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Dr. Robertson McQuilkin: My Friend and Mentor
As a CIU doctoral student traveling back and forth from Atlanta to take weeklong intensive
courses in 1989, I remember being called out of class one day and ushered into the office of
the president. I didn’t realize at the time, but I was being interviewed for a faculty position.
Someone had forgotten to tell me that they wanted me to join the team. The dean of the
seminary introduced me to President Robertson McQuilkin who asked me if I would do
fundraising if I came on faculty. I respectfully told President McQuilkin that I had not applied
for a job.
Unflappable, he paused for a moment and queried, “Hypothetically, if you
were
looking
for a job, and it were to be at CIU, would you be willing to help raise funds?” I told him,
“Hypothetically, yes I would,” not realizing that years later I would spend
a lot of my time
raising funds for CIU!
That unusual meeting began a decades long friendship with the man I considered my mentor;
one who guided me through my years as a CIU professor, provost and president. Robertson
McQuilkin, the son of CIU’s first president, literally grew up with the school. His birth came
just a few years after CIU’s establishment as Columbia Bible College. When he died, we lost
someone irreplaceable, and I miss him dearly.
Over the years, Dr. McQuilkin supported my efforts to reach the nations with the message of
Christ. Even though he made very few commitments during the years he cared for his wife,
Muriel, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, he did agree to serve on the board of Crossover
Communications International (CCI), the missions agency founded in my Atlanta basement in
1987. He made sure our strategies were cutting-edge and applauded us for making the world’s
unreached people groups our priority. Today CCI has planted 423 churches, 226 of them
among Muslims. Much of the credit from a human perspective goes to Dr. McQuilkin.
He also prayed for me daily, rejoiced with me when I had opportunities to share the gospel
with businessmen, and diligently guided me in my efforts as CIU president. He would preface
those discussions with “You know, I don’t want to tell you how to lead the school, but …” He
would then explain from his experience how I could be more effective.
Dr. McQuilkin impacted me the most, however, through his care of Muriel. His Christlike
character left a lasting impression. One memory, that is stamped indelibly on my mind, I visited
his house one day and the lid of a trash can happened to be open. I noticed an adult diaper, a
reminder of how he cared for the most intimate needs of his beloved. That experience made
me all the more desirous to serve my sweetheart and wife, Debby, as Christ loves His church.
Please join me in thanking God for blessing us with Robertson McQuilkin. Pray that his passion
for world evangelization, commitment to excellence in biblical education, and Christlike
character will always be the standard at Columbia International University.
Yours for His glory,
William H. Jones
President
THE FINAL WORD
When he
died, we lost
someone
irreplaceable,
and I miss
him dearly.
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THE FINAL WORD
CIU Today
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