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| Campbellsville University freshmen attend “FIRST CLASS” each week in Ransdell Chapel where they have the opportunity to hear the gospel with emphasis on Christian character development and servant leadership. Some 30 decisions for Christ were made in the Sept. 16 event when speaker Eric Gilbert Pastor of 3Trees Church in Russell County, Ky., offered the call. (Campbellsville University photo by Rachel DeCoursey) |
By Linda Waggener, marketing and media relations coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Over five hundred freshmen attend what Campbellsville University calls “FIRST CLASS” every week in Ransdell Chapel. Students have the opportunity to hear the gospel with emphasis on Christian character development and servant leadership.
Some 30 decisions for Christ were made in the Sept. 16 event when speaker Eric Gilbert, Pastor of 3Trees Church in Russell County, Ky., offered the call.
“Eric is a powerful proclaimer of the gospel,” said Dr. G. Taylor, director of CU’s Character and Leadership Institute, who worked with senior CU administrators and other faculty in developing FIRST CLASS a decade ago and who said hundreds of freshmen have given their lives to Christ in FIRST CLASS over its 10-year history.
In several FIRST CLASS sessions in the fall, students have a chance to respond to the gospel in this traditional Baptist theological setting driven by “whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jon Hansford, director of Campbellsville University’s First Year Experience (FYE), said, “At CU, finding your calling is rooted in the redeemed identity found in Jesus. As a Christian higher education institution, it is our privilege to partner with God in what He is already doing in the lives of our students.”
He said FIRST CLASS focuses on helping students transition into the CU academic, social, service and spiritual collegiate community. Each CU first-year student is enrolled in FIRST CLASS and has a student mentor and a dedicated faculty/staff member that intentionally serves their students in order to help make achievement possible. In this class the students are taught a variety of servant leadership principles and college success skills.
Taylor said it’s great to be part of a Christian institution like Campbellsville University that takes her mission seriously.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.