CCO fall on campus2014

ON CAMPUS FALL 2014

TRANSFORMING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD

THE POWER OF HOSPITALITY

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RECKLESS GENEROSITY

“Eight different CCO staff members shared the Gospel with me that summer. But that isn’t what sold me on Christianity. It was seeing them live it.” This is what Will Gigante says about the summer he committed his life to Jesus Christ. In 1990, Will was a summer student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is where the CCO’s New Staff Training program was being held. As these new campus ministry staff reached out to him and authentically shared their lives with him, Will decided that he wanted what they had. More than 20 years later, Will continues to follow this example as he reaches out to students at Penn State University. He and his colleague, Sandie Starr Everhart—who ministers to students at Edinboro University—have discovered that the most natural and effective way to lead students to Jesus is to invite them into their homes, their lives, and their families. Students experience hospitality in a way that makes them feel at home—or that gives them a glimpse of what a loving home can look like. This radical hospitality introduces students to Jesus Christ, and it invites them into a relationship with Him that can completely transform their lives. Daniel J. Dupee President & CEO CCO

Nathan Everhart

Sandie Starr Everhart

THE POWER OF

HOSPITALITY

SANDIE STARR EVERHART @ EDINBORO UNIVERSITY

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ure I’ll come over to your house!” Johnny said. “I’m not interested in that Bible stuff, but you can feed me any time!”

ABOUT THE CCO The CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) calls college students to serve Jesus Christ with their entire lives. Our ministry is distinct in three ways: 1. We develop students to be passionate leaders who serve Jesus Christ in their studies, jobs, communities, and families. 2. We serve together with the church, inviting students into the lives of local congregations. 3. We design each ministry to fit the needs of every campus we serve. For more about us, please visit our website: www.ccojubilee.org Photography: Andrew Rush On Campus is produced by Bonnie Liefer and Amy Maczuzak. 2

CCO staff member Sandie Starr Everhart first met Johnny his freshman year, when he showed up to a team picnic at her house with his wrestling teammate, Ernie. This was his response when she invited him to join some of his friends to come to dinner and Bible study at her house. Ernie became a regular attender, but Johnny showed up once that year, and then a couple times during his sophomore year. Then, as a senior and a co-captain with Ernie of the

wrestling team, Johnny told Sandie that he was “going to come to this Bible stuff every week.” And he did. “You and Nathan point me to Jesus,” he said. Sandie and her husband, Nathan, host these dinners and Bible studies weekly throughout the year because this is the most effective way for them to share the Gospel message with Edinboro students.

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ome students, like Ernie, are motivated to grow in their faith. They meet one-on-one with

Sandie throughout the week for discipleship, and come with Sandie and Nathan to church on Sundays. And there are others who are not interested in issues of faith. But they will come over for dinner. “I think the way we use hospitality enables us to reach students who are in very marginal areas of their faith,” Sandie says. “I pray that these

guys grow, and hosting them in our home enables us to reach out to a different type of student in a different type of way. “Some of these students I would never in a million years expect to come. Then they end up coming, hearing the Gospel, and returning! We see these guys come to know Christ, we see them grow, we experience

fruit. But I would think most have no idea what they are getting into when they first come for dinner and Bible study on a Monday night.”

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ohnny graduated in May, and he says one of the things he’ll miss most about Edinboro is Sandie and Nathan. “They helped me realize that God is always there for me, and taught me to be generous, to be kind, even to your enemies. “I started to think more of other people. They brought the good out in me. They love everyone. Their house is very homey, and they make you feel comfortable no matter what. It’s amazing how great they are,

how they’re just there for you. They always tell me that if I need anything, to call them.” At the end of each Monday evening, Sandie and Nathan stand at the door to say goodbye to each of the students. “I feel like they wait in line to hug us, to say ‘thank you,’ or ‘that was good,’ or ‘I want to talk to you later in the week,’” Sandie says. “Every Monday night when the front door shuts after the last guys leave, Nathan and I look at each other with tears in our eyes. We go into the living room, get down on our knees and thank God for what He’s doing.” —Amy Maczuzak

ABOUT CCO MINISTRY AT EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, Edinboro University enrolls more than 7,300 undergraduate and graduate students in over 100 degree programs. In addition to its academic opportunities, the Edinboro Fighting Scots compete in the Pennsylvania Conference and the NCAA, Divisions I and II. Sandie Starr Everhart has been a CCO staff member for 27 years. 3

Cheryl Gigante

RECKLESS

GENEROSITY

WHAT STUDENTS SAY NATE MORGAN

Penn State University 2014, kinesiology major Now a CCO staff intern at Penn State University

WILL GIGANTE @ PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Will Gigante

ABOUT CCO MINISTRY AT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY The largest campus in the Penn State system, University Park is located in central Pennsylvania and is home to a diverse population of more than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Will Gigante has been a CCO staff member for 20 years, and has been reaching students at Penn State since 1999. He and his wife, Cheryl, have four boys. 4

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I remember a student telling me once, “We didn’t know what to expect—we figured we’d do whatever you wanted, look at the Bible or whatever, and then we would never come back.”

ut they kept coming back, and they brought their friends. We get to the God conversations because students feel like they’re allowed to be there regardless of if they’re interested in the Christian stuff. I love having students in our home. It’s a great place for them to come and bring their friends. It’s non-threatening, and they don’t feel like they’re going to get “Bibled up.” Most of the students we interact with are athletes, and the rest are their friends or students we meet in other contexts. We’ve had Christian students invite Muslim friends to come over. We welcome

anybody and everybody who needs a place to hang out. We do dinner every Sunday night. It gets students off campus, which they really love. We have regular attenders who never miss unless they’re away because they’re competing. We have double ovens, two refrigerators, and three full-size freezers. We host a lot of students in our home. We may expect two for dinner, and then four show up. We never worry about that, because we always have extra food on hand. When students show up, they don’t feel like they’re a burden. We recently added a deck to our house that can handle 100 people.

We sit around a long table. We’ve had times where we’ve had to add on to accommodate 25, but usually there are about 10 or 12 of us.

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ood ministry happens on campus, and great ministry happens around the table. You get peripheral, mundane conversations, but occasionally it breaks through—you start talking about what God’s doing. Students say to us, “My family never sits down and does this. It’s nice to do this.” We rarely eat a meal by ourselves. When we sit down, the boys ask, “Is anyone coming over tonight?” If we say no, they ask, “Why not?” —Will Gigante

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’m from Nebraska, so I don’t get to go home very much—Christmas and summer and that’s it. Having a home away from home, having people who really care about you, being able to be challenged by them to grow in my faith in practical ways—it’s meant everything. I really got connected with Will my freshman year when I got hit by a car, messed up my leg, and had to have surgery. I lived in the dorms and my parents couldn’t be here to help me—I had to walk upstairs to get food. Will and Cheryl, right after I had surgery, told me I wasn’t going to go back to the dorms right away—I was going to live with them. Before then, I had just been part of a group at their house for dinner.

I’m not a big fan of having people help me, so I only stayed with them for a couple days after my surgery. The whole surgery thing was humbling. I didn’t really know who Will and Cheryl were and how open their house really is. After that, my roommates and I started meeting with Will every week for lunch, reading a book together, going to Bible study with him. Every once in a while, we’d still go to dinner at their house and gradually got to know them better by the end of my freshman year. I have continued to meet with Will through the rest of my years at Penn State. I started going to their house pretty often. If my friends and I had free time or were bored, we would go over to the Gigantes’ house to hang out. I got to know Will’s family—Cheryl and the boys—and I started

taking more of a leadership role within the Bible study, helping plan events, continuing to meet with Will every week as he challenged me in my faith.

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hat I’ve learned from Will and Cheryl Gigante is that great ministry isn’t about the one-time meetings. It’s about commitment and staying connected to an individual over a period of time—and serving them and serving them and serving them.

When I meet one on one with Will, sometimes we just meet to hang out, and other times, we go through a book or a book of the Bible together. We talk about questions about life in general—what he thinks about big life questions, that kind of stuff. Before, I would say my faith was the most important thing in my life, but it wasn’t. The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know. It’s been awesome and a lot of fun to dive into my faith, and to have real conversations of importance with other people.

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ill and Cheryl are recklessly generous in the way they live their lives. They would never hesitate to offer me a ride, a meal, or a place to stay if I needed one, even if it meant sacrificing their own basic necessities. Since Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been involved with the CCO, my faith has become more deeply rooted in the Bible instead of my existing beliefs or what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard from other people. I no longer gloss over the parts of the Bible that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agree withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even the tough stuff that I used to ignore. I talk with leaders about it, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been productive, because we work towards figuring out what God is actually telling us instead of inventing the answer that we want to hear and moving on with life.

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Will comes out to track practice, and I know Will doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love track, but he still shows up. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a superstar on the team or not. That was huge for me. Once we connected, we started meeting one on one, studying Scripture, growingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; it completely changed my perspective on things. During the semester, they host dinner every Sunday for the students, and we get 12 to 20 people coming every week. As a person who has dabbled a little in adult life, I understand that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge expense. From a financial standpoint, the things that Will and Cheryl do here are not feasible, but they do it, every week without fail. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a testimony to when you do what God is calling you to do, he provides the way.

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t has made all the difference that I connected to the CCO ministry as a student. The single most important thing that happened to me in my Penn State career was getting connected to Will. I was having a rough patch in my sportâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;came in on a full scholarship and wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t performing as well as expected. I was supposed to be the fastest guy on the team, and I was closer to being the slowest. My scholarship was being threatened, I was not doing well academically, and I was 10,000 miles away from my home in Zimbabwe. When you are an athlete, you get a lot of validation from your performance level. To have that perspective straightened outâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that track is what you do, not who you areâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was huge.

Penn State University 2015, nutrition/dietetics major

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Penn State University 2013, math major, currently coaching track at Penn State

MEGAN SIVERLING

Elizabethtown College Elmira College Esperanza College Franklin & Marshall College Gannon University Geneva College Georgetown University Gordon College Grove City College Harrisburg Area Community College, Lebanon Campus Immaculata University Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Juniata College Kent State University Kent State University at Stark Kenyon College Kutztown University of Pennsylvania La Roche College Lancaster Bible College Lehigh Carbon Community College Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Lycoming College Malone University Marion Technical College Messiah College Millersville University of Pennsylvania Montgomery County Community College Montreat College Mount Vernon Nazarene University Northern Virginia Community College Ohio Dominican University Ohio State University Ohio State University at Marion Ohio Wesleyan University Owens Community College Penn State Altoona Penn State Beaver Penn State Erie, The Behrend College

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Allegheny College American University Arcadia University Art Institute of Pittsburgh Ashland University Ball State University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bluffton University Brookdale Community College Bucks County Community College Bucks County Community College, Upper Bucks Campus Butler County Community College Butler University Cabrini College Cairn University California University of Pennsylvania Camden County College Capital University Carnegie Mellon University Cedar Crest College Chatham University Clarion University of Pennsylvania College of Staten Island Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus State Community College, Columbus Campus Columbus State Community College, Delaware Campus Community College of Allegheny County, Allegheny Campus Community College of Allegheny County, Boyce Campus Community College of Beaver County Corning Community College Delaware County Community College Delaware Valley College Drexel University Duquesne University Duquesne University School of Law Eastern University Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Please let us know so we can say thank you! We are so grateful for the many people who have included the CCO in their estate plans, insurance, or other forms of planned giving. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to add you to this list! To find out more, please contact Allyson Sveda at 412.363.3303 or asveda@ccojubilee.org.

Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine

Order online, call us weekdays at 1.888.569.9030, or email us at cards@ccojubilee.org to request a brochure.

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WHY JIM AND ERIN RIMMEL GIVE TO THE CCO Jim Rimmel was introduced to the CCO 13 years ago, when a friend invited him to attend a CCO-sponsored golf outing. Learning how the CCO was transforming college students made a big impact on him. Since 2002, Jim has served on the CCO Board of Directors, and he and his wife, Erin, have financially supported several campus ministry staff, the CCO’s annual Next Generation Gala, and other CCO initiatives. As a Managing Director of Investments for UBS Financial Services, Jim understands the importance of making a meaningful impact on the next generation.

Why is it important for you to support the CCO? It is an honor to serve the CCO. Through the CCO, we feel like we are supporting the future and making an impact on who we are as a society. The mission of transforming college students to transform the world is clearly important to all of us who realize that college students will be the leaders of tomorrow. The leadership and staff of the CCO dedicate

themselves to this mission and execute their call with enthusiasm and professionalism. What message do you have for current and future donors? Our message is simple: attend Jubilee. If you want to see what a return on your investment looks like, attend the CCO’s Jubilee conference in February and interact with these college students to see first-hand the impact that the CCO is making.

What makes the CCO special to you? As I am approaching 25 years out of college, I can still remember all of the questionable decisions I made in college. I can still remember being away from home for the first time. I can still remember being influenced by college professors, and I can remember how much I drifted in my faith. The CCO is the organization that helps build upon—or establish—that

Christian foundation. We have to help college students grow stronger in their faith. Have you remembered the CCO in your estate plans or through another planned gift? We would like to recognize you through the Legacy Fellowship and ensure that you receive an invitation to our upcoming luncheon on October 21, 2014 at the Duquesne Club. For more information, or if you have any questions about the CCO’s ministry, please contact Allyson Sveda, Director of Development, at 412-363-3303.

OUR BOARD Andrew Aloe Group Chair Vistage International, Inc. Elizabeth Baker CEO Hot Metal Media LLC Robert H. Bishop Executive Vice President Janney Montgomery Scott LLC CCO Staff Alumnus Kurt E. Carlson Executive Vice President Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. The Rev. Nancy O. Chalfant-Walker Rector St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church CCO Staff Alumna

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Jennifer Ciccone Vice President, Human Resources Matthews International Ryan D. Deaderick, P.E. Production Engineering Manager Energy Corporation of America Joseph P. Diggins, Jr. Partner Ernst & Young LLP Louis A. Divers President Precision Abrasives Daniel J. Dupee President & CEO Coalition for Christian Outreach The Rev. Dr. William R. Glaze Pastor Bethany Baptist Church

Darrin E. Grove CEO TrueFit Judith A. Herschell President Herschell Environmental, LLC John M. Holt, Jr. President HOLSINGER Harry A. Kunze President & CEO Safety Works, LLC Dr. Robert R. Long Chairman Emeritus Coalition for Christian Outreach Martha McElhattan Homemaker and Volunteer

Terrence H. Murphy Shareholder Littler Mendelson P.C. Brian T. Must Founding Member Metz, Lewis, Brodman, Must & O’Keefe, Attorneys at Law The Rev. Richard Noftzger Executive Presbyter Redstone Presbytery CCO Staff Alumnus J. Paul Organ Founder and Certified Financial Planner Marathon Financial Services CCO Staff Alumnus James W. Rimmel Managing Director, Investments UBS Financial Services Inc.

James D. Roberge Managing Director Staley Capital Advisers, Inc. John S. Rosso CEO Peak Performance Management Inc. David A. Schrader, PhD Partner Full Circle Group CCO Staff Alumnus Kenneth E. Smith Chairman of the Board President Etcetera Edutainment Lori Stuckey Homemaker and Volunteer

Henry B. Suhr III Adjunct Faculty Geneva College CCO Staff Alumnus J.T. Thomas Owner Black-N-Gold Cheesecake Company Mary Martha Truschel Assistant Counsel, Southwest Regional Office PA Department of Environmental Protection Dr. John H. White President Emeritus Geneva College

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