Faith In Action Vol. IX

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW HOME BUILT FOR FAMILY

SPRING BREAK MISSIONS

Mountain Outreach recently completed a new home for the Gibbs family. (Grandma included in photo.)

Alaina Gibbs, the mother of the family, said, "Words can't express it... It's such a blessing. Anybody who gets this kind of gift... it's beyond words. Just to see the joy on my kids' faces and know we'll have a home that will last is just wonderful."

Alaina, her husband, and their three children moved into the house in late April. While the parents are relieved to have a sturdy, safe home with plenty of storage space in the kitchen, the children are overjoyed to have their own rooms. To each his own.

Spring Break is famous or infamous, depending on how you look at it. Many college students take the opportunity to have a little too much fun, some work long hours to help pay for college, and others, like the ones pictured above, took the chance to do mission work.

Twenty-two students and seven faculty/staff served at Beach Reach at Panama City Beach this year, an outreach program open to college students nationwide in which students drive their peers safely home at night and, when possible, have Gospel conversations. Several other Cumberlands students served through local churches in other areas around the country during Spring Break 2023.

NEW ASSOCIATE CAMPUS MINISTER

PAID MINISTRY POSITIONS OPEN

Matthew Plementosh, '21, has been hired as the new associate campus minister. Matthew will be overseeing men's discipleship and sports ministry.

Matthew completed his master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Cumberlands in 2021. He is married to Skyler (Downs) Plementosh, '19, MACS '22 (pictured).

Said Matthew, "This new role is truly a blessing from the Lord. I have a great passion for discipleship. Being the director of sports ministry and men's discipleship is a large responsibility, but I take refuge in knowing the Lord placed me here for a reason. I'm honored to be a new part of this fantastic team."

The Office of Campus Ministries is looking to hire more Cumberlands students to serve the office in paid work-study positions. After all, campus ministry events don't happen by themselves. From Flapjack Thursday to worship nights to Appalachian Ministries events, work-study students in the Office of Campus Ministries help make a lot happen.

A work-study position in Campus Ministries is the perfect job for someone looking for a position on campus that combines their love for the Lord with practical life skills. To apply, visit the MyUC Workday homepage > View All Apps > Company Information > Careers > Find Student Jobs.

I ACT because...

... despite my wandering, God continues to pursue me and love me. How could I not give my life to a God that good?

Alex Miller, '23

Broken for the Hope

Alex Miller, ’23, is completely comfortable talking to homeless people, addicts, alcoholics – anyone destitute. It doesn’t scare her. In a sense, it’s actually refreshing.

“I care a lot about being real with people. When you talk with these kinds of people, it’s the most genuine conversation you’ll ever have,” she said. “There’s no striving. They know they’re at the lowest point in their lives. They’ll tell you how they really feel. They are so humble… I see the image of God in them so strongly.”

Alex knows better than most how to connect with people who are struggling with hard circumstances and hurtful behaviors. Her mother was addicted to drugs for several years, and her father was an alcoholic for most of Alex’s life. She saw the very real effect that those struggles had on her parents, herself, and those around them. She also saw how the way people treated her parents (herself included) either helped or hurt the situation.

“Yes, there are some people who will try to manipulate you. But I’ve honestly not seen much of that,” Alex said. “A lot of people had unfortunate circumstances happen to them, things so traumatic that they turned to anything to try and cope. I met a guy once who lost his whole family in a house fire in a night. I mean, how in the world do you handle that? Some people think everyone who’s on the street or addicted is only looking for a handout. That’s not true. They’re at their darkest point in their life. What they need is hope.”

The hearts of those who are hurting are incredibly vulnerable. When you’ve lost everything you cared about most in life, all the pride and put-together façade you may have had before crumbles before your eyes. There’s no fooling anyone anymore –not even yourself.

As Jesus says in John 16:33. “In this world you will have trouble…”

Alex said, “When my parents were going through things, they just needed somebody to be there for them and to love them through it. I’ve seen the faithfulness of God in my life and my parents’ lives. He’s restored my family. My mom has been good for five or six years now, and my dad got sober within the last couple years.”

John 16:33 continues, “… But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

After all of Alex’s experiences sharing God’s truth and hope with those who need it most, she knows the Lord has prepared her for her next step after graduation: serving with Love Thy Neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. In three weeks and with minimal effort, the Lord provided Alex the whole $3,600 she needed to participate in the internship. She’ll be combining her gift of teaching scripture with her passion for building relationships with others, and, though she’s uncertain where God will take her after summer, she’s sure God will guide her. After all, He’s already shown her His faithfulness every step of the way.

Q&A Q&A with NOAH

BRANDT, '24

Noah is a senior from Bowling Green, Kentucky, pursuing a double major in business administration and Christian ministries.

How are you putting your Christian faith into action on campus or in your community?

On Cumberlands' campus, I minister to my lacrosse teammates and the residents in Mahan Hall, where I am an RA, I evangelize on campus with my friends from time to time, and I disciple some guys on campus and just walk through life with them and try to train them up in Christ. Additionally, through Immanuel Baptist Church, I am a lifegroup coach, overseeing and training people lifegroup/Bible study leaders, and serving in the church building on Sundays in different facets.

Why did you choose to serve in those ways?

God has given me these areas of life, and I know I need to be faithful with a little before I can be faithful with a lot. I also just really love my church and the people on campus I get to interact with, and I want to share the Gospel with as many people as I can.

How has God transformed you through your experiences?

There is one common theme: I am growing closer to God. As I do my best to lead other people or show them the Gospel, I am challenged by others to get out of my comfort zone. I've grown closer to the Lord by having to lean on Him when I don’t know what to do.

Why do you think it's important for college students to put their faith into action?

College is one of the most formative times of our lives. If you haven’t started already putting your faith into action, then you need to do it now. When we “put our faith into action,” we are living out the Great Commission and being obedient to God and what He would have us do. He's our Creator and Savior, and He's well worth our obedience. We will also experience personal growth when we do this. To put it bluntly, it's a win-win.

Be Our Guest

The second annual Master’s Ball was a night full of the finer things in life: formal dresses, tasty hours de oeuvres, and fundraising for a good cause.

The physician assistant (PA) program at Cumberlands’ Williamsburg campus raised $4,100 for Emergency Christian Ministries (ECM) at the Master’s Ball, a steep climb from the $2,900 the ball raised last year.

“I am so proud of the effort put into the ball and the strides everyone made to make it a success,” said Hailey Satyna, '26, president of Cohort 2024 in the PA program. “Yes, we’re all stressed-out PA students, but everyone put in some time and some effort toward the cause. The effort everyone put in was astronomical.”

ECM is operated by founders Steven and Susan Jett of Williamsburg. The ministry began in 1991 and provides those who find themselves homeless by providing accessibility to a safe, clean, warm, and dry place to live during a transitory time in their

lives. ECM works to meet the spiritual needs, as well as the physical needs, of those in need by providing clothing, food, Bibles, transportation needs, laundry facilities, showers, and more. Additionally, the ministry assists residents in finding employment and permanent housing.1

For months before the ball, PA students networked with local businesses to arrange donations. Everything at the ball was donated, from food to raffle prizes. It unexpectedly became an opportunity for the students to connect with the local community, which is something they don’t often enjoy due to the many hours of studying, classes, and clinicals required in the program.

Hailey said, “The ball gave us a chance to get dressed up, play trivia together, and get to know each other better.” She added, laughing, “And we got to see each other in a different light than as super-busy PA students always running around wearing scrubs!”

Susan Jett chuckled, “It’s always fun sitting and

watching young people do their thing. My husband was amazed this year to see students playing cornhole, indoors, wearing suits and ties.”

The staff at ECM is greatly appreciative of the funds the PA students raised to help their ministry.

“Nowadays, it’s hard to find young people who want to be involved in community service,” said Susan. “That alone is exciting to see. And, of course, the money is a great asset for us because we are in a full renovation of our building right now.”

Last year, a lot of painting and sheetrock was redone, as well as other projects. This year, it’s important that the kitchen gets upgraded. Since ECM serves many people who are in their seasons of highest need, the funds used for renovations will be directly impacting many people in important ways.

Susan said she and her husband were honored that the PA students picked ECM as beneficiaries of the funds from last year’s ball. It was originally Morgan

Moses, '23, who came up with the idea.

Morgan, president of Cohort 2023, explained, “In previous years, the UCPA program has hosted various charity events, but since COVID-19 they had been unable to do so. As restrictions were loosening last year, my class decided we wanted to reinstate an event that could give back to our community. I contacted community leaders in search of a local organization that was in need of assistance. This is when I learned about ECM’s urgent needs for funds and repairs to their facility. We recognized that they share the same values that we have as PA students seeking to serve others in need, so we unanimously decided that we wanted to help their cause.”

She and the rest of her cohort, who planned the first Master’s Ball, were thrilled with its success. Now that the second ball has raised even more funds, Morgan can’t wait to see how successful the next ball will be.

1 https://www.kybaptist.org/church-missions/emergency-christianministries/

On Mission,Online

How do you minister to students when you can’t see their faces or hear their voices? How do you minister online?

That’s the question Nate Clouse, '11, MACS '17, asks himself every day. Nate is the director of Undergraduate Online Student Success and Retention at Cumberlands and an adjunct professor for the Department of Missions and Ministry. He deals exclusively with online students in both arenas and, as a Christian, always tries to find ways to minister to these populations. As someone who was used to in-person ministry (and still is – he’s a fill-in preacher for local churches), the transition to serving online populations took some time to navigate. After five or six years at it, though, he’s finding a rhythm.

“We’ve got some interesting faiths and religions floating around in our student body. It gives me opportunities to have some one-on-one conversations with students – if they want to – to discuss, ‘Okay, this is what you believe, and this is what I believe.’ We’re able to respectfully have an interaction,” said Nate. “It may look different because often it’s over email or through discussion posts or things like that, but sometimes students actually call me up to talk through things. I let all my students know upfront that I’m open to that if they ever want or need to talk. It gives me a chance to interact beyond a computer screen.”

More than one student has called Nate needing prayer. For instance, one woman in Texas was in one

of Nate’s classes during Texas’ flash freeze in 2021. She called Nate, sobbing, “I need prayer, and I need help.” Nate prayed for her and helped her with all the school-related needs he could.

“There are people behind the emails,” he said. “That becomes very real once you hear their voice on the phone, but it’s important to remember that in every interaction we have with online students. The online population sometimes gets forgotten about because there’s no face. But these are very real people with very real needs, desires, and hopes for their lives. I’m going to do all I can to show Jesus to them.”

For Nate, in his role as a teacher, showing Jesus to online students often means explaining Christianity to them (it’s literally the curriculum he teaches), praying over them, and showing compassion when students need assistance. In his role as an office director, it means responding to emails in a timely manner, maintaining a calm and courteous tone on the phone (even if the person on the other end is being rude), and communicating effectively with the

team he supervises. It just depends on the moment. “A lot of times, it’s as simple as, ‘Okay, I hear you. This is what you need,’ and then doing it,” Nate said. “It takes a lot for a student to call a faculty member. If they call, they’re usually in a bad place with something. They need to be poured into, encouraged, and helped out.”

Cumberlands is working to expand campus ministry services targeted toward online students. For instance, there’s a new online prayer request form for students to submit when they would like prayer. Additionally, there’s also work being done to create a network of sorts to connect students in other geographic areas with pastors, counselors, churches, etc. Nate offers what insight he can for online ministry projects. Yet at the end of the day, regardless of the number of “official” ministries in place for online students, he knows the most important thing for him to do is “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord” (Micah 6:8). If he does that, everything else will fall into place.

I ACT because...

... students need a safe space, a resource who will guide them in the right direction –namely, toward Christ.

Nate Clouse, '11, MACS '17

HOW CAN YOU ACT?

MOUNTAIN OUTREACH

CONTACT: Rocky Brown 606.539.4346

CAMPUS MINISTRIES

CONTACT: Jacob Ratliff 606.539.3561

APPALACHIAN MINISTRIES

CONTACT: Ashley Tucker 606.539.4173

SPORTS MINISTRY

CONTACT: Matthew Plementosh 606.539.4343