Evangéliumi Hírnök, 2004 (96. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2004-01-01 / 1. szám
Page 8. £—p» *ezore sziüünk-My study at Cedarville by István Miko These past few months (since August) I have been attending Cedarville University, an accredited Baptist Liberal Arts University. I am enrolled in the 1-year Bible program at the school, which will simply give me a Certificate, not a degree. Your first question might be, Why Cedarville? Why not Bible college or Seminary? My immediate answer is that this is where I desired to go and where I believe God wanted me to go, but there are other reasons as well, and I’d like to start by describing the school and my reasons for attending. Cedarville’s Bible program is not less credible simply because it is not a Bible college. Some of the professors have written numerous commentaries and books, and many would be qualified to teach seminary-level courses. I also really liked the school’s focus. The school believes that not everybody is called to vocational ministry. In light of this, the school has over 100 programs of study, including pre-medical, pre-law, engineering, business, graphic design, broadcast arts, music, and pre-seminary, to name a few. The school is committed to excellence and professionalism and is featured in several national publications. All students attending Cedarville, no matter what major they are, must complete a minor in Bible. But the school has a huge focus on spiritual development outside the classroom as well. It has over 150 local and world-wide ministries to get involved with, and Cedarville’s sports teams usually travel to different parts of the world every summer to play with foreign students and share the gospel. The past summer Cedarville’s basketball team was in Gyöngyös, Hungary, where they played Basketball with students there and shared the gospel and their testimony with them. Each year, the school sends a group of new graduate students to teach at the University of Tianjin in China. The Chinese usually do not allow foreigners to teach at their Universities, but Cedarville teachers are allowed. They say that Cedarville students are respectful, honest, hardworking, and trustworthy, which gives the Chinese students a good impression of foreigners. Even though they are not openly proclaiming the gospel, the university knows they come from a Christian school and has asked some of the teachers to start a Bible class at the school.... One of Cedarville’s local ministries is Open Heirs, which is something that I was a part of this past semester and will continue to be a part of next semester. Every Friday night we go to the neighboring large cities (Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati) and share the gospel with the homeless people and anyone else that we come into contact with. We also bring them food, blankets, and warm clothes to wear over the winter season, and this way we establish a relationship with them. I have talked to some people that have never heard the gospel, never heard about what Christ did on the cross for them. It has taught me a lot about how people view God, the Bible, and life in general, and has given me experience in dealing with some of the tough questions people ask such as, “if there is evil in the world, how can God exist?” Another local ministry that I am involved with is called The Barn, which is a ministry for Jr. and Sr. high students. We meet at an old tobacco bam that was transformed into a huge recreation center for students. ... Every Friday and Saturday night, students from all over the Dayton area are encouraged to come to the Barn, and we usually get anywhere from 75-150 students. During the night, there is an optional devotional time where the owner of The Barn speaks to the students about God. Many of the students that come are not Christians, and many have never heard the gospel. The purpose of my ministry at the Bam is to establish relationships with the students, be a positive role model for them, and be ready to share the gospel with them if the conversation comes up. It is a very relaxed and laid back environment, and we hope that students will come to enjoy themselves and perhaps hear the good news of Christ in the process. Cedarville offers many opportunities for students to develop leadership. Events that the school hosts are run by staff members, but students are also in leadership positions. One event that I helped in was Blowout, a huge high school youth conference where about 3,000 students from all over the Midwest came for a time of worship and preaching. ... Another event that I helped out with was Junior Jam, an event that the university hosts that brings about 1,000 kids ages 9-12 for a time of fun activities and learning about God. I was a group leader for about 10 kids. There are also leadership seminars set up for the students to attend that teach leadership in all areas of life. I have attended one of these, and I plan to attend more next semester. In addition to all of these, the school’s student life also attracted me to it, which includes 14 intercollegiate sports, 60 student organizations, concerts, ... the school’s café, two student-run radio stations, indoor and outdoor soccer fields, volleyball courts etc. Overall, Cedarville has a great focus, great ministry opportunities, and great student life, and these are just some of the things that attracted me to it. While Bible college and seminary offer great classes and might offer ministry opportunities, I really like Cedarville’s balance of theoretical and practical knowledge, and since I am only doing this for one year, the one-year Bible program gives me a more well-rounded education for one year than the first year of Bible college or seminary would give me as I am taking Freshman (1 year) to Senior (4 year) level courses. So another question you might be asking is, Why are you only doing this for one year? And what is your purpose in this year? I will answer these questions a bit later, but first I’d like to say a little bit about the classes I just completed and the classes I will be taking in the spring semester. Christian Life and Thought; Spiritual Formation; The book of Revelation; The Pentateuch and Teaching and Interpreting the Bible. (Read more about these classes on our web page. Www. evangeliumihirnok.net and go to English content. Ed.) Next semester I am taking Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Thessalonian and Pastoral Epistles, Romans and Galatians, Introduction to Philosophy, Personal Evangelism, and Leadership in Christian Education. I look forward to all of the things I’ll be learning in these classes. What is my purpose for this year? It’s simple. I don’t have a calling to be a pastor or missionary. That might be God’s will for my life someday, but not today. However, we live in an incredible country with the privilege and opportunity to attend a Christian college or seminary. Why not use this privilege? 1 think it would be beneficial for every young person to attend a year of Bible College or a Christian college right after high school or after college. The way I see it, you’ll have the rest of your life to work at your job, and many get married soon after college. This is one of the only opportunities to take a year off and not only better your understanding of the Bible, but to also grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For those of you living in Chicago, Moody Bible Institute is just on your doorstep. For those in New York, Word of Life Bible Institute (near Albany) has a pretty good program. For those living in Cleveland, Cedarville is only a 3 hour drive. What do I personally hope to gain from this year? Simply put, the same thing Cedarville’s mission statement states: Develop a heart for God, mind for truth, friends for life, and service for eternity. January, 2004
