Faith in Action - Vol. VIII

New Department Chair

There’s a (relatively) new guy in town, and he has stepped in as the new Chair for the Department of Missions and Ministry.

Dr. Ryan Hanley joined the faculty in 2021 and was appointed as Chair in 2022. He hopes to bring a highquality coffee culture to campus (he grinds coffee beans fresh in his office to make a nice pour-over cup daily), but, more importantly, he is passionate about strengthening the practice of discipleship on campus.

“In college, there were a few men who really took me and a handful of other guys under their wings and showed us what it looked like to own your faith,” he says. “That kind of discipleship is transformative. I’ve seen students radically change from freshman year to graduation, in good ways. I believe the college years truly are some of the most formative of your life. That’s one reason I wanted to work in higher education.”

Dr. Hanley grew up in the space between two small towns in Oklahoma, graduated from College of the Ozarks in Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in aviation science (“As you can see, I’m using it quite extensively nowadays,” he laughs), then completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He met his wife Kathleen in undergrad, and the two got married before he attended seminary. They have five children.

He jokes that the reason he’s the new Chair is because he is “a warm body who didn’t say no,” but in all seriousness he is honored to have this role. God has brought him beyond the self-righteousness he had as a teen, replacing it with humility and a desire to disciple. He has grown in his understanding of Scripture and in his relationship with God over the years, and he wants to help others do the same however he can.

I ACT because...

... Jesus is the king of everything, and he changed my life. He created me and saved me, and I want everyone to know he would do the same for them.

Dr. Ryan Hanley, Missions & Ministry Department Chair

Big gymnasium. Little kids. College students. Activity books. Foot washing stations. New socks, shoes, t-shirts, and hygiene items. Conversation, laughter, and smiles – plenty of smiles. Welcome to Shoes 4 the Soul 2022!

It was the first time since the pandemic began that the annual event was able to be held in person, and the staff and volunteers of Appalachian Ministries (AM), the University of the Cumberlands ministry that hosts Shoes 4 the Soul, couldn’t have been more excited.

“Having that personal touch of coming onto a college campus and knowing that you are loved by the people there is an important experience for kids,” said Caitlyn Howell, AM director. “I always love seeing the kids light up when they get here. I was super excited for it.”

Local elementary schools brought their students to Cumberlands’ campus on Friday, August 26th, for Shoes 4 the Soul. The kids were paired with a Cumberlands student or staff member who was

their “buddy” for the next hour or so. Buddies talked and laughed with the children while leading the kids through the gym to the foot washing stations, where volunteers washed the kids’ feet before handing them clean socks and a new pair of shoes, plus a Cumberlands t-shirt and various personal hygiene items.

The foot washing is reminiscent of how Jesus Christ washed his disciples’ feet the night before his crucifixion. Shoes 4 the Soul is a chance for students to follow Christ’s example of humility by serving children in their community.

“I’m just speechless. Really. It was an amazing experience! I wish we could do this every day!” said MaQuoia Bernabe, a senior at Cumberlands who volunteered as a “buddy” at the event.

If the reactions of the college students and elementary kids are any indication, both groups enjoyed the event immensely. There’s something special about serving others and something equally special about feeling cared for.

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

A.M. SUMMER NEW HOME

Thanks to donor support, the Appalachian Ministries (AM) summer team served as Godly mentors and friends to more than 100 Appalachian children, most of whom live in unstable homes and need Godly influences as much as possible.

The team spent four weeks serving children near University of the Cumberlands’ campus, rotating between the four AM sites – at Corbin Manor, Brush Arbor apartments, Mackey Avenue, and in Jellico – so that they could spend one afternoon at each site each week from Tuesday through Friday, then review and regroup on Mondays. The team accomplished three goals:

Goal #1: Teach children the Gospel and help them understand it.

Goal #2: Be Godly examples for the children to follow.

Goal #3: Find out how Lord was already working in the kids’ lives and brainstorm ways to step into that current.

Donor funding enabled a brand-new home to be built for a local family this summer – and will be building a second home for another family that should be completed in spring. Like all Mountain Outreach (MO) home recipients, both families will pay a mortgage on their new homes.

Tony and Jennifer Lawson were speechless when they heard that they had been approved as the recipients of the newest home being built by MO. They had never owned their own house before, renting their housing instead.

Said Tony, “There are no words to describe how shocked we were. I had lost a little sleep worrying about what the best decision was for our housing, to be honest. Receiving this new home is a massive blessing.”

The home was completed in August. Tony and Jennifer live there with two of their children.

EASTERN KENTUCKY

When massive flooding overtook Eastern Kentucky, Cumberlands jumped on the chance to help.

The university took to social media and posted links for those who felt led to donate to the Team Eastern Kentucky Relief Fund. Mountain Outreach, a ministry hosted by Cumberlands, collected cleaning supplies and other items like blankets and bottled water, which were donated by the campus community, and delivered them to areas affected by the flooding. Many Cumberlands students and their families were impacted by the flooding or knew someone who was. Over the following weeks, the Cumberlands community showered each other with various acts of kindness, donations, and gifts of service.

Though the flooding took some things that can never be retrieved, the Cumberlands family found ways to give help and hope to those affected.

PATS SERVE

Pats Serve is an initiative by University of the Cumberlands to coordinate community service events for students to get involved in throughout the school year. Some events recur weekly while others are held a few times a year. More than 180 service opportunities are available this year.

Not only is the community impacted by these service events, but students are too. Students learn the importance of giving their time and energy to others, and they feel more connected to the local area.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, Mountain Outreach (MO) led students in mulching at Williamsburg’s old courthouse, pressure washing the Whitley County airport, and painting picnic tables at a local park. Faculty and staff led other service projects, such as cleaning at the Lane Theater in Williamsburg, assisting at Cedaridge Ministries, and volunteering at the Knox-Whitley Humane Assocation (animal shelter).

I ACT because...

“God is my number one priority. Jesus died on the cross, and God forgives and loves us, and we don’t deserve it. I love helping people.”

Trinity Sherrod, ’24

A New Perspective

Trinity Sherrod, ’24, has a new appreciation for everything she has in life, now that she’s seen how some people in Whitley County live who are less fortunate than she is.

“I grew up in a sheltered environment. This has been eye-opening for me. I hadn’t experienced things like this before,” Trinity said.

“Things” like when the Mountain Outreach (MO) team walked into a house that reeked of animal excrement (which was all over the floor), and the family living in the house had no idea it smelled bad in there due to desensitization. The team put on face masks, goggles, and gloves and ripped up the floor by hand, sanitized the area underneath it, and replaced it with new flooring. They educated the family on how to keep the new floor intact (and hoped they were really listening). It took a long time. All the while, the team knew they were on display as “the hands and feet of Christ,” meaning they needed to do the work cheerfully and excellently and treat the family with utmost compassion, not complaints.

Easier said than done. Thankfully, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). And the more the team focuses on “working for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23), the easier it gets. Still, challenges like these have given Trinity a new perspective on her life and what MO does.

“It’s cool putting down new flooring and seeing the work we do and how it helps people,” she said. “It’s like the Bible verse of taking off the old clothes and putting on new ones. In MO, we demo the old stuff and replace it with new, better things, and it impacts people’s lives. I love that we get to help people in need who can’t afford it otherwise.”

In the end, that’s what serving in a ministry is for: changing others’ lives and being changed in return. Being a work-study for MO has taught Trinity more than how to replace flooring, build a bunk bed, and other construction skills. She looks at the world differently now.

PRAYER COVERING CAMPUS IN

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will,

HE HEARS US.

Campus Ministries has put a special emphasis on prayer over the past few years. This fall, that included planning a Homecoming prayer walk around campus and inviting Cumberlands alumni to pray over the faculty, staff, and students at the university, as well as for the Williamsburg community as a whole. Campus Ministries did the prayer walk as well.

Since the work of the Holy Spirit is often unseen, it’s impossible to measure just how much the power of prayer has benefited the lives of everyone who comes onto Cumberlands’ campus. In faith, the Campus Ministries team regularly covers the campus and community in prayer. And they invite you to do the same. Scan the QR code to find out how.