Dick Davenport is an educator on Spirituality, the Bible, Christianity, Relationships, and Faith Community.
Graduating Boston University's School of Theology with a Master of Divinity degree, he served two decades on three continents as a chaplain in the United States Air Force. The last two generals for whom he worked summed up his career with the following descriptions:
Stellar performer…worked miracles…most productive chaplain in the command…sets the pace…a visionary who can get the job done and win friends in the process
"Focus on Community" is the title of a chapter dedicated to Dick's chaplaincy experience and healing work in a book by Kim Schuette entitled Christian Science Military Ministry 1917-2004. Here are a couple of excerpts.
His religious embrace included those who were of other faiths or of no faith. He shaped community from various elements of what might appear to be a diverse spectrum of humanity...
Davenport worked to help one community understand another by finding common ground. His career illustrates a well thought out Christian construct for living in community...His vision and its implementation changed the culture and the way individuals and groups related one to another. He practiced community building from a Christian basis wherever he was and continued to do so after leaving military service
He took early retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel to become Dean of Students at his alma mater Principia College. Working with an extraordinary woman as co-dean, a number of radical and initially unpopular steps were taken to renew spiritual values and strengthen the faith community on campus. The steps ultimately proved very successful and the evidence of their value is that much of the re-design and its written rationale are still in use today in the student life department of the College.
 Dick talks with twenty-somethings attending a Higher Ground Bible Conference in Tampa, FL
When he left the Dean's position and launched his educational ministry "Higher Ground" in 2002, it was to expand the emphasis on placing God at the center of our lives and appreciating more fully the importance of the Bible, following Christ, building relationships, and renewing community that have guided his personal and profession life for decades.
To date there have 57 Higher Ground Bible Conferences in 35 cities across the United States involving more than a dozen Christian Scientists who have done graduate work in Biblical studies as speakers. Dick has also led a wide variety of seminars and workshops on spirituality, the Bible, marriage enrichment, relationships, and the renewal of faith communities.
 Dick addressing the Asilomar Bible Conference
Along with a partner he purchased Bible Study Seminars (BSS) in 2004, which was sponsoring the three-decade old Asilomar Bible Conference each summer overlooking Monterey Bay in central California. The new owners gave away their financial interests in BSS to transform it into a non-profit (501c3) ministry. As Chief Executive Officer and Conference Director Dick re-designed the Asilomar Bible Conference and has significantly increased its attendance.
In 2005 he initiated a multi-year commitment for BSS to develop a non-denominational Bible study curriculum to nurture a love and understanding of the Bible among individuals and especially groups in local churches and communities. This curriculum, entitled Foundation Stones has already produced several volumes with more on the way. Dick's own contribution to the series is a volume on the opening chapters of Acts entitled Acts 1-8: Why and How to Be a Church. It is available for purchase under the CDs and Resources tab on this website. The other volumes in this series, and more information on BSS Bible conferences, are available on the BSS website: www.biblestudyseminars.com.
In 2010 Dick expanded the ministry of BSS to offer an additional Bible conference in the Midwest at the Cedars Camps. Also, with the BSS Board, he began exploring ways BSS could support the renewal of local faith communities.
 Dick and his wife Jerri at the outdoor Sunday service at Cedars Camps on a Celebrate Marriage! weekend
In Fall, 2011, Higher Ground’s Celebrate Marriage!, the popular relationship retreat weekend for couples and singles, will return to Cedars Camps in southwest Missouri with new features.
Also in the plans for Fall, 2011, are the launch of a Higher Ground weekend for men at Cedars Camps offering optional participation in a short, but actual, cattle drive, a fly fishing clinic, and sharing on a variety of issues of interest to adult men of all ages.
Dick is working on developing other resources for reaching people of all faith backgrounds with the values of Higher Ground. Building bridges of understanding and caring have always been important to his ministry, and he sees Mary Baker Eddy's understanding of the Bible and Christ as having much to say to Christians of all traditions, as well as Jews, Muslims, and spiritual seekers without a religious tradition.
Outside the organizational settings of Higher Ground and Bible Study Seminars, but very related to the same values and spirit, Dick and his wife, Jerri, are deeply involved in the development of a new expression of Christian Science community called the Next Generation Christian Science Fellowship, www.nextgenCSfellowship.com.
 If you would like to keep up with Dick's thoughts and activities,
you can visit his Facebook page
Click here to visit Dick's Facebook page
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