|
|
||
Friday, Feb. 8, 2002
By Wayne Wike
Thousands of students each year walk through the doorways of Campbell University, Chowan College, Gardner-Webb University, Mars Hill College and Wingate University. As they cross those thresholds of learning, they enter places where their lives will be shaped for a life they cannot imagine.
A large percentage of those students are members of Baptist churches scattered across our state. If it were not for the support of Christian higher education by the Baptist State Convention, many of them would have to pursue their education on other campuses. If this were to happen, our life as N.C. Baptists would be greatly diminished.
Numbered among the students on our campuses are future leaders in education, industry, medicine, art and religion. For example, three of the last four presidents of our Baptist State Convention are graduates of N.C. Baptist institutions - Gardner-Webb, Campbell and Mars Hill.
N.C. Baptists have made it possible for students like Josh Bryson, a senior at Chowan College, to pursue his education on the campus of his choice. Josh, a member of First Baptist Church in Highlands, chose Chowan because of its program of sports management, one of the few schools that has this major.
Kelly Fisher, a junior at Campbell University, is preparing to become a minister of music. Kelly represented Campbell and her church through participation in a university sponsored mission trip to Korea. In addition, she serves on the worship team at New Horizons Fellowship in Apex.
Gardner-Webb University is the only Baptist university in North Carolina offering nursing education. For Anna Sutton, attending an institution that integrates spiritual care and medical care is very important. Anna, a member of the Ochre Hill Baptist Church in Sylva, choose to attend Gardner-Webb for that reason. Think about the patients she will treat in the coming years who will benefit from this blend of faith and medicine.
Brent Townsend, a member of First Baptist Church in Matthews, will complete his studies at Mars Hill this May. In addition to his graduation plans, Brent will marry Sharon Thompson, a fellow classmate. Following graduation and his wedding, Brent will begin his career in business with Chick-Fil-A.
Interaction between faculty and students is the norm on N.C. Baptist campuses. Conversations in a professor's office, for example, offer students an opportunity to know and be known as individuals. Ask Justin Parker. He will tell you that this has been his experience at Wingate. A member of Mountain View Baptist Church in Maiden, Justin is pursuing his degree in communications. Talk with Justin and he will tell you how his professors have encouraged and challenged him inside and outside of the classroom.
Each one of these students represents members from our churches who are being touched and shaped by the educational opportunities at our N.C. Baptist institutions of Christian higher education.
They are representative of the 612 students from 445 N.C. Baptist churches in 74 of our associations who are receiving partial scholarship funding made possible by N.C. Baptists. Over half of them come from churches with a resident membership under 450. Gifts to the Cooperative Missions Budget of the Baptist State Convention are making this possible.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "Genius without education is like silver in the mine."
The presence of Campbell, Chowan, Gardner-Webb, Mars Hill and Wingate assures N.C. Baptists that our talents and abilities will not lie hidden; instead, they will be brought out in ways that enrich our lives as Baptists.
That act of caring is illustrative of what Milton Mayeroff said in his book, On Caring. "In caring I experience the other as having potentialities and the need to grow... In addition, I experience the other needing me in order to grow."
Each institution associated with the Baptist State Convention Council on Christian Higher Education is staffed with faculty and administrators who are committed to this mission of caring. They understand how they are shaping students who have been entrusted to their care. As a result of their commitment to education in a Christian context and their relationship to our convention, we face the future as N.C. Baptists with a high degree of hope and promise.
Thank you N.C. Baptists for your continued support of Christian higher education in our state.
(EDITOR'S NOTE - Wayne Wike is executive director of the Baptist State Convention Council on Christian Higher Education.)
|
Email Updates | Feedback | Send a Tar Heel Voices Letter Sunday School Lessons | Churches | Church Search | FAQ | Links Advertising | Classified Ads | Subscriptions MastHead | History | Staff 
biblical@biblicalrecorder.org Copyright (c) Biblical Recorder Inc. |
Write a Tar Heel Voices letter
