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Top News |
Men's Soccer Showcase March 8-9During the Soccer Showcase, students will have the opportunity to participate in a training session with other prospective players under the direction of our coaching staff, and seniors who plan to attend CIU also will be trying out to make the official roster. Learn more... First Intercollegiate Athlete Signs to Play for CIU Rams SoccerClick here to read the full story. 30 Days of Prayer for Rams AthleticsAs our hearts are focused on creating an athletics department which will glorify God, we desire that all at CIU are a part of the building of the program, starting with prayer. If you can or feel lead, please join us in prayer as we develop CIU Rams Athletics and dedicate our work to the Lord; asking for His guidance, direction and wisdom. For more information please email KAbbott@ciu.edu First Annual Discover CIU 5kFor the results from the First Annual Discover CIU 5k check out the Cross Country Page. |
History In The Making
We are embarking on one of the most exciting chapters in the history of CIU. For the first time in 89 years, CIU will field our first intercollegiate athletic teams in fall 2012. Why athletics at CIU? It fits with our purpose of educating people from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of Christ. Imagine the outreach that student-athletes and coaches can have both at home and abroad using the platform of athletics to share the good news of Jesus Christ
Our Sports
Fall 2012 marks the beginning of an aggressive five-year plan introducing intercollegiate athletics at CIU.
Our League
CIU will compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), whose mission is to use athletic competition as an integral component of education, evangelism, and encouragement.
Our Mascot
The ram was chosen as the CIU mascot for its strength and its biblical significance. Not only are rams known as ferocious defenders of their territory and their flock, the ram is a symbol of God's provision - a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Click here for more information on becoming a founding member of the CIU Rams Club!
Cheryl Guinther is the communications coordinator for the Alumni Ministries Office of Columbia International University. She serves alumni with genuine personal care and a professional approach developed over years as an executive administrative assistant and missionary. Cheryl worked over six years for a Christian financial management company providing client-care to seniors. As a missionary with Brethren in Christ World Missions in Zambia, Africa, Cheryl managed a mission guesthouse, served with a church team taking the “Jesus Film” to outlying villages, and started a “Reading Room” ministry to help street children return to school. For the last five years, she has been a mentor in the Missions Development Program for Brethren in Christ World Missions. Cheryl and her husband, Peter, moved to Columbia from Mechanicsburg, Penn. in August of 2010 so that Peter could complete his Master of Divinity degree at CIU. She enjoys reading, gardening, volunteering at a women’s shelter, and the close fellowship with her neighbors in the CIU Village.
Cheryl’s favorite Scripture verse is Romans 13:8.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Chesed Berry
Bachelor of Arts, Humanities, 2003, Columbia International University
Human Resources, LifeChurch.tv
Edmond, OK
I transferred into Columbia International University with an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies, so my two years in the Humanities Department at CIU were packed with all the good stuff! The combination of studying Scripture along with the study of Humanities was challenging and revelatory. I soaked up every bit of the course work and loved the professors who were passionate about facilitating debate and discussion, experiential learning, study tours, projects, and individual research. The culture of this particular program of study was intimate and intellectual, and discussions most often continued well after leaving the classroom.
I fully believed when I graduated I would go directly to the mission field to implement my educational experience. However I found myself back home in Destin, Fla., with student loans, working in the marketplace. To be completely transparent, I often struggled with feelings that I was wasting time, settling for the comforts of home. Each time those thoughts would discourage me God would provide yet another opportunity for me to speak truth to someone in conflict, to provide for someone in need, and to share His love with someone in pain. Gradually, God got through to me that my mission field existed wherever I was and that everything I did could be ministry. The lesson is a crucial one – God wants to and will use you no matter where you are, as long as you remain available. Looking back, I can see how He gently prodded and guided me to each workplace, and how all of my experience led up to my current role.
In February 2011, my husband, Patrick, and I moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, to work at LifeChurch.tv, a multi-site church reaching more than 30,000 people each weekend on 14 campuses. Tens of thousands more all over the globe attend Church Online weekly. This incredibly generous organization is making a lasting difference around the world by leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Through life-changing messages and experiences, free resources, and cutting-edge technology, we’re using every tool within our grasp to spread God’s truth and love across the planet. Our senior pastor, Craig Groeschel, often reminds us that to reach people no one is reaching, we have to do things that no one else is doing. My role in Human Resources is not at all what I had in mind when I graduated from Columbia International University. How could I have known that God would present me with the privilege of serving Him through the ministry of LifeChurch.tv? Even though it is not at all what I expected, it is so much more than I could have ever imagined!
Download a printable version of this Impact story here.
This graduate of Columbia International University is like 17,000 other alumni around the world making an impact every day. If you want an undergraduate, graduate or seminary education that equips you to make a real difference, we need to meet.