Liberty Journal December/January 2009

Alumni Weekend welcomes thousands of graduates home

Interior design students take part in massive home makeover

Student spirit clubs whip up enthusiasm at sports events

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Lette r f r o m th e c han c e llo r

Liberty Journal is an official bimonthly publication of Liberty University.

F

all always seems to be the busiest time of year on Liberty Mountain. The air has

turned cooler and we are surrounded by brightly colored leaves covering the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of course, fall also means football! The Liberty Flames Football team made the Sports Network’s Top 25 poll for the first time in 10 years, and average attendance at home games has topped 14,000. More than 4,000 alumni joined us for Homecoming to witness the Flames achieve their second shutout of the season against Charleston Southern.

Homecoming is an exciting time at Liberty University because it allows alumni to “Come Home to Liberty” for Alumni Weekend and reconnect with friends and stay informed on new projects and plans to improve Liberty. We are extremely proud of our graduates who are making a difference in the world, and we want them to be equally proud of their alma mater. The alumni who attended Alumni Weekend expressed their solid support for Liberty’s continuing commitment to train Champions for Christ and were thrilled to see the amazing improvements in facilities, programs and spiritual life. We were pleased and thankful to God to report to alumni that Liberty University’s endowments and operating funds were safely invested in U.S. government-backed treasury notes in summer 2008 and escaped the losses that many schools suffered.

While so many of our alumni have gone on to achieve great success in their respec-

tive fields, our current students have also garnered national attention through their participation in Liberty’s first-ever voter registration drive. It has often been said that young people are the future of our nation but, at Liberty in 2008, the future is now!

Our goal was to do everything possible to encourage our students to get involved.

We began by inviting all of the candidates to visit campus and address the students.

When new rules made it possible for students to register locally using dorm addresses, we launched the voter registration drive and cancelled classes on Election Day to make it as easy as possible for them to vote.

More than 4,000 Liberty students have been registered to vote through this process to join the hundreds who were already registered locally. They will now be able to vote in local elections that will have a direct impact on them as long as they call Liberty University home.

We are approaching the time of year when we all take an inventory of the blessings God has given us. When I consider what I am thankful for this year, the Liberty University students — both past and present — will be near the top of the list.

Sincerely,

Jerry Falwell, Jr.

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P u b li s h e r Jerry Falwell Jr. E X EC UTIVE E d ito r Ron Brown M anag i n g E d ito r Tara Maxwell C ON T RIBUTING E d ito r Becki Falwell ART DIRECTOR Krista Freeman M ANAGING DESIGNER Laura Sipple D es i g n ER s Brittany La Barre Caleb Atkins Wr ite r s Mitzi Bible Eric Brown Ron Brown Teresa Dunham Carmen Fleischauer Rachel Guelzo Tara Maxwell Johnnie Moore Karen Swallow Prior Jennifer Schmidt Todd Wetmore P h oto g r a p h e r s Jerome Sturm Jordan Crossingham Les Schofer C i r c u lati o n Sharon Gainer B us i n e s s & ADVER TISING MANAGER Steve Peterson Feb./March Advertising Deadline DEC. 5, 2008 (434) 582-2731 If you would like to subscribe to the Liberty Journal for one year, please send a donation of any amount to Liberty Journal, Subscription Department, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502, call (434) 592-3100 or e-mail lj@liberty.edu.

Copyright 2007 by Liberty University. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Liberty University. All pictorial material reproduced in this book, whether in a produced ad or by itself, has been accepted on the condition that it is with the knowledge and prior consent of the photographer or the artist concerned. As such, Liberty University is not responsible for any infringement of copyright or otherwise arising out of publication thereof. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, Liberty University makes no warrant to the accuracy or reliability of this information. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

CONTENT S D E C E M B E R / JA N UA RY 2 0 0 9

F EATU R ES F LAM E S FO R EVE R

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Newly focused Alumni Weekend draws thousands C R EATIVITY, O N TH E H O U S E

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LU interior design students participate in home renovation challenge R I G HTE O U S R HYM E S

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Liberty alumnus uses rap music to praise God, inspire youth SEEING RED

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Flames Club, LUnatics pump up school spirit 6

S ECTI O N S G E N E RAL N EWS

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Academic facility upgrades are top priority for Liberty – 29 STU D E NT LI F E

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LU sophomore captures campus life in videos – 36 10

S P I R ITUAL LI F E

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Students baptized at Campus Church – 45 ACAD E M I C LI F E

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Center for Worship grounds musicians in God – 47 14

G IVI N G BAC K

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Development kicks off ‘Vision 2020’ to promote LU’s future – 52 ALU M N I

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Class Notes help keep graduates connected – 62 S P O RTS 16

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Bikers conquer Liberty Mountain trails – 64

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flames forever

Invitations to Liberty University’s firstever Alumni Weekend went out months in advance, and the Alumni Relations Office waited with anticipation to roll out the welcome mat Oct. 23-25, 2008. When that weekend finally arrived, LU officials had two words for the 4,000-plus faces who returned to Lynchburg, Va., to reunite with their university family: Welcome home.

Newly focused Alumni Weekend draws thousands BY te r esa d u n ham p h oto g r ap hy by j o r dan c r o s s i ng h am , les s c h o f e r & J e r o m e st u r m

A N ew Tr ad iti o n

Alumni Weekend 2008 was unlike any other Homecoming at Liberty University, combining nostalgic traditions with plenty of new activities, such as a Business Executives Day, 5K race, pep rally in the newly built Tilley Student Center, Alumni Convocation, carless drive-in movie, drawing for free weekend accommodations at the Carter Glass Mansion and more.

“Overall, I think it was a really strong weekend. We were trying to add more events, so we expanded it. This was the first year of going from Homecoming to an Alumni Weekend,” said Melissa Small, director of Alumni Relations and Marketing.

Die-hard fans donned ponchos and braved the rain for a Homecoming parade on Saturday — and the sun came out just in time for a Flames football 42-0 shutout victory over Charleston Southern in the sold-out Williams Stadium. At half-time and post-game, the crowd enjoyed musical performances by Michael Tait, an LU alumnus who was part of the hit Christian band dc Talk.

Earlier that day, LU assembled its first-ever Alumni 5K race.

“They ran in the rain, and they were just incredible,” Small said.

G ett i ng D own to B u s i n es s

Alumni Weekend festivities officially kicked off with Business Executives Day on Thursday.

Professionals from a variety of fields spoke to students and took advantage of a networking fair to recruit LU students as future interns and employees.

Among the speakers who visited classes and gave presentations in an alumni panel was Elizabeth David, the wellness director for Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta. She told students about how she’s using the exercise science degree she earned from Liberty in 2003. She also spent time exploring the campus.

“I was amazed at how much Liberty has grown,” she said. “I was blown away.”

Friday ushered in the Alumni Convocation, Chancellor’s Dinner, pep rally, and evening volleyball and men’s hockey games, as well as trips to ScareMare. pag e 8

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The morning convocation included a presentation of the new Outstanding Alumnus Award to Jeremy Emory, Class of 2000, who changed his major to pastoral studies with only a semester left before graduation — a bold act of faith. Since that time, Emory has served as a youth pastor at McGregor Baptist Church in Florida and recently moved to Asheville, N.C., to start a college ministry. Fellow alumni nominated their favorite alumnus for the award.

Justin Terry, director of the new Student Alumni Association, also presented an Outstanding Future Champion for Christ Award and one-year scholarship to pre-med freshman Ashley Hunt. The association is focused on building a bridge between current students and LU alumni.

After the awards, students and alumni viewed a dynamic video chronicling Liberty University’s growth, changes and continued Christian focus throughout the decades, from the 1970s to the present. The video was narrated by Liberty co-founder Dr. Elmer Towns and elicited many cheers from the crowd when LU personalities such as distinguished professor Dr. Ed Hindson and Vice Chancellor Dr. Ron Godwin were depicted in their younger years.

That evening, nearly 150 alumni gathered at the Chancellor’s Dinner for a delicious meal and listened to an address from Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. “It was good to see alumni show such an interest in what’s happening here,” he said.

“They wanted to hear the inside story on where we’re going and how things are proceeding.

Afterward I got to shake hands with all of them and talk to them a little bit. It was a lot of warm support from that group.”

He expressed his appreciation for their attendance and emphasized that LU’s future depends upon its alumni.

ABOVE: Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. introduces students to LU benefactor Arthur L. Williams Jr. and trustee Mark DeMoss during Homecoming.

“In the past it’s been older donors who believe in Christian education who have supported Liberty, but we’re going to have to ask our alumni to do more and more because that’s the backbone of financial support for any college,” Falwell said recently. “We deeply appreciate the support from all the alumni and all the people who traveled from great distances to be here.”

A N osta lg i c E x p e r i en c e

For Falwell, a 1984 alumnus, and his wife Becki, who attended LU in the mid 1980s, Alumni Weekend was a time of memories and encouragement. Falwell said he especially enjoyed the Alumni Baseball Game and the general meet-and-greet with all alumni and special guests. Becki said she enjoyed the Homecoming Day activities as well.

“I always enjoy the football games and being able to feed as many kids as possible.

My motherly instinct kicks in,” she said.

For 1991 graduate Mike Linch, senior pastor of NorthStar Church in Georgia, the memories that flooded back as he walked around the campus were vivid and sweet. He passed by Dorm 18, where he lived for three years, and the baseball diamond where he played ball. He also surveyed Dorm Circle, where his wife and then-girlfriend Anne lived, and he found the spot behind the Carter Glass Mansion where he kneeled on one knee in the mud and proposed to her.

“I would say it’s where I grew up,” he said.

Brian Johnson, who graduated in 1988 with a finance degree, may have recruited a next-generation Flame that weekend.

“My 11-year-old son thought it was great. He said he looks forward to going to college.

I had to explain to him that … it’s not all Homecoming weekends,” Johnson said. “But it was a good time, and the impression he came away with is that he thought it was great. He’d love to go there, which certainly made me proud.”

J e r o m e St u r m

Chair of Liberty’s Department of Family & Consumer Sciences, Mary Simpson, in front of her Rivermont Avenue house.

reativity, on the House Interior design students tackle extreme makeover by r ac h e l g u e lz o

This summer two LU senior Interior Design students put their renovation and design skills to the test. Kennon Lowry and Sarah Justice took part in a Lynchburg home renovation project for an internship design contest, Designers’ Challenge: LU Style.

Introduced and directed by Mary Simpson, the chair of Liberty’s Department of Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS), this internshipbased design project was inspired by HGTV’s Designer’s Challenge, providing students with hands-on experience.

“This is the first time we’ve ever offered this type of competition,” Simpson said. “Our desire was to create an outlet where our interior design students could directly apply the design concepts that they have learned in the classroom within a real-world setting.”

Simpson offered her own home for the competition. Built in 1900, the Lynchburg, Va., residence is situated adjacent to the beautiful historic district of Rivermont Avenue overlooking the James River.

Simpson’s personal interest in older home restoration led her to purchase the structure in 2006, and it has been under renovation

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since fall ’07, receiving both structural and aesthetic treatment.

Several areas of the home, including the kitchen, had already been restored prior to the start of the competition, while most rooms remained untouched and in need of repair.

The design contest was open to all senior Interior Design majors who met internship pre-requisites and developed a story/color board based on a room in the home they would like to renovate.

Students chosen for the competition were expected to know how to develop a complete floor plan using digital software to map out the various elements that comprise the room, including electrical, plumbing and furniture placement.

Lowry came to Liberty with some design experience, having worked at her family’s home, gift and garden store in Charlottesville, Va. “I pretty much knew from childhood that I wanted to pursue some aspect of home or fashion design. I worked in my parent’s store each summer and would often be the one responsible for

designing the store displays. I love the challenge of creating something visually appealing,” she said.

Enrolling at Liberty as a freshman, Lowry immediately declared Interior Design as her major. When it came time to decide on an internship during her senior year, Lowry was specific about what she wanted.

“I chose to apply for the designer’s challenge competition because I really wanted hands-on learning experience in the field. I didn’t want to participate in an internship where I would end up just manning a store or following a designer around.”

For Justice, a native of Houston, Texas, the decision to study interior design came during her sophomore year.

“All throughout my freshman year I wasn’t even aware that Liberty offered such a program. As soon as I found out, I declared my major. I knew right away that I wanted to study interior design,” she said.

And she knew right away she wanted to enter this competition.

“This unique internship opportunity jumped out at me. I love old homes, and I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to get my feet wet in understanding the process of home renovation.”

Understanding Simpson’s passion for maintaining the charm and character of the home, Lowry and Justice dove right in and took creative lead in the overall concept and theme. Lowry chose to work in the dining room, while Justice selected the upstairs guest bedroom.

“My goal throughout this competition was to have Kennon

and Sarah actively participate in every aspect of their room restoration,” Simpson said. “From choosing furniture and deciding the décor, to establishing and maintaining a project budget, to purchasing materials and supplies, as well as overseeing and physically participating in the actual renovation, such as sanding, stripping, and painting the walls and molding.”

Simpson immediately took on the roll of client.

“She [Simpson] stated her desires and expectations for each of our rooms,” Lowry said, “while allowing Sarah and me to be the design experts.”

Simpson’s collection of antique maps served as the source of Justice’s inspiration for the bedroom, choosing “old world travel” as her theme, while one of Simpson’s favorite pictures, a framed vintage ad, was the element Lowry used to build her theme for the dining room.

Unlike most reality TV home renovation programs where you see only the beginning and the end of a project and miss out on the nitty-gritty details, Lowry and Justice were able to experience firsthand what happens when unexpected problems arise and learn how to devise workable solutions.

“Beginning work in the dining room was a bit overwhelming at first,” Lowry said. “The ceiling was caving in, and the irregularity it caused created a major challenge later on when it came time to put up the crown molding.”

In fact, the ceilings were in such poor shape in the dining room that a professional carpenter had to be called in.

The hours of planning and hard work were worth it for both students, realizing the future benefit of their participation in the competition. pag e 12 b e fo r e

af te r

J e r o m e Stu r m

“Completing this internship has given me a new level of confidence in my work and my abilities as a designer.

I can walk into an interview with a future employer and confidently back up my education with solid design experience. I’ve done this, I know how to do it, and I know what it takes.”

—

sarah justice facs major

For more information on the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences, visit www.liberty.edu/facs.

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Simpson’s approval of her students’ work is apparent.

“I’m so pleased with the outcome of both of the rooms. Kennon and Sarah did an outstanding job of bringing to life their creative vision. Their hard work and dedication through this design contest has resulted in two beautiful rooms that perfectly compliment the house.”

Simpson hopes to continue this type of internship program in future semesters, drawing in the participation of other homeowners in the area.

“Our first design competition was a huge success, and now we’re looking into other home renovation or decoration opportunities for future semesters. I really believe that this project can serve as an excellent stepping stone toward a successful career in interior design,” she said.

A 1986 Liberty University graduate, Simpson was part of the second graduating class of the Family & Consumer Science program.

“For the longest time the FACS program has been a little-known jewel within Liberty. Now we’re gaining ground in getting the word out about all that we offer.”

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences is experiencing considerable growth,

increasing student enrollment by 10 percent in the last year alone. In addition to Interior Design, the department offers majors in Family & Child Development, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Family & Consumer Sciences with teacher licensure. Numerous minors are also offered.

Recently, the Interior Design Society (IDS) began its first student chapter in the United States at Liberty. The IDS is an organization with a focus on residential design with more than 4,000 members globally. The LU chapter of IDS will be the model for future student chapters at other colleges and universities. Membership in IDS will help Interior Design students advance their career, obtain CQRID (Council for Qualification of Residential Interior Designers) credentialing, network globally and receive discounts and other special benefits.

Upcoming projects and events for LU’s chapter include Designer’s Dorm Challenge, a trip to High Point, N.C., Home Depot Saturday events (tiling and other useful workshops) and a Christmas social.

Looking forward, the FACS program hopes to introduce a Culinary & Food Service Management program in the future to further diversify the career fields available to LU students.

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Righteou Rhymes “

The streets runnin’ from Christ, I’m like Let’s go get ’em See ’em rolling that dice, I’m like Let’s go get ’em Let’s bring ’em from the night to the light. Let’s go get ’em …

“

BY T e r esa D u n ham p h oto g r ap hy by j e r o m e st u r m

As Christian rapper Humble T.I.P. spits his rhymes in “Let’s Go Get ’Em,” the crowd feeds off of his energy and shouts back the lyrics.

“I jump in the crowd. I throw water on the crowd. We party.

We have a blessed time praising the Lord together,” said Humble, who brings his confident strides to the stage at Liberty University’s annual Block Party, inner-city venues, and rural churches all over the East Coast.

Humble added T.I.P. to his name “To Increase Praise” — and that’s exactly what he does.

“I make anthem-type music,” he said. “When you leave a Humble concert, you leave excited about the Gospel.”

A bit of a Superman, 24-year-old Humble blends in by day with his birth name — Jason Lewis — but his higher calling transforms him into something larger-than-life on stage.

Listening to his latest CD “Our Turn,” released in August 2008, it might sound like Humble has been rapping for years.

But that’s not the case.

The 2008 Liberty University graduate, currently an admissions counselor for the school, didn’t discover his gift of rhyme

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ous s

until he came to LU in 2003 to study for a career in sport management or fitness.

Along the way, he became mesmerized by LU’s music scene — and in particular, he loved the Christian hip-hop music circulating on campus.

Earphones were a permanent fixture when he walked to class. In fact, a DJ from the campus radio station 90.9 FM The Light assumed that Lewis could rap and invited him to come on a radio show. Lewis had never rhymed before, but the DJ’s words inspired him to write some lyrics.

“So I started writing lyrics — terrible, wack, just wack, you know what I’m saying — but you’ve got to crawl before you can walk,” he said.

The elementary rhymes on his notepad eventually gave way to more complex and powerful words until Lewis knew he had something to share. He started rapping at campus events and in rap circles.

Other students recognized his talent, and soon he was traveling with a DJ, a hype man, and others who were passionate about promoting the music. Everyone seemed to come out of the woodwork — from a thenstudent named P D.O.G.G. who wanted to help him produce independent CDs, to a graphic designer who offered professionalquality CD art, and even a videographer who helped Humble make music videos that are wildly popular on YouTube.

“I roll with a squad called Strictly for Jesus,” Humble said. “I like to have my brothers in the faith.”

Humble’s clearly Christian lyrics — forever pointing back to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection — will never be confused with secular music. For him, it’s all about promoting the Kingdom, and his motto is “Ministry over Industry.”

“You can say hip-hop is false, but the word that we’re bringing forth in it ... you can’t prove that wrong,” he said.

The message isn’t always embraced, he admits.

“Especially in the hip-hop industry, everything is so materialistic. Everything is based off of financial wealth, pride, respect, sexuality,” he said. “When you come up with something so anti-culture, sometimes it’s received well. A lot of the times it’s not.”

Yet his insistence that life is more than shiny rims, clothes, sex and drugs isn’t falling on deaf ears, judging by the 1,000 music plays that he receives on his MySpace page on an average day (www.myspace.com/humbletip).

Humble still marvels at how God chose him.

“At the age of 18, I was not rapping,” the Maryland native said. “It was like a sleeping giant. Without God opening up my eyes to that, I wouldn’t be spitting [rhymes].”

A preacher’s son, Humble once thought God might call him to the pulpit.

“I know I’m a leader, but I didn’t know how God would use me,” he said.

“My heart always told God, ‘I don’t want to do the pulpit thing. I don’t want to do the three-piece suit, 10 o’clock service every Sunday.’

That’s not me.”

Lewis understands that formal worship is effective and important — and that’s why he is in church every Sunday — but it just wasn’t what he believed God wanted from him.

“God flipped that. He said, ‘OK, you want to preach, but you don’t want to do it through a pulpit, so I’m going to dress it up and make it a little more creative, a little more artistic,’” Humble said.

Now a stage is his pulpit, and a youth crowd is his congregation when he performs. “[God] was just giving us so much favor. I mean, just ridiculous favor,” he said.

No matter where the gift of rhyme takes him, Humble won’t forget his roots at LU. “I know how Liberty changed my life.

I know how important it was for me to be here at that exact point in time,” he said.

Want to hear Humble T.I.P.’s music? Visit his site on MySpace.com or search for Humble T.I.P. on YouTube to listen to his featured hits and view music videos.

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Seeing Red

Flames Club, LUnatics pump up school spirit

BY E R I C B R OWN P H OTO G R AP HY BY LES S C H O F E R AN D J E R O M E ST U R M

Steadily emerging as a Big South Conference powerhouse, Liberty University Athletics is receiving abundant support from two groups that inject enthusiasm into the rest of the student body.

Founded in 2006, LU’s Student Flames Club serves as the athletics department’s undergraduate ambassador, connecting peers with the university’s 18 NCAA Division I programs. While this group does much of its work behind the scenes, another oncampus club is the animated role model in the stands.

The start of the 2008-09 Flames basketball season marks the one-year anniversary a pack of high-octane undergrads assembled to form a deafening force in the

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Vines Center. This season, Liberty’s LUnatics are larger in size and louder than ever.

“It started as just a bunch of friends goofing off,” LUnatics founder Jonathan Carone said. “We wanted to make it official and get more people involved.”

Ironically, Carone, who is undoubtedly one of Liberty Athletics’ most spirited fans, began his college career at Coastal Carolina, LU’s No. 1 rival in the Big South Conference.

Having mixed feelings about remaining at CCU, Carone made the trek to Lynchburg,

Va., in 2005 to watch the No. 14-ranked Chanticleers battle the Flames. During the triple overtime thriller, Carone met a group of Liberty students and became interested in the university’s athletics programs. The following semester, he made the switch to LU, instantly transforming into a die-hard Flames fan.

Shortly after transferring, Carone attended various Liberty sporting events where he encountered other students who shared his passion for collegiate sports.

As their love for Liberty sports strengthened, he and his newfound friends received recognition from LU’s Student Government Association as an official university club — the LUnatics.

At every Flames home basketball game last season, the LUnatics took their place behind the scorer’s table. For two 20-minute halves, they energized the Vines Center with their creative chants, turning the facility into a challenging venue for opposing teams. Refusing to remain grounded, the passionate pack took its show on the road, often out-shouting the home team’s student section.

“When we went to UNC Asheville for the conference tournament basketball game, we were twice as loud as their student section and twice as organized,” Carone recalled. “That Saturday, I’m watching [Asheville] play Winthrop, and they are using our cheers.”

In the past, the majority of the LUnatics’ members primarily attended LU football and basketball contests. However, with the group’s numbers doubling since last season, Carone hopes the club can extend its influence to other sports.

“We want to get to the point where if there is a big game or big match coming up, a coach can say to us, ‘Hey, we’d really like you guys there.’ It hasn’t happened yet, but that’s one of the places we want to go.”

Much like the LUnatics, the Student

Flames Club [SFC] also has passion for LU sports flowing through its veins. During this school year, the group has accumulated nearly 900 members.

“What we are trying to do is to reach out to the student body and get them more incorporated with Athletics and what our mission is,” said Jeff Barber, Liberty’s director of athletics.

For just $25, new members receive an official club T-shirt, discounts at local restaurants, priority on away-game tickets and numerous other benefits. Upon joining the group, members can upgrade to a higher Flames Club level for half price.

Last year, the SFC teamed up with LU’s athletics department for one of its most successful marketing campaigns — Beat Coastal. In an effort to educate others on the university’s sports rivalry, the athletics department and the SFC posted advertisements with the straightforward phrase all around campus, promoting upcoming contests with Coastal Carolina. Whenever the Chanticleers came to the Hill City, Flames fans filled the stands, donning bright-red “Beat Coastal” T-shirts.

“I think the students understand now that we have a big rival,” Student Flames Club President Allen Sparks said.

In addition to the Beat Coastal campaign, Sparks and his crew were instrumental in numerous giveaways last year, awarding students with Nintendo Wiis, TVs, and iPods.

During the 2008 spring football game, the SFC assisted LU Dining in presenting a brand new Ford Mustang to one lucky student.

Before game time, the SFC’s 25-member leadership team posts signs and banners around campus promoting upcoming sporting events. The group also hosts pregame concerts and helps with promotions such as Mabry Automotive Group’s Wild Wheels Kickoff. The field goal kicking competition gives students the opportunity to place a ball between the uprights in hopes of walking away with a new car.

Although the two groups are not affiliated with one another, the LUnatics and the SFC occasionally join forces in an effort to rouse school spirit. At the Chancellor’s Cookout in August, Sparks served as the event’s emcee, while the LUnatics sat on the front row at Williams Stadium, leading new freshmen in the singing of the Flames fight song and traditional Liberty cheers.

As LU’s athletics programs continue to excel, both groups remain steadfast in establishing Liberty University as an institution known for passionate sports fans.

“It’s exciting to see where we’re going,” Sparks said. “We have turned a corner and I don’t think we’re looking back.”

TO J O I N TH E ST U D E N T F L AM E S C LU B , CALL (434) 582-2582 , O R E M AI L S FC@LI B E RT Y.E D U.

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g e n e r al n ews

Chancellor heads voter registration drive Efforts garner widespread media attention

J e r o m e St u r m

Students gathered at the Vines Center on Nov. 4 for an election results party.

BY te r esa d u n ha m

Electoral votes didn’t tip to the conservative side in the recent presidential race, but Liberty University students still made their voices heard on Election Day 2008.

More than a month prior to Nov. 4, LU enjoyed a wave of media attention for its campus-wide campaign to register student voters locally. The innovative campaign, initiated by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. in September, netted 4,200 registration forms and drew high-profile coverage from the national and international media including National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the CBS Early Show, an Australian television network, and news crews from France and Norway.

“The students who were interviewed handled the media masterfully like seasoned professionals, representing Liberty and the cause of Christ very well,” Falwell said.

The Chancellor told students they could make a bigger impact by voting together

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than scattering their votes across jurisdictions and that local elections can make a difference in issues concerning their education, such as tuition costs and approval of key campus facilities. He also sent out an email asking LU’s nearly 4,000 faculty and staff to vote.

“Several statewide elections in Virginia have been decided by very slim margins in recent years, so many believed that Liberty University students could have been a key factor in deciding which candidate won the state. I am proud that Liberty University students understand that it is their obligation to vote to protect their Christian values,” Falwell said.

Beyond the registration campaign, Falwell felt so strongly about encouraging students to vote that he cancelled all classes on Election Day, coordinating with the local transit authority to bus them to the polls.

Among those students was Chris Pascarella, a 21-year-old senior studying

pastoral leadership, who was originally registered to vote in New Jersey but switched to vote in Virginia because of the campus voter registration campaign.

Pascarella, whose nod went to Republican candidate John McCain, said he believed his vote would carry more weight in the Commonwealth.

On election evening, students followed televised news during dinner in the ReberThomas Dining Hall and then made their way to a non-partisan evening extravaganza in the Vines Center. The high-energy event featured four big screens with live election updates, a performance by Christian rapper Humble T.I.P., board games, food and prize drawings.

Campus radio station 90.9 FM The Light launched a live broadcast from the Vines Center and provided personalized coverage throughout the night.

Though LU never endorses a candidate, Republican students were a vocal force on campus. Senior Claire Ayendi, president of the College Republicans at LU, even made

b e c k i fa lw e l l

the front page of the Washington Post for her campaign efforts.

After working so hard for a conservative White House, many students emailed Falwell to express their disappointment at the election results. Offering words of encouragement in convocation the next day, Falwell applauded the students’ efforts and reminded them that God is still in control. Some conservative victories came on Nov. 4, he said, referencing the marriage protection amendments that passed in several states.

“Lynchburg went for McCain because of Liberty University,” the Chancellor said, adding that LU students will continue to make a difference in the future. “I really believe the next generation of leaders who will stay true to the Christian principles will come from this university.”

Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. visits with LU students at a polling place in Lynchburg, Va., on Election Day.

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From Lynchburg to Minnesota Liberty group attends Republican National Convention

J e n n i f e r S c h m i dt

Some of the nine students and four faculty members hand-selected to attend September’s Republican National Convention pause for a picture.

BY J e n n i f e r S c h m i dt

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The students who attended the convention included: James Kimmey, Matthew McCain, Grace Woodson, Chelsey Fortin, Sarah Blanzy, Kelly Cook, Scott MacDonald, Jeremy Lemon, and Jennifer Schmidt.

J e n n i f e r S c h m i dt

It was the chance of a lifetime. The Twin Cities of Minnesota were hosting the political equivalent of the Olympics, and there to take it all in were the “Liberty Delegates.” Nine Liberty students and four faculty members attended the Republican National Convention in September. The students were hand-selected by Dr. George Buzzy, Dean of the School of Government at Liberty, and Dr. Stephen Witham. Patricia Witham and Dr. Kahlib Fischer, an associate professor in the School of Business, also attended the convention.

“I wanted a cross-section of students to take in the experience,” Buzzy said. “Of course we had government majors and minors, but it was the mix of viewpoints — business, communications — that made the trip meaningful.”

The Liberty group, whose trip was made possible by donations secured by LU Development Manager Roy Jones, enjoyed interactions that could only happen in a high-profile environment.

The Virginia delegation hosted a breakfast with Virginia Attorney General Bob

McDonnell. Fischer said, “McDonnell is a Regent alum like myself, and I helped him campaign when he ran for attorney general. So it was good to get reacquainted with him.”

Junior government major Sarah Blanzy enjoyed hearing political commentator Kelly Ann Conway speak at the breakfast.

“She had such a great personality and wit. She was fun to meet,” Blanzy said of Conway, who is a pollster and does regular interviews with FoxNews and CNN. Despite the size of the convention — estimated crowds of 50,000 each night — friends of Liberty University were not hard to find.

Brett O’Donnell, former debate coach for Liberty’s award-winning team, was working as McCain’s chief communications director. Liberty students (some former debaters) were able to speak with O’Donnell, who gave an in-depth look at the McCain campaign.

Charles Judd was another surprise.

Judd, a senior manager on the McCain staff, was the original director of the Moral Majority under the late Dr. Jerry Falwell.

Female Liberty students were interviewed

for “Glamour” magazine; Blanzy did an indepth interview with a reporter from Italy; and both Blanzy and senior Grace Woodson were interviewed for an MTV special called “McCain Decoded.”

Senior government major Jeremy Lemon said the trip provided a window into a future career.

“I love politics, and this (trip) was an opportunity for me to see firsthand the procedure … things that you would not see by just watching television.”

Yet, even for junior Scott MacDonald, who is a Worship major, the trip was time well spent.

“It doesn’t matter what career you’re in, understanding the issues, where you stand and how the political process works is extremely important … because it’s a terrible testimony of a Christian to not understand the government,” he said. “We need to apply Biblical principles to the issues.”

Dr. Stephen Witham and Patricia Witham show their support during the RNC.

F r o m Ly nc h b u r g to Minn e s ota

R N C I owa D e l e gat e Ta l ks o n t i e s to Li b e rt y

J e nnif e r Sc h m idt

While working his way down the crowded stairs toward the convention floor, Dr. Drew Ivers overheard a group of students talking about Liberty University.

“Did you say Liberty?” he stopped to ask. “I’m a seminary student with them.”

Not only was Ivers attending the Republican National Convention as an Iowa delegate, he and his wife, Dottie, have studied with Liberty’s Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online) for the past two years. Ivers was only one class away from completing his master’s in theological studies.

In July 1969, Ivers was serving as a PFC combat soldier in Vietnam when he was shot at close range by an AK-47. The wound to his lower left leg kept him in army hospitals for a year; this is where he began to study politics.

“I had a lot of time to think,” he explained. “I started studying national and international politics trying to understand what makes the world tick.”

His political involvement spans over three decades, during which time he has held various positions in the Republican Party at county, district and state levels.

“I was the congressional district chair for Ronald Reagan in 1980, state chairman for Pat Robertson’s presidential caucus campaign in 1988, and also the Iowa caucus presidential campaign chairman for Pat Buchanan in 1996 and 2000. And I did the same for Ron Paul in 2008,” Ivers said.

This year’s convention was Ivers’ fifth time serving as a delegate.

“If you want to be involved with the Republican Party, just work. They need workers,” he said.

Dr. Drew Ivers (above) has been a Liberty University Online student for the past two years. His wife, Dottie, also takes classes through the online degree program.

Ivers has done much outside the political arena as well.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Ivers graduated from Purdue University in agriculture and followed that with an A.S. at Vincennes University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in genetics from Iowa State University. He worked on plant genetic research for Land O’Lakes, and now holds 12 plant patents along with seven more patents pertaining to soybean genetics.

Retiring at age 59 in 2006, Ivers said he and his wife “did not want to be couch

potatoes — we want to make a contribution to the Lord, and, frankly, ministry has been on my heart for all my life, ever since I was a young person.”

Ivers now wants to serve the Lord every day of his life and decided that some specific training would be beneficial. He is hoping to work as a visitation minister once he completes his degree.

For more on Liberty University Online (formerly Liberty University Distance Learning Program), go to www.luonline.com.

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DLP Changes Distance Learning Program gets new name, leadership

BY R O N B R OWN

CHRIS JOHNSON

Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. recently named four new vice presidents and two new admissions heads, including changes in resident recruitment and LU’s rapidly growing online education program.

As part of the administrative changes, Falwell announced that the school’s Distance Learning Program will be renamed Liberty University Online.

Falwell said the new name much more accurately describes the experience of students in the program today.

Liberty’s non-residential students take coursework via the Internet.

“I have met many students who moved to Lynchburg to attend Liberty University but soon transferred to the online program in order to meet employment and family obligations,” Falwell said. “Many online students are not distant from Liberty at all. They simply require more flexibility in their lives and are not able to attend traditional classes during the workday. It is no longer a distance learning program.

It is an Internet-based online educational experience. The new name is much more descriptive of the student experience.”

Liberty Vice Chancellor Ronald S.

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Godwin said the changes were triggered in part by the resignation of Ron Kennedy, the current executive director of distance learning and graduates studies. Kennedy recently accepted a similar position at Myers University in Ohio.

As of Oct. 27, LU’s online enrollment stood at 24,500. School officials project growth to 37,000 students by the end of the fiscal year in June.

To fill the void left by Kennedy’s departure, Falwell decided to promote Resident Recruitment Executive Director Chris Johnson to the new post of vice president for Enrollment Management.

“In this capacity, he will assume oversight for both resident and online education,” Godwin said.

Johnson’s current executive director’s post will be assumed by Larry Hoezee.

Kennedy’s executive director post in Liberty University Online will be filled by John Donges.

Unrelated to the enrollment management changes, Dwayne Carson and Johnnie Moore, both campus pastors, will also be promoted to vice president positions.

Carson becomes vice president of spiritual development; Moore assumes the role of vice president of executive

L A R RY H O E Z E E

projects and media relations.

“These title changes have been made to more accurately represent the duties and responsibilities for which both these men are already responsible,” Godwin said.

Ron Brown will be promoted to the position of vice president of University Advancement.

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Reaching New Heights School of Aeronautics offers helicopter training

le s s c h o f e r

Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics acquired a 2006 Schweizer CBi 300 helicopter in September. The school is one of only three universities in the nation to offer both a fixed wing and helicopter training program.

BY Te r esa D u n ha m

Liberty University’s vision for a helicopter concentration in the School of Aeronautics developed wings in mid-September as a 2006 Schweizer CBi 300 touched down at Falwell Airport in Lynchburg, Va. The arrival of the sleek aircraft valued at approximately $300,000 signaled a new distinction for the School of Aeronautics and Liberty University, making LU one of only three universities in the nation to offer both a fixed wing and helicopter training program.

The other two schools are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona and the University of North Dakota, said LU Aviation Department Chairman Ernie Rogers, who is thrilled with the new piece of equipment.

“It’s a very solid, smooth-flying helicopter that’s perfect for a trainer,” said Rogers.

“The versatility and the multi-mission tasks you can do make it a great aircraft to fly.”

LU will lease the helicopter, he said, and

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students will pay a fee to fly in it. Rogers would like to see 50 students start in the program — and classes are available now.

“It’s a fun experience. It’s something completely different,” said Kyle Falwell, manager of Falwell Airport where the helicopter will be housed.

The new addition was recently featured in “Vertical” helicopter magazine.

Laura Cox, an administrative assistant and graduate of the Aviation Department, said the helicopter concentration is a great stride for such a young program.

“I always wanted to fly helicopters, which we didn’t have,” she said. “When the helicopter came … I was just ecstatic.”

Tim Tillman, who recently moved from Idaho to Lynchburg to serve as the school’s certified helicopter flight instructor, knows that helicopters are ideal for flying into remote locations on the missions field — but he believes the program could create a missions field right at home.

“Hopefully [the helicopter instruction]

will draw some people who aren’t normally going to look at Liberty,” Tillman said. “They can come here and be introduced to the culture and hopefully be exposed to the Gospel that way.”

Chase Bishop, a 20-year-old sophomore aviation major, will be LU’s first helicopter student.

He has wanted to fly for most of his life, and LU is helping him achieve that dream.

He plans on becoming an Apache helicopter fighter pilot for the Army and eventually serving as a missionary pilot or flying for Air Care Medical in the long-term.

“The new helicopter program is just another sign of LU raising the bar,” he said.

In addition to helicopter instruction, the Aviation Program offers concentrations in missionary, military and commercial flight. For more information, visit www. liberty.edu and explore the School of Aeronautics homepage.

Discovery The Real Truth to

D ean r e c e ive s h o n o r as s c h o o l g r ows On a spiritual gifts test, Dave Young’s highest scores are for primary leadership, administration and faith.

“I guess I am a builder by nature. I like to build programs,” he said.

As Dean of Liberty University’s newly formed School of Aeronautics, that’s exactly what Young is doing. He’s piloting a revamped aviation program that has grown from four students to more than 200 in the past few years.

Expanding its offerings to include training for aircraft mechanics in spring 2009, the FAA-certified School of Aeronautics provides four-year Bachelor of Science in Aviation degrees for aspiring private and commercial pilots.

“My primary focus has been developing and growing the program,” said Young. “I would like to see us be the center of excellence for missionary aviation in the United States.”

Young put the program on the map recently by winning one of Virginia’s most prestigious aviation awards, the 2008 Aviation Person of the Year, presented by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Aviation.

“Not only does he have a long history of making contributions to aviation, but he has made some very specific contributions within the last year to an area [of education] that we consider very important,” said Betty Wilson of the Virginia Department of Aviation.

Young, who received a plaque in Richmond, Va., insists the award wasn’t a solo effort.

“I do believe it is a reflection on our program here at Liberty University,” he said. “Without our program, obviously, I

wouldn’t even be considered for it.”

A retired Brigadier General for the United States Air Force, Young spent more than two decades serving his country.

Then, in 1995, his life took a new direction after he met LU’s founder and former chancellor, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell.

“We had invited [Falwell] to come to our base and speak at our annual prayer breakfast. So we met, and one thing led to another, and I ended up retiring from the Air Force and coming to Liberty University,” said Young, who has worked primarily in leadership positions at LU for the past 11 years.

After serving as LU’s Executive Vice President, Young told Falwell in 2006 that he’d like to get back into aviation.

At the time, LU had an aviation department, but it was on a much smaller scale.

Falwell gave his support and blessings — and the program has seen steady growth ever since.

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Scholarship Helps Canadian Family in Need

les schofe r

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. enjoys afternoon lunch with the MacInnis family (from left to right): Josie, Lindsay, Terry and Marlene.

BY E r i c B r own

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J o r da n C r o s s i n g ha m

James 5:16 encourages us to pray for those in need: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Terry and Marlene MacInnis of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, are testaments to this verse, having felt the effects of fervent prayers from fellow believers. Diagnosed with pancreatic liver cancer in November 2007, Terry’s doctors gave him less than a year to live.

Just prior to his diagnosis, Terry’s oldest daughter, Josie, began attending Liberty University and singing on the Sounds of Liberty ministry team.

Blessed with a talent for singing, Josie learned of the team while still in high school; she inquired about auditions for the 2007-08 school year, only to discover the tryouts were closed.

Normally, Liberty’s ministry teams are named in March for the upcoming school

year. Through God’s grace, a unique situation developed. A soprano position opened up and Liberty’s Director of Ministry Teams Scott Bullman found himself unable to fill the spot.

After earnestly praying, Bullman received word of Josie’s singing ability. With no time to hold an official audition, Josie sent in a YouTube video of a past performance. By August of her freshman year, she was singing soprano for the Sounds of Liberty on a full scholarship.

Just before Thanksgiving that year, Josie learned of her father’s illness. As she traveled to venues with her team, she shared his situation with the crowds and asked for continued prayer. Back in Lynchburg, people at Liberty and Thomas Road Baptist Church prayed for Terry’s healing.

“My faith tank was really running on low, especially after treatments,” Terry said.

“I was just receiving these great phone calls from Josie telling me that people on campus are praying, the church is praying

and the team is praying.”

Thanks to generous contributions from Liberty staff and members of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Josie’s parents recently visited the university for the first time.

Before they returned home, the MacInnis family enjoyed lunch together and received a pleasant surprise.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. joined them that afternoon, awarding Josie’s sister Lindsay, a freshman, a full scholarship for the 2008-09 school year and financial consideration for their younger brother, Jordan, upon choosing to attend Liberty.

“If there is a family that’s really in need, we look for ways to help with scholarships and this seemed to be a fitting situation,” Falwell Jr. said.

Hearing the heart’s cry of his people, God abundantly provided for Terry and his family. Nearly one year after his diagnosis, the spots on Terry’s liver are shrinking and his children are able to further their education.

“It’s overwhelming how God took care of every single detail,” Josie said. “He keeps blowing me away with everything He has done for our family. I just feel really blessed.”

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News brief S University Happenings

Godwin, Falwell named Vice Chancellors For more than 15 years, Dr. Ronald Godwin has served Liberty University, working directly for the chancellor via many of the university’s affiliated ministries. On July 1, his title was changed from Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to Vice Chancellor.

“Ron is a seasoned veteran in Christian education administration and has a brilliant business mind,” said hancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. “He also has a deep understanding of Liberty University’s history and culture that is invaluable to me.”

Falwell said the change to Godwin’s title comes as a result of reorganizing Liberty’s administration so all departments will report to the Chancellor’s Office through various vice presidents.

The Rev. Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, has been named Vice Chancellor for Spiritual Affairs at Liberty University (he previously held the title of Executive Vice President for Spiritual Affairs). He will continue to provide counsel and recommendations to his brother, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., on matters related to the doctrinal integrity of the university, matters of faith and practice in hiring faculty and staff and the code of conduct governing student life.

Board of Regents assemble for annual meeting Liberty University hosted some of its biggest supporters at the end of September as the Board of Regents convened for its annual meeting.

The Board of nearly 800 members serves as a spiritual advisory board to the university and supports university projects such

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Liberty joins CICV

as “Adopt a Champion,” allowing regents to finance needy students’ education at Liberty.

About 300 board members from 20 different states were in attendance and had a chance to tour new facilities on campus and meet with university leaders and special guests.

At the Friday morning convocation, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. recognized some of them for their contributions to the university: • Tom and Iris Tilley of Durham, N.C., Falwell’s in-laws,who made it possible for the new Tilley Student Center to be built in the LaHaye Student Union.

• Bill Byron, who put together the insurance package on the late Dr. Jerry Falwell’s life in 2003 that helped Liberty University become debt-free.

• Jane Helms Knox, daughter of the late Sen. Jesse Helms, a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina who died on July 4.

• Neal Askew, a member of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees who was largely responsible for the resurfacing of Williams Stadium and has supported many Liberty initiatives over the years.

Liberty University’s new membership in the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia promises to be mutually beneficial.

The Bedford, Va.-based council with 27 private, fully-accredited member institutions lobbies for state policies and funding that will benefit all private colleges, as well as the pocketbooks of students who attend them.

As the largest private university in the state, Falwell believes that LU can make a great impact with the CICV. “I think the fact that we’re a member will help CICV make more progress in their lobbying efforts in Richmond. Liberty is known as a conservative school, so I think it will help with the conservative legislators and politicians when they see that Liberty is a member,” said Falwell.

Hittin’ the Road As Liberty University revved up for Alumni Weekend and the big Homecoming game, eight logos were painted on University Boulevard, and an insignia resembling LU’s monogram was painted at the Liberty Lane intersection across from the Elmer Towns Religion Hall.

Academic facility upgrades are top priority for Liberty Liberty University is proud of its new Ultimate LU initiative to offer a wide variety of cuttingedge extracurricular activities — but Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said LU will not sacrifice academics or spiritual life to make those projects a reality.

LU spent over $10 million to fund more than 20 academic facility improvements this year alone. Among the projects funded in that budget were the new Towns-Alumni Lecture Hall, 45,000 square feet of library space on the third floor of the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center and new equipment and labs for several departments.

LU is also in the sixth year of an eight-year comprehensive pay increase plan for its faculty in order to attract and retain highly qualified educators, and the school is continuing to supply generous funding for missions trips, worship services and its spiritual life leadership team.

Recreational enhancements, including the new indoor soccer complex and Snowflex — the year-round artificial ski slope anticipated to open in 2009 — are being constructed only as contributions are received for those projects. The total amount being spent on such projects is less than 30 percent of the amount spent on academic improvements during the same time period.

Falwell said that many of the facilities being constructed for Ultimate LU are covered by donations.

Portraits of Liberty leaders revealed Four portraits of Liberty University’s leaders, hand-picked in 2007 by Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. to hang in DeMoss next to his portrait, were unveiled at the Sept. 19 convocation. Commissioned by the university and painted by artist Paul Dinwiddie, the portraits are hanging in Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center.

The portraits are: • Dr. Robert Hughes, founding Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary • Dr. A. Pierre Guillermin, President Emeritus of Liberty University (served as president for 25 years) • Dr. Harold Willmington, founding Dean pag e 3 0

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News brief S University Happenings

of Liberty Bible Institute (and the present Willmington School of the Bible) • Dr. Elmer Towns, Co-founder of Liberty University and Dean of the School of Religion

New Tilley Student Center open to students Students who enjoy music and fellowship in a coffeehouse-style setting now have a new hangout spot on Campus North, with the opening of Liberty’s Tilley Student Center on Sept.

19. The center is located inside the recently renamed LaHaye Student Union, which encompasses the new student center and campus recreational facilities.

At the grand opening, Student Activities hosted a free concert with food and door prizes.

Formerly used for warehouse space, the Tilley Student Center will allow students to relax between classes, grab a cup of coffee, surf the net wirelessly or play a friendly game of pool.

LU Dining upgrades cater to students’ tastes Wild & Wonderful Liberty students went whitewater rafting on the New River in West Virginia in September. Liberty’s Student Activities Office aims to give students the “ultimate” college experience by offering both oncampus events and trips.

Construction begins on indoor soccer complex Soccer enthusiasts will soon have a new place to play on campus donated by two Virginiabased alumni, Glen and Jimmy Thomas.

The 37,000-square-foot indoor soccer complex will be adjacent to the LaHaye Student Union and serve as a multifunctional facility for activities such as flag football and lacrosse. Expected completion for this project is February 2009.

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It has really been a great benefit not only to the environment but also to the cost of meal plans and being able to offer more.”

Also, a new concept known as Webfood allows customers to place orders online and pick them up at designated kiosks.

This innovative service will support Sub Connection, The Hangar, and Founder’s Food Court.

Towns-Alumni Lecture Hall dedicated in September At Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, the main campus eatery, students now have more nutritional options. Thanks to a cost-cutting tray-less initiative instituted last year by LU Dining, students can indulge in carved meats three times per week, fresh fruits, filtered water and extra proteins on the salad bar.

“Everything that we are doing [at ReberThomas] are enhancements for the students’ nutrition,” said Chuck Faulkinberry, LU Dining’s Resident District Manager. “By removing the trays we found that we were able to save $250,000 throughout the year.

Faculty, staff, students and distinguished guests gathered Sept. 19 for the dedication of the new 750-seat Towns-Alumni Lecture Hall. Named in honor of Liberty co-founder Dr. Elmer Towns and the many alumni donors who gave, the room features sloped floors, cushioned chairs and state-of-the-art lighting and acoustics. It is located in the newly named Elmer Towns Religion Hall, which also received a exterior facelift this fall.

Leadership guru and best-selling author pag e 32 Dr. John Maxwell was the guest

Liberty Online Academy teams up with National Guard

BY R o n B r own

Liberty University Online Academy has initiated an innovative educational program that will provide select Army National Guard recruits with a high school degree.

LUOA, which provides online education for grades 3-12, will be providing instruction for recruits who meet the Guard’s eligibility requirements but lack sufficient education.

“If you want to enlist in the Guard, you need to have a high school diploma, a GED or be currently enrolled in school,” said Jay Spencer, executive associate for online projects at LU. The recruits must be able to meet high school degree requirements within 10 months of beginning the LUOA program.

Last year, a Guard study identified 1.2

million high school dropouts nationwide.

Nearly half of those dropouts meet the Guard’s eligibility requirements with the exception of education.

A potential recruit would benefit by having the Guard pay for his or her education. Recruits attending private schools are eligible for $4,500 in tuition assistance.

LUOA and the Guard are a natural fit in many ways.

“Liberty has always been involved with the military in our Distance Learning Program and with our seminary for chaplain recruiting,” Spencer said. “If you look at military chaplains across the board, a high percentage graduated from Liberty.”

Talk of a joint venture between the Guard and LUOA began last spring when a Guard chaplain met with Charlie Davidson, a Liberty

Baptist Theological Seminary professor.

Harvey Klamm, LUOA superintendent, happened to be walking by when the recruiter asked about the online program.

“Once Harvey explained to him about the program,” Spencer said, “it dawned on the chaplain that this might be a program that the National Guard might be interested in.”

The chaplain mentioned it to his superiors, who contacted LUOA. Prior to signing the agreement with the National Guard, LUOA (separate from Liberty Christian Academy) grew from 50 students when it opened in fall 2007 to 350 students this fall and anticipates an enrollment of 500 students by spring 2009.

For more information visit www.libertyonlineacademy.com.

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News brief S University Happenings

speaker, delivering a heartfelt and personal message about Towns, thanking his mentor for showing an interest in his life and crediting him for not wavering from God’s vision.

Maxwell joined Towns, Falwell Jr., the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, Vice Chancellor Dr. Ron Godwin and LU alumnus Greg Clendenin in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Towns addressed the audience, thanking everyone for making the construction of the lecture hall possible.

“I want to thank first of all the one person who is not here today for this privilege — I’d like to thank Jerry Falwell Sr. I want to thank him for the vision of Liberty University.”

Macel Falwell’s artwork revealed at gallery

From the time she was a young lady, Macel Falwell, wife of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, had two dreams in life related to her talents: to play the piano in front of an audience and for people to view her artwork. The first dream was fulfilled as she served for many years as pianist alongside her husband at Thomas Road Baptist Church. However, few people

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knew of her other talent — visual art.

Liberty University, TRBC and the surrounding community had a chance to view her paintings this fall for the first time.

Her show, “Macel Falwell: The Journey of a Hidden Artist,” opened Oct. 16, at The Visual Communication Arts Gallery and ran through Nov. 17. Her work spans a halfcentury and includes a variety of subjects, such as landscapes, portraits, architecture and animals in a variety of media.

Mrs. Falwell’s interest in art began in early childhood when she would draw pictures on any small scraps of paper she could find. During her high school years in the 1950s, she began taking art classes and quickly excelled. After she was married, she found time to paint even during the busy formative years of her family, Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University.

As the wife of a nationally known religious leader and mother of three, she found solace in painting the everyday scenes of life. The content of her work is wonderful in this regard, from depictions of animals, to landscapes and people.

Her last painting, executed after a trip to the Peaks of Otter with her husband, was completed in 1998.

viding workers with insight on the project’s design.

“We are absolutely delighted to do the first project in the states,” Thomas said. “In a couple of years’ time, you will see people doing amazing things who quite likely have started from scratch.”

The ski slope is an integral part of the university’s Ultimate LU campaign, an initiative instituted by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. that enhances LU’s student activities, club sports and intramural programs. With the addition of the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center, the university hopes to add skiing and snowboarding as club sports. The project is expected to be completed in February 2009.

Work begins on year-round ski slope Crews began grading the southeast portion of Liberty Mountain in early October, preparing the way for the university’s artificial Snowflex ski slope, the first of its kind in the country.

In September, workers cleared timber below the area known as the Bald Spot, creating space for slope parking and a small building for ski renatls and concessions. Snowflex material arrived in bundles on Sept. 29 and is now in storage. Brian Thomas, the inventor of the innovative material, also stopped by that week, pro-

Red Hot RedHot banners were hung around the campus at the beginning of the fall semester. The new RedHot spirit initiative, supported by the school’s Alumni Association, encourages students, faculty and staff to “Get their Red On” the day before and of a football game. It also includes Red Hot-themed T-shirts and gear for fans at Flames sporting events.

Liberty University opens new dirt bike trails Seated on two- and four-wheeled vehicles, riders hit the dirt in October, testing out Liberty University’s new motocross track.

Nestled in LU’s Jack Mountain property, the wooded arena features numerous doubles, table tops, loops and off-camber turns.

Track architect Jonathan Wallace says the course is an ideal site for beginners, but he also plans on adding more technical jumps for experienced bikers.

Liberty junior and full-time racer Timothy Walmsley is also constructing a trail system that encompasses the track, giving riders even more room to roam. Comprised of tight single track, the new trails will maintain the land’s natural elements.

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g e n e r al n ews

Who was here ... and what they had to say Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the student body gathers at convocation to hear well-known speakers from around the globe give their Christian perspectives on a range of topics and to testify about God’s work in their lives. s e pte m b e r

The late Dr. Jerry Falwell once called evangelist Dr. Bailey Smith one of the alltime great evangelists. Smith has served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and preached in nearly every U.S. state.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a Liberty alumnus, spoke about the need for change in America — not of the political persuasion but rather a heartfelt spiritual change.

Joe McCain, the younger brother of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, outlined his brother’s actions as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, summing up the message in three words: “This is character.”

As the guest speaker for Spiritual Emphasis Week, Tony Nolan led five services. Nearly 250 students responded to the Gospel on Monday, the first night. On Tuesday night, more than 1,000 students responded to Nolan’s challenge to “throw away the trash” in their lives.

Author Don Corace spoke at a convocation on civic responsibility. He spoke on fighting eminent domain laws.

O CTO BER

Evangelist David Nasser, a frequent speaker at Liberty, reminded students that they have access to The One who is even more powerful and important than any celebrity, yet God knows them by name.

Any time a believer calls out to God through prayer, He promises to answer.

Brad Powell, senior pastor of NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Mich., tackled the subject of hypocrisy in the church by dissecting the mistake Christians often make.

Leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell, who spends much of his time speaking to managers of Fortune 500 companies, encouraged students to “overcome the limitations that others place on you,” much like the shepherd boy David in the Bible.

On Sept. 17, the 221st anniversary of the United States Constitution, it was fitting to hear from David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders and one of Time Magazine’s “25 most influential American evangelicals.” He spoke on the importance of looking to the Bible for guidance on voting and suggested that Christians support faith-based initiatives.

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Best-selling author Angela Thomas told students she always aspired to be “the best little Jesus girl God ever had” — but one divorce later, the mother of four wondered if God could use her at all. Thomas said she found part of her answer in the Beatitudes Jesus preached about — being poor in spirit, mourning, hungry and meek.

Former New York Knicks shooting guard Allan Houston, a two-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, used the story of Joseph in Genesis 39 to express the importance of focusing on the dreams and visions God provides rather than earthly desires.

Dr. Johnny Hunt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and a member of the Board of Trustees at Liberty, preached on having the knowledge, understanding and wisdom rooted in Psalms 119:33-37.

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, challenged students to overcome life’s obstacles by holding onto the dreams God has for them.

Benny Prasad, India’s most traveled musician, suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and severe asthma since childhood. The 33-year-old guitarist has journeyed to 182 countries, sharing the message of Jesus Christ through his music and testimony.

Missionary Carrie McDonnall delivered a powerful message of personal sacrifice for the first day of Missions Emphasis Week.

McDonnall lost her husband, David, and three close friends in a terrorist attack on the mission field in Iraq in 2004. Though God does not call everyone to remote places like Iraq, McDonnall said she believes God has a task for all of us.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine visited Liberty University for the Oct. 27 convocation, representing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. As co-chairman of the Obama campaign, Kaine shared his views on the candidate, while addressing the economy, abortion and gay rights.

Bob McEwen, a former U.S. Congressman from Ohio addressed students during the Oct. 27 convocation, reminding them of the values the country was founded upon and urging them to vote on Godly principles.

Mat Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law, gave a speech on “Voting Christian Principles� at the Oct. 10 convocation.

Former U.S. attorney John Brownlee visited the Oct. 6 convocation. He is currently seeking the Republican nomination for Virginia attorney general in the 2009 election. li b e rty j o u r nal

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Stu d e nt Li f e

Life at Liberty: Caught on Camera Student uses talent to capture campus experiences

BY Ca r m e n P. F le i s c hau e r

The motto of YouTube.com is “Broadcast Yourself,” and that’s exactly what Devin Olson has done. If you search his username, BlastCoaster87, you will find close to 100 videos. Olson’s videos depict what he is passionate about — most often Liberty University and amusement parks.

“My hobby is roller coasters, theme parks and anything related. My username on YouTube is BlastCoaster87 because my favorite roller coaster for years was Volcano: the Blast Coaster at Kings Dominion near Richmond [Va.], and my birth year is 1987,” Olson said.

Olson said he was first introduced to YouTube in high school. He knew that he wanted to come to Liberty University and began searching for anything related to the school. However, the site was just starting to take off, and he was disappointed to find only a couple of videos about specific clubs or events but nothing to show what campus life was truly like from a student perspective.

Although he never had an inclination toward filming or editing, it was around this same time that Olson felt called by God to venture into the media world.

“One day I was taking pictures on a digital camera and just happened to switch it over to the video mode just for fun,” Olson said. “I fell in love with it, and anything I fall in love with as a hobby I always seem to take to the next level in some way.”

As a freshman at Liberty, Olson carried his camera wherever he went. He was able to take it out at a moment’s notice and capture footage of campus happenings.

With an editing tool on his computer, he produced five- to six-minute videos each month. Uploaded to YouTube, the videos were set to music that Olson thought would fit the tone of the video.

Commenting about the popularity of his videos, Olson said, “I never expected that they’d get viewed around 20,000 times my freshman year and 110,000 times total within the first couple years. Apparently I wasn’t the J e r o m e Stu r m

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only prospective student searching YouTube for ‘Liberty University.’”

Olson is now a junior at Liberty and has become quite recognized for his video skills, both on-campus and in other venues. In addition to the LU videos he places on YouTube, he works for University Advancement, capturing promotional video material for the school. Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has even asked him to create videos for campus events.

One video requested by the chancellor was a compilation of highlights from the spring 2008 semester. The video shows many aspects of campus life and interviews Chancellor Falwell and his wife, Becki. The closing scene, shot in the LaHaye Student Union, shows Falwell Jr. and a few graduates in full regalia running on treadmills. The 10-minute video was shown in the final convocation of the semester.

Olson also runs a website based on his roller coaster hobby and produces DVDs and books for amusement parks. He interned with Steve Saint, son of the late missionary Nate Saint, this past summer and made videos for his missions-support organization in Florida. A public service announcement video he completed for a class is now airing on cable TV in the Lynchburg, Va., area.

When asked why he chose to attend Liberty, Olson said, “I became familiar with Liberty back when my sister was considering it and then when she came here a few years back. I really fell in love with the campus and its environment. It feels like a tight-knit family of 11,000 to me, if that’s possible.

“But even more than that, I fell in love with the focus of the campus’ energy toward living for Christ and serving our world in all arenas. Liberty was my first and last choice for college; I never applied anywhere else.”

J e r o m e St u r m

Olson’s future goals include seeing the media transformed for the better.

“However sizeable my role in that will be is really all up to God, but my specific calling is really to do everything I can to affect lives through mass media.”

Olson captures all his videos on a Canon PowerShot A630 digital camera. To check out Olson’s videos, visit www.youtube.com/blastcoaster87 or devin.coaster-net.com.

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ask

johnni LU Campus Pastor

Johnnie, is there one particular way we’re supposed to pray? Some people tell me to talk to God like a judge and others say a friend.

Which one is right? — Cassie

BY J o h n n i e m o o r e

Cassie, you learn to pray by praying, and there are plenty of helpful tools to prepare you to do that more consistently and more effectively. You could read the writings of some of God’s great prayer warriors, men like E.M. Bounds or Robert Murray M’Cheyne, or you can just start by studying prayer in the Bible.

Jesus’ primary teaching on prayer is in Matthew 6. His “Lord’s Prayer” was meant to be a model, not a mantra. Like Jesus, you should spend time in thanksgiving and praise; offer your requests to God, and ask for His help in your life and on behalf of others. Try to spend much more time praising God and praying for others than you do for yourself.

A lot of Christians believe the best praying involves an overly stoic persona seasoned with a bit of Elizabethan English. Actually, more than your properly placed words, God is concerned about your consistent communication with Him. You must find a place and time where you daily commune with God, and “when you pray, go into your room and shut the door” (Matt. 6:6). Behind that door, you leave your distractions and then give your entire attention to prayer and His word.

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Actually, my prayer life is a bit like a conversation, and it is sometimes uncomfortably honest. Hebrews 4:16 says to, “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that [you] may receive mercy and find grace to help [you] in your time of need.”

Jesus gives you the freedom to talk honestly to Him, to walk right up to His throne and say what’s on your mind. You should feel the freedom to express your most honest thoughts and feelings, but you shouldn’t barge into His throne room like you own the place.

Theologically, we call this the immanence (or closeness) and the transcendence (otherness/holiness) of God. You should feel close to Him and feel that He cares for you (because he does), but you should also recognize and respect his Holiness (because He is).

Sometimes I call this the “wow” and the

“wooooo!” John 15:15 says that Jesus has called us “friends,” but Hebrews 10:31 tells us it is a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This is why your friends are confused as to how to view God when they pray. A balance between the two views is what you’re looking for and actually what makes our relationship with God so mysterious and so unique. He loves you, yet He is your Lord.

You will enjoy your access to God more when you begin to understand how holy He is.

Most of all, just pray, and remember the words of the great British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, who once said, “a neglected [prayer] closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline.”

The Rev. Johnnie Moore is campus pastor at Liberty University. Please send email to campuschurch@liberty.edu.

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Stu d e nt Li f e

A Joyful Noise Student auditions for ‘Idol,’ joins ministry team

by Te r esa D u n ha m

“Does your dad know you’re here?” That’s the question an incoming Liberty University freshman recalls American Idol judge Simon Cowell asking him in a tryout for the hit reality television show. Known for dishing out blunt truth, Cowell wasn’t holding anything back from Jonathan Baines.

An 18-year-old pastor’s son, Jonathan sang his first solo in church at age 12. His father did know he was at the American Idol auditions — but Jay Baines, the senior pastor of Townsend Free Will Baptist Church in Delaware, was hoping God had a different route planned for his son.

Jay had been praying that God would bring Jonathan to Liberty University.

“We had concerns about the music industry and the choices he would face,” said Jay, 42, who recently completed his Master of Arts in Religion online through Liberty’s Distance Learning Program.

Yet the pastor wanted Jonathan to decide his own path, and that meant trying out for American Idol.

The young man auditioned in Philadelphia on Aug. 27, 2007, in front of a preliminary judge. Two days later he was ushered before show producers to sing again. By Sept. 2, he was singing for celebrity judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Cowell.

“It was very surreal for me,” said Jonathan, who impressed the judges enough to make it to the next round of auditions in Hollywood.

Hollywood was a whirlwind of excitement, he said. In the second round of auditions, he received a standing ovation from Abdul for his rendition of “When You Tell Me You Love Me.” The applause left him feeling fairly confident. Yet, as he and a row of other singers stood before the judges after that round, they learned that only one person in their group would stay in

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Crimson Flood (Jonathan Baines at right) performs in the Vines Center during a September convocation. The ministry team consists of an all-male singing trio and accompanying band.

the Season 7 competition. And Jonathan wasn’t that person.

“It was a reality check,” he said recently.

Since he was in the Top 70, Jonathan was informed that he could come back to audition again in July 2008, but he decided to explore his opportunities at Liberty University instead. The positive feedback at American Idol tryouts gave him the courage to pursue a spot on one of LU’s four musical ministry teams. The teams are ambassadors for Christ and

for Liberty University, traveling all over the country to sing at churches and events.

“That really built a lot of confidence in me. I think I’m really more prepared now,” said Jonathan, who auditioned at Liberty just two days after his American Idol tryout aired on television this past season.

More than 1,200 people audition for a position on LU’s ministry teams each year — and the teams usually average less than 10 openings each year — so the process is highly selective.

“He did very well,” said Director of Ministry Teams Scott Bullman, recalling the young man’s audition. “Certainly he’s got a bright future.”

Jonathan was selected to sing in the university’s all-male Southern pop band Crimson Flood this fall. Until recently, Crimson Flood was a male trio — but they decided to become a band, complete with vocalists, drums, acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, keyboard and a sound technician.

When Jonathan got the offer from Crimson Flood, he recalls feeling a wave of relief. His hard work and professional voice lessons had made a difference after all.

“Finally I’d found something. God had opened a door,” he said. “I knew that God had answered my prayers and showed me that He had really cared for what I had wanted.”

He isn’t the only Crimson Flood singer who has made it in front of American Idol judges, though. Current Crimson Flood member Kyle Kupecky also had the honor, according to a representative of the LU Department of Ministry Teams.

Yet the most high-profile contestant associated with Liberty thus far is Phil Stacey, a Liberty University Online student who made it past the Top 12 in Season 6.

At the end of the day, Jonathan doesn’t care if he’s singing in front of an audience of 10 or 10,000. He just wants to use his voice for God’s glory — and Crimson Flood will give him that opportunity.

“I’m just trying to figure out what God wants me to do. I’m just going to pray about it and see where God takes me,” he said.

S i n g i n g Am bassa d o r s

With five distinct sounds and one clear mission, Liberty University’s Ministry Teams perform at events and church services throughout the country to praise God and act as ambassadors for LU. Th e S o u n d s o f Li b e rty The Sounds of Liberty is the university’s premier traveling ministry team.

The group — with six vocalists, a five-piece band, and an audio technician — performs a wide repertoire at nearly 100 concerts each year.

C r i m s o n Flo o d One of LU’s more recently formed ministry teams, Crimson Flood just added a band to its all male trio. Their fresh Southern pop sound, similar to the music of 33 Miles, is quickly becoming a favorite of all ages.

E xo d us Exodus is a contemporary worship band that ministers primarily in youth and college settings, as well as contemporary churches. The six-member team travels extensively through the U.S. and Canada, using today’s Christian music to boldly lead others in worship. They served as the in-house band for 10 weeks at Hume Lake Christian Camp in California this summer, recruiting hundreds of West Coast campers to attend LU in the future.

Li g ht New to the Department of Ministry Teams, Light is a coed band performing in the tradition of other Christian groups such as Casting Crowns and Hillsong United. They deliver a unique message of obedience and personal surrender to God. Cam p us p r ai s e Ban d The Campus Band is an eight-member team that leads worship at Liberty University’s Campus Church and plays regularly at weekly convocations. This team deeply influences the spiritual climate of our students through their heartfelt worship.

For more information, visit www.liberty.edu/ministryteams or email ministryteams@liberty.edu.

Besides Jonathan, members in the 2008-09 Crimson Flood include Caleb Grimm, Kyle Kupecky, Seth Bolte, Corey Horn, Jordan Terrell, Jay Cagle, Jonathan Marple, and Charles Thompson. li b e rty j o u r nal

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s p i r itual Li f e

On the Go With Go Tell Internships s u b m itte d p h oto

Liberty University interns Claire Jones, Emily Levinson, Sarah Gehman, Rachel Snyder, Amanda Collins, Ashley Skidmore, Joey Montgomery, Tim Sloan and David Listor joined 27 interns from seven other partnering colleges at GO TELL youth camps this summer in Georgia, Kentucky, Texas and at Liberty University. by m itz i b i b le

Liberty University offers students the opportunity to earn scholarships through internships with Christian organizations, adding an extra dimension to its mission to train Champions for Christ.

Last summer, nine champions-in-training interned for six weeks at GO TELL youth camps in Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, and at Liberty University. The camps attract thousands of middle and high school students.

With a focus on evangelism and discipleship, they offer popular Christian speakers, sports stars and bands.

Interns led break-out sessions with campers, counseled at nightly services, and aided in recreation, administration and outreach to local communities. They also had the option of going on a mission trip to Costa Rica.

“They were involved in pure ministry for six weeks; they weren’t sitting behind a desk all summer long,” said Rick Gage, founder of GO TELL and former Liberty football coach who earned his M.A.R. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

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Ashley Skidmore, a junior government major, said the special time she spent with campers was the highlight.

“We got to share what God was doing in our lives with the campers, but the campers also impacted us, and so it just bounced off each other and fed and grew into something that was really great.”

Rachel Snyder, a senior Speech Communications major, remembers her life being changed as a young GO TELL camper. But working there this past summer stretched her spiritually.

“For the first time in a long time it clicked that it is not about me and what I want out of life. … My relationship with Him is not about what He can give and do for me. But it is everything about Him and what I can give and do for Him.” David Listor, a sophomore TV broadcast major, also grew spiritually, but at the same time learned valuable job skills. He worked on camp highlight videos, edited film sermons and operated the camera during services. He said the experience will open doors for his career, and he was glad he could learn these skills in a

Christian environment.

Freshman Women’s Ministry major Claire Jones said she enjoyed investing in the teen’s lives and getting to share in their stories.

“I have such a heart for teens of the world and especially girls. This got me more prepared for my major,” Jones said.

“Just being able to experience disciplining girls one on one revealed to me that that is where my heart and passion are.”

Liberty interns received another benefit: a scholarship for one semester’s tuition.

It’s all part of continuing the mission GO TELL shares with Liberty, Gage said.

“Over 20 years, GO TELL has been used to hatch out an army of men and ladies for full-time Christian ministry. … They leave with a greater passion for Christ and a greater passion for the lost. If we can continue to send out an army every summer from our camps, then there’s been great accomplishment for the kingdom of God.” Fo r m o r e i n for mation o n G O TE LL visit www.gotellministries.com.

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Scholar ’ s

vie W

Religion, Relationship, or Ultimate Reality?

BY ka r e n swa llow p r i o r

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world, filling the gap left when Christians view Christ merely as a relationship but not ultimate reality.

A helpful analogy can be seen in marriage. Marriage is certainly one of many kinds of human relationships. But it is much more than a relationship; it is a covenant that alters the ultimate reality of those who enter into it. Relationships change — they can grow, they can crumble.

Seeing marriage merely as a relationship is probably why so many marriages end in divorce. But understanding marriage as an ultimate reality — the transformation of two into one flesh — makes it much more than a relationship. Rightly understood, marriage changes who one is and how one relates to the world.

Similarly, we err in understanding Christianity solely as a personal relationship. More than that, it is a personal relationship with the One upon whom the very foundation of the world is centered. And that truth provides insight into ultimate reality that no mere religion can offer.

Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is Chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages at Liberty University.

j o r dan c r o s s i n g ha m

“It’s not a religion — it’s a relationship.”

This is a common explanation we Evangelicals offer unbelievers to explain the difference between other religions and Christianity. But is “relationship” the sum total of Christianity?

Not according to Charles Colson, who spoke at Thomas Road Baptist Church’s recent InnovateChurch Conference.

Colson has long been one of the most insightful and articulate defenders of the church within a post-Christian culture. In his talk, drawn largely from his new book, “The Faith,” Colson made the point that one of the names for Christ, Logos (John 1:1), means not only “word” or “truth” — the most common translations — but also “ultimate reality.” To be in a relationship with Christ, then, means more than simply having a relationship with Him (although it certainly is this). Indeed, to have a relationship with Christ is to be connected with ultimate reality in a way that is not otherwise possible. And the historic doctrines of the church are the framework by which we understand this ultimate reality.

Unfortunately, many in the contemporary church are abandoning these

doctrines. One need only look at countless surveys and studies that show little, if any, difference between self-identified, born-again Christians and non-believers on a whole array of attitudes and behaviors, from the belief in absolute truth to statistics on divorce and abortion. Clearly, having a relationship with Christ does not automatically guarantee right thinking and application of that relationship to ultimate reality. Yet, we cannot fully be in a relationship without understanding the nature of the One with whom we have that relationship.

The fact that Christ is the ultimate reality has implications for every aspect of existence and therefore for how we think and live. This is the essence of what is meant by “Christian worldview.”

And while Christians are lulled by the comforts of relationship, Colson pointed out, the world is attempting to understand and define ultimate reality with its own worldviews — feminism, Marxism, materialism, and nihilism, just to name a few. These ideologies are advancing into the culture — even into the church — with seductive lies and half-truths about the

now enrolling for the

spring 2009 semester

Students Baptized at Campus Church Baptisms are usually held twice a semester during Campus Church services, part of Liberty University’s Spiritual Life programs. This semester, however, three were planned because there have been so many decisions.

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, campus pastors baptized 40 students during Campus Church at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Campus Church is held every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at TRBC and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the Vines Center.

For more information visit www.liberty. edu/spirituallife.

Liberty University, the world’s largest evangelical university, introduces Liberty University Online Academy for children in grades 3-12

call us at

1(866) 418-8741 or visit us online at w w w . l i b e r t y o n l i n e a c a d e m y . com

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aca d e m i c Li f e

aculty focuS Associate Professor Don Marsh, Worship & Music

career

Teaching arranging, worship resources, Christian music industry courses and songwriting at LU’s Center for Worship since spring 2008.

Freelance arranging career and ministry — From 1977 to the present, Don Marsh has written and produced approximately 3,000 published musical arrangements including 10 full albums to accompany published choral books per year, adding up to 300 albums over 30 years.

He has worked on projects for several noteworthy recording artists, including Sandi Patti, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Larnelle Harris, Kathy Troccoli, Steve Green, Linda McKechnie, Todd Agnew, The Children of the World Choir and The Don Marsh Orchestra.

He has also recorded with the London Symphony and London Festival Orchestra in more than 25 recording sessions.

les schofe r

He arranged and created music for the late Dr. Jerry Falwell’s legendary Old Time Gospel Hour Choir and served in music ministry at several prominent churches, including the Skyline Wesleyan Church in California for well-known pastor and author John Maxwell. awa r d s

r e c e n t p ro j e c t s

Arranged and composed music for the 2008 Virginia Christmas Spectacular at Thomas Road Baptist Church Consultant and orchestrator for the new LifeWayWorship.com online hymnal Orchestrator for Todd Agnew’s Christmas album, “Do You Hear What I Hear”

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accomplishments

Major artist and concept recordings “Spirituals In Concert,” Grammy Awardwinning CD and DVD by opera greats Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman “America’s Favorite 25 Praise and Worship Songs,” Gold Record, over 500,000 sales “Lift Him Up,” sales in excess of 1 million units “Beside Still Waters,” “Instruments in Praise” and “Instrumental Hymns,” Don Marsh Orchestra series, Brentwood Records

3 Emmy Awards for arrangements on TV 15 Dove Award nominations 3 Dove Awards Excellence in Media Award 1 Gold Record e d u c at i o n

Bachelor of Music, Nyack (Missionary) College, N.Y., 1965 Master of Science in Music, Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., 1970 personal

Don and Lorie Marsh live in Lynchburg and are members of Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Center for Worship Grounds Musicians in God

j o r da n c r o s s i n g h a m

BY t e r esa d u n ha m

Liberty University’s Center for Worship is a unique voice in higher education, providing what no other school in the nation offers — a separate Department of Worship and Music Studies.

“We only focus on one task, and that’s training people to be worship leaders and ministers of music,” said director Dr. Vernon M. Whaley.

With approximately 600 undergraduate and graduate students — as well as 14 fulltime faculty and six adjuncts — the program that kicked off in 2004 in a former campus hang-out called David’s Place expects its first graduating class this academic year.

For students who have been at the Center for Worship since the beginning, there’s no doubt that a spirit of harmony and a unique calling is in the hearts of all who attend there.

“First, we base their admittance on calling,” Whaley said. “We’ll take you where you are, and we’ll equip you so that when

you leave here you can do what God called you to do.”

If a student is called to lead worship, then Whaley feels called to teach that student — and the students are diverse, ranging from the quintessential “Mr. Cool” who wants to strum a guitar and sing the latest songs on stage to those with more traditional yearnings who want to lead worship by playing the organ in a large cathedral.

Students who desire careers in classical music or music education are served by the Department of Music and Humanities.

Though a pure heart is more valued than a pure voice, the Center for Worship cultivates both.

“Dr. Whaley always says when we’re doing choir that we’re evangelists of great tone. We’re to sing with excellence so that people are not distracted by wrong notes.

They really can concentrate on the full message … because of the quality of our singing,” said junior Neil Durner, 20.

Maintaining high standards, the Center’s music theory instruction covers everything

from Beethoven to the Nashville Numbers, jazz harmony and contemporary praise and worship music. Students perform junior and senior recitals, presenting a strong combination of classical and contemporary worship literature.

“I’ve loved all my classes that I’ve taken.

The professors and the faculty are all really encouraging. The music classes are difficult, but you can see how they’re really going to apply to your life later,” said junior Eliza Buckler, 19.

The secret to the Center for Worship’s success is that course offerings are driven by the job market demand. Pastors, ministers of music, denominational leaders and Christian organizations were asked to identify the skills they look for when securing worship leaders — musical talent, people skills, administrative ability, technology — and courses were designed accordingly.

Each undergraduate worship student chooses a specialization in worship leading, intra-cultural studies, women’s ministry, worship technology, youth pag e 4 8 li b e rty j o u r nal

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Christian artist Buddy Greene talks with students at the Center for Worship in February.

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ministry, business, theatre, Biblical studies or pastoral training. Other areas being considered for specializations in the future include Christian Music Industry (songwriting or artist development) and African-American Worship Studies.

The Center for Worship partners with Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary to offer graduate worship degrees with specializations in Ethnomusicology, Church Planting, or Leadership. The Ethnomusicology emphasis strategically equips Liberty music students to serve as music missionaries.

“We’re training people to be practical in their local settings,” said Whaley.

One of the program’s greatest strengths is the high-profile Partner Faculty that teach in undergraduate and graduate classes each semester — respected professionals including Ricky Skaggs, Babbie Mason, Al Denson and Buddy Greene.

Charles Billingsley, worship pastor at

Thomas Road Baptist Church and Artist-inResidence at Liberty, regularly visits and shares with students.

The Center’s full-time professors are educated at some of the nation’s finest music schools, and they have experience as current or former worship leaders.

Worship musicians such as Vince Lewis, assistant professor of guitar, have played with iconic jazz musicians including Dave Brubeck and B.B. King.

Beyond the practical advice and instruction that professors offer, students learn on the front lines in internships at some of America’s largest churches, missionary agencies and other ministry groups in the country. The Center for Worship organizes its internships based upon the church’s needs and the student’s corresponding gifts.

There are currently more than 2,900 openings for worship leaders in evangelical churches across the country, Whaley said, so students have strong career options when they leave LU. “We get a call or two a day from a pastor or church making a request for a worship leader or music director,” he said.

Above all, a solid Biblical foundation in worship and commitment to developing music ministry skills remains the focus at Liberty’s Center for Worship.

“Part of being a worship leader is having an understanding of Scriptures,” said associate professor Don Marsh, explaining that the degree helps students choose songs that glorify God and are scripturally sound.

Musicians are sometimes reputed for having an “artist’s temperament,” but the Center for Worship strives to keep that in check with classes devoted to developing leadership skills, a heart for God, time management and priorities for ministry.

“We know that our gifts were given by God and that we can’t take a lot of credit for it — in fact, no credit for it,” Marsh said.

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Academic

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News and Notes on Programs, Faculty and Students

Law School Announces High Bar Passage Rate in Virginia Liberty University School of Law now ranks No. 2 in the state for passage rates on the Virginia Bar Exam. At 94.4 percent, Liberty is just behind the University of Virginia (96.8).

“That’s going to put us in the top 5 percent of all law schools in the country,” said Mat Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law. Working out of his Orlando, Fla., office on Oct. 16, Staver was jubilant when he heard the news from Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., who had received the call from members of the Board of Bar Examiners that afternoon.

“He had a whole room full of people cheering,” Falwell said. “It’s wonderful news for the law school. It just means we’re achieving our goals much more quickly than we hoped.”

Biology Professor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Dr. Paul Sattler received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th anniversary meeting of the Virginia Herpetological Society (VHS) for his 22 years of service in the society. Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians.

Sattler served eight years as editor of the journal Catesbeiana, a semi-annual publication offering information on the distribution and health of reptiles and amphibians native to Virginia, as well as eight years as secretary and treasurer.

Law Professor Commemorates Billy Graham through Book Liberty University School of Law professor Basyle J. Tchividjian has respect for his grandfather, but so do millions of people around the world. That’s because his

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Evangelistic Association.

A practicing attorney based in central Florida for many years, Tchividjian relocated to Central Virginia this fall to teach at the law school. He said he visits his grandfather a few times a year.

“With his age, he’s having a real difficult time seeing, so my prayer is that he will at least see some of the book.” There is also an audiobook available, he said, “so I’m hoping if he can’t read it, he will get the CD so he can at least hear some of it.”

International Students Hone English Language Skills grandfather is evangelist Billy Graham, or to him, “Daddy Bill.”

Tchividjian is one of 19 Graham grandchildren. His mother, Gigi (Virginia) Graham, is the eldest daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham.

Tchividjian, along with one of his brothers, Aram Tchividjian, published “Invitation: Billy Graham and the Lives God Touched — Stories of Real People Transformed By God,” released in September. The hardcover, tabletop gift book is a compilation of stories the brothers have received on the website, www.thankyoubilly.com, which was launched last year.

“We’ve always had people approach us throughout our lives and say, ‘Hey, do you have a minute? I want to tell you what God did in my life through your grandfather.’

So throughout our lives we’ve heard these incredible stories,” Tchividjian said. “As we got older, we started to think, ‘how can we capture some of these amazing stories’?

That was the beginning of the website.”

Within four months, they had received more than 600 stories from people all over the world and from all walks of life.

“Invitation” also combines more than 60 photographs from family collections and the archives of the Billy Graham

Liberty University’s English Language Institute (ELI) has a new home at the Lynchburg Inn and Conference Center.

The move to the nearby hotel is advantageous for the program since 90 international students are being housed there this fall.

ELI offers an intensive program in English language studies that helps international students face the challenges of living and learning in an unfamiliar language and climate. The courses give them an opportunity to practice and to learn how to communicate skillfully in English. There are currently 85 students in the program.

Liberty began leasing the hotel, formerly a Ramada Inn, in June and is housing 280 students in 147 dorm-style hotel rooms.

The hotel is also serving as an educational center for Liberty University Online.

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for

Liberty Opens New Center for Judaic Studies The Center for Judaic Studies launched this fall with three professors — Dr. Randall Price (executive director), Dr. Thomas Ice and Dr. Ed Hindson. It includes a 20,000volume Library for Jewish Studies, which will house numerous rare texts, such as a 300-year-old handwritten Torah scroll that came through Israel, valued at $85,000, and a 12th century handwritten illuminated manuscript from the New Testament.

Price said the project fulfills a vision of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell. “[Falwell Sr.] had certain emphasis in his own ministry, and one of them was that we have to support the Jewish people and the state of Israel,” said Price. “The Jewish people are important to God and to His eternal program.”

The Center’s first class, a study-abroad trip to Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judean Desert in Israel, to conduct archaeological excavation is scheduled for Dec. 5-23. Dr. Price has been director of excavation at this site for the past six years.

Additionally, Price would like to see a Liberty Biblical Museum in conjunction with the Center for Judaic studies in the future.

He could provide several thousand antiquities from his own collection for the display and hopes to attract others with similar collections to donate them to Liberty.

In the meantime, the Center hopes to showcase a few select items — such as a Canaanite Sickle Sword in the style that Joshua would have used at the time of Jericho, dating back to 1500s B.C. — behind a window at the Center’s entrance.

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What fellowship has light with darkness? What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? –from II Corinthians 6: 14-15 Whether you realize it or not, when you participate in a health insurance plan, you are agreeing that the premiums for your policy can be used to pay for anything your insurance company covers in any of their polices. Health insurance can actually support the opponents of Jesus Christ.

You may be working and praying for abortion to end, but supporting abortions and the use of abortifacient drugs by helping pay for them with your health insurance premiums. You may be encouraging others to trust in Jesus Christ and turn away from the dangers of living in disobedience to Him. At the same time, the policies offered by your health insurance may be encouraging disobedience to Jesus Christ by agreeing, in advance, to cover the consequences of sexual promiscuity, drug or alcohol abuse, or other unbliblical practices..

We should not confuse health insurance with charitable giving. Charity is a compassionate, precise response to existing needs. Health insurance is a business agreement that indiscriminately agrees to cover things before they even happen.

Members of Samaritan Ministries share one another’s medical needs through a simple, Biblical approach that doesn’t involve health insurance. They have agreed not to share in medical needs for unbiblical practices, and the monthly share for a family of any size has never exceeded $285*, even less for couples, singles, and single-parent families. Come experience the blessings, and the savings, that result when members of the body of Jesus Christ partner with one another instead of joining in partnerships that support the works of darkness.

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Development Unveils ‘Vision 2020’ Campaign will help meet financial needs over next decade BY r o n b r ow n

le s s c h o f e r

The Elmer Towns Religion Hall recently underwent an interior makeover, including completion of a new 750-seat Towns-Alumni Lecture Hall, and exterior makeover to match the Jeffersonian-style façade of the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center.

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Liberty University is launching a comprehensive fundraising campaign to help the school meet its financial needs over the next decade.

The “Vision 2020” project identifies about $407 million in potential naming opportunities for existing and planned projects on LU’s Lynchburg, Va., campus.

Most of the school’s dormitories and many of its athletic facilities lack donor names.

“We need people to support those and come alongside us,” said Roy Jones, LU’s Director of Development. “It is really exciting. There are real opportunities. It gives us a chance to expand the university’s donor base.”

The initiative will attempt to involve administrators, students, alumni and other friends of Liberty, and fundraising will touch all of the university’s 11 schools.

“We want to put champions for Christ in each of those areas,” Jones said. “We are expanding the new opportunities for people to become involved at Liberty.”

The primary focus of the campaign is the building of university facilities and endowment.

“We went to every dean in the university system,” Jones said. “We asked them one key question: ‘What is your department going to look like in the year 2020?’”

The deans met with faculty and staff to evaluate their school’s needs over the next 12 years.

“They had discussions that laid out the resources they needed to reach their enrollment projections by 2020,” Jones said.

“It’s a gargantuan task for us. The great thing about what we are doing is that we are changing the mindset of people.”

In other words, the development department is getting members of the campus community directly involved in fundraising efforts that will dictate the school’s future.

Open the Door to Your Home Equity Liberty was founded by the late Dr. Jerry Falwell and Dr. Elmer Towns in 1971.

The school now has 11,330 residential students and about 24,500 students enrolled in its online instruction programs.

Falwell set a goal for Liberty to have 25,000 residential students one day.

“Prior to now, Dr. Falwell did all the fundraising,” Jones said. “The deans didn’t have to be involved in that process and were actually not encouraged to get involved in fundraising. Now, we are doing exactly the opposite. It’s time for every dean and every alum to step up and do their part.”

Jones said fundraising techniques are likely to change.

“Years ago, the point of spear was direct mail,” Jones said. “We will continue to do direct mail, but the tone has changed dramatically.”

Before, the ministry made a lot of crisis-like appeals when operational money was in short supply.

“We are now reaching out to donors with critical needs and long-term objectives,” Jones said.

The shift to anticipatory financial planning will allow university fundraisers to focus on major gifts development, fundraising events and working with donors from corporations and foundations.

“It becomes a much bigger task that uses a broader array of techniques that we haven’t used in the past,” Jones said.

“Before, you had a donor base that was primarily friends of Liberty. They were people who saw the ministry on television and were supporters of Dr. Falwell.”

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Liberty Acquires Luxury Motorhome

from Loyal Supporter J e r o m e St u r m

Harold Knowles, a Planned Giving Officer for Liberty University, stands in front of the 35-foot luxury motorhome recently acquired by Liberty, thanks to the generosity of a loyal supporter, Charles “Red” Stone of Amelia, Va. by m itz i b i b le

Liberty University receives gifts in all different forms — from outright cash to estate plans, property and even office furniture.

One item even came with a set of wheels.

Charles “Red” Stone of Amelia, Va., recently made his 2004 Bluebird Wanderlodge motorhome available to the university. The 35-foot vehicle is top of the line, with all the modern amenities.

Harold Knowles of Liberty’s Planned Giving Department said the luxury motorhome was appraised at $250,000, but estimates it was about $400,000 new.

“There’s a lot of stuff in here that some motorhomes don’t have,” he said.

The “extras” include an automatic awning that senses rain, a kitchen that slides out — plumbing, wiring and all — to expand the living area, a bed and a pull-out sofa to sleep four, two sizeable flat-screen TVs, GPS, all necessary kitchen appliances, a combination washer/dryer, and plenty of

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storage space throughout. The design, with recessed lighting and a decorative ceiling, adds to its appeal.

With 18,000 miles on it, Stone, who does a lot of traveling between his farms in Amelia and a home in Virginia Beach, planned on buying a smaller motorhome and thought Liberty could use the Wanderlodge as it is or as an investment.

“Liberty does a great job, first of all, in helping children; that’s the main thing I want to do is to help a child go to a college with a spiritual background,” he said. “I love the university. I’ve been making contributions and I’ll increase them every year.”

Stone has taken advantage of the Planned Giving Department’s charitable gift annuities, transferring cash or securities in exchange for Liberty’s promise to pay a fixed income for life. The present value of an annuity is less than the amount transferred, thus creating a gift to Liberty; according to age, donors get a rate of return and it’s the same for the rest of their life.

“I want my money to be left to something good, and if I can get a little income while I’m here, it makes sense … I can’t take it with me,” Stone said.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said he is thankful for supporters like Stone.

“We deeply appreciate Mr. Stone’s generosity and heart for Christian education,” he said. “I have not met Mr. Stone but, in a recent telephone conversation, I was impressed with his commitment to the original mission of Liberty University and to traditional moral values. Without sacrificial donors like Red Stone, Liberty University could not fulfill its charge to train young Champions for Christ.”

As of now, Falwell said the university plans to sell the vehicle and use the proceeds to build the school’s endowment.

For information on giving to Liberty University, call (800) 543-5309 or go to www.lugiving.com.

South Carolina Couple Invests in Liberty’s Future

There are many people residing miles outside the Liberty University campus who have decided to support the school in big ways. Some travel to cheer from the bleachers at sporting events or applaud at theater and music performances.

Forrest and Sandra McIntyre of Hilton Head, S.C., have decided to support the school financially, to ensure that programs like these continue at LU and that more and more students are trained to be Champions for Christ, the main vision of Liberty’s founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell.

The McIntyres were part of the faithful TV audience who watched this vision take shape from a television in their living room. It was on Falwell’s “Old Time Gospel Hour” TV show, broadcast from Thomas Road Baptist Church, that they learned more about Liberty University and the Planned Giving Department.

In 1987, Forrest was working in Roanoke, Va., about an hour away from the LU campus, and heard about Falwell and his growing church. He made a visit, learned about Liberty University and immediately knew he and his wife, Sandra, should help support the ministry.

“The more I learned, the more I liked it,” Forrest said.

Forrest, now a retired Norfolk Southern Railroad executive, wanted to find a way he could invest in Liberty and plan for his family’s future at the same time. A planned giving officer at LU told them about Liberty’s Charitable Gift Annuity program.

A charitable gift annuity allows a donor to transfer cash or securities in exchange for the charity’s promise to pay a fixed income for life. According to their age, donors get a rate of return that stays the same for the rest of their life. Most LU donors receive electronic transfers on a monthly or quarterly basis. A portion of the income is tax-deductible.

The couple agreed to a gift annuity.

They then purchased an insurance policy

in the amount of the annuity for their remaining family. With the payments from the gift annuity they could make the insurance policy payments and still have income and other tax benefits.

Forrest said it was an investment decision that has worked.

“Not only can we give money to a charity like Liberty University in which we strongly believe, but we can benefit from knowing we will be supporting Christian education for future generations. We are also hoping that someday our young grandchildren and great-grandchildren will attend Liberty University.”

To learn more about Planned Giving to Liberty University, go to www.lugiving. com or call (800) 543-5309.

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J e r o m e St u r m

Legacy Society Honors New Members The newest members of the Jerry Falwell Legacy Society at Liberty University were presented with framed certificates at the Chancellor’s Legacy Dinner on Sept. 26.

The new members included Chancellor Jerry Fallwell Jr. and his wife, Becki.

The Legacy Society recognizes those supporters who make commitments to

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the future of Liberty University through the school’s Planned Giving Department.

The presentation was made during the annual Board of Regents weekend.

New Legacy Society members will also have their names inscribed on the main Legacy Society plaque in the lobby of the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center.

Alumnus Gives $12 to Liberty On April 30, at the last convocation of the spring semester, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. challenged the Class of 2008 to start giving back to Liberty — “even if it is just $1 a month until you are able to give more,” he said.

One student remembered the challenge and recently sent in his $12 check for the year.

Joseph Grubbs Jr., a biology pre-med major who graduated in May, was invited back to Liberty in September to meet with Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., who personally thanked him for the gift.

“We really appreciate what you did for Liberty,” he told Grubbs. “If students will just give a little bit to start with, like I was talking about that day — just send a dollar, we can keep up with them, keep track of where they are, and then when they do better, they can give more — that’s the future of the school.”

Grubbs is a technologist trainee working with DNA testing for bone marrow transplants in Burlington, N.C. He plans to attend medical school next year. He designated his gift to Liberty’s biology department.

He said he knows his gift is small, but it is genuine and was not meant as a joke.

“I wanted, as a small mustard seed of faith if you will, to go ahead and start by giving that first $12 donation

for the year, and then realizing that that will continue in the future, obviously, as God continues to bless me and as this university continues to stay true to its original mission.”

As a member of Liberty’s largest-ever graduating class (4,805), Grubbs knows if his fellow graduates followed his example, there would be a large impact — more than $57,000 donated to Liberty.

“If you have first-year alumni giving just $12 a year,” Grubbs said, “if all of them did that, I think the university would be very happy getting those checks.”

For more information on alumni contributions, go to www.liberty.edu/ development/alumni/

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Alumni Snapshot NAME: Rev. Stephen Levinson GRADUATING CLASS: 1990 RESIDENCE: Rutherfordton, N.C. FAMILY: Married to wife, Karen, for 22 years. Children: Elizabeth, Carolina, Caleb, Joshua and Emily (a freshman at LU).

OCCUPATION: Travels the country presenting creation seminars addressing creation/evolution at schools, churches, etc.

HOBBIES: Hunting, fishing and fossil hunting AFFILIATIONS: President of Promise Land Farm Ministries, Inc. EDUCATION: B.S. Church Ministries, Liberty University

Why did you choose to attend Liberty University?

While working with the youth group in my church, God called me to work with young people, and my youth pastor said Liberty had the best youth ministry program. God miraculously provided the funds after much prayer and fasting, and the rest is history.

What is your fondest memory of Liberty?

Because my father died when I was very young, Dr. Falwell became a father figure in my life. He was such an inspiration, and I sought opportunities to talk with him when I saw him on campus; he was so approachable and very humble. Many nights I would walk circles around what is now the football field and pray that I would not only be like Christ but be like Dr. Falwell in that I would make a difference in the world. I really met with God on those walks and will never forget those times with Him. I will also never forget seeing my future wife for the first time as she turned a corner. It was that “love-at-first-sight” thing. I don’t remember, but my friend still reminds me that I said, “I’m going to marry that girl.” I didn’t waste any time as I winked at her one day while she was eating lunch with her boyfriend. We dated the following summer, married in 1986 and finished our last three years at Liberty together.

How did attending Liberty prepare you for your life after graduation?

I was able to meet some lifelong friends who really love the Lord. It is true what Dr. Falwell said about being successful, that is, meeting the right people — just like the Bible says. Of course the education

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wasn’t bad, but what really sticks in my mind are the teachers that didn’t just teach academics, but how to love and live for the Lord. Karen and I began our first youth ministry at Euclid Christian Church in Lynchburg while we were sophomores, and since then God has taken us to five states serving Him. In 2001 we settled in North Carolina and established Promise Land Farm Ministries.

After dedicating our property to the Lord, we began building a cabin for pastors and missionaries to use at no charge and have enjoyed many visitors since. This year Karen led the third annual pioneer day camp on the property where everyone dressed up in period clothes to experience life in the 1800s.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

They would be surprised to know that I have a split personality.

When I work with day cares and pre-schools I become “Dr. Livingstone,” a play on my last name. I dress up in a black wig and lab coat and do gospel illusions while talking about creation, the fall and redemption. I show my fossils and point to the “Living Stone,” Jesus. One of my most exciting adventures in life was being selected to go on a dinosaur dig in Grand Junction, Colo., in May 1989.

Professor James Hall and Dr. Arlton C. Murray led the expedition along with three other students. The story goes that a family was digging in their backyard and stumbled on an Allosaur, and they called Liberty to dig it up. I was able to gain valuable knowledge on how to unearth a dinosaur without destroying it. The fossil was a big part of a creation museum that is now closed, but many hope that the museum will be restored soon.

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Finding Grace Liberty alumna creates Christian doll, book line

BY Te r esa D u n ha m

On first glance, it might appear that Liberty University alumna Pam Davis (’85) and fashion dolls have a few things in common — blonde hair, blue eyes, an early modeling career — but, ultimately, Davis decided to step away from the stilettos in favor of a serious relationship with Christ.

She came to Liberty University in 1984 to pursue Biblical studies and crosscultural ministries.

“I was looking for a place that would give me a rational defense for believing the Bible and the person that the Bible reveals, who is Jesus Christ,” said Davis, who recently created a line of Christian dolls.

Davis, 43, calls her time at Liberty a catalyst, equipping her for a larger ministry. Not long after leaving LU, Davis planned on entering the missions field — but she met a handsome man at church in her home state of Texas.

“We immediately talked about getting married. It was one of those love-at-firstsight deals where I didn’t know what he did for a living,” Davis recalled.

Two weeks later, the man requested that Davis and her family fly to meet his parents, and he enclosed tickets to a major league baseball game. She’d never been to a baseball stadium before, so she was excited — then nervous — when the National Anthem started playing and her future husband still wasn’t there. For a second, she wondered if she was being stood up in front of her parents. Then the announcer exclaimed, “Pitching for the Cleveland Indians … Steve Davis.”

Her future husband rushed across the field to take his position, and they got married at the end of the season. A fashion doll might have trouble topping that romantic twist.

Real life, not plastic Davis settled into a blessed life with her

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husband and three children, working as a spiritual life coordinator for a Christian school and serving as the American Girl fashion show coordinator in Fort Worth.

The American Girl dolls and accompanying storybooks follow tenacious female characters through adventures in different historical periods. Davis’ experience at the October 2005 fashion show was a frenzy — but it wasn’t because of the new American Girl outfits.

“The weekend of our show, American Girl got caught in a huge controversy with

conservatives. It was not just Christians, but certainly Christians were in that controversy, and it was over an alliance that they had made with an organization that didn’t support Biblical values,” Davis said.

In addition to its alliance with the secular organization Girls Inc., Davis said American Girl also introduced a self-empowering mantra of “I Can.” That motto runs counter to the Christian view, she said, because the Bible teaches that believers can do all things through Christ.

When interviewed on television, Davis

spoke boldly against American Girl’s decision. Since that time, American Girl has ended its ties with Girls Inc., and the “I Can” pledge that went with the empowerment campaign ran its course. A spokeswoman for American Girl said the inspirational message behind the pledge is similar to American Girl’s ongoing mission of celebrating girls and all that they can be.

A few years have passed since the 2005 media interest — but Davis’ experience spurred her to create a Christian doll and book line, Girls ’n Grace. The first two characters of the series are Sydney Clair, a 10-year-old girl caught up in the social changes of 1965, and an African girl named Mesi who discovers God’s grace in bleak circumstances.

Davis teamed up with world-renowned

doll designer Dianna Effner to offer beautiful dolls that correspond to both stories. The collection also includes a third component — Girls ’n Grace Like Me —that allows girls to mix and match features such as hair color and skin tone to create a doll that looks like them.

“Girls ’n Grace is a vehicle to educate girls, to entertain girls, to connect moms and daughters in the saving truth of God’s grace,” Davis said. “We want to give [girls] an opportunity to pretend play with these characters so they can actually embrace a new role model — a girl that lives very much in step with the times and in step with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

For more information, visit the interactive website www.girlsngrace.com.

These items are only available at the

Bookstore

or online at www.liberty.bncollege.com.

The LU Bookstore is your source for all LU apparel and gift needs.

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Updates from LU alumni

C l as s o f 1 977 In July, Greg Odell, 55, won five gold medals at the 2008 Minnesota Senior Games. His win qualifies him to attend the 2009 National Senior Games in San Francisco in August. Odell, who resides in Alexandria, Minn., lost nearly 100 pounds at the age of 51. He graduated with a B.A. in Theology and was a member of the debate team. Contact Odell at nothing-2-it@hotmail.com.

’77 C l as s o f 1 978 John E. Carper married Bernice Linville at age 50 on Jan. 7, 2006. He spent 20 years in the social work field, with three years as an employee of the state of West Virginia. He stayed active in the local church, teaching classes to children and teens and preaching occasionally in church and a homeless shelter. In 2003, he began work as a case manager for Union Mission Ministries, helping convert the facility to a home for pregnant women or women with minors in their custody. UMM is the largest food distribution center in West Virginia. In fall 2005, Carper was promoted to Director of Family Services. Carper and his wife are currently active in the ministry of River Ridge Church in Charleston.

C las s o f 19 83 Chrisy Beeler will be working at Brookneal and Gladys Elementary schools in Brookneal and Gladys, Va., for the 200809 school year as the Special Education Resource teacher. Beeler has been in the education field for 26 years, teaching

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in Virginia and Florida. Beeler has two children, Faith and Adam.

C las s o f 19 85 The Rev. Daren Drzymala recently published a book titled “Biblical Christianity.”

Drzymala resides in Buffalo, N.Y. www.biblebelievingbaptist.com C las s o f 19 93 In November 2007, Paul Heckman was named General Manager for the new Hilton Garden Inn at 4025 Wards Road in Lynchburg, Va. Heckman has 15 years experience in Hotel Management and Marketing in the Lynchburg area. He began his hospitality career in 1990 as a desk clerk while attending Liberty. He was employed as a dishwasher, desk clerk and front desk manager before being hired as a General Manager in 1998 with Southeast Hotel. The 126-room Hilton Garden Inn located below Liberty’s campus opened in June 2008. Complete with restaurant, bar and 4,000 square feet of meeting room space, the hotel honors discounts to anyone associated with Liberty University or Thomas Road Baptist Church.

’93 C l as s o f 1 9 97 Ron Leporati, PGA, was named Head Golf Professional at Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Penn., in April 2007. Since the resort opened in July of the same year, Leporati has played golf with legendary professional Arnold Palmer and scored his first Hole-in-One while playing golf with Sports Illustrated Golf Writer Gary

Van Sickle. Leporati and his wife, Gina (Tuckwiller, ’98), have two daughters, Kennedy and Maria, and a son, Ronnie.

The family has relocated to Central Pennsylvania from Northern Virginia.

’97 C las s o f 2000 Ben Martin was named head football coach of the Appomattox County, Va., Raiders in June. Martin, a 1995 Liberty Christian Academy graduate, played for Liberty University’s Flames football under Sam Rutigliano for four years and coached the Amherst, Va., Lancers’ offensive line for four seasons.

C las s o f 200 4 Daveta J. Saunders recently published her first book, “Shades of Identity: The Effects of African American Children Skin Complexions in Television Commercials on the SelfPerception of African American Children.”

Saunders graduated from Liberty in 2004 with a B.S. in Communications and in 2007 with a M.A. in Communications. She currently works at Liberty as an associate director in the Center for Multicultural Enrichment where she oversees an intercultural competency program and a peer mentoring program. On Friday nights, Saunders, also known as “Lil

’04

Preacher,” hosts a Christian rap, reggae and radio show called, “The TakeOva,” on LU’s campus station 90.9 The Light.

C las s o f 2005 Jeaneva Smith, pastor and counselor for the Calvary Grace Faith Temple Inc., has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in all aspects of religious services. In 2005, Smith graduated with a B.A. in Biblical Study from Liberty. She holds an Ordination Certificate and is a member of the Ministry of Alliance, the Order of the Eastern Star and the Board of the Elderly for Morris Cerullo World Evangelism.

Kristin Sutton, 25, a staff assistant for Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) in Washington, D.C., was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful people by congressional newspaper “The Hill.” The Chesapeake, Va., native graduated from Liberty University in 2005.

’05 Miscellaneous An n o u n c e m e nts Tad Agoglia (’98), who started The First Response Team in 2007 to provide help to victims of natural disasters, has been nominated for CNN’s Hero of the Year award. Agoglia is one of the top 10 people selected by CNN’s Blue Ribbon panel for their outstanding achievements.

The Hero of the Year will be announced on Thanksgiving night. www.cnn.com/ SPECIALS/2008/cnn.heroes/

A Youth Aflame Reunion will be held in Lynchburg, Va., Sept. 24-27, 2009. This event is open to anyone who traveled with any of the singing teams — Youth Aflame Choir, All God’s Children, The Chorale, Young Believers, Youth Aflame

Singers, SALT — plus anyone who worked under the leadership of Gordon Luff in any capacity.

For more information, call Sheila Colclasure at (972) 484-2903 or e-mail larrysheila@sbcglobal.net.

at t e n t i o n a lu m n i

s e n d

u s

y o u r

s u b m i s s i o n s

email:

mail:

ttmaxwell@liberty.edu

1971 University Blvd.,Lynchburg, VA 24502

fa x :

note: Please include a headshot in high resolu-

(434) 582-7710

tion (300 dpi) JPEG format with your submissions.

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Assault on Liberty Mountain Racing series brings competition to campus

BY E r i c B r own P h oto g r a p hy by J e r o m e Stu r m

Behind the campus of Liberty University lies one of its best-kept secrets — the Liberty Mountain trail system. Approximately 65 miles of wooded paths intersect one another, creating the ideal spot for bikers, hikers, walkers and runners. Serving as a focal point for the university’s Ultimate LU campaign, Liberty’s mountain property is also great for activities such as horseback riding and the highly anticipated artificial ski slope.

After months of preparation and maintenance, the trail system hosted its first-ever mountain bike race on Sept. 20 — Assault on Liberty Mountain. The event consisted of 125 bikers divided into three categories with skill levels ranging from novice to

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expert. Starting and ending at Camp Hydaway, riders from Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina blazed the 19.1-mile course, pedaling through mountainous climbs, rugged terrain and steep descents.

Reigning short track and marathon mountain bike national champion Jeremiah Bishop crossed the finish line first in the expert category with a time of 1:41:46.1.

Bishop, a 2003 Pan-American Games gold medalist, rides for Trek/Volkswagen and is a member of the USA national team.

Following his win, the accomplished mountain biker talked about his first experience on Liberty Mountain.

“I am thoroughly impressed with the trails here. They were awesome,” Bishop said. “I will be driving back down here to give them a ride again when there is nobody here in the winter because it was that much fun.”

Assault on Liberty Mountain is part of the Virginia DeRailer Series, a six-race circuit that gives bikers the opportunity to compete in a friendly, family-oriented environment.

Taking note of Liberty Mountain’s natural features, the series expanded its racing schedule to include this unique event.

Encompassed in a single lap, Assault on Liberty Mountain functions as the circuit’s lone point-to-point race. In its inaugural year, the contest pulled in more riders than any other series competition.

“We wanted to have a real mountain bike course atmosphere,” race director Kenny Palmer said. “The 5,000 acres that comprise Liberty Mountain make it a very different course than all the others.”

From the starting line, expert bikers travel down some lengthy single and double track before encountering a demanding uphill battle known as Peak to Peak. Not intended for the faint of heart, this rocky climb is loaded with technical ascents.

“A lot of runners like it because it is a little more challenging and it has some good

inclines in it,” said Lars Larson, Liberty Mountain’s trail manager.

As Peak to Peak flattens out, riders make their way to LU’s Monogram Road via trail 1971, a scenic, downhill slope. Racers then turn right onto Alternate Flight Pattern, a steep descent that travels from the mountain’s bald spot to the ravine floor. The track then climbs back up to a vehicle road and runs into a zigzagged path called Z Trail.

After meandering through a series of switchbacks, bikers come upon one of the most popular trails of the system — the Upper Dam Trail. Both Upper Dam and its sister crossing, Lower Dam, are a rider and runner’s best friends — featuring a quality combination of inclines and smooth pathways.

Leaving the more relaxed ride of Upper Dam, Downhill Run takes competitors on an intense drop leading back to Monogram Road. Riders travel up the fire road and eventually find themselves on Pa-Paw’s Trail. This hilly path leads to two of the trail system’s most challenging tracks — Walk in the Park and Great Escape.

Although its name sounds peaceful, the natural characteristics and manmade obstacles of Walk in the Park do not match its moniker. Complete with log bridges, steep climbs and exhilarating descents, this trail exposes the rider to a variety of physical elements.

The course’s final leg, Great Escape, features two banked turns, perfect for ripping downhill without losing speed.

“It’s kind of like a NASCAR track,” Larson said. “People love it.”

Shortly after exiting the single track, riders make the trek back to Camp Hydaway and cross the finish line.

Novice racers can also experience a scaled-down version of the course. The 8-mile route does not include nearly as many inclines and descents, but still presents a stimulating test for up-and-coming riders.

The mountain bike course is only a portion of the 65-mile system, which is made up of nearly 30 trails total. As trail manager, Larson spends much of his time maintaining these paths. Although he has added some manmade structures along the way, Larson notes that the best features of the mountain are those created by God. “You get to enjoy what was put there for us,” he said. “There are a lot of manmade trails, but a lot of it is nature at its best. It’s just a great environment.”

Check out Liberty’s recreational opportunities at www.Ultimatelu.com.

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Playing at a whole new level

BY To d d Wetm o r e P h oto s by Les S c h o f e r

Travel down a suburban road any weekend of the year and you are more than likely to see children playing in their backyards, mimicking the actions of the sports figures they regularly watch on television.

If you were to visit those youngsters and inquire about their life’s goals, there is a good chance they might mention playing their sport of choice professionally.

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Those starry-eyed dreamers who excel in the early stages of life are the same ones who now don a Liberty Flames jersey, which one day might just give them a shot at their heart’s desire.

In just four short decades, Liberty’s athletics program has gone from a fledgling NCCAA department to one of the consistently mentioned up-and-coming leaders in NCAA Division I athletics.

For example, the Flames football program gained a place of national prominence during its 2007-08 season of “Unfinished Business,” finishing with a record-setting run in the nation’s Top 25 rankings.

The season, which will long be remembered as one of the best in program history, was made possible by some of the elite athletes at the FCS level.

Once barren sidelines at Williams Stadium are now routinely packed with professional scouts, assessing Liberty’s athletes and their potential to play at the next level.

Star running back Rashad Jennings was a season-long candidate for the Walter

Payton Award, an honor given annually to the best FCS football player in the nation.

The bruising back who has become synonymous with one of the nation’s best rushing attacks year-in and year-out, is widely talked about as being Liberty’s first NFL Draft pick since Eric Green was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1990 draft.

Football might be the flagship athletics opportunity Liberty University grants its student body, but that doesn’t mean that the plausibility of national success stops on the gridiron.

Last year, Josh McDougal punctuated the most storied career of any athlete in Liberty’s history, when he outlasted a 250-man field of the nation’s best runners to capture the 2007 NCAA Men’s Cross Country National Championship, Liberty’s second individual national title.

Following in the runner’s proverbial footsteps this year is sophomore long distance runner Sam Chelanga, who has already started to break records that took McDougal years to assemble, quickly capturing the

attention of the national running world.

On the hardwood, Katie Feenstra, who championed the Lady Flames run to the “Sweet 16” of the 2005 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, was the No. 8 overall selection in the 2005 WNBA Draft.

All in all, the men’s and women’s basketball programs have produced nearly 30 players who have played professionally in the United States or abroad.

Over the last four years, four former men’s soccer players who used to roam the pitch over at the Liberty Soccer Field have garnered selection in the MLS Supplement Draft. Former softball standout Jessica Moore, who shattered program home run records during her days on the diamond, recently helped the Washington Glory capture the National Pro Fastpitch title.

Last spring, hurlers Ryan Page and David Stokes each were selected in the MLB Draft, giving the Flames baseball program 38 players who have been tabbed to play America’s pastime at the highest level.

Once a place known for honing the WRVL skills of pastoral majors ready to charge the pulpits of the world, Liberty University is quickly becoming known as a place where every kid’s dream can come true … even if it is a desire to play sports at the highest levels.

Todd Wetmore is Liberty University’s Assistant AD for Communications.

For Liberty University athletics news and schedules visit www.libertyflames.com.

PREMIUM SEASON TICKETS You can guarantee your own reserved seat for every game, and enjoy the comfort of high-quality cushioned seating by purchasing Premium Season Tickets. Flames Club members at the Eagle ($100) Level and higher are eligible to purchase Premium Season Tickets, and the ticket cost for men is only $100 per seat. The cost for Premium Season Tickets for women is $75. Seats are assigned using the Flames Club Priority Points system, based upon membership level and priority points.

NEW!

CLUB SEASON TICKETS NEW!

COURTSIDE SEASON TICKETS Special friends of Liberty Basketball will be courtside on floor level for all of the action this season. Courtside seating includes exclusive Gray Lot parking behind the Vines Center, entrance/exit privileges through the player tunnel and premium waiter service. For the men’s tickets, Flames Club members at the President’s ($5,000) Level and higher are eligible to purchase Courtside Season Tickets, and the ticket cost is $300 per seat. For the women’s tickets, Flames Club members at the Cornerstone ($1,000) Level and higher are eligible to purchase Courtside Season Tickets, and the ticket cost is $200 per seat.

For more information (434)582-CLUB (2582), or visit

Club seating is new to the Vines Center for 2008-09.

These limited deluxe 24-inch seats offer unprecedented comfort for Liberty Basketball, and include waiter service. For the men’s tickets, Flames Club members at the Director’s ($2,500) Level and higher are eligible to purchase Club Season Tickets, and the ticket cost is $200 per seat. For the women’s tickets, Flames Club members at the Coaches ($500) Level and higher are eligible to purchase Club Season Tickets, and the ticket cost is $125 per seat.

GENERAL ADMISSION SEASON TICKETS The most economical season ticket package, General Admission seating offers fans admission to all 15 men’s home games for only $75 per seat. The women’s ticket includes 12 home games for $50 per seat.

L IBERTY B ASKETB ALL li b e rty j o u r nal

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An intimate perspective of the most influential religious leader in America For the first time Macel Falwell, Rev. Falwell's widow, provides this official biography of the founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and the Moral Majority. Along with never-before-seen photographs, Macel gives a personal viewpoint and tells readers stories from across the decades, including some from his children that show the man behind the passion.

Readers will be given insight into his most publicized and controversial events, such as: • • • •

His friendship with Ronald Reagan His relationship to Larry Flynt What led to the concept and formation of the Moral Majority The reaction to his September 11 remarks

Speakers: Clayton King, David Nasser, Rev. Eric Timms Performers: Taylor Mason, Real Encounters Acrobatics, Outcast BMX, Brock Gill Artists: Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson, Skillet, Stellar Kart, DecembeRadio, The Afters, Grits, Article One, Disciple

Available wherever books are sold