Sept. 15, 2015
For Immediate Release
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| CU Church Outreach Student Life Teams and leaders gathered into their separate groups at the Aug. 24 retreat and began their work of planning Sunday services for church visits scheduled through the end of the year. From left are: Front row — Tim Johnson, Wilmore, Ky.; Wes Carter, Campbellsville, Ky.; Jacquelyn Hardy, Campbellsville, Ky.; Heather Sabo, Campbellsville, Ky.; Devan Bishop, Columbia, Ky.; Divine Oludi, Nigeria; Jordyn Bray, Somerset, Ky.; Dr. G. Ted Taylor, Campbellsville, Ky.; and Leighton Lavey, Mayfield, Ky. Second row — Travis Spann, Wilmore, Ky.; John Rausch, Campbellsville, Ky.; TJ Rayhill, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Elvis Ufuoma, Nigeria; Jasmine Barnett, Campbellsville. Ky.; Keegan Harris, Somerset, Ky.; and Brittany Combs, Somerset, Ky. Third row — Tori Hester, Henderson, Ky.; Choe Sergent, Danville, Ky.; Jesus Berlanga, Lebanon, Ky.; Josh Vincent, Louisville, Ky; and Lucas Humphrey, Shepherdsville, Ky. Fourth row — Elisha Lawrence, Danville, Ky.; Jamie Lawrence, Danville, Ky.; Brenham Koontz, LaGrange, Ky.; Jerry Goss, Springfield, Ky.; Aron Neal, Cincinnati, Oh.; Aaron Smith, Mt. Sterling, Ky.; Landon Rogers, Harrodsburg, Ky.; Logan Curtis, Lawrenceburg, Ky.; and Max Vitori, Hutsonville, Ky. (Campbellsville University Photo by Linda Waggener) |
By Linda Waggener, Campbellsville University
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – An expanded 2015-16 Church Outreach program got underway in the Betty Dobbins Heilman House on day one of Campbellsville University’s fall semester.
Student Life Teams gathered at the Aug. 24 retreat and began their work of planning Sunday services for church visits scheduled through the end of the year. Church Outreach has 70 complete worship services scheduled between now and Thanksgiving, including A Day of Kingdom Advance on Nov. 1 where CU will provide 26 full services.
Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University, said to supporters at a follow-up appreciation luncheon, “Campbellsville University’s Church Outreach program is sort of a miracle. We’ve always had great church relations, thank you Dr. John Chowning; we’ve always had great campus ministry, thank you Rev. Ed Pavy; and we’ve always had strong Theology and Music Schools, thank you deans, Dr. John Hurtgen and Dr. Tony Cunha.
Vision 2025 was the guiding force that kept the university on track.
“We turned to a document created by President Carter and Dr. Chowning,” said Church Outreach director Dr. G. Ted Taylor, “a document that had been coordinated by them which included input from faculty, staff and CU trustees. Vision 2025 gave us what would be Church Outreach’s three core values: 1 – Christ centered, 2 – church connected, and 3 – changed lives. Church Outreach is simply about expanding on the mission to advance the kingdom of God. This program is just an extension of what happens on this campus every day.”
Wes Carter, assistant director of Church Outreach, said, “We started in faith for a program of reaching out directly to all churches one year ago. We didn’t know what it would look like but we believed, with faith being something we all hope for but we cannot see. We knew that when students are able to have practical ministry experience in actual church settings, they would gain future career networks. We also knew the more students who could serve churches, the greater Christian family could come to know Campbellsville University.”
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| One of Campbellsville University’s Church Outreach student life teams took part in the planning retreat August 24, preparing for upcoming services. From left are — Logan Curtis, Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Torie Hester, Henderson, Ky.; Jordyn Bray, Somerset, Ky.; Brenham Koontz, LaGrange, Ky.; and Devan Bishop, Columbia, Ky. (Photo by Linda Waggener) |
President Carter said, “We are excited about the future of the Church Outreach program as an expansion of what Campbellsville University has been building for over a century.”
Combining Church Outreach with Church Relations and the Schools of Theology and Music, over 800 churches were served by CU this past year. Just under 500 lives were changed for Jesus Christ.
CU students spoke about their experiences at the donor appreciation luncheon, after having had experience serving in non-denominational, Baptist and Methodist churches, noting that all are about growing in God.
Tori Hester, a CU sophomore from Henderson, Ky., leads one worship team. She said, “When I came to Campbellsville University I was looking for Christ-centered relationships. I felt mostly alone and that nobody really understood me. Thank you Landon Rogers, for bringing me to the first Church Outreach event. I knew then that I belonged. I’m so grateful for the staff and teams, so excited Church Outreach is expanding, and I am truly excited at what the Lord is doing with it.” Landon Rogers is a Campbellsville University student from Harrodsburg, Ky.
For information on Campbellsville University Church Outreach and programs available for churches, contact: Wesley Carter, http://wvcarter@campbellsville.edu or (270) 849-7575; Jasmine Barnett, jpbarnett@campbellsville.edu or (270) 299-6321; Dr. G. Ted Taylor, gttaylor@campbellsville.edu or (865) 235-4827; and the Rev. John H. Rausch, jhrausch@campbellsville.edu or (270) 849-8639.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate programs, 17 master’s degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.