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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.
Tullian Tchividjian
Philosophy, 1997, Columbia International University
Lead Pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
Fort Lauderdale, FL
After dropping out of high school, and being kicked out of my home, God saved me at age 21. But I never would have dreamed what God had in store for me. With an overwhelming hunger to learn after becoming a Christian, I wanted to go to college but didn’t think I’d get accepted. Columbia International University accepted me on probation, and three-and-a-half years later, I graduated with a degree in philosophy.
My time at CIU was absolutely foundational for me, both academically and spiritually. I was challenged by professors who invested in my life outside the classroom. One of those professors, Dr. Jack Layman, opened my eyes and mind to God’s providence throughout history. He inspired my passion for history and philosophy in a way that still affects me.
As my time at CIU came to a close, I begged God to use me in whatever way He saw fit. I sensed that the investment CIU made in me not only gave me the resources to do ministry, but also sparked in me a desire to minister. In addition to equipping me with tools for ministry, the ethos of the school made me want to be part of something world-changing.
I’d like to believe I’m involved in a world-changing ministry now at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church where I serve as the lead pastor. Here I daily put to use the tools God gave me at CIU, but it has not been an easy road. It was during the beginning of my time at Coral Ridge that I experienced the most painful six months of my life. I never realized how much I had come to depend on human acceptance and approval until God took it away. This challenge showcased the idolatry inside my heart that needed to be dealt with. God used Colossians 1 to help me discover the liberating power of the gospel in new ways.
Because of the profound impact this trial had on my life, if I had one sermon left to give with a worldwide audience, it would be titled “Jesus + Nothing = Everything.” I would demonstrate through Colossians 1, and my personal experience, how in the person of Jesus, God comes after sinners like me – not to strip away our freedom – but to strip away our slavery to self so that we can become truly free.
Life and ministry are full of joys and challenges – no one is exempt. Some of our struggles are self-imposed while others come at us from the outside. When the difficulties come, I’m grateful for the people and places God has used to prepare me, and CIU is certainly one of them.
Download a printable version of this Impact story here.
Listen to Tullian's message at a recent CIU Chapel
Tullian on CIU
Tullian on Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
Tullian on Life as Billy Graham's Grandson
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.