Paul Young

Paul Young

Bachelor of Arts, Bible, 1970, Columbia International University

Independent Missionary

Cape Town, South Africa

Columbia International University helped me get what I wanted out of life – and that was to not waste it!  Because of the lessons I learned and the skills I developed at CIU, God was able to “draw” me into the ministry.    

As a sophomore in college, I began to incorporate my passion for preaching with my love for drawing. What began as part of a required outreach is now called Chalk Art Ministry, and was birthed and fanned into flame at CIU. Now I give “chalk talks” in the churches, prisons, and schools of South Africa. Drawing while I’m speaking grabs the listeners’ attention and illustrates powerful spiritual truths; it also aids the audience in remembering what was taught. 

South African public schools, among the most dangerous in the world, are filled with chaos and violence. Yet God continues to open doors for me to preach using chalk art. He is using me to preach “the uncompromised gospel,” as one principal put it, and lives are being radically transformed by it. I have seen suicidal students realize that life has meaning and purpose because of Christ. Broken families have been restored by the power of forgiveness. But most importantly, children and adults have been brought from death to life by God’s gracious work in their hearts.

CIU prepared me for the thrilling ministry opportunities God has given me over the past 40 years – it’s been anything but a waste!