WINTER 2016
ON CAMPUS TRANSFORMING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD
THE STUDENT WITH THE
BIG DREAM
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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: JPG Photography (cover), Andrew Rush, and Peter Chace Pictured on the cover: CCO student alumnus Alexander Nallin
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OUR PASSION TO REACH THE WORLD
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early 300 current and former world leaders have attended universities in the United States, according to a 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And there are currently 1.1 million international students studying in the U.S. What an amazing opportunity we have to speak into the lives of men and women who will have a powerful influence within their families, communities, workplaces—and possibly even their governments. As a campus ministry that seeks to call college students to serve Jesus Christ with their entire lives, we are uniquely positioned to equip today’s students to grow into tomorrow’s godly leaders. Through Bible studies, Jubilee conferences, and one-on-one conversations with their CCO mentors, students like Alex, Joel, and Sarah are figuring out how they can help build the Kingdom of God in their current contexts. They are even open to going into new places to share God’s love with those who desperately need it. They are growing deeper in their faith in Christ, and they are catching a vision for how they can make a real difference in people’s lives, all over the world. I am the first person to admit that it is an audacious thing to say that the ministry I lead is about “transforming college students to transform the world.” But it’s not about me. It’s not about the CCO campus missionaries who are investing in the lives of college students. It’s not even about the students themselves. It is about the audacious God we all love and serve, who through His Son, Jesus Christ, calls us “to make disciples of all the nations.”
Vincent J. Burens President & CEO CCO
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I dream of going to the Third World and using my degree in economics to care for the poorest of the poor. —Alexander Nallin CCO student leader at Washington & Jefferson College
2013
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THE STUDENT WITH THE
BIG DREAM
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efore I came to Washington & Jefferson College and got involved with the CCO, I don’t think I was mature enough to accept that I should use my hard-earned time, energy, and resources to help those less fortunate than I. I thought that our time on earth was a matter of putting your head down, keeping your feet moving and just surviving until we arrive in Heaven. I didn’t think much about making this current earth a better place, because I reasoned, “If it’s going to be destroyed anyway, why bother?” My CCO staff worker, Jamie Donne, and the Jubilee conference changed that mindset. I learned that it is God’s ultimate plan to build the Kingdom—to take what presently exists and to transform it into that which it was originally intended to be. It gave me a sense of hope, but with it, a sense of duty. God wants to change the world, and He does that work through changed people. This framework lit a fire within me and made me realize
that I needed to be one of those changed people. I needed to focus on becoming an instrument of God’s work in building the Kingdom. Jamie has a sincere devotion and desire to reach out to those in need—“in need” meaning not just economically, but also spiritually and emotionally. At first, I was very resistant to this idea. But Jamie never gave up on me. She continued to work with me through personal situations, emotional stresses, and spiritual growth. She pushed me to go overseas for the first time—which ended up being one of the most profound influences of my life. It was Jamie’s guidance that played a major role in my decision to apply to the Peace Corps. Looking back on my time in college, I realize that I wasn’t the easiest student for Jamie to work with. I can only hope that one day I will be able to invest in someone the way Jamie did in me. The individuals I met through our campus CCO group continue to be some of my very closest friends, as does Jamie. The talks we had after
CCO meetings provided me with so much life help; I don’t know where I would be without them.
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began my Peace Corps training in Peru about two weeks after I graduated from college with my degree in economics. I was part of the Community Economic Development Program, and my flagship project was to collaborate with three rival artisan associations to open a single new market in a larger city with more tourist traffic. These 67 women who wove handbags, blankets, and other products from wool and cotton produced beautiful products. But we were in a village of 2,000 people, four hours from the nearest major city, so there were not exactly a plethora of customers to sell to. The other problem was that, because there were three separate groups, they were constantly under-cutting each other’s prices. I was able to collaborate with another volunteer who lived in a major city with heavy tourist traffic. We opened a new market continued on page 7
Before college, I don’t think I was mature enough to accept that I should use my hard-earned time, energy, and resources to help those less fortunate than I.
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I collaborated with three rival artisan associations to open a single new market in a
larger city with more tourist traffic... It was a lot of work, but it resulted in a rise of nearly 300% in the artisans’ profits.
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continued from page 5 for artisans in that city where they could ship their products, sell them, and receive the revenue at the end of each month. It took about six months to get the project up and running. We had to speak to the three groups and attain agreements from each to collaborate on the project. We then had to teach the women how to account for this new revenue and how to disburse it amongst themselves at the end of each month. It was a lot of work, but it resulted in a rise of nearly 300% in the artisans’ profits. Even more exciting than the economic success, however, was the personal growth of the women involved in the project. Several women stepped up to be leaders, and watching them step into those roles was extremely rewarding. They took a sincere pride in being able to produce their own income and help support their families.
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uring the rest of my time in the Peace Corps, I taught economics and entrepreneurship in a technical school, worked with small business owners to improve their financial management and inventory management systems, and helped open micro-finance institutions in two small villages that had no reliable access to a licensed bank.
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am now back in the States working with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC for a government program called American Job Centers. I use my economics background to provide economic and employment information to those who work in job centers. I realize that I have been incredibly fortunate from the day I was born, and I believe it is my responsibility to use that privilege to build up others. God has shown me that equipping people with the tools they need to make careers is the way I can do my small share to help build His Kingdom.
2016
Alex Nallin recently completed basic training to be a Marine Corps Officer. He will serve in the Reserves.
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ne of the keys that helps develop students like Alex is the intentionality of discipleship blended with the conversations that happen in the mundane aspects of life.
I know that those side conversations are some of the most influential moments of ministry, but they don’t happen without creating space for clear Bible study, prayer, and leadership development. Being patient with students isn’t easy, but students like Alex remind me that we are seeking long-term transformation. While the moments of stirring are fun and important, the lasting fruit of patient discipleship is what really changes people. Jesus has been patient and kind to me and it has marked me and continues to transform me. Journeying with students during their college years and beyond is truly a gift and helps us all move from glory to glory. —Jamie Donne CCO Campus Staff Washington & Jefferson College
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INVITING THE
WORLD THE PENN STATE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY of Walt and Sue Johnston by Sue Johnston
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TO DINNER R
aj, a researcher from India, needed a place to stay until his apartment became available. Housing a stranger is never easy. Yet in the course of a week, God enabled many spiritual conversations to take place, including one in which Raj said that he thought his wife might be a Christian. He said that she wore a cross around her neck and carried a small Bible. Walt suggested that Raj read the Jesus Storybook Bible to understand what his wife might believe. Raj never put the book down. He read it from cover to
cover, asking, “Are these stories really true?” He admitted that he didn’t believe the stories in Hinduism to be true and he had actually stopped going to temple. Raj says that we are his American parents and is quite willing to continue these spiritual conversations. Walt and I had served as missionaries to the Philippines for 23 years when, suddenly in 2010, our mission board informed us that they felt the work there was completed. Uncertainty loomed. We had planned to work in the Philippines until retirement,
but God had other plans. Our daughter Hannah suggested that we consider working with international students in the United States, because she saw at her university how lonely and isolated they were. So in September 2010, over 50 people gathered in State College, Pennsylvania to pray over our house and commit it for the Lord’s use. We specifically prayed that internationals would find a place to call home and taste and see that the Lord is good. Since that time, hundreds of students have been in our home, and many have come to know continued on page 11
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“Do you think you and Walt could buy a bigger house? We really need more room for the Bible study.”
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continued from page 9 the Lord. At least 28 have become baptized believers and two have entered fulltime Christian work with international students on other campuses. We recognize that these students represent the best from their countries; nearly 300 present and former world leaders studied in the United States. So we see the need to equip these students to return to their home countries and impact their sphere of influence with the Gospel. We host a Saturday night Bible discussion and dinner in our home, with up to 40 students joining us each week. We seek to create a family and a community for these students, a place they can call home. We believe that the unfolding of God’s Word brings light, according to Psalm 119:130, and so we seek to help unwrap the Word of God for these students, many of whom have been taught all their lives that there is no God. Each Thursday night, a group of ten students gathers to learn how to develop a Bible study,
pray for each other, and pray for other students. One of the students then leads the Bible study on Saturday night and the others function as facilitators when we break into small groups. It’s so exciting to see them learn how to lead a Bible study. One student who became a believer two years ago said, “I can’t believe I did it! I actually led my first Bible study. Never thought I’d do that.” Recently one of the leaders asked, “Do you think you and Walt could buy a bigger house? We really need more room for the Bible study.” A fourth discussion group used our bedroom until we added a sunroom to accommodate the growing numbers. What a wonderful problem to have!
Recognizing that these students represent the best from their countries, we also see the need to equip them to return to their home countries and impact their sphere of influence with the Gospel.
There are over one million international students currently studying in the United States. —Open Doors 2016: Executive Summary, Institute of International Education, Department of State, United States of America
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I have surrendered my life to Christ. This means that now, today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life, in everything that I do, I desire that the Father be glorified. And my career will not be an exception. —Joel Bombile Penn State University Park 2016 Chemical Engineering
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WHAT
JOEL BOMBILE HOPES TO DO
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am originally from the Katanga region of the Congo. As a PhD candidate at Penn State University, I am involved as a student leader in a CCO ministry focusing on reaching international students for Christ. I have been welcomed, served, and discipled by Walt and Sue as an international student in the United States. In the same way, I will make Christ known to students, and especially international students, by sharing His love with them. I also will unashamedly declare and proclaim my faith in the scientific environment, which is becoming increasingly hostile to people of faith. I intend to use the expertise that I will have gained here in the United States on the African continent by pursuing an academic career. My area of specialization is organic electronic materials and materials for solar energy conversion. This is an area of research in which Africa is currently not well represented.
Walt and Sue’s ministry has helped me tremendously in strengthening my foundation of faith in Christ. It has also trained me to effectively demonstrate the love of Christ and share my faith with my peers on campus. I have seen many lives being transformed by joining the Christian family and by being discipled in the walk of faith here on campus. And these people go on to take influential positions in the professional world and in the nations. International students like myself, being in a foreign environment and having to adjust to a new culture and language, have unique needs. Ministering to them by demonstrating the love of Christ is a direct way to have an impact for Christ on the nations.
Ministering to international students by demonstrating the love of Christ is a direct way to have an impact for Christ on the nations.
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My ultimate goal is to open a global chain of hospitals and orphanages. I want to start in Africa and branch out into the Middle East, Asia, South America, and other places that need stable institutions rather than little clinics without proper resources. —Sarah Gethers Duquesne University 2019 Entrepreneurship
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SARAH GETHERS’
AMBITIOUS DREAM
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ver since I can remember, I have always been disturbed by the suffering of my people, but I guess the real drive started my freshmen year when I began to pay more attention to the suffering of children all over the world. I was born in Illinois, but also lived in South Carolina and Pennsylvania before coming to Duquesne University—my father worked in pharmaceutical sales, so we moved around quite a bit. But I was raised in the church. I consider my parents to be Bible scholars, and I did not realize how much of a blessing that is until I had to constantly answer questions from curious friends because they didn’t know anyone else to ask. Over the years, my appreciation of my relationship with Christ grows even more. One of my first concerns about going to college in Pittsburgh was this: where was I going to go to church every Sunday? How am I going to make it without having that refreshing time once a week? That is when I decided to go to the Duquesne ministry fair and got connected with [CCO campus staff members] Herb Kolbe and Val Faust. Herb connected me to Macedonia Baptist Church, which I love, and also invited me to his Bible study on Thursdays.
He offered to meet up with me as well—he’s been great. I also got in involved in Val’s small group and was able to connect with some great girls. I meet with Val monthly now, and she gives me spiritual guidance. Both Herb and Val listen to me and challenge me to stay centered in Christ as I pursue my dream. I want to support orphanages as well as hospitals, because so many children are displaced because of the civil unrest in their homelands. Orphanages are often without resources, to the point that they are forced to get food and supplies from whatever terrorist group is in charge in their area. I want to provide a safe haven for children who have nothing and show them they can be someone. They need to know the forgiving love and second chances that Jesus Christ offers all of us.
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don’t know exactly how I am going to get this done. After I graduate, I want to pursue an MBA and possibly a JD, but I don’t know if I want to go straight to graduate school or work a little first to prepare. I’m not sure if I should start out as a nonprofit or as a business. I wonder about the kind of danger I might be in, considering terrorist groups,
child armies, and such. But at the same time, these threats are exactly why I want to go overseas in the first place. My involvement in the CCO’s ministry has made the reason for me opening these hospitals more relevant. If I don’t, who will? If I stifle the purpose that God has placed on my heart, people who are supposed to be blessed by my actions won’t be blessed. If Herb and Val did not do what they have been moved to do, I would have missed out on so many soul-enriching moments. I worry about the future. When I see people who blow up and burn down orphanages and safe havens for children across the world, I think the last thing I want to do is bring more harm to people who are already so hurt. But I know God wouldn’t have this vision so set in my heart and mind if I wasn’t meant to pursue it.
CCO staff members Herb Kolbe and Valerie Faust serve students at Duquesne University.
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WHY PHYLLIS AND CURT THOMPSON GIVE TO THE CCO Curt Thompson, MD, is a psychiatrist in private practice and the author of two books, The Soul of Shame and Anatomy of the Soul. Phyllis is a social worker with Arlington County Public Schools in Virginia, and her first job out of college was as a CCO campus ministry staff worker. The Thompsons live in northern Virginia and have two adult children. How has the CCO influenced your lives? The notion that Jesus is King of all of life, is Lord over all creation, was a profound, life-giving discovery that we first encountered in the CCO. Knowing that the CCO is continuing to grow and develop its own expanding, vital place in the world provides no small amount of encouragement and hope for us personally in a world in which fear and suffering is found at every turn. Why is ministry to college students important? In our culture, college students are developmentally on the cusp of choosing between any number of possible futures. They live on the verge of deciding—for real—what story they actually believe they are living. So many stories being written by this demographic are hollow, without the relational capital that can carry students into full adulthood, let alone transform the world they occupy. The CCO occupies the crucial space that relationally has 16
the capacity to draw college students into the Story that is intended to breathe life into all stories. No one is better suited to do this—at a time when it is so desperately needed— than the CCO. Why do you support the CCO? We support the CCO because of what it has done for us and for our adult children, and for what it continues to do in the lives of college students and by extension, those beyond the walls of the university. The CCO is a deeply committed community of Jesus followers that is, with humility, working hard to embody the Gospel, inviting college students to live into the joy of the Trinitarian God of the Bible. There is a lot in that to celebrate and support. Have you remembered the CCO in your estate plans or through another planned gift? Would you like to? 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 Elizabeth Baker CEO Hot Metal Media LLC Vincent J. Burens President & CEO Coalition for Christian Outreach Kurt E. Carlson Executive Vice President Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. The Rev. Nancy O. Chalfant-Walker Rector St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church CCO Staff Alumna Jennifer Ciccone Human Resources Director, Productivity Software Group EFI Judith Herschell Cole President Herschell Environmental, LLC Ryan D. Deaderick, P.E. Vice President, Production Energy Corporation of America Joseph P. Diggins, Jr. Partner Ernst & Young LLP Louis A. Divers President Precision Abrasives Reggie Dulaney CEO Panthro Fitness LLC Daniel J. Dupee Chairman of the Board Coalition for Christian Outreach The Rev. Dr. William R. Glaze Pastor Bethany Baptist Church Darrin E. Grove CEO TrueFit John M. Holt, Jr. President HOLSINGER, PC Harry Kunze President & CEO Safety Works, LLC Amylyn Kyler Managing Director Kyler Professional Search The Rev. Dr. Robert R. Long Chairman Emeritus Coalition for Christian Outreach Martha McElhattan Homemaker and Volunteer
Terrence H. Murphy Shareholder Littler Mendelson P.C. Audrey Murrell, Ph.D. Associate Dean, College of Business Administration University of Pittsburgh 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 & Certified Financial Planner Marathon Financial Services CCO Staff Alumnus James W. Rimmel Sr. Vice President, Investments UBS Financial Services, Inc. James D. Roberge Managing Director Staley Capital Advisers, Inc. David A. Schrader, Ph.D. Partner Full Circle Group CCO Staff Alumnus Chris Seidler Sales Executive Net Health Kenneth E. Smith President Simcoach Games Lori Stuckey Homemaker and Volunteer Henry B. Suhr III Adjunct Faculty Geneva College CCO Staff Alumnus J.T. Thomas Entrepreneur & Business Consultant Mary Martha Truschel Assistant Counsel, Southwest Regional Office PA Department of Environmental Protection James D. Young COO, Senior Vice President Crown Castle