Annual Human Needs and Global Resources Symposium

About the HNGR Symposium

In 2005, and with the generous support of the John Deere Foundation, the Human Needs and Global Resources program inaugurated its first annual Symposium. Since its inception, the annual Symposium convenes hundreds of guests each year, including Wheaton College students and faculty, scholars, activists, artists, and organizational leaders, to recognize and celebrate the creative work that people from around the world are doing to confront injustice and pursue human and environmental flourishing.

Each in Turn: Celebrating 50 Years of Human Needs and Global Resources

Spring Symposium and Intern Poster Session

Mar 26

Clock 7:00 PM

Location Meyer Science Center Lecture Hall

How are we to endure recurring loss and work for flourishing as a community? What does the collective work of perseverance in the midst of suffering entail? Join us in exploring these questions with Rev. Dr. J. Todd Billings (PHIL/ENGL ‘95, HNGR ‘94) and Rev. Collin Flake (PHIL/BITH ‘18, HNGR ‘17) for the Spring Symposium in Human Needs and Global Resources on Thursday, March 26, 2026 (7:00 pm) in the Meyer Science Lecture Hall. Following the talk guests are invited to enjoy refreshments and participate in the 2025 HNGR Intern Poster Session in the Meyer Science Atrium.

Our Guest Speaker

Rev. Dr. J. Todd Billings

Rev. Dr. J. Todd Billings is the Girod Professor of Reformed Theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. A graduate of Wheaton College (’95), Fuller Theological Seminary (’99), and Harvard Divinity School (’05), he has served with the church in East Africa for a year and a half, on the staff of a church-based homeless shelter for five years, and in a variety of academic and ministry settings. The author of seven books and many articles on a range of theological topics, he has also written personally as a cancer patient about faith, mortality, hope, and vocation amid suffering in Rejoicing in Lament and The End of the Christian Life. His current research explores theology and chronic illness.

Rev. Collin Flake

The Rev. Collin Flake is a graduate of Wheaton College (‘18) and Duke Divinity School (‘22). He is currently the HOPE North Carolina Community Facilitator for the North Street Neighborhood in Durham, NC. There, he accompanies an intentional community of about 100 people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities sharing life together on a neighborhood block. He is an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church in North America.

Fall 2025 HNGR Symposium

Made in God's Image: Resisting Dehumanization in American History

Nov 04

Clock 7:00 PM

The Human Needs & Global Resources (HNGR) Program at Wheaton College hosted their Fall Symposium plenary lecture titled, "Made in God's Image: Resisting Dehumanization in American History” presented by Sami DiPasquale (Executive Director, Abara) and Angelica Acosta Garnett (Asylum Narratives Translation Project Manager, Abara) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM in the Meyer Science Center Lecture Hall.

About the Fall 2025 HNGR Symposium

We welcomed Sami DiPasquale and Angelica Acosta Garnett from Abara, based in El Paso, Texas. Abara fosters connection, healing, and action at the U.S.-Mexico border by creating spaces where stories are honored, divisions are bridged, and people are equipped to pursue peace and justice across borders. Their plenary lecture invited us to explore how to move from dehumanization to connection, to a place where we uphold the truth that every person bears the image of God. The Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) program hosted a Fall 2025 Symposium (November 4) plenary lecture titled, "Made in God's Image: Resisting Dehumanization in American History” presented by Sami DiPasquale (Executive Director, Abara) and Angelica Acosta Garnett (Asylum Narratives Translation Project Manager, Abara).

Speakers

Sami DiPasquale / Executive Director, Abara

Sami DiPasquale was born in Jordan and raised in the Middle East, and he has spent the past two decades in the U.S. working in refugee resettlement, community development, and peacebuilding. Sami holds a B.A. in Sustainable Development (interdisciplinary) from Wheaton College and an MBA from the University of Texas at El Paso. He has served on the boards of the Christian Community Development Association and Micah Global, networks striving for thriving communities free from poverty and injustice nationally and internationally. Sami is fascinated by the history and dynamics of the borderlands, drawn to explore both the beauty and the pain that define these regions, with a particular interest in the intersection of global and local narratives. As the Executive Director or Abara, Sami’s lifelong vision is to bridge divides and cultivate mutual flourishing.

Angelica Acosta Garnett / Asylum Narratives Translation Project Manager, Abara

Angelica Acosta Garnett was born in Bogotá, Colombia and immigrated to the U.S. at 17, and has since dedicated her career to education, advocacy, and immigrant support. She holds degrees in history, religion, and social studies education and a masters degree in education. As the Director of Abara’s Asylum Narrative Translation Project, Angelica helps asylum seekers share their stories, transforming them into legal narratives. In addition to her work with asylum seekers, Angelica is a speaker and trainer, leading workshops for groups and organizations that seek to better understand and support immigrant communities.Her work reflects a deep commitment to justice, education, and the empowerment of immigrant voices.

2024 Fall - 2025 Spring HNGR Symposium

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2023-2024 HNGR Symposium: Borders, Belonging, and New Creation

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2022-2023 Decarbonization and Decolonization: Toward a Just and Generous Energy Transition

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