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Table of Contents page
2 Share His Gift page
3 Building Up Christ page
4 MO Spring Break page
5 Three Hours page
7 Taste of Home
CONTACT US
bcm@ucumberlands.edu
FIND US
Edna Taylor House
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CALLED TO SHARE HIS GIFT Dr. Robert “Bob” Dunston, a longtime professor in the Department of Missions & Ministry, has been a devoted follower of Christ since he was a child.
“I was blessed with growing up in a very stable Christian home,” Dunston said. “It’s something that my wife and I tried to provide for our three children.” Dunston has been involved with the church since his early childhood. At age nine, he went forward at a Vacation Bible School and was baptized just weeks later. He later became the youth pastor at a church in Hampton, Virginia. But life in ministry wasn’t a long-term plan for Dunston. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in math before working for the Virginia Power Company as a computer programmer and systems analyst. He became heavily involved in a local church’s ministry to the deaf. “I took the sign language class to see if it was something I was interested in, and it was,” said Dunston. “I interpreted for a deaf church member during a trip to Europe, and it was really on that trip when I realized God was calling me into ministry.” He began attending the Midwestern Baptist Seminary, now called the First Calvary Baptist Church, in Kansas City. While there, he ministered to the area’s deaf population in various capacities. Dunston gradually felt the direction of his calling was more toward teaching. His professors
agreed, which encouraged Dunston to pursue that path.
He met his wife during his last year of school and stayed in the area an extra year while she finished her degree. They later moved to Richmond, Virginia where Dunston received a Master of Theology degree at Union Seminary. He then went to Southern Seminary to earn his Ph.D. He began teaching at Simmons Bible College, a black Bible college in the west end of Louisville. “They were just great guys,” recalled Dunston. “A lot of them had served in the Vietnam War and were working full time. They would come and spend three hours at night studying and doing classes. Then they would work in their church on Sundays. It was really an inspiring group of individuals.” Dunston spent some time teaching elementary Hebrew afterward. In 1983, Cumberlands had an opening, and the Department Chair called two of Dunston’s professors for recommendations. Both professors mentioned Dunston by name. After Dunston and his wife took a few visits to Cumberlands, he gladly accepted the position. “This is going to be my 37th year, and I’ve just loved it here,” he said. “The nice thing for me about teaching is that you keep on learning. It’s been instructional for me, inspirational for me to hear stories and to see what students have done. It’s been great working with students, getting to know them, and having their faith influenced by my faith.”
because . . . “I have been called to look at the gifts God has given me and find newer, better ways to use those to help others discover their own gifts and get them thinking about their faith.”
DR. BOB DUNSTON
BUILDING UP CHRIST building up community Micah Linton is strong enough to heave trusses onto a new house’s framework, smart enough to look life’s issues square in the eye, and brave enough to admit that he made a mess of his first semester at Cumberlands.
team saws, lifts, and hammers building materials into place from morning until evening, five days a week, all summer long to build a home for a family in need. The process humbles even the hardest hearts. It is life-changing.
“I partied, got super bad grades, and was just living for myself and being selfish and stupid,” Micah said. No need to sugarcoat. “We were at this party once and the cops showed up. We got in trouble with our coach. After all that, I really evaluated my life, like, ‘Man. Am I going to keep doing this?’”
“Every year, we realize how blessed we are to be able to build a home for a family,” said Micah. “Working with MO has really opened my eyes to being a true servant and putting my faith into action. It’s by the grace of God. It’s rewarding.”
Micah’s parents met at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp, and Micah enjoyed FCA in high school. During his first semester at UC, Micah attended Cumberlands’ FCA events, hoping it would help him feel better about himself. But with his life on a rapid downward spiral, Micah was faced with a choice. “I was living two lives, and I couldn’t do that forever. It would tear me apart,” he said. “I could feel the tension in myself and knew I needed to commit to one or the other.”
because . . . “It’s what the Gospel calls us to do. It’s what the Holy Spirit leads us to do.”
MICAH LINTON, ’19
Micah decided to walk away from his old life, re-dedicating himself to Christ. The athletes in FCA gave Micah a safe group of friends, and Christ began transforming Micah’s heart, digging up old pride and selfishness and placing inside him new compassion and hope. That led Micah to Mountain Outreach (MO), where he has served since. In blazing-hot sunshine and humidity reaching 70 percent, the MO summer
Mountain Outreach has a motto: It’s about the people, not the projects. And it definitely is not about you. “That perspective will really change you. If you don’t make life all about yourself, then you’re going to enjoy yourself in whatever you do,” Micah explained. “The MO program is about developing leaders. You can go out after college and have a sense of, ‘Okay, I need to reach people and help them grow as individuals in Christ.’ We’re trying to reach people for the Gospel. You grow when you do stuff like that.” College was “a crucial time” for Micah, as it is for many students – a point when they are forced to begin deciding for themselves what their lives will look like. Micah is a senior now who wants to make the most of his final year at UC. Between finishing classwork for his three majors (yes, three) and competing on the wrestling team, he hopes to help students who may be struggling like he was, praying that Christ will influence those students’ lives through him.
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Making an Eternal Difference When Spring Break came around, Mountain Outreach (MO) hunkered down. Armed with toolbelts, safety goggles, a lot of know-how and even more heart, the team got right to work completing construction projects at multiple sites around Letcher County. “We’re here to meet a physical need, but we’re also here to talk to folks about their spiritual need,” Rick Fleenor, a MO volunteer, explained. “Sometimes the construction projects open the door for that more important conversation. This ramp is not going to last forevermore. But through it we can make a difference that will last beyond this week and into eternity.” The most in-depth project this Break was an outdoor classroom for Letcher County Central High School. With the decline of the
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coal industry, teachers in the area have been looking for ways to teach children skills like farming which can help provide for their families and offer the kids future career options. Other Spring Break projects included renovating a building on Calvary Campus, which has hosted the MO team during Spring Break the past few years; constructing one wheelchair ramp for a 20-year military veteran and another ramp for an elderly gentleman named Mr. Potter; and fixing the gutters and a pre-existing wheelchair ramp at an elderly woman’s house. Temperatures were low, but spirits were high. Experienced members bonded with newer teammates through teaching them construction skills and sharing stories
from projects past. A lot of team bonding occurred over dinnertimes and card games in the evenings. Some workers preferred to build friendships by teasing their lessexperienced teammates, sending the newbies on wild goose chases around the worksites. (A few rookies obediently searched for a “wood-stretcher” for several minutes before realizing… wood cannot be stretched.) There is an increasing number of senior adults in Letcher County who have almost no income and may be disabled. That is why sometimes people say things like, “You just need to get some help” to this older population, but never actually offer to help them. MO steps in to serve in tangible, impactful ways.
Every year, new faces join the group and enjoy the mutual exchange of impacting others while simultaneously being impacted. “It’s a cool experience to go through,” said Kassidy White, a freshman from Strunk, Kentucky. “We’re giving back to the community through God. That’s not happening much anymore. To see such a small group of kids come together to worship God and serve the people in the community who need help is refreshing.” Working hard, bonding with teammates, sharing the Gospel, and making a difference – that’s the MO way. From one worksite to another, in good weather or bad, God’s love is making its way into the lives of countless locals through Mountain Outreach.
YOU HAVE THREE HOURS Tori Malone isn’t allowed to discuss the specifics of what happens to certain local children when Appalachian Ministries’ Vacation Bible Schools end and the kids return home. What some of them have told Tori has simultaneously broken her heart and enlarged it, deepening her love for children.
Tori says, “and I just try to show as much love to these kids as I can in that three-hour period.” The AM team begins their time with hugs, high-fives, and catching up with the kids. Then they split everyone into their age groups and teach a Bible lesson. A bus from the local school’s Family Resource Center brings lunch. Then AM leads games, crafts, snack time, dance, and play time before bringing everyone back together to “recap” what the kids learned that day.
“Some stories are so awful,” says Tori. “You just have to push through listening to them and then go cry in a corner. There were several times I called my mom saying, ‘We need to take these kids. We need to adopt Throughout the day, kids always them; I’m bringing them home.’” crawl onto Tori’s lap, sometimes two The children all seemed to be at a time. Girls often ask her to braid “craving love so badly,” it deeply their hair. Tori is more prone to hug moved Tori. people now, after so much practice She recalls, “One little boy would squeezing the little ones. Sometimes repeatedly come up to me, kiss my she’ll secretly sneak an extra cookie cheek, then run away like it was a fun to a child, just for fun, and watch little game. It just melted my heart! their faces light up “like you just gave Once, a little girl came over and them the world.” said, ‘Pick me up!’ because nobody holds her at home. I had to do a lice treatment on myself after, but I just couldn’t say no.”
The whole AM team was humbled by the children this summer. The kids’ excitement, eagerness, and desire to be loved have changed Tori from the Tori looks away, then turns back and inside out. tries to give a lighthearted shrug. “I never used to remember people’s “That’s just how it is.” names, but now when I go to Tori, a sophomore softball player Walmart, I’m looking for these kids from Tennessee, spent eight and can call them by name,” she weeks serving with Appalachian says. “I went from 100 percent ‘I’m Ministries (AM) this summer. When not having kids’ to ‘I want to have ten the AM team’s van pulled into the kids,’ all in one summer.”
because . . .
“God’s love is immeasurable. The relationships we build with these kids through Appalachian Ministries is just great.”
TORI MALONE, ’22
neighborhood every morning, the children would “swarm” them, unable to contain their excitement. The fun college students were here!
Tori smiles. Then point-blank, she says what she’s been getting at the whole time. “I love these kids. They’re just great. I just love these “We have three hours in that day,” kids so much.”
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Honoring a Legacy of Service
600+
1200+
3 30.1k
STUDENTS ENGAGING IN SERVICE ON MLK DAY TOTAL HOURS SERVED BY UC STUDENTS ON MLK DAY LOCATIONS HOSTED STUDENTS FOR SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES TOTAL HOURS SERVED BY THE CLASS OF 2019 IN ONE YEAR
“The true nature of education is learning how to serve your fellow man. To be able to do that is to be able to understand you’re investing in the community. Cumberlands has always done that, and always been able to put feet and hands to work.” DR. AMON COUCH Williamsburg Independent School District Superintendent
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because . . . “It’s a blessing to build relationships with these international students. As much as we are hopefully blessing them, it’s also a blessing for us.”
REJOICE OLAOLORUN, ’19
A Taste of Home Cumberlands senior Rejoice OlaOlorun has been involved with International Student Ministries since her freshman year of college. She is currently a key leader for International Food Night, a campus ministries event that allows international students to be exposed to the Gospel while sharing their culture with other students. “We don’t want just the food to show Christ, we want to tell them about Christ because most of them haven’t even heard about the Gospel,” said Rejoice. “We have all the nations right here on campus, so why travel hundreds of miles away to share the Gospel when you can share it with someone from a different country right now?”
Through International Food Night, Rejoice and other leaders are given the opportunity to show Christ to international students. This allows for the Gospel to be delivered in a relaxed environment. Since Rejoice’s freshman year, the international student events have grown a lot. Before, these events would be held at, once a month. They’re now held weekly, whether it be International Food Night or an international students Bible study. Other events Rejoice helps arrange are frequent day trips to Lexington or Knoxville. Rejoice also arranges weekly trips to different stores to allow students without transportation on campus to still get the things they need.
These events and trips allow for a sense of inclusiveness for all Cumberlands students, helping the University feel like a home away from home. “Food and community really help people feel at home. It’s important for international students to have something that makes them feel at home here,” Rejoice mentioned. “We want to give them an opportunity to cook something from home, invite their friends to help, and teach their friends about their home. It’s a thing of joy to see them light up like that and be part of something besides just sports.” Rejoice is originally from Nigeria but came
to the States during high school. Although leadership is now an important part of Rejoice’s presence on campus, that wasn’t her original goal when she came to Cumberlands. While attending an activities fair her freshman year, someone recommended that she sign up for an international student Bible study. She signed up without realizing it was for people that would like to lead the Bible study. She prayed on the situation and decided this was the right path for her. Since then, Rejoice has poured herself into her leadership position on campus and works daily to help other students enhance their faith and leadership skills.
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HOW CAN YOU ACT? PUT YOUR FAITH INTO ACTION.
MOUNTAIN OUTREACH
BAPTIST CAMPUS MINISTRIES
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES
APPALACHIAN MINISTRIES
CONTACT: Marc Hensley 606.539.4143
CONTACT: Chad Everhart 606.539.3565
CONTACT: Devon Goings 606.539.4605
CONTACT: Caitlyn Howell 606.539.4173