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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.
John Weaver
Master of Arts, Intercultural Studies, 1998, Columbia International University
Sharing God's Love in Central Asia
Since I graduated from Columbia International University, I have had the privilege of serving in various cross-cultural ministries, such as teaching English, Scripture translation, emergency relief, community development, story-telling evangelism, small group discipleship, literacy programs, leadership, and skills development.
Studying at CIU was like a dream come true for me. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home and my parents are divorced. However, I sensed God’s call to full-time Christian work and, therefore, wanted to pursue graduate studies to better equip myself for ministry. After completing my master’s degree in Intercultural Studies in May 1998, I was so inspired to declare His glory among unreached people groups that I missed the graduation ceremony to go on a survey trip throughout Central Asia. For me, the two-week vision trip turned into a long-term commitment to share God’s love among those who have never heard the Good News.
My favorite place in Central Asia is Afghanistan. I have so many memorable experiences, such as sharing the Christmas Story while implementing Afghanistan’s first Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution just months after 9/11, watching the Jesus Film with many first-time viewers, seeing Afghans read or hear the Word of God for the very first time, witnessing the transforming power of the gospel and gathering in house-groups to worship the Messiah. However, one of the greatest events of my life in Afghanistan was a Christian wedding – my own. Yes, in God’s sovereign plan, I met my wife in Afghanistan. God allowed us to have several local Afghan-style celebrations and joyous wedding ceremonies, where thousands of our Afghan friends heard the Good News of our Father’s love in their own language.
Looking back, my time at CIU was paramount to helping me confirm God’s call on my life and further develop God’s passion for unreached people groups. God loves Afghans, and it is a privilege to work among them. I am so blessed and grateful for my training at CIU, the friendships formed and the daily interaction with godly men and women who faithfully teach from a biblical worldview. May God continue to send students to CIU who, after a season of study, can be sent out all over the world to share His love in both word and deed.
If you would like to read more, my latest book is “A Flame on the Front Line.”
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.