CIU Today Fall 2015

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ike other CIU students, freshman
Joseph Knight hadn’t always had
CIU as his top choice for the college he
wanted to attend. Though his older sister,
Anna, was studying at CIU, he hoped to
study at a school closer to their home
in Manitou, Kentucky. Little did he know
that God would bring him to study on
another continent, before leading him to
CIU.
As his high school graduation
approached, Knight felt a clear call from
God to attend a discipleship training
school in Kenya. The program, called
HELD (Holistic Engagement for Life
and Discipleship), was an eight-month
journey that taught him more about God,
ministry, and crossing cultures.
“I was the only white person among
48 students,” he recalled. “That was a
big growing experience for me, a big
maturing experience.”
During his time in Kenya, Knight says he
felt a strong calling to study business at
CIU.
“I went to [Kenya] to find a direction,” he
said. “I asked God, ‘What major? What
school?’ I felt a leading from the Lord to
come to CIU.”
Knight will admit that he resisted the call
at first: he wanted to be closer to home.
But a passage in Scripture changed his
heart.
“I was reading in [the gospels] and the
passage was about Jesus calling his
disciples,” he said. “Jesus was calling
one of the brothers to leave their boat
and their nets behind to follow Him. And
I felt like God was calling me from my
area to CIU.”
Circumstances at home prevented Knight
from beginning at CIU immediately after
his time in Kenya, but on Aug. 24, he
began study as a member of the Class of
2019. A self-professed “people-person,”
he quickly found friends and community
that make CIU feel like home.
“Being on a campus, surrounded by
people in the dorms and in classes, is
awesome for me because I really like
people,” he said.
Knight has decided to major in Business
& Organizational Leadership. He hopes
to use his degree to impact people in
the United States and overseas, and
that four years at CIU will help him learn
more about business and make lasting
friendships.
“I like CIU, I like their standards and
their focus on missions,” he said. “I’m
getting a business degree to do missions
through business. I’m using that business
degree to impact the nations.”
Joseph
Knight
L
From Kentucky to Columbia
(by way of Kenya)
58.5% of the Class of 2019
plan to pursue
Christian ministry.
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