown but cherished as a foundation… one that invites new and creative opportunities for growth and promise yet to be realized,” Vial said.
Originally from Westminster, S.Ca., Tanner comes to this position from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he directed the Miller Youth Institute, an institute dedicated to theological formation, justice work, and vocational discernment among undergraduates, and taught in the Doctor of Ministry Program. Prior to this, he served as Bruce Scholars Lecturer in the Honors College at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Andrews Presbyterian College. At St. Andrews, he directed the Honors Program and was faculty coordinator for the Gambrell Fellows in Social Justice Program at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church (Charlotte, N.Ca.). In addition to regularly teaching adult education classes and serving as pulpit supply in Coastal Carolina, he worked as coordinator of community care and outreach during the height of the pandemic at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Laurinburg, N.Ca.
Tanner is a graduate of Duke University (Th.D., Theology), Westminster Theological Seminary (MA, Religion), and Anderson College (BA, English and Visual Art). An avid writer, his work in the areas of theology, ethics, and aesthetics has appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the International Journal of Systematic Theology, the Journal of Reformed Theology, Political Theology, the Heythrop Journal, and beyond. With SueJeanne Koh, he is working on a book project that examines religious nationalism, informed by blood discourses and legal proceedings significant for Asian American racial formation.
Tanner noted, “This Service of Installation not only confirmed God’s call to serve the Davis & Elkins College community but was also a service of very warm welcome for my family and me. It was wonderful to see representatives of the Presbytery of West Virginia celebrating this with us alongside our friends from the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina. The PC(USA) is truly a connectional church!
“We’re incredibly grateful to President Wood and his office, to Mike Bell, and especially to Tina Vial, Coordinator of Foundation and Church Relations, for all the work and planning they did to make our move to D&E possible. We’re thrilled to call Elkins our new home and look forward to meeting all the neighbors whom we’ve heard make this place special.”
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Capps and his family to the Elkins community.
