Spring 2012 Thiel College Church Bulletin Insert

Experience the Thiel Commitment

Spring-Summer 2012

Diverse Leaders for God’s Diverse Church

l to r: Hertzog, Campus Pastor Bill Bixby, Wagner and Hunt

Three Thiel students are claiming God’s call to specific forms of servant leadership in the church, as pastors or priests in their respective traditions. Ronnell Hunt, a firstyear media communication major from New Castle, Pa., was recently approved and blessed as a licensed minister, preaching a compelling candidate sermon in his home congregation, Second Baptist Church in New Castle.

“Being at Thiel has helped me come to know people from a wide variety of backgrounds and enabled me to offer help with some of their struggles,” said Hunt. An enthusiastic group of Thiel students and staff attended the worship celebration, at which Thiel’s TC Soldiers offered two powerful mime performances. Regis Wagner is a third-year sociology major and music minor, who is completing his undergraduate studies at Thiel in three years in order to enter St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pa. (continued on back)

United in Deep Service On the last weekend of February, students of Thiel Campus Ministry planned and took part in a customized version of World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. This annual event is centered on a voluntary “famine” or fast, and often falls in the season of Lent. The 30 Hour Famine seeks to raise awareness about global hunger and its root causes, lift up the biblical witness that demonstrates God’s passionate commitment to the poor and raise funds for addressing hunger issues.

Folks from all four Christian student organizations on campus came together, in this classic spiritual discipline, for creative learning, Bible encounter, fellowship and prayer, and local service. Several students spoke of the distinctive spirit of unity they experienced serving in Christ’s name. Haiti relief—now two years following the devastating earthquake of January, 2010—was the ministry focus, and support in equal amounts was shared with World Vision (www.worldvision.org) and with ELCA Disaster Response

(http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-InAction/Responding-to-the-World/ Disaster-Response.aspx) “Our gifts were sent to Haiti because Campus Ministry wanted to show that, even years after a disaster, help is still needed,” said Jessica Mueller, a third-year Lutheran student who was the principal designer and leader of the event (pictured at right with Pastor Bixby). “It was great to see students from the different groups serving together, for others.”

Upcoming Campus Events Tuesday, June 12 • Tuesdays at Thiel Visit Day for Fall 2013 Wednesday, June 20 • Registration Day for Fall 2012 Tuesday, July 10 • Tuesdays at Thiel Visit Day for Fall 2013 Wednesday, July 18 • Registration Day for Fall 2012 Wednesday, Aug. 1 • Chart Your Course Visit Day (for students entering college in 2014)

Call 724-589-2345 for more information.

Diverse Leaders (continued from front) Wagner is an approved candidate for the priesthood in the Philadelphia Archdiocese; his home is in nearby Phoenixville, Pa. “I have had a wonderful opportunity to serve in campus ministry for two years, building our Catholic student ministry with a core team of leaders, in collaboration with priests of St. Michael’s, Greenville and Pastor Bixby.” Joey Hertzog, of Butler, Pa., is a junior history major, with both theater and pre-seminary minors. He is bound for a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “I feel called into a life of pastoral leadership, and Thiel has helped nurture that call in me, and helped me grow as a Christian, a scholar and a person,” says Hertzog. We are deeply committed to affirming and amplifying the gifts of students from many different Christian “families,” raising up servant leaders for the future of God’s whole church!

Student-Athletes “Huddle-up” to Share the Gospel Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an organization that encourages the sharing of the gospel by and through athletes in high schools, colleges and universities, and other settings. FCA emphasizes four core values: integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence. The birth of FCA at Thiel College started in December 2010, when Thiel students launched an official FCA Huddle on campus. In April of this year, Thiel’s FCA was approved by the Student Government Association as the fourth student led campus ministry organization (joining Thiel Christian Fellowship, Circle Up! Roman Catholic Student Ministry, and Lutheran Student Movement).

During the first weeks of the 2011-2012 academic year, informational meetings took place, and Bible studies were held throughout the fall on Sunday nights. After winter break, the Bible study was moved to Wednesday mornings over breakfast, and continued to gather a core group of 10 students, including athletes from softball, wrestling, dance, cross country, track, tennis and volleyball. We hope that as FCA grows there will be students from every sport that Thiel offers, and we welcome those who participate in intramurals as well. We have many big plans for next year, and cannot wait to see them carried out! We would also like to thank all the coaches, staff, faculty, mentors and student body for their support and encouragement.

—Submitted by Molly Jo Everett ’14, Medina, Ohio forensic accounting, softball

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The Admissions Office is always looking for opportunities to connect with Lutheran students. If you would like a Thiel representative to visit your church, youth conference or festival, please contact Stephanie Wilson at 724-589-2111 or swilson@thiel.edu.

THIEL STUDENTS ARE:

Roman Catholic 29% Unknown 14% Lutheran 11% Methodist 11% No Affiliation 10% Other 8% Presbyterian 6% Baptist 7% Ind. Christian 4% Christian & Missionary 2%

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