Liberty Journal November/December 2007

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

LIBERTY Journal

Letter from the Chancellor I am sure you have noticed by now that the National Liberty Journal has a new name and a new look. Since my father’s passing in May, we have considered how we can best fulfill his vision for Liberty University. We were asked if LU would continue to publish the NLJ. My father was personally involved with the Journal. He spent many hours each month editing and proofreading every article and every advertisement. He spent many Saturdays in the office with Mark Smith and Laura Sipple of the NLJ staff compiling new editions. The paper was truly one of his passions in life. When each new edition was delivered to the LU campus, he would proudly hand-deliver copies of the NLJ to many of us at the University as well as to everyone else in his extended family. Because my father was so intimately involved in the production of the NLJ, some thought that it would be the most difficult part of this ministry to continue. We pondered our options and decided that, not only should the NLJ continue, but it should be upgraded. We have invested in a new format that we hope will make the Journal more convenient for you to read and share with others. Our goal is to not only provide coverage of national issues affecting Christians and churches across the country, but also to provide more detailed coverage of events here at LU for our alumni and supporters.

Ron Brown has been a reporter at The News & Advance here in Lynchburg for the last few years. When he was assigned to cover news from Liberty in 2004, he told us that he felt it was his calling from God to document the legacy of Liberty. Ron attended Rosalind Hills Baptist Church in nearby Roanoke and had been a Christian for many years but we were skeptical at first because our relationship with the local press had not always been harmonious. Over time, Ron proved that he was determined to be fair and accurate in all his reporting on Liberty. He was also tenacious, calling my father, me and others here at Liberty almost daily for updates on anything happening that might be of public interest. Ron did such an excellent job of documenting what was occurring that we began to copy all of his articles and present them to the Board of Trustees at their annual meetings. The last such presentation occurred in March of 2007 and the book of articles presented to the board was almost 2 inches thick! It then occurred to us that all these exciting events at LU were not being reported to our larger national audience of alumni and supporters.

Ron joined the Journal staff in August as executive editor along with former News & Advance copy editor Tara Maxwell, who serves as the Journal’s managing editor. Mark Smith will continue with the Journal as the editorial page editor. All other staff members are continuing in their former role. Thank you to all of our staff who have invested many hours in this first issue of the Liberty Journal.

One of our primary goals will be to keep you better informed about the many exciting developments and blessings from God here at LU. While the most enjoyable aspect of my new position as Chancellor has been working more closely with our wonderful students and getting to know them better, I have also thoroughly enjoyed working on the Journal. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Becki, an avid magazine reader, for her valuable advice and input. We also invite your comments and suggestions.

Jerry and his wife, Becki, (on his left) with students at LU Hockey game

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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

Liberty Journal is an official bimonthly publication of Liberty University.

PUBLISHER Jerry Falwell Jr.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ron Brown

MANAGING EDITOR Tara Maxwell

EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Mark Smith

DESIGNER Laura Sipple

WRITERS Eric Brown Ron Brown Ed Hindson Will Luper Tara Maxwell Johnnie Moore Karen Swallow Prior Amanda Stanley Mark Smith Todd Wetmore

PHOTOGRAPHERS Les Schofer Alex Towers

CIRCULATION & QUALITY CONTROL Claire Diamond

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING Steve Peterson January/February Advertising Deadline NOVEMBER 8, 2007 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 or call 434-582-2432.

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.

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CONTENTS Liberty Journal November/December 2007

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BUILDING A BRIGHT FUTURE Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. sets endowment development as high priority

TRAILBLAZER LU professor’s work pays off as Liberty Mountain trail system takes shape

PENROD, RANDLE COME HOME TO LIBERTY LU alums and Christian music artists Guy Penrod and Lynda Tait Randle perform at Thomas Road Baptist Church

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MRS. FALWELL: A QUIET JOURNEY OF FAITH Macel Falwell on coping with the loss of her best friend and husband of 49 years

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LIBERTY GRADUATES IN HIGH DEMAND Employers increasingly seek skills and ethics instilled in faith-based university students

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SPARKING THE FLAMES You have seen Sparky the school mascot at LU events, but who is this feathered merrymaker?

NIGHT LIGHTS Flamethrowers add fire, flair to Williams Stadium

SECTIONS

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ON THE COVER Liberty University’s Williams Stadium shot by Les Schofer during the Sept. 1 Flames football game vs. Tusculum. The Flames won 38-14.

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GENERAL NEWS

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MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

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ACADEMIC LIFE

STUDENT LIFE THE CHURCH

OPINION-EDITORIAL ALUMNI SPORTS www.liberty.edu

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GENERAL NEWS

Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. (right) shakes hands with Dick Zuchoni, Division Vice President, Campus Services, Sodexho, after receiving a $5 million contribution from Sodexho in September. Ernie Minor, Sr. Vice President, Campus Services, Sodexho, (middle) and Chick-fil-A founder, president and CEO Truett Cathy look on.

BUILDING

by RON BROWN Liberty Journal

Chancellor eyes endowment effort 6

LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

a bright future

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iberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. is a man on a mission. Building endowment for the 36year-old Lynchburg,Va., school is at the top of his to-do list.

Armed with $29 million in proceeds paid from a life insurance policy on his late father, LU founder the Rev. Jerry Falwell, he is in position to pay off all of the school’s current debt.

“Dad thought that Liberty would be more likely to fulfill its mission if it didn’t have financial pressures,” Falwell Jr. said. “He wanted to put

Liberty in a position that it would not have to compromise its core beliefs at any time in the future.”

LU is the world’s largest private evangelical Christian university.

Falwell Jr. is using a multi-pronged approach to building endowment, which essentially would give the school a golden financial nest egg.

Many more-established schools have money set aside specifically to invest and draw interest to offset year-toyear operating expenses.

LAND COULD PROVIDE SPARK LU’s ownership of about 5,000

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GENERAL N E W S acres of land in Lynchburg’s primary growth sector is a key part of its strategy in endowment building.

Falwell Jr. has a signed contract with a major developer who wants to purchase 186 acres of land adjacent to LU Campus East for a new open-air shopping mall, which would likely become the primary retail hub for Lynchburg and surrounding counties.

He’s also considering using matching grants to entice contributors to make donations to LU’s fledgling endowment program.

All that comes at a time when LU is experiencing record growth.

This fall’s residential student population is on the doorstep of the 10,500 mark.

The school’s distance learning program will include about 27,000 students by the time the school year ends.

INSURANCE INITIAL BUILDING BLOCK The proceeds from the Rev. Falwell’s life insurance gave the endowment program a significant jump-start.

The school had been carrying between $20 million and $25 million in debt over the past 10 years.

If that debt were paid off today, LU would still have more than $7 million it could apply toward endowment because of the proceeds from Falwell Sr.’s life insurance.

Falwell Sr. knew the university’s financial health would be essential to its survival.

While some of the life insurance was bought a decade or more ago, about $21 million worth was purchased in 2003 when Falwell Sr. turned 70.

The life insurance premiums cost about $1 million per year.

“A lot of people were surprised that we could buy that much life insurance at that age for that price,” Falwell Jr. said. “It worked out well for the university.”

That was a small price to pay given the fact that Falwell Sr. had set a goal of building LU’s endowment to $1 billion over the next 10 years.

He was the school’s chief fundraiser and chief recruiter, who built the school from scratch and watched it survive a rocky transition from its depend-

ence on donated television ministry money to standing as an independent institution flourishing financially on its own tuition and fees.

OTHER DONATIONS IN PLAY Because of LU’s current clean bill of financial health, it has begun receiving other large donations for its endowment.

Sherwin Cook, a Madison Heights, Va., businessman, recently gave $2 million and 101-year-old Oliver Durbin, who lives in Nebraska, made LU the benefactor of most of his $1.5 million estate.

The university’s estate planning department has reached agreements for $4.8 million of gifts this year compared with $900,000 in gifts at the same point last year.

“It was extremely generous and completely unexpected,” Falwell Jr. said.

“We have the beginning of a good size endowment fund.We think now that we have an endowment it will encourage others to give to the endowment.”

Cook said he began planning his gift two or three years ago. He was impressed by Liberty’s Christian mission

and its strong financial position.

“The university reaches a lot of people in many aspects of life,” he said.

“It reaches throughout the world as more and more alumni go out into the world. I can see great potential in what they are doing.There is a great need for more of it.”

Cook said he hopes his gift will spark others to give.

“Liberty is at the point now that it is out of debt,” he said.“Personally, I think Liberty needs an endowment program.They have thousands and thousands of alumni out there that I’m sure would contribute to it.There are friends of Liberty and of Thomas Road [Baptist Church] who will be willing to contribute.The school now does not have to worry about paying off the bills.”

THE PLAZA DONATION OFFERS POSSIBILITY In September, the university became the recipient of an $11.7 million gift from a Scottsdale, Ariz., real estate development firm.

The gift from Sandor Development FUTURE continued on page 8

www.liberty.edu

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GENERAL N E W S FUTURE from page 7 came in the form of the buildings and land of Lynchburg’s The Plaza shopping center and could help ease pressure for construction of new classroom buildings on LU’s main campus.

Falwell Jr. said some offices, such as those associated with the Distance Learning Program, could be transferred to The Plaza with very little impact to the workings of the main LU campus.

The Plaza is located on a 42-acre site and includes 467,000 square feet of

buildings. Currently, less than half of The Plaza’s floor space is occupied by tenants.

“The value of the gift is the vacant space, really,” Falwell Jr. said. “It gives us space to house some of the offices that don’t have to be here on campus. Any space we free up on campus can be used for faculty offices and classrooms.

It just means that we can accommodate more students, and we have more space before we will have to build new classroom buildings.That’s the real benefit of the gift.”

The gift, which the Rev. Jerry

Falwell learned about the night before his death, includes the shopping center and all its out parcels, including buildings that house a movie theater, a McDonald’s and a 73,000-square-foot building that formerly housed a Rose’s department store.

Falwell said the university will continue to lease the shopping center to its current tenants.

“We intend to honor all the leases that are already in place,” he said. “It appears there is enough income there to cover all the costs.”

As the Distance Learning Program grows, more employees and more space will be needed.

“The Distance Learning Program is quickly outgrowing the space it has now,” Falwell Jr. said.

LAND GIFTS HAVE BEEN KEY The Plaza gift is the second major land contribution in Lynchburg to benefit the university in the past several years.

In 2004, Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts firm, donated an 888,000-square-foot Lynchburg Ericsson plant to Thomas Road Baptist Church, which in turn leased it to LU on a 99-year lease for a nominal amount.That plant now serves as LU’s Campus North.

“It seems that Liberty always receives real estate gifts,” Falwell Jr. said.

Even a $5 million contribution received from Sodexho, the University’s food service provider, is earmarked for real estate improvements.The contribution was presented to Falwell Jr. in the form of a check on Sept. 7.

The proceeds are being used to renovate the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, the Campus North Food Court and to construct a new Sodexho food service facility known as Doc’s Diner.

The Campus East diner will be open to the public as well as to students who will be able to obtain meals as part of their campus meal plan.

The newly renovated Food Court at Campus North includes a Chick-fil-A restaurant and a Sushi Bar. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, visited Lynchburg in September to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the opening of the company’s campus restaurant.

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GENERAL N E W S Rendering by Proctor Harvey

Burial park nears completion

by RON BROWN Liberty Journal

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a new burial garden surrounding the grave of the Rev. Jerry Falwell on the Liberty University campus. Proctor Harvey, a landscape architect and the garden’s chief planner, said the project should be completed before Thanksgiving.

Falwell, the founder of LU and Thomas Road Baptist Church, died May 15 at the age of 73. He is buried on the lawn of the former Carter Glass mansion where his office was located at the time of his death.

When completed, the burial garden will contain an eternal flame, a fountain and sidewalks leading to Falwell’s grave. Burial spaces will be available for other Falwell family members.

The garden will be surrounded by two large block retaining walls, which will be faced with stone matching the mansion’s exterior walls. The garden will be oval shaped and will cover an area of about 120 feet by 80 feet.

Even before the garden was built, the gravesite had several hundred visitors each week.

“Dad, through 51 years of ministry, loved people

with the love of Christ every day,” said the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, Falwell’s youngest son and TRBC’s senior pastor.

“He served Christ for many years. Because of that, he made an impact on millions of people’s lives around the world. I think this garden will provide an opportunity for people to come and honor him. I think the impact he had on people is still being felt and still making a difference.”

The burial garden will provide a quiet oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the LU campus.

Jerry Falwell Jr., LU’s new chancellor, takes note of the garden’s beautiful surroundings.

“The burial garden was positioned so it would provide a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the City of Lynchburg (Va.) to the west,” he said. www.liberty.edu

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GENERAL N E W S

WRVL-FM general manager and veteran announcer Jerry Edwards is working to help the radio station expand its horizons by adding translator stations. ‘It’s exciting to see the puzzle start to fit together,’ Edwards said.

Making Waves:

by RON BROWN Liberty Journal

“We’ve always been blessed with a very good footprint,” Edwards said.

A translator allows WRVL’s broadcast to be transmitted to a radio station on a different frequency than the original signal.

About 18 months ago, the Federal Communication Commission opened the door to allowing non-commercial stations to apply for translators in the commercial radio bands.

“In our situation, we looked at it as we are a local radio station and that we would like to expand into certain areas,” Edwards said. “We applied for 15 of the translator stations. We thought, if we could get half of those, that would be great.”

As a result of those applications, the FCC approved seven of the translators WRVL was seeking.

The FCC requires the translators to be fed by a

WRVL Broadens Footprint N early three decades ago, Jerry Edwards came to Lynchburg looking for a Bible study.

He found a broadcasting career.

Now, the veteran morning drive-time announcer and general manager of WRVL-FM (88.3) radio is experiencing growing pains.

WRVL, a 50,000 watt powerhouse radio station located on the Liberty University campus, has added nine active translator stations and is working toward putting its broadcast signal on the air all over Virginia and northern North Carolina.

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GENERAL N E W S Graphic by Chris Wygal

station’s main signal or by another translator that is carrying that signal.

“We set out to do that,” Edwards said.

The FCC rules further state that an applicant has three years to get translators on the air or the applicant will have to forfeit rights to the translator.

“Some of the organizations that had applied for hundreds of translators came to realize that they weren’t going to be able to build them,” Edwards said.

That opened the door for WRVL to get more translators allocated.

“A lot of companies were making them available,” Edwards said.

The potential for translator acquisi-

tions caught the attention of former Liberty University Chancellor, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, who urged Edwards to move forward quickly with the plan.

“He wanted to put WRVL in every city in Virginia and northern North Carolina,” Edwards said. “It was a very aggressive vision.”

Consultant and LU graduate Rob Branch helped WRVL find a company that was willing to sell 20 of the translators in the Virginia and northern North Carolina area.

“Buy them,” Falwell said.

By the time the university stopped buying, WRVL owned the rights to 33 translators.

Each translator costs about $18,500 in equipment and labor, not including tower rental fees.

“Right now, we are operating nine of those 33,” Edwards said, adding he expects to one day have all 33 operational.

“I fully expect to have 20 to 22 in place by the end of this year,” he said.

If that happens, WRVL’s footprint will be greatly expanded to include Northern Virginia, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Covington and much of Virginia’s Tidewater area.

“By the end of next summer we believe we’ll have all these translators built,” Edwards said. “It’s exciting to see this puzzle start to fit together.” www.liberty.edu

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STUDENT LIFE

by Tara Maxwell Liberty Journal

Adventure

Ahead F

rom short hikes in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains to long paddles down the James River, the Hill City has it all.

National Geographic Adventure magazine included Lynchburg in the rankings of this year’s top adventure towns in its September issue of 50 best places to live and play.

Lynchburg joins localities including Spearfish, S.D., Bloomington, Ind., Iowa City, Northhampton, Mass., Bowling Green, Ky., Marietta, Ohio, Fayetteville,W.Va., Chatsworth, N.J., Hot Spring, Ark., and Smyrna, Ga., in the magazine’s ‘top small towns’ category.

Citing an “ideal mix of terrain, activity, and opportunity,” Adventure said Lynchburg is a place where you can live the adventure dream daily.

The area boasts “pure southern charm,” and is surrounded by a hundred-mile swath of national forest, rivers, and recreational areas where you can “summit the nearby Peaks of Otter — Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill for glimpses of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Published 10 times a year, National Geographic Adventure has 2.3 million readers.

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A

t a university renowned for clean living, there’s at least one way to get dirty without breaking any rules — on a mountain bike.

Liberty Mountain provides more than a scenic backdrop for Liberty University, affording a plethora of recreational opportunities amidst a gorgeous natural setting. Although still a work in progress, a trail system is being established within the 5,000 acre area on the mountain to expand LU’s outdoor amenities.

Thirty miles of single and double track trails have already been cut and when complete will provide a haven for bikers, hikers, walkers and runners of all levels of ability.

The trail project, part of a larger development plan for the LU-owned mountain, has been years in the making.

In addition to the trails, LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has announced plans for ski and tubing slopes and an expanded Camp Hydaway Lake to enhance the mountain’s recreational opportunities.

How did LU end up with the land?

The mountain was part of a land grant from the King of England to the Candlers, a Quaker family, in the 1700s. By the late 1800s, the property was a collection of family farms owned by other families.

In the early 1900s, State Sen. Robert Russell began buying those farms as a personal investment. He assembled the farms into one large tract and sold it to the United States Gypsum Company.

USGC harvested timber on the tract of land until 1971 when Dr. Jerry Falwell visited their corporate headquarters in

Chicago and offered to buy the mountain for the establishment of a Christian college. He was able to buy the mountain for a $10,000 down payment and $1,200,000 financed over time.

Liberty sold the property twice over the next 30 years when times were tight and repurchased it when finances improved.

“We believed that God was behind the sequence of events that gave us this huge undeveloped tract of land adjacent to all the major highways that serve the Lynchburg area,” Falwell Jr. said.

For more than a decade, most of the original trails were meticulously carved out by LU Professor of Health Sciences & Kinesiology Dr. David Horton.

Having completed a multitude of ultramarathons in numerous venues across the United States and running on the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, Horton is no stranger to the crunch of leaves underfoot.

“I’ve been a trail runner for many years and there used to be a few old sort of logging roads up there, and I kept thinking ‘I wish we had more trails up here,’ and I thought, “well there’s one way to get more trails — build trails.’”

In 1995 Horton used a U.S. Geological Survey map of the area known as the City Farm Quadrangle to determine where trails should be established.

Undeterred by a challenge, he used chain saws and snippers to cut the trails. But it wasn’t always a one-man operation.

Until two years ago Horton required students in his advanced running class to complete one day of trail maintenance work. Some students, runners and mountain bikers voluntarily lent a hand. Now, Horton’s running students use the trails regularly during class and on their own time.

“I think the trails are a great thing, MOUNTAIN continued on page 14

Opposite page: A group of mountain bikers take advantage of the trails on Liberty Mountain for an afternoon ride.

Les Schofer

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S T U D E N T LIFE/

www.liberty.edu

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LU Professor of Health Sciences & Kinesiology Dr. David Horton (white shirt, front right) leads a group of running class students up Liberty Mountain on a sunny September day.

MOUNTAIN from page 12 and I’d like to see more people use them, Horton said. “The mountain bikers and runners are using them a lot more now. I see people up there all the time.”

Liberty has been cooperating with a group of experts from Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia and the International Mountain Bicycling Association on the trail project, LU Director of Auxiliary Services S. Lee Beaumont said.

Crews of five to eight people worked during the summer months into fall on trail grooming, repair and rerouting to make the paths friendlier to mountain bikers and ease erosion.They are also adding new trails.

“We are utilizing hand tools as well as a Ditch Witch 650 to cut the trails. It’s tough physically,” Beaumont said.

“Depending on the terrain, they can do between 200 and 500 yards a day.”

For thrill seekers, there will be a gravity-fed mountain biking system that will

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originate at the mountain’s bald spot.When an eventual ski lift is installed, it will be capable of hauling bikes to the top, allowing for a completely downhill trek. In addition, a set of cross-country trails will be installed.

Surveyors used GPS equipment to map the trails and roads and are in the process of marking the trails and installing signage.

The signage will provide an important safety feature, being numbered to allow anyone lost or in trouble to call in the number and be quickly located.

Maps of the system will be updated online as development continues and will also be available at various area locations including kiosks on the mountain.A map is avaliable at “www.liberty.edu/trails.”

“Overall the trails are very rough.

Some of them are very steep, some very narrow and some are very wide, so there’s a variety of trails,” Horton said.“Some of them you can see easily, some of them you’d have to know are there, or you wouldn’t find them.”

In addition to marking the trails for orientation and safety, different zones of difficulty will be determined and may be rated similarly to ski slopes with green, blue, black and double black from wide smooth trails to narrow, rougher paths.

There will also be a mixture of vertical grades from flat to challenging climbs and declines as well as some bridges and stream

crossings.

“We’re going to have a lot of unique features for really anyone of varying degrees,” Beaumont said.“We want to appeal to as many people as possible.We are not trying to appeal to simply your hard-core mountain biking group, but we do want them to be represented.”

The trails are already capturing the eye of outdoor enthusiasts across the nation, including the nation’s highest ranking mountain biker, President George W. Bush.

During a Falwell family visit to the White House this summer, Bush was made aware of the trail system.

“We plan to invite him once the trail system is complete,” said Falwell Jr., who was featured in September’s issue of Outside Magazine and in the August edition of Bike Magazine.

He told Outside that the university is looking for a positive way to channel the students’ energy and that the mountaintop recreation fits the bill.

“Jerry Jr. really wants to give the students amenities. He also wants to give the community amenities,” Beaumont said.“The university is in a unique position with the resources we have and much like the (LaHaye Ice Center), we want to be a good neighbor.We have a huge section of undeveloped land sitting right in the middle of the city, and we want people to be able to go out and enjoy it and be safe while they’re doing it.”

Beaumont expects many students, faculty, staff members, church members and residents of the city and surrounding counties will treasure the views from the mountain whether they are taking a leisurely stroll or whizzing downhill on their bike as the trees fly by.

In keeping with responsible land stewardship practices, the university has been working in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assure no negative impact to wetlands and streams.

It will be left up to the LU grounds department to do most of the routine maintenance on the trail.

“It’s been a collaborative process with a number of folks,” Beaumont said.“We think the Liberty family, the church, LCA and the community will really benefit from a trail system like this with the types of terrain we can offer. And it’s right there in their backyard.”

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STUDENT LIFE

Ask Pastor Johnnie Johnnie Moore

C. Todd Hunley

“People tell me I’m supposed to pray. I want to pray, I try to pray but I just can’t seem to get my prayer life going! I need help.”

– Ashley

your life and pray with joyful anticipation.

For me, it’s every morning with the cool breeze blowing through the open window sits over my desk. It takes about five full minutes to calm my mind and kill all the distractive thoughts and worries ahead of me.After this un-crowding of my thinking, I begin to talk to God like I would a friend.

Then, I leave with the confidence that King Jesus is guiding and guarding my day.

In fact, why don’t you stop now — press pause and trade pace for peace.

“I’m in high school and heard you speak during College for a Weekend. I’m really excited about coming to Liberty, but now I’m having trouble at my school. I’m trying to stand up for my faith but people are always making fun of me. How do I still be light when people treat me so badly?”

– Ben A student takes a moment to reflect between classes at DeMoss Hall.

ather than a casual stroll down a country road, life is more like rushing down a crowded interstate at 90 mph when the sun has turned the asphalt into an oven. As the cars buzz by, you are two feet from a lifethreatening collision. Author Richard Foster said famously, “in contemporary society our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds.”

Prayer is a detour down a country road. It is the slowing of the bustling pace of life. It is a transaction of pace for peace. Prayer is preparation to live well in a maniacal world.

In Luke 5:16 you find our Savior, after a hurried day, going up to a mountain to pray. If Jesus needed a break then how much more do we?

You must plan to press the pause button of

R

Ben, you are not alone. Thankfully, in our nation, persecution is served through mockery.

There are some places on this planet where it could mean death. Jerry Falwell often said, “You don’t determine a man’s greatness by his talent or wealth, as the world does, but rather, by what it takes to discourage him.”

So, you must pray for perseverance.You may endure a bit more abuse, but it will amplify the light of Christ in your life.

Remember 1 Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

Just as Jesus’ personal pain and agony prepared the way of salvation, you are never more like Christ than when you must suffer for what is right. So stand strong, my brother, and continue being a light.

Note: Send your questions to Pastor Johnnie Moore by e-mailing campuschurch@liberty.edu.

The Rev. Johnnie Moore is campus pastor at Liberty University. www.liberty.edu

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Photos by Alex Towers

THE CHURCH

Liberty University alumni Guy Penrod (left) and Lynda Tait Randle performed for a packed Thomas Road Baptist Church audience in September as part of the Gaither Homecoming Concert Series.

Penrod, Randle come home to

by RON BROWN Liberty Journal

I Guy Penrod’s 1984 yearbook photo while attending Liberty University.

16

Liberty

n the early 1980s, Guy Penrod and Lynda Tait Randle were a couple of the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s kids. Now, they are stars with the Gaither Homecoming Concert Series, the most recognized traveling show in gospel music.

Both Penrod, a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, and Randle, a solo performer on the Gaither tour, honed their singing skills while attending Liberty Baptist College, the forerunner of Liberty University.

“Talent comes from a lot of sources,” said Bill Gaither, the architect of the Homecoming series along with his wife, Gloria. “The talent that we’ve gotten from Jerry’s school has been just wonderful.”

For many years, Penrod and Randle were

LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

joined on the stage by comedian and singer Mark Lowry, former Liberty student. Barry Jennings, Gaither’s son-in-law and chief executive officer of the entire Gaither operation, also has Liberty ties.

“I called Jerry last spring, a couple of months before he passed away, just to chat and say, ‘I just want to thank you for the gifts you have given to us in the form of talented kids,’” Gaither said.

“They are delightful kids who have their feet down spiritually. They understand the need for a strong commitment to Christ.”

Penrod and Randle were together again on Sept. 15 as they performed at a concert at Lynchburg’s Thomas Road Baptist Church, which was founded by Falwell 51 years ago.

Falwell’s son, Jonathan, now serves as the church’s senior pastor.

Falwell Sr. was always there to encourage

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T H E CHURCH Penrod and Randle.

“We did so much with Dr. Falwell,” Penrod said. “In the early 1980s, he was running around the country doing so many engagements in political circles. We would go as [the Men of Liberty quartet] and sing before he’d get up to speak. I loved that about him. He wanted us to be with him to change the mood of the crowd.”

When alone with the guys of the Liberty quartet, Falwell was as much a prankster as he was a father figure.

One stay at a Washington, D.C., hotel particularly sticks out in Penrod’s mind.

“We’d always stay on the side of the hall where Doc would have an adjoining room,” Penrod remembered. “Our first order of business was to unlock the door joining the rooms and prop them open so we could run back and forth between the rooms. It was a fancy hotel.

Everyone was trying to be all proper.”

“Doc said, ‘Alright boys, open the door!’”

Penrod recalled.

A short time later, Falwell came barreling through the door in his T-shirt and boxer shorts, slinging pillows at the quartet members as he belly laughed.

“Stir it up, boys. Stir it up,” Falwell yelled as he ran past.

“It was typical of him,” Penrod said. “He always had a fun side. As kids, we didn’t see him as stodgy.”

Falwell himself was the target of practical jokes, like the time Robbie Hiner filled Falwell’s suit jacket pocket with shaving cream.

Falwell got up and shoved his hand into the pockets and the shaving cream before turning slightly to confront Hiner.

“Robbie Hiner, I’m going to kill you,” Falwell quietly joked before turning back towards the crowd and continuing to speak.

It was at Liberty that Penrod met the love of his life and the mother of his eight children (seven boys and girl). Angie Penrod, who has fond memories of LU, was a basketball player at the school.

“We’ve got eight kids to put through college.

This is such a great place. Look where it’s come,” she said. “Our kids are saying, ‘This is where I’ll come to school.’ It’s kind of neat to think that some of our kids might be able to enjoy Liberty like we did.”

More than 20 years ago, Falwell officiated the Penrods’ wedding ceremony, which happened on the evening of graduation. Guy and Angie’s fathers (both pastors) helped Falwell conduct the wedding.

Penrod said he’s had the good fortune of knowing both Falwell and Gaither, both icons of the American Christian movement.

“I love Bill like I did Dr. Falwell, with all due respect,” Penrod said. “They are men cut out of a different mold. Theirs was a generation that really knows how to work. There was no room for being lazy. I highly regard that. I hope that there are some of us that can learn from them.”

Both men have lived transparent lives.

“Dr. Falwell was the same in public as he was in private, as is Bill,” Penrod said.

Randle, a pastor’s daughter, remembered Falwell always asking her to sing, particularly on his Old Time Gospel Hour television show.

“I sang all the time,” Randle recalled. “My widespread ministry got its start right here at LU.” She first learned that she’d been accepted by Liberty while working in a beauty parlor near her Washington, D.C., home.

“My mom called and said, ‘I got a call from Liberty Baptist College and they want you to come down in two days.’” Randle said.

Through tears, Randle packed her bags for Lynchburg.

“My parents borrowed the money and a car to bring me down,” she said.

“That’s pretty much how I got here.”

Falwell left a lasting impression on Randle, who grew up as part of a storefront church pastored by her father.

“Dr. Falwell was so personable,” she said. “He would just shake hands and remember names. He had a fabulous memory. He was just so down to earth.

He was just Dr. Jerry.”

Randle said Falwell didn’t seem to treat her differently from other people just because she could sing.

“He was like he was with everybody,” she said. “He wasn’t conservative in his worship. He was an all-around great family man and a man of God. He taught us that a man’s character is not measured by all their successes, but by what it takes to get them discouraged. Because of Dr. Falwell, those things are forever embedded in my spirit.”

Randle, whose brother Michael Tait helped form the contemporary Christian musical group DC Talk, said her return to Lynchburg was bittersweet because of Falwell’s passing.

“It’s so difficult being here. I haven’t sat down because I’m afraid I’d start crying,” she said. “I’m so sad that he’s gone, although I know God has a plan. There is more to Liberty than just Dr. Falwell. But I so much wish he was still here. I could have been a whole other person if I hadn’t been here at Liberty. My life could have taken a whole different turn. I’m just blessed among women.”

“They are delightful kids who have their feet down spiritually. They understand the need for a strong commitment to Christ.”

- Bill Gaither

www.liberty.edu

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T H E CHURCH C. Todd Hunley

Reaching Out to

Central Virginia

by MARK SMITH LIBERTY JOURNAL

A

Thomas Road Baptist Church Pastor Jonathan Falwell presides over Sunday service at Thomas Road.

At press time, 912 people had joined the church and 393 had been baptized over the past summer.

As most Christians will attest, God often works in strange and remarkable ways.

So was the case on Aug. 27, when Theresa McBrien entered Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) to sign up for a community group class. She had no idea that her life was about to dramatically change.

TRBC offers the Wednesday night community groups as an outreach to people in the Central Virginia area. This fall, more than 90 community groups will be offered through the church, focusing on the needs and interests of a variety of people.

McBrien was interested in signing up for the water aerobics class. However, on the evening she arrived at TRBC’s Main Street to enroll in the course, there was much activity and she had to wait for some time before she could fill out the paperwork.

She sees now that the delay in registration was a sign of God’s timing.

As she patiently waited, McBrien met Toy Hine, TRBC’s children’s ministry director. Hine began chatting with McBrien and soon learned that she was not a Christian. And so Hine began sharing the Gospel with her new friend. At 7:15 on that Tuesday evening, McBrien accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior.

The Long Island, N.Y., native said she can now see how God had been preparing her heart for that night.

Through the excitement of the evening, McBrien even forgot about an appointment she had for a job interview.

She lost the job, but she’s not bitter.

“I see now that this is the way God works,” she said

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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

in a phone interview. “I know I’ll find a better job.”

McBrien, who was baptized on Sept. 9, noted the irony of intending to join a water aerobics class and instead ending up praising God through the waters of baptism as a new Christian.

Theresa is one of hundreds of new TRBC members who have joined the church since the Rev. Jonathan Falwell took the reins of leadership that his father held from the time of the church’s 1956 founding until his death on May 15.

At press time, 912 new people had joined the church during the summer. Most importantly, 716 salvation decisions had been made and 393 people had been baptized.

In his role as pastor, Falwell cast the vision for the church back in July.

That vision includes a five-year plan for the following: 5,000 salvation decisions in the Central Virginia area; 500 baptisms during each of the five years; planting 500 new churches worldwide within the five-year frame; sending out 500 new missionaries; sending out 500 TRBC members on short-term missions trips; sending out 5,000 members as lay ministers in the community to address the spiritual and physical needs of those who are hurting and hungry; adding 5,000 to the Sunday school attendance; and doubling weekend service attendance.

“It’s really amazing what is happening at TRBC,” Falwell said. “I see this as God continuing to honor what Dad did during his 51-plus years of leading this church.

It’s truly humbling to be a part of this remarkable period in the history of Thomas Road.”

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T H E CHURCH

Revival Sweeping TRBC, LU

by Ed Hindson

“We are in the midst of a great revival,” announced Pastor Jonathan Falwell in recent weeks. “God is doing a fresh new work in our church,” he added.

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C. Todd Hunley

I

ndeed, the response has been amazing! Hundreds of people have received Christ as Savior, been baptized and joined Lynchburg’s Thomas Road Baptist Church.

At the same time, God has poured out His Spirit in a great awakening of spiritual fervor and prayer that has swept Liberty University in the opening days of the new school year. The winds of revival are blowing afresh and no one can explain it.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed that when revival comes it causes God’s people to realize that He has come among them. “They are aware of a glory, they are aware of a presence.

They cannot define it, they cannot describe it, they just know that they have never known anything like this Members of the Thomas Road Baptist Church Praise Team lift their voices before.” Perhaps that is the best way high during a Sunday morning service at Thomas Road. to describe what is happening at Thomas Road and Liberty University daily for 13 years before God burst forth in the these days. There is a new wind blowing from Welsh Revival (1904-1905), when more than 100,000 heaven. people were converted in five months.

Commenting on the importance of prayer, Showers of Blessing Hortius Bonar said of the great revivalists, “They Revival has often been expressed as “times of were much alone with God, replenishing their own refreshing” (Acts 3:19), like a summer rainstorm, in souls out of the living fountain that out of them which the glory cloud of God’s presence bursts might flow to their people rivers of living water.” upon His people. Often without warning, suddenly a Daniel Henderson, minister of Prayer and Renewal divine spark has set off a thunderbolt of spiritual at Thomas Road and author of “Fresh Encounters” energy that has left God’s people saturated with a writes: “The only enduring motive for prayer is that new sense of His deity, presence and holiness.

God is worthy to be sought.” Based upon Ephesians During seasons of revival believers experience the 3:20 (“that there may be glory in the church”), essence of a divine encounter that often energizes Daniel says, “I like to define God’s glory as the manitheir spiritual lives for the rest of their lives. They festation of Christ’s presence among His people and are never again satisfied with the ordinary or the the magnification of His person by His people.” mundane. Like the angelic seraphs, they are ablaze Simply stated — when prayer goes up, the glory with God’s glory and He is on display in their lives. cloud comes down. The more God’s people seek Him, the more He reveals Himself to them. When Thunderbolt of Prayer Prayer is the catalyst to revival. The late Dr. A.T. that happens, the winds of revival begin to blow.

Dr. Edward Hindson is distinguished Professor of Pierson said: “There has never been a spiritual Religion and Dean of the Institute of Biblical Studies awakening in any country or locality that did not at Liberty University. begin in prayer.” Evan Roberts prayed for revival

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Memories from Liberty Mountain

The Vines Center on University Boulevard. It opened on Oct. 22, 1990, and is home to the Flames basketball team. Named in honor of Odie and Minnie Vines, the complex covers 112,000 square feet and spans nine stories.

Got a high-quality old photo you think would make a good Remember When ‌?

Please e-mail to lj@liberty.edu www.liberty.edu

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MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

The Falwell family received a rare invitation to visit the Oval Office and meet President George W. Bush after Dr. Falwell’s passing.

Mrs. Falwell:

A Quiet Journey of Faith

by AMANDA STANLEY LIBERTY JOURNAL

n May 15, 2007, the world suffered a tremendous loss when the Rev. Jerry Falwell died. While millions felt the loss of a beloved pastor, educator, political leader and friend, Macel Falwell grieved for her best friend and husband of 49 years.

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Les Schofer

MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

S

ince that day, the Lord has given Macel strength and a wealth of friends and family to turn to for support. She says that reading her Bible daily has been essential along with encouragement from all her Christian friends. “I’ve had several books given to me, including one about heaven,” she said. “That has helped.”

All in all, Mrs. Falwell is recovering as well as can be expected from what has to be one of life’s most traumatic experiences.

Dr. Falwell always found time in spite of his busy schedule to be a nurturing husband to Macel. For example, if a bad thunderstorm blew into the Lynchburg area, he would wrap up what he was doing at work and drive home because he knew that Macel had a great fear of thunderstorms from her childhood.

The couple was very much rooted in oldfashioned tradition in that Dr. Falwell would see that Macel never even had to pump her own gas.

He always did that for her. He also avoided staying out of town overnight, even if that meant traveling back home in the middle of the night after a preaching engagement.

All of this makes losing him even more diffi- Macel Falwell is joined by her granddaughters Jessica Falwell (left) and Caroline Falwell at a player piano dedicated to her when the new Thomas Road Baptist Church was completed. cult for her.

“He spoiled me in many ways,” she said.

Macel requests that the Thomas Road Baptist “Jerry is very conscientious,” his mother said.

Church and Liberty University family keep her in “He is more like me than any of the children in their prayers in the upcoming months and years one way — he doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, because she knows God’s grace is sufficient. but he has done very well and I’m proud of him.”

Macel has also been blessed by the steadfast Macel provides her own support to her oldest support of her three children — Jerry Jr., Jeannie son. and Jonathan — who have been a great source of “He likes for me to call and tell him what I comfort over the past five months. think about the various public announcements One contribution from Jonathan, the new sen- and press coverage of university events. He knows ior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, has that I have a different perspective that others been to allow one or two of his children to stay at might miss.”

Macel’s each night.

Jeannie, a surgeon in Richmond, visits or calls “I haven’t stayed alone yet,” she said. regularly.

“Jonathan makes sure I have someone with me.”

“Jeannie is very independent and she stays busy Macel is proud of the way that Jonathan has with work,” her mother said. “She stayed with me taken the reins of the church that his father for quite a while at first. Her room is still just like it founded and pastored for 51 years. was when she lived here. When she can’t be here, “I was worried about him, but he just gets up she still calls just about every day or I call her.” there and acts like he has done it all of his life,” Over the summer, Macel has had the opportushe said. “He’s not the least bit scared. I think the nity to spend quality time with her eight grandLord just touched him.” children.

Like his younger brother, Jerry Jr. has taken “Having the children around helps me a lot. If on a new role since his father’s death. He is now Jonathan Jr. sees one tear well up, he stops what JOURNEY continued on page 24 the chancellor and president of Liberty University. www.liberty.edu

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MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

“The younger President [George W.] Bush took us into the Oval Office this past summer and spent time talking to each of the children. All 14 of us got to sit in the president’s chair, and he had a photographer take pictures of all of us. ... The kids had a ball. I felt really good that it happened.”

JOURNEY from page 23 he is doing and comes to sit next to me,” she said. “He is just like his dad in that way.”

Another grandson, Paul (Jeannie’s son), who lives in Richmond, visited Lynchburg for a weeklong stay this past summer, going to Camp Hydaway with Jonathan Jr. and visiting Grandmother.

Macel has about 50 games on hand for them to play, and when none of those spark interest, they often play hide-and-seek.

“All the kids love it! We turn off all the lights in the house,” Macel explains. “One person hides and everyone takes a flashlight and tries to find them. They hide under the piano, under blankets, on the sofa and everywhere.”

One game was particularly memorable.

“We had a stand-up cutout of Bill Clinton in the basement. One night while we were playing, Trey (Jerry Jr.’s oldest son) brought it up and put it in the library,” Macel recalled. “All of a sudden I turned the corner and my flashlight fell on the cardboard face and the kids screamed and ran out of the room.”

Macel loves having her grandchildren around, and especially enjoys the quiet times when they sit and read together. When the children spend the night with her, they like to pile onto her bed with a stack of books. Macel still has a full collection of children’s books from when her own children were learning to read. As might be expected, her grandchildren like to search her collection to find the books that have their parents’ names written in them, so they can read those.

One night in particular, all the children were taking turns reading

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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

books to Grandmother. Even the older ones who have long outgrown children’s literature enjoy taking a turn.

Wesley, Jerry Jr.’s youngest son, seized the opportunity to play a joke on his grandmother.

“I was concerned because he was having so much trouble reading the book and he was mispronouncing the words,” she said. “I was wor- Macel and Jerry were married on April 12, 1958. Their wedrying about how I was going ding was conducted by Dr. John Suttenfield of Fairview Christian Church. to teach him how to read, and then everyone laughed “Jerry (Sr.) had promised the and I realized he was just pretendkids that he would take them to ing.” meet the president at the White Friends are also playing a vital role in comforting Macel during this House, but he didn’t get to do that,” Macel said. difficult time.

At her request, Bush made A close family friend, Mrs. Delia Jones, is Macel’s frequent companion. arrangements for the whole family to visit the White House.

Macel also spends quite a bit of time “The younger President [George with her older sister, Jean, and her husband. They eat lunch together just W.] Bush took us into the Oval Office this past summer and spent time about every day at Subway. talking to each of the children,” Macel They know all the employees on a said. “All 14 of us got to sit in the first-name basis and enjoy visiting president’s chair, and he had a phowith them each day. The sisters also tographer take pictures of all of us.” visit other Wards Road businesses The President gave the children often and have become friends with goody bags filled with White House many of the workers.

As a lifelong Lynchburg resident, memorabilia and red, white, and blue M&Ms. Macel has known some of them Bush, the former part-owner and since she was a child. The manager managing general partner of the of Wal-Mart on Wards Road recentTexas Rangers baseball team, prely asked Macel to work as a greeter sented Trey and Wesley with autoat the store during the overnight graphed baseballs. hours. She passed on the offer, preEven the adults received gifts — ferring to sleep at night, but apprecicommemorative tie bars for the men, ates his friendship. pins for the ladies and photographs Besides her family and friends, Macel has received well wishes from of the president for everybody.

Jonathan Jr. spoke up and asked hundreds of other kind hearted peoto have the photograph autographed ple since her husband’s death.

Among the well wishers was for- by the president. Bush signed a photograph for each family member. mer President George H.W. Bush, “The kids had a ball,” Macel said. who called to ask if there was any“I felt really good that it happened.” thing he could do.

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MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

A Lasting

Tribute

by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal

As the news of the passing of Dr. Jerry Falwell spread, words of sympathy and stories of hope flooded into Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church from across the nation and beyond in the form of e-mails.

Soon after the deluge began, LU officials recognized a need for a place to share these e-mails.

“We received hundreds of tributes after the funeral, many of which I’m still reading and we’re posting,” LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said.

“We appreciate all of them. There are some really incredible stories of people Dad helped over the years.”

Falwell Jr. said one humorous story involved a man who worked as a door-to-door insurance salesman in 1965.

“He saw two men knocking on doors and thought they were competing insurance agents, which made him upset. When he found out they were inviting people to attend Thomas Road, he felt a lot better,” Falwell Jr. said.

Using a domain name secured by LU student and grandson of Evangelist Billy Graham, Antony Tchividjian, a team of six designers and a programmer spent about four weeks planning, designing and building “www.myfalwelltribute.com.” They began with a drawing on paper and progressed to building models and rendering movies of 3-D objects.

“We discussed the best look and feel for the site and wanted it to look like Dr. Falwell’s office. At first we thought about taking pictures of the office, but

Web site hosts memories of Dr. Falwell

decided on the 3-D model of the space,” said LU Director of Data Management and Creative Media Edgard Luz. Within a month, with input and approval from Falwell Jr. and the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, the site became a reality.

Excerpts of tributes to Dr. Jerry Falwell sent to the Falwell family: … Dr. Jerry Falwell inspired America with his moral conviction and spiritual outreach. His death this week saddened our hearts; but, I know heaven will surely welcome him. The world has lost a devoted, faithful Christian role model, yet we should rejoice in the fact that at this very moment he is home with his Father.

Others may eulogize Jerry Falwell the conservative, but I'll praise Jerry Falwell the pastor and the person. I am forever thankful for the Christian leadership Dr. Falwell provided throughout his life. …

… When I went to school, we had two children and no source of income except what I could earn working part-time. But the Lord always took care of us.

After first semester in 1965, I was going to drop out of school because Mary was expecting our third child in early 1966. There was no way I could afford a wife and three children and pay my school fees so I decided to go to work full time.

I will never forget on Christmas Eve 1965, we got a call from the local Western Union saying we had some money wired to us and for one of us to come to their office and sign for it. Your dad had wired us enough money for me to stay in school. That has been over 40 years ago but I still choke up when I tell this story.

TRIBUTE continued on page 49 www.liberty.edu

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MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN

Les Schofer

Woman makes quilt as tribute to Dr. Falwell im Payne didn’t plan on a specific pattern for the quilt she began sewing three and a half years ago as a token of gratitude to Dr. Jerry Falwell, but a heart emerged.

The quilt, named “Jerry’s Heart,” was presented to Macel Falwell in September at the Carter Glass mansion.

“It was the least that I could do. I was in awe of a man of his stature taking the time to say hello. As much power and influence as Dr. Falwell had, he cared about everyone … he truly had a heart for people and he mirrored the heart of God so well” said Payne.

Payne, whose son Joey is a Flames football team member, said she met Dr. Falwell while working as a training manager at a local fast-

K

food restaurant. She had gone through some family turmoil and Joey, a high school football player, had his sights on attending Virginia Tech, although she was hoping God would intervene and he would choose to attend Liberty.

Payne talked to Dr. Falwell and he said that he would guarantee Joey’s acceptance into Liberty University and put him on the fast track.

Now Joey is in his fourth year at LU. “I will never ever forget what he [Dr. Falwell] did. He touched our lives and changed them forever,” she said.

Sharing inspiration “We’ve heard from presidents and kings, but not the everyday people,” said Liberty University student and grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham, Antony Tchividjian.

It was this desire to let everyone share their experiences of the Rev. Billy Graham that led Tchividjian and his two brothers, Boz and Aram, to develop “www.thankyoubilly.com.”

Tchividjian said the family had been receiving hundreds upon hundreds of stories from all over the globe relating the impact that Rev. Graham had on people’s lives when it occurred to them to put the stories into a book. Although they sat on the book idea, about a year later Tchividjian decided to use a Web site to post the stories.

“We hear all those stories and they are so inspirational. They are about Billy Graham, but it’s God he was obedient to. It was God’s calling and he used Billy Graham as a tool,” Tchividjian said.

Once the Web site found it’s funding, Tchividjian purchased domain names for Ruth and Billy Graham and Dr. Jerry Falwell for future sites.

“A lot of people build tribute sites after a person

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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal

has passed, but we wanted to have it while our grandfather is still alive,” Tchividjian said.

After coming up with the idea, the Tchividjian brothers worked on the project before revealing their plans to the Rev. Graham, because Tchividjian explains, “He hates hearing about himself. He gives the credit to God.” “Daddy Bill,” as the Rev. Graham’s grandchildren call him, was convinced of the project by the promise that the Web site was a gift from the grandkids and would not be a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association project. To that end, the site was also formally named Thank You Billy & Friends.

“It’s such an inspiration to people to read these stories,” said Tchividjian. “Some people were in the pits. I think if non-Christians and other worldly people read them, they think ‘this can’t be true.’ Stories like one of someone ready to commit suicide who stands up and steps on their remote control. They turn around, but hear Billy Graham preaching telling them that no matter who you are and what you’ve done, Jesus loves you, and they turn to God.”

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Coker College

Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.

13

North Carolina Central Senior Night

Thanksgiving Break Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.

Longwood ends, classes resume

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Open Mic Night 7 p.m.

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Thanksgiving Communion Service 7:30 p.m.

University Chorale Concert 7 p.m.

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Volleyball Big South Championship Quarterfinals 2 p.m./4:30 p.m./ 7 p.m.

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Athletes in Action Exhibition Game

VMI

Women’s VB 7 p.m.

Women’s BB 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer 7 p.m.

8

1

wednesday thursday

Oklahoma

Hockey 7 p.m.

Virginia Union

Track and Field 4 p.m.

Women’s BB 7 p.m.

Living Christmas Tree

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Volleyball Big South Championship Semifinals 4:30 & 7 p.m.

Thanksgiving Break

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9

3

saturday

Football NCAA playoffs, TBA

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Volleyball Big South Championship Final, 4 p.m.

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Liberty Mountain

Trail Race 9 a.m.

Radford

Volleyball 7 p.m.

VMI, Senior Day,

Football 1 p.m.

10

Liberty Debate Tournament

South Dakota State

Women’s Soccer 7 p.m.

Coastal Carolina

IMPACT Men’s Conference at TRBC Football 3:30 p.m.

Movie Night 8 p.m.

2

Friday

For more information on featured events and a complete list of events at Liberty University, visit www.liberty.edu.

For events at Thomas Road Baptist Church, visit www.trbc.org.

For a full sports schedule and more details, visit www.libertyflames.com.

TRBC Children’s Ministry 5:30 p.m.

Indoor Ultimate Frisbee 2 p.m.

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Daniel Henderson

Super Sunday Night 6 p.m. at TRBC

18

International Day of Prayer Concert 6 p.m. at TRBC Scott Krippayne & Charles Billingsley

11

Liberty Debate Tournament

6

tuesday

7:19 PM

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Sunday

November 2007

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TRBC Children’s Ministry 5:30 p.m.

WINTERFEST begins

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Christmas Service TRBC 6 p.m.

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Christmas on Ice 7:30 p.m.

Bailey Smith

Super Sunday Night TRBC 6 p.m.

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Living Christmas Tree

9

University Intercession

31

Christmas Eve Service TRBC 6 p.m.

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10

25

18

11

12

13

Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m.

Liberty Reading Day: No classes

6

wednesday thursday

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19

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20

Liberty University Final Exams for the Fall 2007 Semester

Presbyterian

Men’s BB 8:15 p.m.

Living Christmas Tree

Women’s BB 6 p.m.

4 James Madison

3

TRBC Children’s Ministry 5:30 p.m.

tuesday

Campbell

Men’s BB 7 p.m.

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Final grades due

21

14

Binghamton

Women’s BB 1 p.m.

8

Campus Artist Concert Series, 8 p.m.

Niagara

Track and Field 9 a.m.

Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.

1

saturday

29

Glenville State

Women’s BB 2 p.m.

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Living Christmas Tree at TRBC

Exams Friendly Friday 8 a.m.

Christmas Coffeehouse 8 p.m.

7

Friday

7:20 PM

2

monday

9/27/07

Sunday

december 2007

For events at Thomas Road Baptist Church, visit www.trbc.org.

For a full sports schedule and more details, visit www.libertyflames.com.

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Education Ph.D., Information Systems, Virginia Commonwealth University M.A., English, University of Richmond M.B.A., Management, Baylor University B.S., Computer Science, Baylor University

Memberships Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) Vice President-elect (Southeast DSI) for Web Technology (2007) Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) Beta Gamma Sigma, Ph.D.

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ACADEMIC LIFE Les Schofer

Engineering Program Poised for Growth

by RON BROWN Liberty Journal

t age 6, Ron Sones dismantled his family’s wind-up alarm clock.

Ever since, he’s been fascinated by what makes things tick.

Sones, now Dr. Sones, is the first dean of the Liberty University School of Engineering and Computational Sciences, which began operation in August.

Sones said his experience with the alarm clock and engineering school have like components.

“The challenges are very similar in that there are many pieces,” he said.

“This is not a one-man job.The support that I have received (from the administration, faculty and staff) is what has sustained me. I probably could have put that alarm clock back together if I had somebody working with me who had the knowledge I was lacking.”

Sones said knowing your limitations is the key to success.

“There are a lot of things I don’t know about engineering,” he said.

“There are a lot of things I don’t know about being a dean.There are a lot of things I don’t know about what is required to get this engineering school launched.The people that the Lord has brought to me are the evidences that bring me great peace at night.”

LU’s school of engineering began as a vision of the university founder and former chancellor, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Sones, who came to LU three years ago, took “that little seed” and got it included into the university’s five-year strategic plan.

Last year, the engineering curriculum was formally adopted by the university’s faculty senate as a full-fledged academic program.

Sones said he relishes the idea of teaching engineering from a Christian world view.

“Building to me is a reflection of how God spent his first six recorded days,” Sones said.“I think it is part of the Creator in us to want to create as He created. Engineering is part of the nature of God in that He designed things.”

Sones said he is excited that LU’s

A

School of Engineering is starting out as a research institution.

“It is the only way to accomplish engineering properly,” he said.

“We are one of the few Dr. Mark Shanek teaches Computer Science, CSCI 215, at Liberty’s private research engiSchool of Engineering and Computational Sciences. neering schools around.

We’re one of two pridegree programs in electrical, computer, vate, four-year research engineering software and industrial and systems programs in the state of Virginia.” engineering, computer science, informaThis year’s initial engineering class tion systems and Web technology. includes about 100 students. Sones said As the school gets more facilities, it the school realistically could grow to might add civil and mechanical engiabout 1,000 students in three years. neering in several years.

Residential recruiters tell Sones that “There are a lot of kids interested one out of every eight potential students expresses an interest in engineer- in coming to Liberty to study engineering,” Sones said. “It’s fun to be on top of ing. this wave and see where it will go.”

The startup curriculum includes

www.liberty.edu

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Dr. D. James Kennedy, joined by Dr. Jerry Falwell, spoke at Liberty University’s convocation in Nov. 2005. Falwell, who passed away on May 15, and Kennedy, who passed away on Sept. 5, were the grandfathers of the modern ‘religious right’ movement.

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OPINION/EDITORIAL

Pillars

of the Culture Wars

by MARK SMITH Liberty Journal

T

hey might be seen as Christianity’s “Odd Couple” — two men with strikingly different demeanors, yet remarkably similar objectives in reaching the world with the Gospel and turning back the increasingly secular culture. Dr. Jerry Falwell was the “junkyard dog,” a term he often used to describe himself, a bigger-than-life Southern Baptist pastor who relished a good bare-knuckled political fight. Dr. D. James Kennedy was the refined Presbyterian minister whose gentlemanly demeanor connected with more polished conservatives. Yet they often stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the modern culture battles.

Falwell, who passed away on May 15, and Kennedy, who passed away on Sept. 5, were the grandfathers of the modern “religious right” movement. Each man used the pulpit (Falwell at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg and Kennedy at the 10,000-member Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and their public notoriety to awaken an epic voting bloc that dramatically rose to prominence in the late 1970s. Each man distinctively propelled this national resurgence in evangelism and cultural renewal.

In studying the factors involving their salvation experiences, one discovers a commonality between the two that suggests why each chose to utilize mass media to impart the Gospel message and rouse the faithful. That common thread was radio.

In his youth, Falwell’s mother routinely blasted Charles E. Fuller’s “Old Fashioned Revival Hour” broadcast through their home while young Jerry lounged in bed. He was unaware that those messages were seeping into

GOT AN OPINION?

his consciousness and preparing his heart for salvation.

Similarly, in 1953, Kennedy was awakened by a preacher’s abrupt question on his clock radio: “Suppose you were to die today and stand before God, and He were to ask you, ‘What right do you have to enter into My heaven?’ What would you say?” The query burned its way into his soul, and he came to Christ a short time later.

Both men would launch massive television, radio and print media ministries that impacted the nation. Dr. Falwell’s “Old Time Gospel Hour” telecast thrust him into the spotlight in the 1980s, along with his leadership in the Moral Majority. Likewise, Dr. Kennedy utilized broadcast media with “The Coral Ridge Hour” TV program and “Truths That Transform” radio series, both affording sterling defenses of the faith.

As a result of these ministries, untold thousands came to know Jesus Christ as Savior.

Further, both men uniquely impacted the culture by doggedly advancing Judeo-Christian values, even as cultural situational ethics and religious diversity became standard in the mainstream. Neither seemed to mind that they were on the road less traveled.

Now Dr. Falwell and Dr. Kennedy have completed their earthly “salt and light” ministries. Despite their disparate personas, each may well be remembered as a modern Joshua, having boldly stirred Christians to “possess the land” and reclaim their vanishing religious freedoms. Their life stories will not soon be forgotten and both men will long stand as stirring examples of what Christ can accomplish through hearts that will hold fast to His promises.

Send an e-mail to letters@liberty.edu www.liberty.edu

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www.liberty.edu

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OPINION/EDITORAL ast December, the Dallas Morning News reported that employers are learning that graduates of faith-based colleges are the types of workers they are seeking.

The paper stated, “Many employers say the moral and ethical lessons that are taught along with the academic curriculum at faith-based schools better equip graduates to become valued employees.”

That’s a powerful statement, especially in this age of secularism wherein some employers may hold covert predispositions about faith-based graduates. But here in the Mid-Atlantic region, and beyond, Liberty’s rise to academic prominence seems to have transformed any such attitudes that may have once existed about Christian education.

Dr. Deanna Britt, chairman of the Liberty University Nursing Department, says that our graduates’ qualifications and character have become familiar to area employers, who are enthusiastic about hiring them.

Dr. Britt said, “Liberty nursing graduates are in high demand for their strong work ethic, compassionate care and strong clinical skills. In fact, several students have reported that they were hired on the spot, without even being interviewed, when they mentioned that they were Liberty grads!”

Duke University Critical Care Nurse Recruiter Barbara Christoff says that Liberty nursing grads are well prepared to enter that specialized setting.

“We have found Liberty nursing graduates to be well prepared to transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse,” said Christoff. “Their care is based on a holistic framework. Duke is able to provide diverse opportunities to new graduates including positions in our critical care areas. We welcome Liberty graduates to become part of our Duke nursing team.”

Liberty’s academic ascent, combined with the reputation of its graduates, has created this welcoming environment among employers in many fields.

In fact, the initial graduating class from the Liberty University School of Law has been well received.

“Our recent graduates have already landed strategically significant jobs,” said Mathew Staver, dean of the law school. “We have graduates who are working as judicial law clerks with a variety of courts, including state courts of appeal and one who will work with a high ranking judge in a federal appeals court. Further, one graduate works in the IRS Legislative Affairs Office as a direct liaison with Congress, another works with federal and state legislators on public policy and will work to place our students in legislative externships.”

Staver said some graduates are working in private practice with small and large firms, while others have entered the fields of education and business and others have been accepted at wellknown graduate schools where they are continuing their education with specialized legal degrees.

“In a short time,” he said, “the School of Law has developed a great reputation with the bench and the bar.”

L

2007 Liberty University graduate Tamara Smith (left) performs nursing duties with fellow Lynchburg General Hospital nurse Holly Cunningham in September.

Liberty Graduates in High Demand

By MARK SMITH Liberty Journal

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OPINION/EDITORAL

Christians and Culture

Animals and Evangelicals AP file photo

By Karen Swallow Prior

Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Vick leaves the federal courthouse in Richmond, Va., following his arraignment on federal dogfighting charges on July 26.

T

he spotlight shone by the Michael Vick case on the issue of dogfighting and other forms of animal abuse has bemused many conservatives and Christians, leaving them to wonder where to place this barbarism on the scale of evils plaguing society today. But our Evangelical ancestors in the reform movements of 18th- and 19th-century England would not have been so baffled, for even in the midst of their fight against slavery and other ills, they viewed animal cruelty as one of the most important moral issues of their day. By fighting barbarism in all its forms, these Christians sought to cultivate universal benevolence throughout all of society.

Benevolence toward even the lower creatures has been, in fact, a feature of the evangelical movement from its beginnings in John Wesley, who noted in his “Compendium of Natural Philosophy” that animals “that want the help of man have a thousand engaging ways, which, like the voice of God speaking to his heart, command him to preserve and cherish them.” William Cowper, co-author with John

Newton of the “Olney Hymns,” linked love of man and love of animals in his 1785 poem “The Task,” declaring that he would not count among his friends “the man who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.”

Sarah Trimmer, a founder of the Sunday School movement in the 18th century, put animal welfare at the forefront of her program for moral education.

And in the 19th century, the same parliamentarian who tirelessly spearheaded the anti-slavery crusade, William Wilberforce, also led the campaign against animal cruelty. Indeed the group of believers of which Wilberforce formed a part, known as the Clapham Evangelicals, were not only staunch abolitionists but also helped enact England’s first animal welfare laws.Wilberforce himself was part of an 1824 coffeehouse gathering that resulted in the formation of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He and several Christian clergymen superintended the publication of sermons and tracts designed to turn a hostile public toward support of animal welfare laws.

From its beginnings, then, the animal welfare movement was led by moral, Christian reformers who understood the link between one form of barbarism and another.Therefore, conservative, compassionate, pro-life Christians might be heartened by the widespread outrage against Michael Vick’s cruelty.While some conservative leaders have expressed concern that heightened compassion for animals diminishes value for human life, such compassion may, in fact, cultivate similar empathy for other helpless victims of human depravity — perhaps even the victims of abortion.

The animal welfare movement of our Evangelical ancestors was rooted, not in an unbiblical ethos of animal “rights,” but in benevolence as well as in recognition of the Christian’s duty toward God’s creation. Ample biblical support from the moral laws of Exodus to the wisdom of the Proverbs can be cited to advocate compassionate care for animals rather than exploitative domination. But perhaps the most compelling evidence of the implicit assumption in Scripture about the nature of man’s relationship to animals is found in the picture God provides of His relationship to us: namely, that of the Good Shepherd “who lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is Associate Professor of English at Liberty University. www.liberty.edu

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ALUMNI Photos by Les Schofer

by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal

Bridging The Gap ONLINE SOURCE

brings alumni together

H

Alumni gather for tailgating festivities on the campus of Liberty University before attending a Flames game.

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LIBERTY JOURNAL Nov./Dec. 2007

ow do you connect a 30-yearold Liberty University alumnus in Toronto with a 60-yearold alumnus in Louisiana? Use the Internet.

With over 125,000 alumni spread across all 50 states and in many countries spanning the globe, Liberty University is working to provide a new way for alumni to communicate and stay linked to the university.

Through Microsoft SharePoint, alumni, students, faculty, staff and even prospective students will be able to create a MySite Web page similar to Facebook and MySpace.

Liberty University IT Executive Business Analyst and Project Manager Nick VanWingerden said after creating a MySite, Alumni will have the ability to upload and share pictures, keep a blog, create discussion boards, and a host of other features.

Each user can customize their page by posting pictures and as much or as little personal information as they want, such as employment, family status, military service and more. Users will also be able to make their information public or private for a select audience.

“We’ve found that this is the way people want to communicate these days.This is the way everything is going, and we’re very excited about this new benefit to better serve our alumni,” said LU Director of Alumni Affairs Andy Barrick.

Barrick explained that the online network will provide another weapon in the university’s arsenal to gather information, keep track of alumni and keep them apprised of life on the mountain, no matter how far away they may be.

“Everyone is so busy and they are getting together physically a lot less, so this cutting-edge tool will bridge the gap,” Barrick said. “We want alumni from all decades to get together.”

Safety is a top priority for the project.There will be at least three to four central safety implements including a filter on text, a reporting device for users to log objectionable material, secure sign-in and a possible monitoring system to measure the amount of skin tone, all with the goal of keeping the sites userfriendly and eliminating objectionable material.

The new online tool has been in production for more than a year and replaces previous systems, including

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AL U M N I Liberty Online Community: www.liberty.edu/community Liberty’s Harris Online Community, which Barrick said failed to meet the needs of users and was not cost-effective.The university also employs Facebook, with the Office of Alumni Affairs having its own Facebook site.

A soft launch was scheduled for Sept. 15, when the new tool became available to LU employees who are alumni and people who have a high interest in setting up groups.The launch allowed for bugs to be worked out before the formal announcement is made at homecoming for a broad launch.

“The end goal is to provide a place where alumni of the university can create an online presence and be part of chapter and group sites where they can network with others they graduated with,” VanWingerden said. “It will also give alumni a place to interact, communicate and collaborate with past professors and university faculty who made an impact on their life.”

The Jerry Falwell Legacy Society

Why People Give There are many reasons people make charitable gifts to Liberty University. For example, a person who has a hefty tax liability may make a year-end gift to ease the tax burden. Another person may give to obtain a charitable gift annuity and gain a lifetime flow of income at a respectable rate. Another person may be influenced to give by a friend or family member.

But the overwhelming reason people provide financial support for Liberty University is because they believe in our mission.

This is especially true for donors who make planned gifts to Liberty University. Such gifts involve estate assets and often include legal documents. They can be made during life or deferred until a later time.

They can be used to create endowments or to provide funds for building or operational needs. Such gifts require thoughtful planning and sound rationale.

How much do you know about Liberty University? Would you like to learn more?

A planned giving officer is available to talk with you by phone or visit with you and tell "The Liberty Story." He will answer your questions and provide informative literature. And then — during that visit or at a later time — if you want to discuss how you might join us in supporting our mission through a planned gift, he can explain the various options.

In any case, you will find our Regional Directors cordial and respectful. Their love for Liberty University and our Lord guides the actions of this team.

To arrange a visit with us, or to obtain other literature about Liberty University, call us at 1-800-543-5309. You can also learn more about Liberty University by visiting our Web site: www.LUgiving.edu

We would love to talk with you and tell you of the good things happening at Liberty University.

www.liberty.edu

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/

/ Page 42

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SUJO JOHN An evangelist raised Out of the Ashes of September 11,2001 A story of survival, hope, and faith in Jesus Christ on a day that changed America forever.

How facing death and watching people die has launched a man into a mission of preparing people for eternity.

Book Sujo John for your 2008 church event.

An evangelist who will make a clear and passionate presentation of the Gospel. A product of missions who will challenge your church to the cause of evangelism and missions.

A ministry that has taken Sujo to over 350 cities around the world.

“Sujo John was one of the most powerful speakers that we have had at First Baptist Church Orlando. He was able to combine a great test of God’s delivery of 9-11 with a very clear presentation of the gospel. It seems that his story of 9-11 is what draws people to the service, but it is his presentation of the gospel, I believe, that changes people’s lives forever. I have spent time with him personally, as well as in a service.

He is a man of integrity and is as gracious and humble off the stage as he is on the stage. I can wholeheartedly recommend Sujo John Ministries for any church who wants to see lives impacted for Christ.”

Pastor David Uth, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida “Sujo John has a remarkable and miraculous story of survival from the attack on America on September 11th, 2001. He is a powerful evangelist with thousands coming to Christ both here in America and other countries. Pastor, this man is a personal friend of mine. A man of integrity and great character. He will be a blessing to you and your people. Without reservation I recommend Sujo John to you.”

Evangelist Tim Lee, Tim Lee Ministries, Dallas, Texas “God is using Sujo John in an incredible way to challenge the minds and hearts of people in these crucial days.”

Dr. Jerry Falwell, Founder, Liberty University

Some of the churches Sujo has spoken: • First Baptist Church of Orlando, Orlando, Florida • First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida • Family Worship Center, Overland Park, Kansas • Grace Presbyterian Church, Peoria, Illinois • McGregor Baptist Church, Fort Meyers, Florida • Lakeside Baptist Church, Canton, Texas • Southside Baptist Church, Warner Robins, Georgia Sujo John Ministries P.O. Box 271590 Flower Mound, TX 75027

“Go make disciples of all nations” Jesus Christ AD 33

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For your 2008 evangelistic event, book Sujo John now.

Call (940)725-3200 or email sujo@sujojohn.com Visit us at

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9/11/07 8:51:09 AM

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SPORTS

Sparking the Flames

by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal

Most students working toward their master’s degrees are worried about juggling their academic responsibilities with rigorous research, job and social schedules.

One Liberty University student is a bird of a different feather.

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Photos by Alex Towers

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Passing by this masked crusader on campus, you’d never guess his alter ego is Sparky the Eagle, and that’s the way it has to stay. The secret of Sparky’s true identity is guarded under lock and key, only to be revealed to a select chosen few.

Why all the mystery?

“Sparky is becoming a celebrity around campus and Lynchburg. If we allowed his true identity to be known, I’m afraid he wouldn’t be able to have a normal life,” said LU’s Director of Athletics Jeff Barber.

In Kentucky, where the current Sparky completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky, he got mascot fever when he donned the ‘Big L’ costume for minor league baseball team the Lexington Legends over the summer.

During his senior year at UK, he tried out for the role of Wildcat, but did not get the position because the school was seeking someone for two years. He was offered the job later when he looked into graduate school at UK, but chose to attend LU instead.

“I watched the guys who were the Wildcat.

Now one is the Coyote for the San Antonio Spurs and one is with parky is a write-in the Washington candidate for the Wizards,” said Sparky.

Capital One Bowl A one-time mascot mascot competition. Sparky for LU spread his wings is not one of the 12 main for another organization mascots running for the by going to work with championship, but after you the Atlanta Hawks. vote for the 12, there is a Although there was Sparky the Eagle greets Flames fans during a pre-game meet-and-greet state drop-down menu to no official tryout for the (above) and stirs up excitement during the Sept. 8 Flames vs. Shippensburg the left where Sparky has honor of becoming football game at Williams Stadium. been added alongside JMU Sparky, the current and U of Richmond masmascot said his vision for Sparky matched that of the LU athletic department. He cots. To vote for Sparky visit wants to be both a celebrity and a representation of the university. www.CapitalOneBowl.com.

“I am going to be at the women’s and men’s basketball games and football games, You may vote once a day for but I want to attend other events too. I want people to come to the events and [I Sparky until December. want] to be the face of the events.”

In 1980, the eagle was designated as the new Flames mascot. An eagle was selected because of the patriotic symbolism and connection with the school name. It was designed with the Flames’ nickname in mind.

Sparky received a makeover two years ago from a serious warrior to a grinning, friendly bird. With that transition, Sparky aims to invent a whole new image; one complete with his own Facebook page.

“I kind of don’t treat him as a bird; I treat him as a celebrity. I don’t flap my wings, because that’s not his personality. I’m going for college crowds, so they want dancing and throwing your hands up, playing around with other players.

It’s extremely high energy.”

Superman has Green Kryptonite, Batman has The Joker and Spider-Man has the Green Goblin. Sparky’s nemesis is hot weather.

“It’s like wearing a winter coat in the 90-degree heat, and it’s something you have to get used to. I have to Febreze that thing like crazy every game,” Sparky said of his well-known apparel.

Although a real eagle molts and gets new feathers with the changing seasons, Sparky only has one set of athletic clothes, which was replaced after nearly 30 years of use.

Sparky’s one true love is seeing happy, smiling sports fans and that’s all he asks for in return for his steadfast dedication to Liberty University.

V te for

SPARKY

S

www.liberty.edu

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By Todd Wetmore

WOW — What a Difference a Few Years Makes Entering the 2006 season, there was quite a buzz surrounding the Flames’ football program and first-year head coach Danny Rocco. And the 2006 campaign certainly didn’t disappoint.

Liberty posted a five-win improvement from the previous season, marking the nation’s best turnaround in 2006. The Flames also shattered numerous program records, including a 27-year-old mark for fewest points (172) allowed and the record for fewest turnovers (8), which led the nation in the statistical category.

The program’s revival undoubtedly sparked renewed interest, resulting in season ticket sales soaring to new heights.

In 2005, Liberty sold just 132 football season tickets. Rocco’s arrival to Liberty Mountain more than tripled sales, as the program posted then record numbers with 413 season tickets issued in 2006.

However, the jump pales in comparison to this year’s figures. After the Flames two-game homestand, Liberty had issued more than 2,000 season tickets, giving the program a 15-time increase in season ticket sales since 2005.

McKay’s Clan Flocks North of the Border First-year head coach Ritchie McKay got a head start on the upcoming 2007-08 season by taking his squad on a brief Canadian Tour over the Labor Day weekend.

The NCAA allows basketball programs to participate in trips abroad every four years. Last year, Big South Conference champs Winthrop traveled to Australia in August. The trip helped the squad during a momentous season, one which saw them claim a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The Flames defeated both their opponents during the excursion, but more importantly, the squad gained an added advantage on its competition with nearly two extra weeks of practice.

The Canadian advantage involved a little sightseeing, as well, adding to the team’s bonding experience.

After a victory over Brock University, the team took the famous Maid of the Mist boat tour of Niagara Falls.

“The trip was invaluable in terms of bonding and having a chance to see some of God’s beautiful creation,” said McKay.

Over the Million-Dollar Mark The spark created by hires like Danny Rocco, Ritchie McKay and Jim Toman has not only stirred enthusiasm in the Flames faithful, but the new additions have triggered record-setting giving to Liberty Athletics Development.

Part of that giving has been directed toward the Flames Club, the booster organization for the Athletics Department, as annual fund membership is at an all-time high. As of mid-September, there were 275 members in the Flames Club who had contributed a total of $284,000 for the annual fund.

In addition, capital giving is also at record levels with $718,000 contributed as of mid-September. Capital gifts are designated to construct new facilities or improve existing ones, and can carry naming-rights opportunities, but do not result in Flames Club benefits.

Taken together, giving to Liberty Athletics Development has crossed the $1 million threshold for the first time in history and is already more than triple the amount contributed at the end of 2006.

Todd Wetmore is Liberty University’s Assistant AD for Athletic Media Relations

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SPORTS Photos by Les Schofer

The Flames acquired dual electric-powered flamethrowers that shoot a stream of propane 30 feet into the air during football games. The fire blazes when the Flames enter the field at Williams Stadium and when the team scores a touchdown.

by WILL LUPER Special to the Liberty Journal

Night Lights Flamethrowers add flair to sports events ans who attend Liberty’s football games this season will find a bold new addition to the festivities.The Flames purchased two flamethrowers that are used during home games.

The electric-powered units both shoot a flaming stream of propane 30 feet into the air while the team runs out onto the field, providing a pyrotechnic background to accompany the Jumbotron.The fires also blaze when the Flames score a touchdown, kick a field goal, or add an extra point.

For the first time ever, spectators at home football games can view instant replays on a giant video screen in the end zone.

While the athletic department had been thinking about buying them for the past few years, Jerry Falwell Jr. was the catalyst. “We had talked about this a year ago,” said Athletic Director Jeff Barber. “Jerry Jr. came in and said that it was something he wanted

F

to do.”

When asked about how it enhanced the fans experience, Barber said “It’s been tremendous.They add a ton of excitement for the fans, and of course it goes along with us being the Liberty Flames.”

So far they have gone over well with the students. Freshman Samantha Trute, after attending her first Liberty Football game, said “I didn’t expect them at all. I thought they were small fountains, but then they shot fire and it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen.”

Barber isn’t crediting the flamethrowers with Liberty’s surge in attendance, ranking fourth in the nation for filling stadium capacity, but it probably doesn’t hurt.

“We’re working with the fire marshal right now to get approval for basketball and volleyball as well,” said Barber laughing. “Granted, 30-foot flames probably won’t be allowed in the Vines Center.” www.liberty.edu

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SPORTS TRIBUTE from page 25

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SPORTS Les Schofer

by ERIC BROWN Special to the Liberty Journal

Man with a

MISSION New basketball coach takes reins Hebrews 11:6 states that

God rewards those who earnestly seek him.

W

alk into Liberty University Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay’s office and you will find this verse mounted on the wall. In that same office sits a man who lives by that verse every day and is seeing it come to fruition in his life.

McKay knows what it takes to rebuild programs and lead a team to a conference championship. Since being hired as the seventh basketball coach in the school’s 36-year history, McKay has received blessings that cannot be represented by metal or wood.

The recently acquired coach recalls the joy he felt when he arrived at Liberty.

“I really, really wanted the job,” McKay said, “More so than higher paying positions at more prestigious conferences.When I was in Dr. Falwell’s office the day he and Jeff [Barber] decided to hire me, it was really a humbling experience. It was the most excited I had ever been to take a job.”

Liberty University Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay is the seventh basketball coach in the school’s 36-year history.

McKay knows what it takes to rebuild programs and lead a team to a conference championship.

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That statement speaks volumes when looking at McKay’s coaching resume.

From 1997-2002 McKay spent two seasons at the helm of three programs in Portland State, Colorado State and Oregon State.

After achieving early success in his coaching career, McKay became the head coach at the University of New Mexico. At the time, McKay thought he had stumbled upon his dream job. In just his third season at New Mexico, the Lobos captured the Mountain West Conference championship with a 26-7 record. During his fifth and final season at New Mexico, God began to lead McKay in a direction unlike any of his previous aspirations.

“Before the year even finished I decided to announce that I was not going to be the coach there anymore,” says McKay. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had an interest in Liberty just because of what it stood for.”

On March 26, 2007, Barber, LU’s athletic director, announced McKay as the new head basketball coach.

Although McKay and his team have yet to compete in a regular season game, Barber has already taken notice of the impact the coach is having on the lives of his players.

“I talked to most of the team and they are just all really encouraged, having a great time enjoying basketball,” Barber said. “The team itself is pulling together and they’re much more of a tight-knit family than they have probably ever been.”

McKay and his new basketball fami-

ly recently traveled to Canada where the team won both of its exhibition games.The NCAA granted the Flames the privilege of practicing for 10 days prior to the trip.This opportunity allowed McKay to preview the skills of freshmen recruits and the upperclassmen he inherited.

“Some of the things I really liked that we accomplished over that 10-day period, plus the games, were we played very unselfishly,” McKay said. “That was something that we really wanted to emphasize because I think you win games as a team, not as individuals.”

As the season rapidly approaches, McKay and his staff, consisting of Brad Soucie, Dale Layer and Jason Eaker, look to improve the team on the defensive end as well as executing certain plays more effectively.

Together McKay and his assistants hope to make a difference in the players’ lives on and off the court.

“I’ve learned the value of having great assistant coaches,” McKay said.

“Not only are they skilled in their

trade, but they are great mentors for our young people. God has really blessed our program to have an assistant coaching staff like that.”

Since arriving at Liberty, McKay continues to receive preseason blessings that only the Creator can provide.

The rewards that come during the season remain to be seen. In the meantime, Liberty’s new coach continues to earnestly seek God first and reap the benefits every step of the way.

www.liberty.edu

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Graphic by Tara Maxwell

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