Liberty champion august 26 2014

Champion braves ice challenge

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Campus takes new shape

Lynchburg, VA

Volume 32 | Issue 1 Tuesday, August 26, 2014

CSER begins

throwing wor r y to the wind

Students serve community Quinn Foley

qfoley@liberty.edu

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

PARTY — Students defy Tempest as they take part in the annual Block Party hosted by Student Activities.

There are many new and exciting ways to serve the city of Lynchburg this fall. The Center for Christian/Community Service (CSER) is offering a variety of opportunities to fulfill students’ CSER requirements.

CSER not only allows students to work in the city of Lynchburg, but all around the world. Whether serving on a mission trip to a country overseas or being a volunteer leader for a local youth group, it is easy for students to serve in places they love with the opportunities Liberty provides.

Assistant professor and CSER coordinator Darren Wu stressed the importance of this, quoting the mission statement of the center: “In recognition of the scriptural admonition that ‘faith without works is dead’ (James 2:17) and in fulfillment of the Great Commission of world evangelization found in Matthew 28:18-20, the Christian/Community Service component of the curriculum serves to affirm the Christian worldview and provide a practical expression See CSER, A2

Mullen to govern student body Pastor of Shenandoah Baptist Church pledges support for staff as new Dean of Students Lauren Glossner

lbglossner@liberty.edu

Robert Mullen is taking over for Keith Anderson as the new dean of students.

Mullen practiced law for nine years and then served as senior pastor of Shenandoah Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia.

According to Mullen, his unique combination of careers gives him an advantage in the dean of students position and his

background enables him to better understand people and how to help them.

“There are a lot of similarities between the role of a pastor and the dean of students,” Mullen said. “The key for any pastor is to have a heart for people. The same is true for the dean of students. As a pastor of a larger church, I had a great staff to work with to accomplish the ministry the Lord gave us. One of my key roles was to “equip the (staff) to do the work of the

ministry.” I see my role as Dean of Students in the same way — helping our staff help students become Champions for Christ.”

The Dean of Students is in charge of the offices of Student Care, Student Conduct, Campus Pastors and Commuter Services.

According to the Dean of Students Office website, its mission is to help meet the myriad of needs of Liberty students.

“The Dean of Students Office ... exists to meet the emotional, physical and spiri-

tual needs of each student in a way that promotes holistic student development and individual maturity,” their website said.

Mullen helps guide and encourage the staff members, who in turn guide and encourage the students. His enthusiasm is sure to spill over and motivate the already passionate staff to perform at an even greater level of success.

See MULLEN, A3

Nasser named Senior VP Renowned pastor accepts executive post to guide Liberty students Josh Janney

jjanney@liberty.edu

Liberty University recently announced that David Nasser has become the new senior vice president for spiritual development and that he would be filling several roles including some of the duties previously assigned to Johnnie Moore.

This change arose when Moore left the university to become chief of staff for

television producer Mark Burnett. According to President Jerry Falwell, he felt it was important to fill the Campus Pastor position right away rather than waiting. Falwell also said that certain Liberty board members had already come to the same conclusion as him about hiring Nasser.

“When David and I talked, it seemed like he already knew all about Liberty,” Falwell said. “It seemed like

Tomorrow: Sunny

he was not looking to move to Liberty but felt a change of heart once he spoke to Falwell.

“After a few initial conversations with President Falwell, my family and I flew out to Lynchburg and spent time just talking to the leadership and hearing about the vision of the school,” Nasser said. “The more I heard it the more I thought, ‘I share the same vision.’”

See NASSER, A2

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

GROWTH — David Nasser sees a bright future.

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

WEATHER

CLOUDY HIGH: 83 LOW: 60

he had the right focus and the right goals for Liberty’s spiritual future, and I think he just appeals to collegeage kids in ways that a lot of people can’t.”

At the time Nasser was contacted by Falwell, he was the pastor of Christ City Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He speaks to 500,000-700,000 young people a year and founded the David Nasser Outreach program. According to Nasser,

News

Liberty’s campus sees dramatic growth as buildings take shape.

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Sports

Feature

The new-look Big South Conference prepares for the 2014 season.

Students travel North America with the Center for Ministry Training.

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News Opinion

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Sports Feature

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news

A2 | August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion CSER continued from A1 of God’s love for mankind.”

After taking Biblical Worldview 101 and 102, every residential student is required to serve at least 20 hours per semester for six semesters in addition to taking their biblical worldview 101 and 102 classes.

Luckily for Liberty University students, there are many great service opportunities this coming fall.

There is a CSER fair planned for Wednesday Aug. 27th, Thursday Aug. 28th and Friday August 29th in the back hallway of Demoss. “Our center will host about 100 organizations during the 2014 CSER fair,” Wu said, “We are equally excited about our organizations that we have partnered with for years, but are also excited to say that there are about 40 new organizations that will be represented at this year’s CSER fair. They range from churches to rescue squads.”

Students can always do multiple semesters of CSER serving organizations listed on the CSER website, however students are also free to find their own opportunities to serve.

“Already in the first week of school, our students have identified 20 new organizations and churches that they will be completing CSER with,” Wu said, “We anticipate this number to drastically grow as the semester develop.”

New CSER opportunities include volunteering on campus at places such as the Liberty Ice Center or the Liberty University School of Engineering as well as different organizations outside of Liberty University.

Liberty students continue to serve to carry out the great commission and to show love to the community. “We are thankful to our student body who have already contributed over 324,000 hours of service just this last year” said Wu. Just like any other class at Liberty, students must register through their Assist account in order to receive credit. However, changes have been made in recent years to make signing up easier. “The CSER registration and evaluation process is now automated in order to more efficiently service students and their respective supervisors,” Wu Said, “Tutorials are available at www.liberty. edu/cser if you need more information on the new online processes.”

Registration is currently open, but the latest students can register CSER is Monday Oct. 6th. Students have from then until Monday Dec. 1st to finish their evaluations. Make sure to sign up and serve this fall.

FOLEY is a news reporter.

Nasser continued from A1 What he wants to see happen in the life of a college student, I want to see happen in the life of a college student. After a lot of prayer and affirmations, we felt like God was asking us to be a part of it.”

According to Nasser, his relationship with Liberty began many years ago as Moore had invited him to speak at Liberty numerous times before. Nasser is friends with Moore, who will remain a consultant to Liberty through the transition.

“I think it is important to note that I feel just as called to Lynch-

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

FOOD — Students eagerly wait in line at the new Wholly Habaneros restaraunt in order to get their hands on burritos and quesadillas.

Dining gets overhaul Campus restaraunts get new menus and a new meal plan

Liberty dining has changed, and it is for the benefit of the students, faculty and staff. As the fall semester began last week, students were welcomed back with a remodeled version of Liberty’s main and largest residential eatery, the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall.

The renovation of the dining hall, which was completed over the summer, contains five additional eating stations, healthier food options, and additional seating.

Thomas Cambeletta, the Director of Food Operations at Liberty, said the plan to remodel the dining hall was a result of feedback from the students.

“I went to different schools and I saw a lot of what those students enjoyed during their dining experience,” Cambeletta said. “After visiting these universities and listening to the students here (at Liberty), it became apparent that things needed to change.”

The dining hall, affectionately nicknamed “The Rot,” now includes new food options such as Training Table, geared toward student athletes, but available to all students. Other stations include an all-day breakfast bar, a home-style barbeque station, and a coffee and smoothie area. Previously existing stations such as Main Dish and StoneFire: Pizza & More now have two entry lines so students can be served quicker.

The changes have also brought on a new visual experience, as students are able to see their food

being prepared in front of them.

According to Cambeletta, the redesign eliminated several walls throughout the cafeteria in order to maximize space.

“We took down all of the walls so that when students stand up, and wherever they are, they can see all over the hall,” Cambeletta said.

In addition, Liberty was recently ranked No. 7 on the Top Ten Gluten Free Accommodating Colleges of 2014, according to the Liberty Dining Website.

The healthy, new and traditional stations come with a new dining plan implemented this semester. Instead of the choice of various limited dining plans, all residential students follow “The Freedom Plan.” According to the Liberty Dining website, The Freedom Plan offers students unlimited meals throughout the week at the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall as well as The Hill City Bistro, now located at the Annex.

Sophomore Karen Starkey said that she enjoys the flexibility of the plan.

“I think it’s great that we are now able to enjoy more meals throughout the day, which means smaller portions,” Starkey said.

“Instead of eating three huge meals a day, we have the choice to cut our portion sizes down.”

Another sophomore, Jonathan Gonzalez, also liked the changes.

“Food quality seems to have increased and the more open floor plan makes the (Reber-Thomas Dining Hall) feel bigger, brighter and more inviting than before,” Gonzalez said.

Besides new additions to residential eateries, the various retail locations on campus have also gone through significant changes.

burg as I do to Liberty,” Nasser said. “And so Liberty might be the very thing that God has used to call my family to Lynchburg.”

According to Falwell, Nasser will be heavily involved with CSER, Convocation, the Center for Global Engagement and Campus Church.

“He’s got ideas for speakers and for Convo that are really innovative and different,” Falwell said. “He’s out rubbing shoulders with the type of speakers that we are trying to bring into Convo. I just think he brings a wealth of experience and maturity to that position that will benefit our students spiritually.”

One of Nasser’s primary goals is to expand the global mission trips of the school. He also wishes to get students more involved in local churches.

“There is nothing broke here; we just want to do it at a higher level,” Nasser said. “Our Convocation is the single largest weekly gathering of college students in the world, and there is a good reason that it is that way. They come with great expectation not to necessarily hear the biggest names, but to hear some of the most God-centered people.”

According to Nasser, one of the most significant changes from Moore’s leadership is the reduc-

Tiffany Samuels tksamuels@liberty.edu

Tobi Walsh twalsh12@liberty.edu

Taylor Anderson | Liberty Champion

DINING —New options added to the Reber Thomas Dining Hall.

According to Cambeletta, Doc’s Diner has added 40 seats to the restaurant to facilitate the flow of incoming students. Customers now also have the option for a gourmet-style, to-go area.

The Tilley Student Center in Green Hall has also expanded dining choices for students. Joining SubConnection and Chick-filA, students are now able to enjoy an indoor food truck experience with the addition of Wholly Habaneros, which serves Mexicanstyle meals. Bella Trattoria, a new station located next to Chic-FilA, offers Italian-inspired cuisine.

Cambeletta said that the additions have brought positive feedback.

“Just talking to the students, seeing their faces light up, getting an email, or just seeing their responses on Twitter, is the best part for me,” Cambeletta said.

In addition to happier students, Cambeletta foresees the dining improving the campus overall.

“The redesign of these facilities has added a sense of community to the dining experience,” Cambeletta said. “My hope is that dining will be a part of why the students return to Liberty.”

tion of guest preachers for Campus Church, as Nasser will take on the role of the primary speaker for Wednesday nights. He also would like to place more focus on studying various books of the Bible instead of basing his sermons around a particular topic.

“Johnnie was not necessarily the guy who preached a lot,” Nasser said. “He is the guy who brought a lot of people in who would do that and he would do that on occasion. Where the flip will be is that I will probably do a lot more speaking on campus church than Johnnie did. Outside of that, at the end of the day, Johnnie had a real shepherd’s heart, and we

shared a lot in common.”

Although Moore was an iconic figure of the Liberty University staff, Nasser is not worried about trying to fill his shoes.

“I think I would do a horrible job of trying to be Johnnie Moore,” Nasser said. “Nor does our school want a carbon copy of him. I think a great way to honor him is to say, ‘I think there are things that he did that David Nasser could never do but there are things that David Nasser’s hard-wired by God to do that no one else can do.’”

SAMUELS reporter.

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news

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | A3

Music group recognizes Kintzel Campus Band leader receives Dove Award nomination for two original songs Shae Weyant sleitz@liberty.edu

Justin Kintzel, leader of Liberty University’s Campus Band, and a father and husband, was nominated for a Dove Award on Aug. 13, according to his wife, Ashley Kintzel.

Each year in Nashville, Tennessee, with the exception of 2011 and 2012, the Gospel Music Association (GMA) holds an award ceremony to expose, promote and celebrate the gospel through music, according to doveawards.com.

“The project that got the nomination is just a worship compilation made up of songs from worship leaders around the country that was released in Christian bookstores a few months ago by Vital Worship,” Kintzel said.

A total of 42 categories make up the GMA Dove Awards, according to the Dove Awards website, and this year’s 45th Annual Award Ceremony will feature a song written and per-

formed by Kintzel and another that was co-written by Kintzel and his friend Ross King, who is from Bryan, Texas.

According to Kintzel, getting to the point of receiving a nomination for a major music award was not something that came to him on a silver platter.

Some doors were opened but many were shut during his pursuit of a career in music. He quickly came to a realization, however, that it was all about the right timing. God’s timing.

“Anytime I’ve ever tried to make things happen on my own, doors slam shut,” Kintzel said. “It wasn’t until I let go of the dream and became content with never leading worship on Liberty’s campus that I got a call asking me to be on Campus Band.”

According to Kintzel, the two songs that were nominated are “Love Displayed” and “Death is Overcome.”

He explained that the ideas came to both King and him over time. After many Skype sessions, the songs were

finally completed.

“The thing that really makes me tick as a worship leader is not just singing cool songs, but the fact of how significant it is when a group of people come together and are unified in singing truth about our Savior,” Kintzel said. “I feel my role isn’t solely to get people engaged and singing, it’s to connect dots in people’s hearts and minds with what and why they’re singing and who they’re singing to.”

Kintzel gives credit to his wife Ashley and the Lord for molding him into the man he is today.

Together, Kintzel said that he and his wife work with each other and inspire one another in love and in truth. They are not just passionate about music, but they are passionate about people and being servants of Christ to everyone they come across.

“I am extremely blessed to be in an iron-sharpeningiron marriage with Ashley,” Kintzel said. “I feel like we completely bring out the best in each other. We MULLEN from A1

Les Schofer | Liberty News Service

GUIDANCE — Mullen hopes to encourage students.

continued

“I am sure that there are some things that we can work on to improve, but I am very encouraged with the excellent staff in our office and the service being provided to the university,” Mullen said. “The Dean of Students (Office) staff is highly professional and passionately committed to their ministry. The

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

MUSIC — Justin Kintzel leads students in worship during Spiritual Emphasis Week. challenge each other and balance each other. Her strength and selfless support has always been an inspiration and just a green light to actively pursue what the Lord may have for us in ministry.”

Kintzel said that if he could give one piece of

advice to his followers, it would be to always keep Christ as the central focus in their lives.

“When Jesus is the center, the other things become tasty icing on the best cake ever rather than a neat looking cake that doesn’t fill you up and ultimately

disappoints,” Kintzel said.

For more information on Kintzel and where to download his music, visit junstinkintzel.com.

Dean of Students Office already provides a number of spiritual and educational programs and resources designed to help students. I would like to expand these opportunities to be even more proactive in meeting the needs of students.”

Mark Hine, senior vice president for student affairs, said Mullen’s experience in ministry, his graduation from Liberty and his law degree from the Uni-

versity of Virginia make him the right person for Dean of Students.

“Robert Mullen is aperfect fit for the Dean of Students position,” Hine said. “His training in law and his ministry experience equipped him for such a time as this.”

Mullen is proud of the work that has been done at Liberty, and he wants to see the university continue to flourish. He believes it will

take effort and ingenuity to meet all students’ needs.

Mullen also plans to accommodate more students by intentionally taking steps to serve them.

For more information on the Dean of Student’s office visit liberty.edu/studentaffairs/deanofstudents or call 434-582-2651.

WEYANT is a feature reporter.

GLOSSNER is a news reporter.

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A4 | Liberty Champion | August 26, 2014

Courtney Russo and Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

DEVELOPMENT — Liberty’s evolving campus continues to offer new oppurtinities for students.

Construction changes campus Falwell provides exlcusive insight into Liberty’s rebuilding project David Van Dyk

dvandyk@liberty.edu

Liberty University is undergoing massive construction projects aimed at expanding not only the campus, but its influence around the world. With buildings taking shape around Liberty’s grounds, the campus is welcoming incoming students into an atmosphere of change and promise.

As Liberty accommodates new, state-ofthe-art facilities as part of the $500 million campus rebuilding project, some structures are taking prominence in the minds of students.

One of these is the new towering dorm, called Commons 1, which replaced the old circle dorms. Students moved into these dorms while the finishing touches were still being made. The Commons 1 features a vast amount of accommodations with more than 1,100 beds being utilized by students in a nine-story tower. Several more are planned, though they differ in size.

Charles Spence, senior vice president for construction planning, noted his time of welcoming students into the new dorm even while personnel were hard at work.

“You know, I was there the whole time when parents were coming in, and students

coming in, and they were in love with the place. The parents were so complimentary. I was doing construction work the same time they were coming in, and they’re apologizing, and I’m like ‘No, ya’ll got the wrong idea! I should be the one apologizing!’” Spence said.

Spence also spoke of the close timing between the dorm’s completion and the students’ arrival. Some students were in their rooms while electricians were fixing wireless routers or lighting fixtures.

Another impressive feature of the campus is the new tower planned to be erected in February, according to President Jerry Falwell. The 252-foot tower will have classrooms inside accommodating up to 50 students each, as well as other facilities catering to events.

Falwell’s hope is that it will soon become a staple of Liberty University, offering priceless views from its observation points.

The details of the tower are still undergoing finalization.

The parking garage nearing completion is another project that has been at the forefront of students’ minds. With five decks accommodating more than 1,400 vehicles, it will provide much needed parking space to Liberty’s campus.

Falwell spoke about plans to move parking for students in the Hill dorms from the Bailey lot and South Campus to the parking garage.

“The parking garage is going to be open to all Hill dorm students with HL permits immediately,” Falwell said. “All zone 1 permit holders will be able to park in the garage starting right away and the parking garage will also soon feature hourly parking open to all.”

Major projects that have been completed include the Jerry Falwell Library, the new Center for Health and Medical Sciences building, and the vehicular tunnel that replaced the railroad crossing.

According to Liberty’s website detailing the master plan for the campus, the new Science Hall currently being built will more than triple the size of the previous science building. The building boasts four stories and more than 110,000 square feet, according to the website. Work on the new science hall is expected to be completed by fall 2015.

Something that will reward the University in the future is the plan to expand the football stadium. Upcoming plans call for extra seating on the away team end zone, as well as a new tower on the current student

section, expanding the stadium to a seating capacity of 25,000, according to the master plan website.

Spence noted the future student section tower would accommodate many services currently occupying the existing tower.

“There’s a floor of suites, a floor for TV operation, and a floor for academic tutoring of athletes,” Spence said.

A new student center will be erected at the back of DeMoss Hall to provide room for activities ranging from bowling to meetings for SGA and clubs. According to Falwell, the student center will be 170,000 square feet. Unlike the fitness centers at LaHaye, this expansive facility will be a place of casual activities for all types of people.

With many new projects being managed and several nearing completion, Liberty’s campus will be difficult to recognize in even the next couple years. One thing is for sure, Liberty University will be a campus with state-of-the-art facilities, towering structures and a student body surrounded by all of the resources they need to succeed in the coming years.

VAN DYK is the news editor.

news

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | A5

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

CELEBRATION — The College of Osteopathic Medicine introduces new degree programs in the biomedical field of study to the community at the recent dedication service.

Med school welcomes class

Students begin semester at new Center for Medical and Health Sciences Felicia Hudson

fphudson@liberty.edu

Tré Goins-Phillips

dgoinsphillips@liberty.edu

Class is officially in session for Liberty’s new medical school.

Liberty University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine began classes Monday, Aug. 4 with its inaugural class of 162 students. These students, 80 men and 82 women, were recognized in a White Coat Ceremony held Saturday, Aug. 2.

The new 144,000-square-foot Center for Medical and Health Sciences features state-of-the-art technology and labs with exceptionally trained doctors and professors eager to serve Liberty’s first round of medical students.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine places significant emphasis on the importance of serving the underserved throughout the world.

“Underserved can be in the inner city where there is poverty and people can’t get medical care,” Dr. Kenneth J. Dormer, department of integrative physiology and pharmacology chair and professor of physiology said. “Underserved can be in the rural communities where there is just not a doctor around.”

When Liberty University broke ground in November 2012, President Jerry Falwell called the school “the last piece of the puzzle” in his father’s dream of building a world-class Christian university. A dream truly built by the community.

Part of the medical school’s mission statement states, “Instilling the Christian values of integrity and professionalism, LUCOM trains physicians who will provide ethical, compassionate, competent, and patient-centered osteopathic medical care.”

Not only will the medical school prepare students for the international mission field, the Center for Medical and Health Sciences will be training doctors to meet needs here and now.

The new medical school was dedicated in a ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, in the center’s courtyard. Local government officials and public leaders joined the inaugural class of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Liberty faculty and staff at the unveiling.

The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission awarded Liberty University with a $20.5 million grant. Delegates Terry Kilgore and Kathy Byron, members of the commission, voiced their support of Liberty’s medical school at the dedication.

Byron’s words were well received. She voiced a message of camaraderie and partnership, saying both the mission of Liberty University and the Tobacco Commission are “closely aligned.”

“The Tobacco Commission has been privileged to play a vital role in making the College of Osteopathic Medicine a reality,” Byron said. “The college we are dedicating today represents the largest single commitment in the history of the Tobacco Commission.”

The inaugural class has a lot to learn before they receive their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 2018. Dormer, who will be teaching the students cardiovascular physiology, says that right now they are in the process of learning the basics.

“Faculty like myself are giving up positions where they are all over the U.S. to come here to be a part of this unique project where we’re preparing future physicians with the right heart, right mind and the spirit that the Lord told us about in caring for the underserved,” Dormer said.

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

HOPEFUL — First class of Osteopathic Medicine honored at Grand Opening.

Dormer called being part of the school as a “labor of love.”

“It’s great to be here,” Dormer said.

“You know you’re enjoying your job when you look forward to coming to it every day.”

This is a great accomplishment not only for the university, but also for the community. It is professors like Dormer who have taken a leap of faith in coming to Liberty Mountain, the Tobacco Commission and the university’s first class of medical students that have turned this great vision into a grand landscape.

Jeannie F. Rivers, M.D., Falwell’s sister and the first female to graduate from Liberty and attend medical school, is the Chief

of Surgery at Hunter Holmes VA Medical Center — a position that few women hold.

She encouraged students that medicine is a life-long ministry.

“Strive to be the best that you can as you go forth,” Rivers said. “Most importantly, keep God first in your lives and in your practice, and your families first.”

HUDSON is a news reporter.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor.

Students get first look

Cinematic Arts Department hosts third annual film festival at no charge Rebecca Gordon bgordon@liberty.edu

Photo provided

SCREENING — Never-before-seen movies premier.

The Zaki Gordon Center for Cinematic Arts will host its third annual film festival Aug. 28-30, featuring professional guest speakers from the industry along with applicable information on details such as production, screenwriting, new releases and question-andanswer sessions.

According to a news release from the university, the event is open to the public, and admission is free. Students do not have to be involved in the industry to attend.

“Everyone loves movies.

It is a currency of conver-

sation,” Scotty Curlee, an assistant professor at Liberty’s Cinematic Art’s Department, said. “This festival is a great opportunity for students to engage with the film program and get to know VIP filmmakers while watching never before seen movies before their national release.”

Panelists and speakers such as Senior Vice President of AFIRM Films Richard Peluso and Aaron Burns, producer of “Beyond the Mask,” will also be featured in the festival.

The never-before-seenmovies that will be uncovered at the film festival include “Beyond the Mask,” “Brother’s Keeper” and “The Remaining.”

According to the film’s website, “Beyond the Mask” is a movie about an East India Company assassin running from a buried past who, in the midst of love, comes face-to-face with the secrets he tried to forget, and eventually finds freedom.

“Brother’s Keeper” is a story of forgiveness triumphing over revenge when twin brothers find themselves in a treacherous situation of life and death.

According to the film’s website, it presents the audience with question, asking if revenge is the answer.

According to the news release from Liberty, the third is called “The Remaining.” The film depicts an

unraveling series of events against those who remain after the rapture to face a merciless and cruel enemy of destruction.

“The Remaining” is supposed to take viewers to a place of thinking on salvation and what it really will be like in the end times.

Graduates of Liberty’s Cinematic Arts Department will also be incorporating their own screenings into the festival, according to the news release, making the event a time of learning for current students seeking to gain wisdom from those who have gone before.

GORDON is a news reporter.

OPINION

A6

August 26, 2014

Rick Perry tangled in politics Texas governor charged on two felony counts of coercion, abuse of power Tré Goins-Phillips

dgoinsphillips@liberty.edu

Gov. Rick Perry was indicted Friday, Aug. 15, on charges of coercion and abuse of official capacity. If the governor is convicted of the latter, he could face a total of 99 years in prison. The major problem with the charges — they are hardly legitimate.

Perry was indicted by the Travis County grand jury for vetoing state funds to the area’s District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg in 2013. Perry vetoed funding to the Travis County prosecutor after her arrest and conviction for drunken driving and subsequent refusal to step down.

According to news reports, Lehmberg was arrested alone in her vehicle, accompanied by an open bottle of vodka, after a 911-call warning of her reckless driving. The district attorney had a blood-alcohol level three times above the legal limit.

Upon arriving at the police department, Lehmberg was so erratic and violent that she had to be physically restrained.

As the investigation moved forward, a serious drinking problem was uncovered. In one year alone, Lehmberg purchased 72 bottles of vodka from just one store, “PolitiFact” confirmed.

Needless to say, Perry lost confidence in her ability to lead and made good on his promise to block her funding, should she refuse to step down.

Perry is responsible for the well-being of the state of Texas, and he was doing what he thought to be right. By electing him governor, the citizens of Texas gave Perry the responsibility to exercise his judgment as he sees fit.

However, the legitimacy of his actions is not the primary concern here. This is all about destruction of character. Perry asked a reckless democratic prosecutor — under his leadership — to resign. Now, the political left is reacting in the same reckless way as Lehmberg.

“Gov. Perry used appropriate tools under the Texas Constitution to urge Lehmberg to do the right thing using line item veto power to defund the Public Integrity Unit until it could actually serve the public with integrity, under a leader who had integrity,” Gov. Sarah Palin said.

Google Images

POLITICIZED — Governor’s indictment catapulted Texas political scene into the national news cycle, calling Perry’s leadership into question.

Perry even offered to give the position to the next Democrat in line, Lehmberg’s right-hand man.

He just wanted this unfit district attorney removed, and, according to one major Obama confidant, the governor was not out of line.

“Unless he was demonstrably trying to scrap the ethics unit for other than his stated reason, Perry indictment seems pretty sketchy,” David Axelrod, former adviser to President Obama, tweeted.

Even Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz — no fan of the governor — voiced his disapproval of the indictment.

“The idea of indicting him because he threatened to veto spending unless a district attorney who was caught drinking and driving resigned, that’s not anything for a criminal indictment,” Dershowitz told “Newsmax.”

“That’s a political issue.”

Needless to say, progressive voices like that are few and far between. The left and their advocates in the media are hoping the general public will do nothing more than read the breaking news notification on their smartphones:

“Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice,” Richard Dawkins tweeted.

These words by themselves are probably shocking and offensive. Many pro-life advocates would be put off at even just the sight of the word “abort.” So let me be fair and provide some context.

Six days ago, a woman tweeted that she would face an ethical dilemma if forced to choose whether to abort a baby who had been diagnosed with Down syndrome, according to BBC News. The 20 words above were the response from Dawkins, an atheist and evolutionist revered by millions in the secular science world.

The “it” Dawkins was referring to is the unborn baby, or “fetus” as he calls it, that is diagnosed with the genetic disorder.

According to mayoclinic.org, Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by abnormal cell division, resulting in extra genetic material from chromosome 21.

“Texas Governor Perry Indicted on Two Felony Charges.”

I do not fear for Gov. Perry. He is a big dog with plenty of pals in high places, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Rather, I am disgusted by the sensationalism of our me-

“

ing that this is way outside of the norm,” Perry said. “This is not the way we settle differences.

You don’t do it with indictments.

We settle our political differences at the ballot box.”

Perry is right. We live in a society tempered by Republican gov-

We live in a society tempered by republican government and democratic discussion — TRÉ GOINS-PHILLIPS

dia and the fear-mongering behavior of our elected officials.

When we have differences in the United States, this is not how we solve them. Sadly, this Chicago-style, bullish politicking has been endorsed and, quite frankly, encouraged by the administration in Washington, and I do not see a resolution in the near future.

“Across the board you’re seeing people weigh in and reflect-

People with Down syndrome are often developmentally and intellectually delayed and may also have health problems, the website states.

Although the 94 characters did plenty to stir up controversy, Dawkins did not stop there.

He issued an “apology” Aug. 21 via his foundation’s website, richarddawkins.net.

This time, Dawkins offered many more than 140 characters on the subject, including the explanation he would have given to the woman considering her hypothetical dilemma had he had the luxury of more space.

“Given a free choice of having an early abortion or deliberately bringing a Down child into the world, I think the moral and sensible choice would be to abort,” Dawkins wrote as part of his second response. “… I personally would go further and say that, if your morality is based, as mine is, on a desire to increase the sum of happiness and reduce suffering, the decision to deliberately give birth to a Down baby, when you have the choice to abort it early in the pregnancy, might actually be immoral from the point of view of the child’s own welfare.”

Dawkins continued to add to his thought that it is not morally right or good to actually give birth to a baby with Down syndrome. He offered the burden of caring for someone with Down syndrome

ernment and democratic discussion, not emotive reaction and criminalized politics.

“There is no doubt (the case) is politically motivated,” former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said. “It’s a conspiracy to use the legal system to politicize politics.”

This issue is close to DeLay, as he was indicted in 2005 by a Travis County grand jury for allegedly seeking to break elec-

as defense for aborting a baby diagnosed with the disorder.

“In any case, you would probably be condemning yourself as a mother (or yourselves as a couple) to a lifetime of caring for an adult with the needs of a child,” Dawkins wrote to the woman.

“Your child would probably have a short life expectancy but, if she did outlive you, you would have the worry of who would care for her after you are gone. No wonder most people choose abortion when offered the choice.”

To excuse Dawkins for his statements simply because they arise out of his own worldview is not an option. While this matter requires much more argument about the issues of morality and personhood than space allows, I cannot help but be extremely saddened and angered by Dawkins’ words.

Although he did not say it explicitly, Dawkins is implying that allowing a Down child to be born is decreasing happiness and increasing suffering. He is implying that a baby who is diagnosed with the disorder should not be born because of the burden he or she will inevitably become.

While my response to Dawkins’ words may be one he tried to explain away in his apology, it does not come from “a wanton eagerness to misunderstand.”

I believe that life begins at conception and that aborting a baby with or without

tion laws with charges of money laundering. Unsurprisingly, the Texas Court of Appeals acquitted him of all charges in September 2013 due to “legally insufficient” evidence.

The governor has hired a highprofile legal team, with lawyers Ben Ginsberg and Tony Buzbee leading the way. Ginsberg represented former President George W. Bush in the 2000 vote recount and cochaired President Obama’s committee on election administration.

Buzbee has won many millions of dollars in awards for his clients and promoted himself with a two-word slogan: “Just win.”

Needless to say, he’s a bulldog when it comes to legal fights.

Perry is the first Texas governor to be indicted in nearly a century and, by the looks of it, he is not going to sit by and watch this battle from the sidelines.

He’s fighting like any good Texan would — guns blazing.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor.

Down syndrome is taking a life. Aborting a baby with Down syndrome is avoiding a “short life expectancy” by not allowing life at all. Aborting a baby with Down syndrome is avoiding the idea that a child with the disorder could be a potential burden simply because things may be done a little differently or take a little longer.

Having a baby with Down syndrome is in no way condemning. It may be hard at times, but, in my experience, those with Down syndrome are a blessing to those around them.

My friend Benny, a little boy with Down syndrome, is the furthest thing from a burden. He is one of the happiest and sweetest people I have ever met, and he brings me so much joy. Yes, he looks a little different than other kids. Yes, he has a harder time learning and speaking than others. But I would rather spend time with Benny than with almost any other person.

Though this issue focuses largely on Dawkins’ words, it is the people like Benny and the babies whose lives are cut short that should be the focus. It is time that people across the globe realize the importance of each baby, including babies with this genetic disorder. Allowing babies diagnosed with Down syndrome to live is never the immoral choice.

opinion

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | A7

Ferguson: trapped in terror Tragedy in Missouri suburb sparks national conversation on racial equality Alex Tichenor

atichenor@liberty.edu

Odds are that most Americans had never heard of Ferguson, Missouri, a few weeks ago. But for the past few weeks, the small St. Louis suburb has been the epicenter of the American news cycle.

Some of the events of Aug. 9 in Ferguson remain a blur, but there are a few things we know: Michael Brown is dead.

He was unarmed, and he was shot six times by police officer Darren Wilson. Those are the facts. The blur occurs during the testimonies of eyewitnesses and the officer.

In the Ferguson Police Department’s initial statement, they declared that Brown had charged and assaulted the officer, who then fired in self-defense, killing Brown. Witnesses in the area told a different story in which Brown never attacked the officer, but was instead shot while holding his hands up in surrender.

For me, it is a little bit easier to believe eyewitnesses who have nothing to lose than a police department, which has terrorized its own citizens with tear gas and rubber bullets during the subsequent citizen protests. Everything about the way Ferguson and St. Louis police have handled the situation has seemed to be a cover-up from the beginning — whether it was no ambulance being called after the shooting or releasing a 19-page report on a “strongarmed robbery” case in which Brown was the main suspect during the same press conference in which the name of Brown’s shooter was announced.

What happened in Ferguson has shined a revealing light on an ugly zit of American culture. We do not live in a “post-racial” age. Sure, slavery and segregation are extinct, but black people and white people are still not treated as equals in many scenarios. A sliver of this problem has been exposed in Missouri — unequal treatment by police.

In Ferguson specifically, this has been a problem. According to USA Today, in a city where 67 percent of the population is black, only six percent of its police force is black. Blacks made up about 86 percent of Ferguson Police Department’s vehicle stops and 85 percent of its arrests this past year per FBI statistics. Nationally, 37.1 percent of prison population is black when only 13.2 percent of the U.S. population is black. Those numbers mean something.

African-American Attorney General Eric Holder spoke in Ferguson several days after the shooting and acknowledged dealing with police discrimination throughout his

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CONTROVERSY — Ferguson residents rallied in the streets of St. Louis in the wake of Michael Brown’s shooting. life. He told a story of how he was stopped for “speeding” multiple times while living in New Jersey, only to have his car completely searched when stopped. Another time he and his cousin were stopped in Washington, D.C., simply for running along the sidewalk because they were late for a movie. The latter story occurred while Holder was a federal prosecutor. Holder firmly believed that the color of his skin was the primary, if not only, reason he was stopped on each of those occasions.

Did Darren Wilson shoot and kill Mike Brown because he hates black people and wanted him dead? Probably not, but it is a good bet that in his mind he felt more threatened by Brown because he was black. If Brown were white, Wilson probably would not have stopped him in the first place. I know it is dangerous to assume these things, but it was also dangerous for Wilson to assume it was okay to fire six bullets into the body of an unarmed teenager.

As a white man who lived in the rural South for a year, I have seen the backward mindset that had whites and blacks

drinking from separate water fountains just a few generations ago. Growing up in a suburban area with a diverse culture, I was shocked when I moved to the country and heard my classmates casually use racial slurs to refer to black people. Some of them genuinely believed whites were better simply because of skin color. Sadly, this thinking still runs more rampant than anyone wishes to imagine.

Laws can be changed, but changing the way people think is a much more difficult task. History tells us that there will always be people who wallow in those backwards ways. But there is a difference between recognizing that reality and being okay with it.

Nothing can bring Mike Brown back, but perhaps his death will open some eyes and spark further change to bring America closer to true racial equality.

TICHENOR is the sports editor.

Mark Driscoll in need of favor Seattle mega-church pastor caught in continuous cycle of poor decisions

Elijah Smith

esmith65@liberty.edu

In recent years, the name Mark Driscoll has become synonymous with controversy. Rising to distinction for his ability to tread the line between being enlightening and abrasive, Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, is no stranger to bad press.

Whether the allegations are of plagiarism, questionable use of church funds, accusations against his character or claims of offensive comments made from the pulpit of his church — or under a pseudonym — time and again, Driscoll has admitted and apologized. As a result, the church has repeatedly accepted these apologies and allowed him to be once again embraced by the Christian community.

Matthew Paul Turner, an author, blogger and religious commentator, broke the news of Driscoll’s offensive, anonymous comments posted to a church forum by his “William Wallace II” persona in 2000. Even though the comments were dated, a pattern seems to be forming for the Seattle pastor. Driscoll has now been removed from the Acts 29 Network, a church-planting net-

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FRUSTRATION— Seattle minister’s storied journey to fame has left his church hanging in the balanace. work he helped found.

After the announcement was made, Driscoll turned heads again by originally deciding to remain in his position as head pastor of his church. He has found himself as a talking point of anger, criticism and accusation in many major Christian circles.

I understand why people are so

shaken up about this. In fact, I was frustrated as well. After all, Driscoll has abused his position of authority and leadership in the church.

However, I also realized how much Christians get caught up in analyzing and critiquing every poor decision and negative choice of our leaders and peers, regardless of whether or not those actions and

choices were intentional.

Why do we get so caught up in whether Driscoll should be removed from his position or apologize for what he said or did? Why do we not spend our time, instead, reflecting on our own flaws and fixing them first?

Better yet, why do we not spend more of our time doing what

Jesus asked of us — loving our neighbor as ourselves?

Yes, Driscoll’s actions were wrong, and he should be held accountable for them. However, it is his church family and the elders who hold him accountable and who are responsible for Driscoll’s discipline.

For every notorious and brash Driscoll out there, there is at least one pastor working as hard as he can to help grow and minister to the people in his church.

Why do we not work hard at endorsing, supporting and encouraging these men instead of gossiping about, judging and accusing someone like Driscoll?

I think if the rest of the outside world saw us encouraging, supporting and learning from someone working hard to further the kingdom of God, they might be more inclined to hear what we have to say.

Remember Jesus’ words in John 13. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Driscoll announced he would take a six-week hiatus Sunday, Aug. 24.

SMITH is an opinion writer.

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The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

All material submitted becomes property of the Champion. The Champion reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any letter received— according to the Champion stylebook, taste and the Liberty University mission statement.

Send letters to: Liberty Champion Liberty University, Box 2000, Lynchburg, VA 24515 or drop off in DeMoss Hall 1035.

opinion

A8 | Liberty Champion | August 26, 2014

Leah Seavers|Liberty Champion

INSPIRATIONAL — The Liberty Champion staff takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in front of DeMoss Hall.

Though the challenge — which involves dousing yourself with a bucket of ice water and donating $10 — has received criticisms from various parties, it is clear that the challenge is indeed raising awareness, and, more importantly, it is making a difference.

The phenomenon of freezing water quickly infiltrated Capitol Hill, Hollywood and sports arenas around the nation as politicians, celebrities and athletes accepted the challenge.

When the 2014-2015 Liberty Champion staff decided to take on this challenge, the decision was not made lightheartedly. For us, the challenge took on special significance as one of our very own professors lost his wife to the battle with ALS last year.

Professor of Communication Stuart Schwartz watched his wife pass away after only a year of being diagnosed with ALS. According to Schwartz, she died with “grace and peace that stood in stark contrast to the ravages of the disease relentlessly claiming her life.”

Speaking from personal experience, Schwartz commented on the implications of the challenge and praised the challenge’s efforts to raise money for a good cause.

“I think it’s a great approach,” Schwartz said. “I mean, the more stuff you can do to promote something, the better off you are. I think it’s great stuff.”

Though we realize that finding a solution to ALS will take more than just a bucket of ice water, the Champion staff is proud to honor a member of our Liberty family, and we are

Gabriella Fuller gfuller2@liberty.edu

Our generation lives in a culture of tragedy. It would seem that, more than ever before, our news is inundated with narratives of war, plague, death and diseases.

This constant barrage of negative newscasts and heartbreaking headlines takes a grave toll on the average consumer. Though surrounded by pain and problems, many of the global grievances we bear witness to are too distant, too complex and too detached from our everyday lives for us to feel as if we can lend a hand to the solution.

As a result, we stand still as the chaos swirls around us, pinned in a posture of helplessness.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one such global problem that seems insurmountable. The progressive neurodegenerative disease currently has no cure and no treatment. This summer, however, a clever idea went viral, and the once implausible idea of curing a deadly disease is now suddenly within reach for thousands of people.

According to the ALS Association, since the concept of the Ice Bucket Challenge began July 29, the organization has raised $53 million in contributions and has seen funds pledged from more than 1 million new donors.

This is a huge jump from the $2.1 million that was raised in the same time period last year.

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passionately proactive about doing our part, no matter how small.

A portion of our challenge included nominating five additional candidates. Three of these nominations were to Liberty professors — Bruce Kirk, chair of the Digital Media and Communication Arts department; George Young, business school associate professor; and David Hahn, assistant professor of music and worship.

In addition to these three professors, we nominated two student staffs — the staff of Liberty’s 90.9 The Light Radio Station and the staff of Virginia Tech’s student paper, The Collegiate Times.

We hope that our nominees take part in the challenge and continue to aid in the effort to raise awareness for ALS. But whether you accept the challenge, make a donation, or do both, it is important to remember that this is not a faceless disease.

The Champion staff has personally felt its impact in our school and in our department.

Schwartz described his wife as a “quietly devout Christian who believed that every second of an ordinary life … was jammed with meaning and opportunity.” More than taking the challenge and more than raising awareness, let us take this opportunity to be, like Sharon Schwartz, extraordinary in our ordinariness.

FULLER is the graduate assistant.

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SPORTS

August 26, 2014

kickoff approaches

B1

Title Hopes Cierra Carter

cmcarter18@liberty.edu

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

ATTACK MODE — Defensive end Chima Uzowihe had a breakout season in 2013, tallying seven sacks on the year.

Mind games Flames are in full preparation mode for No. 23 Heels Ryley Rush

rarush@liberty.edu

By the time the Liberty Flames kick off against the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on Aug. 30, they will know the Tar Heels fight song, word for word.

The reason? Flames head coach Turner Gill has been playing it throughout practice as part of last week’s switch to “full preparation” for the big game.

Strains of “I’m a Tar Heel Born” as well as simulated crowd noise could be heard blasting from Williams Stadium any given August evening.

It might seem excessive, but the Flames are determined to wholly prepare for their year. After a 2013 season that started slow, included four close losses and ended agonizingly short of a postseason, the Flames are eager to bridge the gap that has taunted them for half a decade now.

How will they do it? Physical and strategic improvements come into play,

but the Flames’ recurring theme headed into the 2014 season is the mental aspect of the game.

“It honestly comes down to mental toughness and competition,” senior safety Jacob Hagen said. “This summer, we’ve competed in everything we’ve done, and competing brings about a mental toughness, a certain attitude with our guys.”

The Flames challenge one another in the weight room, race teammates through drills and perform at game level during seven-on-sevens. From third-year starting quarterback Josh Woodrum to the newest walk-on, the team is clearly set on cultivating a winning mindset.

“The mentality’s been outstanding,” Gill said. “I think it is something we’ve improved … where guys understand the expectations, the mental toughness we have to have. I think that’s been a good thing for our whole football program.”

Woodrum echoed his coach’s sentiment, expressing his support of the team-wide dissatisfaction with losing.

“I don’t think anyone has that (losing)

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

SCORE – Liberty needs to start strong. sort of mindset this year on the team,” Woodrum said. “I think that’s the exact mindset you need to have. Obviously there’s going to be pressure, See GAMES, B2

Move-in day nears Softball’s new, state-of-the-art stadium is almost complete Dalton Britt

dbritt10@liberty.edu

Construction on the new Liberty Softball Stadium is reaching the final stages.

Students, faculty and passers-by can see how the piles of dirt and closed roads from last spring have transformed into, as Athletic Director Jeff Barber says, a “first-rate stadium.”

Liberty broke ground on the softball stadium October 19, 2013. It is scheduled

WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME

for completion by the spring of 2015 for the softball season, according to Associate Athletics Communications Director Ryan Bomberger.

The new softball stadium is being built on the lot where Al Worthington Stadium, the old baseball stadium, used to be.

It has been designed to mirror the new baseball stadium.

Bomberger said that the completed stadium will include 1,000 chair-back seats, locker rooms for home and away teams, coaches’ offices, a scoreboard, batting cag-

Football @ North Carolina Aug. 30 @ 6 p.m.

W. Soccer vs.

UNCG Aug. 26 @ 6 p.m.

es, a training room, a team meeting room and a press box situated behind home plate.

“We built what is being reported as one of the best softball stadiums in the country, perhaps in the world.” Barber said.

The new field will feature a turf outfield and foul area. The infield will be a special type of dirt that is much more water repellant than normal field dirt.

In the coming months, the Lady Flames will be leaving their current stadium located

The Lady Flames soccer team looks to repeat as Big South Champions, kicking off the season with a 1-0 victory over Old Dominion Aug. 22.

Last season, the team finished the regular season in second place before making a run in the Big South Tournament to win the program’s fourth conference championship. This year, Liberty is the Big South preseason favorite, but Head Coach Jessica Hain says they are not getting ahead of themselves.

“We’ll train hard regardless,” Hain said. “We will fight to be motivated regardless (of rankings).”

The 2013 season proved to be record-setting for the Lady Flames in more ways than one. The 16-6-1 finish set a new program record. Their 5-0 defeat over Radford in the Big South Championship final marked the most goals scored in a Big South final.

The Lady Flames proved to be strong defensively as well, posting a conference and program record of 14 shutouts. Hain said she would like to see the same tenacity carried over into the upcoming season.

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Holly Van Noord was selected as the preseason Big South defensive player of the year. Van Noord allowed only one goal in nine home matches last season.

Though honored by this accomplishment, Van Noord said she is looking to be even better this season.

“I’m just going to work harder each and every day and work on what I need to improve on and try and make my team better,” Van Noord said.

This year’s squad will face a new set of challenges. As a team that includes 11 freshmen, developing a sense of chemistry early on will help their repeat efforts.

“We haven’t played together before with everyone, so it’s a matter of them learning the style of play that we have and a matter of us pushing them and teaching them,” Van Noord said.

With its preseason training and an upcoming exhibition match against Elon, the team hopes to build on last season’s great run.

Alanna Dunkle, a senior, is excited for the season to begin. She made the Big South All-Tournament team last year, tying for the second highest number of goals scored on the team.

She emphasized the team’s need to give a full effort at all times.

“Whether you’re in class, or whether you’re practicing or you’re playing the world championship, you have to make sure that you’re doing the same effort every day,” Dunkle said.

Staying true to Liberty’s primary motive, Hain will make sure the team’s focus will be to develop a Christ-centered sense of unity that will translate onto the field.

“We want to be unified so that we can reflect Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in every means on the field so that we can show that there’s something different, and we can somehow put Christ on display,” Hain said.

After their opening game victory in which Van Noord recorded her first clean sheet of the year, the Lady Flames will return to their home field, Osborne Stadium, Aug. 26 to face the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

CARTER is a sports reporter.

See NEARS, B4

M. Soccer vs. Bluefield

Aug. 29 @ 6 p.m.

Volleyball @ Elon Aug. 30 @ 7 p.m.

W. Soccer @ App. State Aug. 31 @ 1 p.m.

sports

B2 | Liberty Champion | August 26, 2014

Going in for the kill The Lady Flames look to bounce back after first non-title season in years Sarah Rodriguez

srodriguez70@liberty.edu

With a 2013 conference tournament loss to Radford in the past, the 2014 Lady Flames volleyball team is seeking contributions from all players in order to return to championship form.

For the first time in six years, the Lady Flames failed to win either the regular season or tournament title. However, with consistent play, the Flames are seeking to bring the 2014 Big South Championship title back to Lynchburg.

Head Coach Shane Pinder points to learning how to play together as a team and the continual improvement of all players as the keys to returning to the top of the Big South.

“First and foremost, (we need to) get better every day,” Pinder said.

He said he is not only excited for his team to continually improve each day, but to “be in position to be in the championship match and ultimately have a chance to win it.”

Pinder summed up the Lady Flames’ focus of the season in two words — “eliminate distractions.”

The Lady Flames will have to remember Pinder’s words in order to adjust to the losses of senior outside hitter Lillie Happel, middle blocker Kendle Rollins and setter Jade Craycraft, as well as the addition of eight new players.

According to Liberty’s official athletic website, Happel, Rollins and Craycraft, who was named First Team All-Big South in 2013, combined for over 50 percent of the Flames points last season.

Either freshman Anna Willey or junior Caila Stapleton will emerge as setter for the Lady Flames.

Returning sophomore middle blocker Nzea McQuitery is confident in the ability of Willey and Stapleton.

“I believe that both setters can step up and fill that spot that (Craycraft) had,” McQuitery said.

McQuitery and redshirt junior outside hitter Caroline Douglas will both return and seek to make significant offensive contributions to the team.

The Lady Flames also return senior li-

Courtney Russo| Liberty Champion

ELEVATE — Sophomore Nzea McQuitery rises up to spike the ball against conference opponent Charleston Southern. bero Gabrielle Shipe, who will anchor the team’s defense. “(Shipe) knows how to lead back there,” Pinder said. “She knows where to be (and) when to make the plays we need in moments. It’s (her) time to lead us emotionally, mentally, but (also) physically go out there and make plays night in and night out.”

Six freshmen and two transfers will join the Lady Flames this year, including Jade Vorster from the University of Hawaii.

Pinder said he is not seeking to replace the graduated seniors, but rather give the incoming players a chance to shine on their own.

“We want to have people step up and do it the way they do it,” Pinder said.

Even before the Lady Flames have played

in one regular season match, Shipe says she believes the new players have already made an impact.

“The freshmen came in working hard,” Shipe said. “We fit together well.”

According to the Big South Sports Preseason Volleyball Poll, the Lady Flames were chosen to finish third behind rivals Radford and Costal Carolina. The Lady Flames will need contributions from each incoming player and returning veterans in order to improve on their 11-18 (9-5 Big South) record in 2013.

“Everyday we need to get better,” Shipe said. “It starts with practice and the first point of every game.”

McQuitery echoed Shipe by adding that hard work and communication are essential

for the team to be successful.

The Lady Flames will open the regular season against San Jose State Aug. 29 at the Elon Phoenix Classic in North Carolina.

Conference play begins Sept. 26 at home against the Radford Highlanders. In 2013, the Highlanders knocked the Lady Flames out of the Big South tournament in the semifinal and ultimately won the title.

With the rematch against Radford in mind and their sights set on learning how to mesh as a team, the Lady Flames are poised to make yet another run at the Big South Championship in 2014.

RODRIGUEZ is a sports reporter.

GAMES continued from B1

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

FLAMES FANATICS — Flames fans get revved up as Liberty football takes on rival Coastal Carolina.

but you shouldn’t crack under it. You should thrive in it, and I think that’s the way most people on this team are.”

It is an edge they will need in Chapel Hill and beyond, with challenging nonconference matchups against Norfolk State, Brevard, Bryant, Indiana State and volatile homecoming games at home against Richmond and on the road at Appalachian State.

The games precede a mustwin Big South tour standing between them and playoffs.

“We’ve just got to execute,” Woodrum said. “We wore down at the end of those (losing) games, and I don’t think we were really mentally sharp. We’ve got to come out and be smart, make sure we don’t make any dumb mistakes in crucial situations.”

Ears still ringing from the roar of his opponents’ fight song, Hagan gestured to his teammates, putting in extra reps after the final whistle.

“We know (what) we’re out here practicing for,” Hagen said. “We know it’s coming.

And when we’re out here, we just want to simulate it as best we can.”

For that reason, when the Flames take the field for the first time this season, they will be ready in more ways than one.

Blood, sweat and tears have gone into their offseason, but in this case, it really may be the thought that counts.

RUSH is a sports reporter.

sports

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | B3

Big South prepares for action Preview for the upcoming 2014-2015 Flames football conference opponents Nate Haywood

nahaywood@liberty.edu

The Liberty Flames football team will kick off conference play against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs Oct. 25 for another season in the Big South Conference and attempt to defend as co-Big South Champions. After losing Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to the Southern Conference, Monmouth University took the Keydets place as the sixth and final football team in the Big South. These are the teams that the Flames will have to defeat if they are to retain their title.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers The reigning co-Big South Football Champion Chanticleers were named the favorites to defend their title in the Big South Conference’s preseason poll.

Coastal Carolina is coming off a conference-leading 12-3 record while going undefeated at home.

The Chanticleers maintained the No. 1 offense with the most passing and rushing yards and touchdowns. They had three of the conference’s top ten rushers.

Running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, last season’s leading rusher in the conference, graduated this past summer. Junior quarterback Alex Ross and sophomore De’Angelo Henderson, who finished last season with the sixth and seventh most rushing yards respectively, will pick up the slack in Taliaferro’s absence.

Ross led the Big South in both touchdowns and passing yards.

Ross and Taliaferro combined for seven touchdowns last season against the Flames. While Coastal allowed the most touchdowns

in the 2013 season, the top two conference-leading tacklers junior Richie Sampson and senior Quinn Backus will return.

Gardner Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs Senior quarterback Lucas Beatty finished third last season in passing yards and touchdowns. Beatty’s top target Kenny Cook returns for his senior season after leading the conference in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

According to an article on gwusports.com, Beatty was sharp in a recent scrimmage. Running back Juanne Blount finished third in the conference in rushing yards and in touchdowns. The Runnin’ Bulldogs finished fourth in the conference last season and are expected to finish fourth in the conference this season, according to the Big South Conference 2014 preseason poll. Blount, Cook and Beatty were responsible for 30 of Gardner Webb’s 32 touchdowns.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers The Buccaneers finished third overall last season. Senior and sophomore running backs Christian Reyes and Mike Holloway both finished in the top 10 in rushing yards last season. They also finished second in rushing yards, yet they finished third in rushing touchdowns.

However, the Buccaneers finished last in passing yards last season. Charleston Southern linebacker and defensive back Chad Geter and Demaris Freeman both finished in the top 10 in solo tackles. Both Geter and Freeman will be returning this season.

Presbyterian Blue Hose Presbyterian College’s football

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

RISE UP — Quarterback Josh Woodrum hurdles over a diving Monmouth defender. team has not had a winning season since 2007. Presbyterian finished last season 3-8 overall with only one conference win. Head Coach Harold Nichols and the Blue Hose are bringing back senior Demarcus Rouse, Presbyterian’s leading rusher.

Sophomore quarterback Heys McMath became the starter in the last six games of the season, according to gobluehose. com. He completed more than 50 percent of his passes, threw for 10 touchdowns and also ran for two touchdowns, according to gobluehose.com.

Monmouth Hawks The Monmouth Hawks are the newest addition to the Big South Conference, and they begin conference play against Presbyterian Oct. 25. They are replacing the VMI as the sixth and final team in

the conference.

The Hawks finished with 1,917 rushing yards and 2,489 passing yards last season, which would have placed them fourth and fifth in the Big South last season, according to gomuhawks.com.

Quarterback Brandon Hill finished his junior season with 19 touchdown passes. Running backs Julian Hayes and K.B. Asante lead the rushing attack for the Hawks.

Hill will also have his top three receivers Neal Sterling and Lamar Davenport, who caught nine of Hill’s 19 touchdown passes, according to gomuhawks.com, at his side next season.

FYI The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are ranked sixth nationally by FCS coaches and seventh in the Sports Network Poll. According to bigsouthsports.com, this is the first time in conference history that a team will start the season as a top-10 pick.

Editors Note: All statistics found at bigsouthsports.com unless stated otherwise.

HAYWOOD is the asst. sports editor.

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sports

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | B4

Tich’s Take Alex Tichenor

atichenor@liberty.edu

“It’s just a game.”

No phrase makes my blood run hotter, faster, etc. Some of that may have to do with my blood already running hot from a particularly devastating loss when a sports ignoramus chimes in with the phrase, but it is annoying in every sense.

See, I love sports.

And when I say that, I do not mean that I like sports a lot so I instead hyperbolically use “love.” I mean I truly love sports deep down in the depths of TICHENOR my soul. For example, I may say that I “love” pizza, but clearly my relationship with pizza cannot possibly be that complex. I merely like pizza an inordinate amount. My life would never revolve around pizza. Sports are a different story.

Sports are a way of life. Besides family, nothing brings people together as effectively. Some college football stadiums pack in more than 100,000 people on Saturdays, and for those four hours, that mass of people might as well be a giant, out-of-control group of brothers and sisters. After big plays, random strangers will high five or even hug each other.

They chant in unison. And depending on the result of the game, all 100,000-plus people feel the same emotions while filing out of the stadium.

Looking back, it is funny to think that when my dad signed me up to play teeball when I was 6 years old that I did not even want to play. Once I learned to throw and not to run toward third base when I hit the ball, my relationship with sports was set aflame. Growing up, sports were my life. I would go to school knowing I had a game later that day and could only think about what was going to happen in the game. Maybe I would have made straight As if I did not love sports so much. Oh well.

There is no form of entertainment in the same hemisphere as sports. Movies are scripted, but sports are completely unpredictable. What is more heartwarming than a good underdog story in sports?

The answer is nothing. There is a reason they make movies from particularly inspiring sports stories. Does anybody not love “Remember the Titans?” It does not have to be a movie either—I have almost cried during those emotional SportsCenter segments more than the rest of my life events combined.

Darn you, Tom Rinaldi.

Sports also are a ticket out of poverty for many athletes. LeBron James, the best basketball player in the world right now, grew up hopping from home to home because his single mom could not always afford to take care of him. Without basketball, who knows where he would be.

With basketball, he earned $72 million in 2013 alone, according to Forbes. Not only has James brought himself out of poverty, but he also aggressively gives back to his community, helping future generations overcome the same adversity he faced.

People’s lives are genuinely changed because of sports. Former N.C. State head coach Jim Valvano started the Jimmy V Foundation to raise money for cancer research just months before he died of the dreaded disease. Since its founding in 1993, more the $90 million have been raised for cancer research through the foundation, according to ESPN. Had Valvano not been a legendary basketball coach, no such foundation would have ever existed. Lives have been saved because of the advancement in cancer treatment over the past 20 years and sports can be thanked for some of that.

But yeah, it is just a game.

TICHENOR is the sports editor.

Leah Seavers| Liberty Champion

PASSION— Cheerleaders have practiced for hours each day to prepare to support the Flames football team.

Ballard leads cheer New cheer coach plans to bring some changes Joel Schmieg

jaschmieg@liberty.edu

For the past six years, Jennifer Sydnor has held the reins to the Liberty cheerleading program. This year, the reins have been handed to Jordan Ballard.

Ballard, a 2004 Liberty graduate from St. Louis, Missouri, has four years of coaching experience. Two of those years were spent at the University of Colorado, while the past two years were spent as an assistant under Sydnor.

This will be Ballard’s first year as a head coach.

“I am very honored that I was the best candidate,” Ballard said. “The team has a lot of great athletes. The kids are very talented at what they do.”

While under Snydor, Ballard watched as the cheerleading squad developed a positive reputation. Ballard intends to maintain that reputation.

“Liberty Cheerleading is known as the God Squad,” Ballard said. “That’s supposed to reflect our Christian emphasis. That is something

we want to uphold and live up to.”

Not everyone knows about the cheerleading team’s nickname, but it is sure to attract attention, especially when on secular campuses.

“It’s a great way for us to put out that message of Christ,” senior Nathan Casa said. “We put the emphasis not on ourselves, but on God.” As an assistant coach at Colorado, Ballard experienced a different atmosphere than the one at Liberty.

“When you’re an assistant for four years, you observe a lot of things,” Ballard said.

“I got to see the big school cheerleading.”

Ballard already implemented a few new policies and ideas as an assistant coach and plans to continue that pattern as the head coach to keep up with the “big school cheerleading” squads.

Cassa, along with other members on the team, are looking forward to the change. However, they are aware that the change may not be seamless.

“With changes, there are gonna be goods and bads,”

Cassa said.

Many of the seniors on this year’s squad are fond of the new coach and his methods and style of coaching.

“He tries to think so much out of the box about everything,” Morgan Hoeritz said.

In addition to bringing a new coaching style, Ballard also plans to enhance spiritual development.

“He really pushes us to that next level and comes up with great routines that put us at the collegiate level with all the other big schools,” junior Andi Passaglia said. “He really invests in us. He makes sure we are growing spiritually.”

According to fifth year senior Logan Wer, the hope is that the team’s spiritual bond will translate on the field.

“We want to be the best cheerleading team in the nation, so that we can ultimately proclaim Christ,” Wer said.

The men on the squad were especially grateful for the new male leadership.

“I want to see things grow,” Ballard said. “I want to get more guys on the team. That is one of our objectives, to recruit five more guys in the

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

LEADER — Jordan Ballard is the new head coach. next two weeks.”

However, Ballard is not the only one who hopes to see more men on the squad.

“Obviously it’s a great thing to get more guys in here,” Cassa said. “If you’re even interested, go and try it.

I, for one, was the person that thought I would never do cheerleading, and then you go and enjoy it, and I can get a scholarship for it.”

With the football season around the corner, the cheerleading squad is preparing with a ready Ballard at the helm.

Olivia Miorelli | Liberty Champion

COPYCAT — The softball stadium was modeled after the larger baseball stadium, which sits just a few hundred yards away.

NEARS continued from B1 beside Dorm 32, where they have played since it was built in 1994. Junior infielder Holly Seiz said the team is practicing at the old stadium until they move into their new home.

The current stadium has a seating capacity of 500. It is equipped with batting cages in center field and a storage area along the home foul area.

“We want to win the National Championship in softball,” Barber said. “So

to do that, you have got to have good facilities and the right coach. We believe we have both of them right now. We are excited about the future.”

According to Bomberger, the old stadium will be plowed and cleared once the new one is completed. For the immediate future, the area will be turned into a grass area. Bomberger also mentioned that there will be no big changes to the layout of the area surrounding, and there will not be any major construction.

Seiz and the Lady Flames will now

get the opportunity to play at what she believes to be one of the nicest softball stadiums in the country.

“We’re going to have all of the tools we need to be successful,” Seiz said.

Progress of the softball stadium and surrounding areas can be viewed through construction cameras online at liberty.edu.

BRITT is a sports reporter.

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feature

B6 | Liberty Champion | August 26, 2014

Talent and testimony combined Liberty student takes time to witness while performing in Los Angeles Sam Campbell

scampbell75@liberty.edu

“I don’t want fame. I want my life to have an impact.”

This is Reuben John’s prayer.

John, a human services student at Liberty University, is originally from India. This summer, he had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, California, where he competed in the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), a talent show comprised of more than 40 competing countries.

But before he took that stage, John participated in a more local talent show.

John sang at Asia’s Got Talent last spring here at Liberty. He said he was approached by a fellow student about participating in the show, but was a bit apprehensive about competing.

“I’m not a competitive person,” John said. “I’m a worship leader.

I didn’t realize how serious the competition was going to be.”

Asia’s Got Talent enlisted a panel of judges to critique the performers. Two of those judges were Campus Band worship leader Justin Kintzel and Gwen Wilson, president of WCOPA. “After you perform, they comment on your performance in front of everybody,” John said. “It was weird for me to have someone comment on how I sing.”

John sang “Scandal of Grace”

by Hillsong and received positive reviews from all the judges, except Wilson. She did not comment on John’s singing at all. Instead, John said she suggested he go to Hollywood and be a model at WCOPA. Though he did not place at Asia’s Got Talent, John said Wilson asked him to attend a meeting she was holding with the winners, who had received scholarships for WCOPA. John said he remained quiet throughout the meeting, because he knew it was something

he could not afford.

“If I had that much money, I’d probably go to India and see my family,” John said.

But instead of forsaking the idea completely, he prayed for God to supply the means if He wanted him to go.

After the meeting, John said he was asked if he wanted to go to WCOPA. He told Wilson it was a great opportunity and he was interested, but it was just too expensive.

But Wilson had a backup plan.

“Gwen was like, ‘Let’s see if we can get you some sponsors, and we’ll see what happens after that,’” John said.

John agreed.

“I pray for something and believe the Lord will provide,” John said. “I don’t do fundraising. I just trust the Lord, and he provides a way when he wants you to do something.”

Wilson contacted John a few weeks later and said they had found a sponsor for him. That sponsor paid his entire registration fee for WCOPA. However, John said there were still airfare and hotel costs to pay.

He was given the option to room with two Liberty interns for free, but there was still a plane ticket to buy.

John’s uncle was getting married in New York the same weekend as WCOPA was planned to begin. John told his uncle about the competition, but said he was not going to miss the wedding.

“My uncle called me and said, ‘I’ll pay for your airfare from New York to L.A.,’” John said. “He did it without me even asking.”

John said he took that as a sign that God wanted him to go to Hollywood.

During his 11th or 12th grade year of high school, John said someone suggested he do modeling in India. He told his parents about it, but his father, a pastor, said no.

However, during a church program in his 12th grade year, the owner of a T-shirt company saw him, went to his father and asked if John could come to a photo shoot and model his T-shirts.

This time, his father said yes.

“Months later, he contacted my dad again and said, ‘Hey, can you send your son?’” John said.

“It was in another state in India, so we went, and I did a photo shoot there.”

This was John’s first photo shoot. He said he did not realize how awkward it would feel being in front of the camera. After the shoot, John did one television ad for the same company.

That was John’s modeling experience prior to competing at WCOPA. Before he left for Hollywood, John said his prayer was simply asking God what He wanted him to do while he was out there. He knew there must have been a reason why God chose to send him.

“I didn’t go to build a career,” John said. “I purely went because I felt like God wanted me to go.

He opened up the door.”

Surrounded by a group of models all trying to make it big in Hollywood, John said he stood out because he was noticeably more conservative than the rest.

One of the model coordinators confronted John about his choice of clothing, and he told her that he believed in modesty.

“In front of other people, she said, ‘I respect that. As a model, you don’t have to take everything off,’” John said.

That confrontation enabled John to have conversations with other models because they then knew him as a Christian.

“One guy from Russia was surprised that as an Indian, I didn’t believe in Indian philosophy,” John said. “He was into Hindu religion.”

The young man asked what John believed in, and he was able

Taylor Streelman | Liberty Champion

STAGE — Reuben John won gold at performing arts competition. to share about Jesus, the gospel and what was wrong with the Hindu philosophy.

John was able to share his faith with several other nonbelievers during his time in Hollywood, and others he came in contact with commended his testimony and values. He said he is happy people noticed a difference in him and seemed more interested in Christ.

John did not leave WCOPA empty-handed. He received a gold medal for modeling in the formal wear category and silver for casual wear. John took home another silver medal for placing second

overall in modeling.

Regardless of medals or accomplishments, John is just glad he was able to be a shining light in Hollywood. He agreed with the apostle Paul, who said gold and material things will fade away.

What really matters is what we do for Christ (1 Cor. 3: 11-15).

“I am a guy full of weakness,” John said. “Whatever happened in WCOPA and the way I’ve been able to represent Christ is fully by the grace of God.” CAMPBELL is the feature editor.

Gospel reaches East and West Center for Ministry Training sends Liberty students cross-country on summer mission trips Ashley Bunner

abunner@liberty.edu

Many Liberty University students spent this past summer working with team members from the Center for Ministry Training (CMT) learning how to make evangelizing and serving people part of their everyday routine.

According to James Hobson, Jr., campus mobilizer and internship coordinator for North American Mission Board, Liberty students traveled to the metropolitan areas of Portland, Oregon, and Brooklyn, New York, this summer as part of the Liberty Generation Send (GenSend) Internship program, which partners with North American Mission Board.

GenSend is designed to be one of the most exciting, intense and unique internship experiences in North America, according to liberty.edu/academics/ministrytraining. It is a spiritual venture that immerses young adults into a metropolitan area. Participants spend 10 weeks initiating ministry in the city while practitioners and leaders invest in the interns’ lives.

According to Hobson, CMT strives to instill a ministry consciousness in students who are in all different fields of study so they can carry that knowledge with them after they have graduated. “(CMT’s purpose) is to get anybody to understand that if they are a Christian, then they are called to a life of ministry,” Scott MacLeod, associate director of CMT, said. “And so we try to educate people in understanding that it’s not always vocational ministry, as sometimes we say. But whether you’re the nurse, the teacher, the

lawyer, the stay-at-home mom, the stay-at-home dad, future magazine reporter or news reporter, … if you’re a Christian, then you’ve said, ‘This is the life of ministry,’ so how can you best utilize those gifts and talents God has given you?”

According to Hobson, there were two GenSend teams that were in Brooklyn and Portland for six weeks this summer. The GenSend teams were led by Liberty students Sarah Reese and Austin Coleman, respectively.

“Generation Send has impacted the way that I view everyday life opportunities,” Reese said. “I now see the opportunity for gospel intersections everywhere I go. Missions is a mindset, not a compartmentalized task.”

Hobson’s job was to oversee the process of GenSend. He trained and equipped the team leaders, helped with team recruitment and prayed for the team before they left.

According to Hobson, the teams have raised their own support to be in the metropolitan cities. While the team members were there, they found a job or internship somewhere in the city and tried to become a regular part of that city.

“You have a routine. You find your places that you frequent. You invest time in a particular coffee shop. You invest time in a particular neighborhood and basically, you live on mission where you would naturally go,” Hobson said.

According to Hobson, when doing mission work, GenSend goes by the four I’s: identify people who need the gospel, invest your life in others as you share the gospel, invite people into

Photo Provided

SERVICE — Students became disciples as they ministered to the lost in cities around the country. disciple-making relationships, and increase disciple-making by sending them out.

“GenSend showed me how to really live missionally and engage people for the gospel in a city that is largely unchurched and in need of Jesus,” Ashley Artavia, a Liberty student who participated in the GenSend trip this summer, said.

For some students, finding a natural routine in these cities did not always go smoothly.

“There are tons of success stories, but where there are success stories, there are a ton of failure stories,” Hobson said. “Where people don’t really care about church, don’t really care about

God and aren’t really interested in moving in their spiritual state.”

But for Liberty student Hannah Dixon, her experience with GenSend was a positive one.

“God used GenSend and the city of Brooklyn to show me more of the awe-capturing character of Himself,” Dixon said.

“God is doing big things in New York City.”

The CMT staff is already planning for next summer’s GenSend trips and is looking for 30 students who would like to join the team.

“Next summer we’ll be in three more metropolitan cities here in North America,” Hobson said.

“I don’t know what those cities

are as of yet. We’ll find out very soon, though.”

According to Hobson, the three cities that are being taken into consideration for next summer’s GenSend trips are Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto.

For more information about GenSend internships and how to get involved, email mobilizeme@ liberty.edu.

BUNNER is a feature reporter.

feature

August 26, 2014 | Liberty Champion | B7

Ministering for a decade Campus Pastor Clayton King reflects on his years at Liberty and the lives he has touched Emily Brown

erbrown@liberty.edu

When Liberty University officials called Clayton King to fill in for a Friday morning Convocation speaker who was unable to attend, they probably had no idea what they would get in return.

That happened in 2004. Now, King has become the most frequent speaker to travel to Liberty.

According to King, after he finished his Friday Convocation message, he was asked by Liberty faculty to return for Spiritual Emphasis Week. Since then, he has not missed a single year as the teacher during the first week of the semester that serves as a spiritual jumpstart for students.

Dozens of sermons later, King celebrated 10 years as Liberty’s Spiritual Emphasis Week speaker.

At the conclusion of the 2014 edition of the event Thursday, Aug. 21, King was honored with a surprise cake, complete with a picture of his face.

Despite the many great memories King said he has of the 10 years of preaching during Spiritual Emphasis Week, one instance particularly stands out to him.

King explained that seven or eight years ago, he met a student who told him she was ready to kill herself but held off and chose to go to a Spiritual Emphasis Week service when a friend invited her.

During the service, King said, God rescued her and she gave her life to Christ.

“I watched her go, literally, from the point of suicide to being this sold out follower of Christ,” King said. “So those stories are really what motivate me.”

Another poignant week in King’s mind took place in the last few years when he taught on the life of Joseph.

Leah Stauffer | Liberty Champion

MINISTRY — Clayton King is honored for his years of service and recalls some of his best memories at Liberty University. “(E)very single night, I just remember the altar being full,” King said. “I just remember these really special God moments where students were really connecting with the Holy Spirit. The irony was, as I prepared that series, I really kind of felt insecure about it. I (thought), ‘Well this is really specific to one man. I don’t really know if the students are going to get anything out of it,’ and it ended up probably being one of the top two or three series I’ve done.”

According to King, who has since become a campus pastor who delivers the majority of sermons given to students during Campus Church on Wednesday nights, Liberty provides him opportunities unique from any of the other colleges he visits. While he has been teaching at other col-

leges for more than 10 years, he only teaches at those schools four or fives times a year. At Liberty, King said he may teach four or five times a month.

“There’s no school quite like Liberty,” King said. “It’s so unique in its size, in its influence, in the number of students that are here preparing for life and work and ministry. So for me, it really is, sort of, a way to maximize my time. I spend a lot of time here, and I commit hours and days and days and days to be here, but for me, it’s really one of the most effective places I can come, because I’m reaching and influencing more people than I could at almost any other place.”

Above all, King said he most enjoys coming to Liberty as a pastor because of the students.

“The reason why I love to prioritize Liberty, whether it’s Spiritual Emphasis Week or Campus Church or Convo … is the students,” King said. “I keep coming back because I love the students.

I love their heart for Jesus. I love their excitement about learning. I love the way they embrace me when I come to preach and teach.”

One of the only drawbacks at Liberty for King is the inability to meet personally with every student.

“I want to meet one-on-one with so many students, but it’s just impossible, because there’s 13,000, and I just don’t have the time to meet with everybody oneon-one that wants to,” King said.

“It’s a mathematical impossibility, but that’s what I would really

love to do.”

Despite the fact that King cannot meet every Liberty student, he said he has no plans to stop trying to impact as many Liberty students as he can.

According to President Jerry Falwell, King is committed to Liberty for the long haul.

“He’s a good friend to me and a good friend to both of my boys,” Falwell said. “We appreciate him very much. He told me … Liberty’s one of his favorite places to speak and he’s committed to being here as long as we need him.”

BROWN is the editor-inchief.

B8

FEATURE

AUGUST 26, 2014

Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion

ENERGY — Attendees participated in carnival rides and games throughout the evening as Christian musicians performed on stage.

Spirits rise as rain falls

NEEDTOBREATHE and The Oh Hellos perform at Liberty’s annual Block Party Rachael Graf

rgraf5@liberty.edu

There is a song by NEEDTOBREATHE that goes like this: “Even when the rain falls, even when the flood starts rising, even when the storm comes, I am washed by the water.”

Those words could not have been more apt than they were at this year’s Block Party.

The annual event, hosted by Student Activities (SA), began at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 and featured games such as cornhole, a pushup contest, rides, campus clubs and organizations, food trucks and a concert with The Oh Hellos and NEEDTOBREATHE. “The Ferris wheel in the rain was really fun,” Liberty freshman Mallori Ware said.

“I really liked that you could see the concert from there. When you were going around, you could still be watching the concert.”

Attendees showed up in the thousands, with some waiting in front of the stage for more than two hours in order to secure a good spot for the concert.

Liberty students were not the only ones who came out for the Block Party, however.

Blake Driskill, a mother of four from Lynchburg, came with her husband to enjoy the show. She said that The Oh Hellos, a band whose music has helped her through some difficult times, were the main attraction for her.

Around 7:30 p.m., The Oh Hellos kicked off the show with one of their most popular tunes, “The Valley.”

Nathaniel Smith, pastor and tom player for The Oh Hellos, said this was the band’s first time playing in Virginia.

“The show was awesome,” Smith said. “(It was) probably the most fun show of this tour so far because we got to interact with the crowd a lot. We’d definitely love to come back.”

After The Oh Hellos finished their set, which included the songs “Trees” and “The Truth is a Cave,” NEEDTOBREATHE fans pressed in close to the stage, yelling and cheering.

The southern-rock band from South Carolina preformed on a stage decorated with teepees and oriental rugs, giving the large concert a homier, intimate feel.

Immediately following NEEDTOBREATHE’s initial appearance on stage,

the clouds broke open and drenched surrounding fans.

The band played hit songs from their newest record, “Rivers in the Wasteland,” as well as old favorites.

A couple of times during the show, Bear Rhineheart, lead singer for NEEDTOBREATHE, spoke about the story behind “Rivers in the Wasteland.” Having been together for 15 years, the members of the band have spent much time together — most of it in cramped quarters. After a significant fight within the band, the members of NEEDTOBREATHE weren’t sure whether they wanted to do it anymore.

God, however, had other plans.

“We ended up calling the record ‘Rivers in the Wasteland,’ which comes from a verse in Isaiah, which talks about the river,” keyboardist Josh Lovelace said. “And the river happened to us. No matter what you might be going through in your life, dark days or struggles, … there is hope.”

That hope was evident Saturday evening, as the band played songs from the new record.

“We hope people walk away realizing that not all is lost, that there is a light at the end

of whatever you’re going through and that hope can be found in any circumstance,” Lovelace said.

A grand fireworks finale closed out the show. One student was overheard saying she felt that everyone was very “connected” during the show.

It is this connectivity and a sense of community that The Oh Hellos and NEEDTOBREATHE hope to cultivate among fans.

“I think that now in our society, with social media and all this, ... we don’t disconnect and have conversations with people, and I think you can learn a lot about someone when you sit down and talk to them,” Lovelace said. “For college students, especially, it’s learning to set yourself up for a lifestyle of that, a lifestyle of saying ‘yes’ to things, trying new things and being open to new experiences and to relationships.”

For more information on upcoming SA events, visit liberty.edu/sa.

GRAF is a feature reporter.

Students proclaim their faith Audience openly responds to Clayton King’s messages during Spiritual Emphasis Week Amber Tiller

atiller2@liberty.edu

Students gathered in Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) Aug. 18 through Aug. 22 for Spiritual Emphasis Week as Campus Pastor Clayton King taught a message from Luke 15 entitled “Prodigal.”

King’s message consisted of four parts: Lost and Found, the Setback and the Comeback, the Father, and the Older Brother.

Students throughout the auditorium were dealing with personal convictions, as was evident at the conclusion of each night when the altar calls were made, and students came forward willing to confess their sins to God and repent.

“Kind of the overall prayer I pray for campus church every single week is that, specifically for Spiritual Emphasis Week, the

Holy Spirit would show up and that we would see just scores and scores of kids come to the altar, confessing sin, rededicating their lives and really getting serious about their walk with the Lord in the very first week of school,” Campus Church Administrator Ian MacIntyre said.

More than 130 students were baptized Thursday night, publically displaying their faith.

“I came out and the music was playing and everyone (was) cheering, so that really lifts the mood a lot,” Josh Gordon, an aviation major, said about his baptism experience. “And I walked into the water, and as soon as I got all the way in, ... as I was going down, (I) just (had) this euphoric feeling, like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really happening right now’.”

Junior Travis Meador, Campus Church team member and biblical studies major, was standing backstage helping prepare people

for baptism.

“There was a different energy, and there was a different, almost, excitement to step out and have (them take) that outward symbol of their faith and the change in their lives,” Meador said. “They were eager. We had to hold them back from running up to the baptistery.”

It was a special night for King as well.

Liberty presented King with a cake for his ten years of service.

David Nasser, senior vice president for spiritual development, prayed along with the rest of the congregation for the King family and for God to bless King’s future with Liberty.

“In my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so honored and just so humbled by a group of people and their love for me,” King said after the presentation of cake and prayer. “I give all the glory to Jesus.”

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

WORSHIP — Students felt the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Students were encouraged to study scripture and continue to stay close to God and keep each other accountable.

“I would just like to see all of what happened this week take root and really be in the ground in everyday life from this day for-

ward,” Sarah Beth Allen, resident assistant and marriage and family counseling graduate student, said.

TILLER is a feature reporter.