2010

At the biennial Longo Lecture, Christianity Today Media Group editor in chief and vice president David Neff presented "Earth Day and the New Earth: Is creation care in competition with second-coming Christianity?" Neff proposed that, as Christians who look forward to Jesus' second coming, "we can love both the planet as we know it and the world as God will remake it." The Longo Lecture was presented on the evening of January 28, but in the morning professor and lecture coordinator Greg Schneider and environmental studies major Molly Reeves interviewed Neff for the colloquy program. At that time, he talked about the founding of Christianity Today magazine by Billy Graham in the '50s and also opened discussion about environmental stewardship and how Christians do and should address it. At the lecture in the evening, Neff presented a more formal and thorough look at how the Christians with a strong eschatology (theology regarding the end of the world and the Second Coming, etc.) have viewed the environment and environmental stewardship throughout history, recent trends and movements, and "how people with that kind of a faith focus can think best about caring for the environment." Neff first talked about Christianity's theology about...

The 2010 Winter Revival at Pacific Union College brought the annual series of morning and evening programs to inspire spiritual growth among students with a new twist: The speakers were all recent PUC grads who have gone into ministry. The revival took place during January and was themed "The Word from the Frontlines," with alums Beejay Wheeler ('09), Dustin Comm ('07), Brian Simmons ('06), Zach Reiber ('09), Godfrey Miranda ('05), and D'andre Campbell ('07) presenting. Each of the speakers brought PUC thoughts on where God is leading our church, especially through this generation's leadership. Comm, Pastor of Youth and Media for Calimesa (California) Adventist Church, talked about his basketball days at PUC, explaining that there's a "big difference between being a player and being a fan." In the three years since leaving PUC, he said, he's noticed that some people become "spiritual fans" who are supporters of the cause of Jesus, but fail "to engage him in the dynamic relationship that he calls us to." He posed a question to the PUC congregation: "Are you a fan, or are you a player?" Wheeler, a theology grad and youth pastor in Placerville, Calif., spoke on how Jesus condemmed religious leaders who,...

David Neff, editor in chief and vice president of editorial for the Christianity Today Media Group, will speak for the Longo Lecture at Pacific Union College on January 28. Neff will lecture on "Earth Day and the New Earth: Is creation care in competition with second-coming Christianity?" He will investigate questions about a Christian approach to environmental responsibility and activism that can affirm both care for the present earth and anticipation of the earth made new. Neff has worked at Christianity Today International for almost 25 years, where he has guided the editorial process for Christianity Today, Books & Culture, and Christian History magazines. During this editorial career, he has written articles on a wide variety of topics, including climate change, Middle East politics, the American presidency and the rule of law, and the church fathers' approach to the Bible. In addition to his publishing work, Mr. Neff has worked with Northern Baptist Seminary to establish the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient-Evangelical Future. Before coming to Christianity Today, Mr. Neff edited InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's magazine for university students and was a pastor and religion teacher at Walla Walla College. The Longo Lecture Series brings major figures to PUC...

During the fall 2009 quarter, two Pacific Union College film and television majors got a chance to intern with American Zoetrope, the film production company of legendary filmmaker and Napa Valley local Francis Ford Coppola. Seniors Ryann Pulido and Tim Wolfer were accepted into an internship working at Coppola’s Napa Valley studio in Rutherford, about 20 minutes from PUC. The work itself was not very glamorous — like many internships, it mostly consisted of cleaning and organizing around the office and making coffee. Through these low-level tasks, however, the two were able to gain some valuable insights into their future careers. “It’s actually the best place to watch from,” says Wolfer. “You really don’t know anything and they have no expectations of you, so you can actually learn and soak it in.” “Seeing filmmaking firsthand instead of reading about it was valuable,” says Pulido. “It takes you from what you think it will be to what it actually is. When I first went there I was kind of afraid they were going to be mean or bossy. But everyone there was extremely friendly and it was like a family atmosphere.” That wasn’t the only illusion that was shattered by this...

During the Christmas season this year, Pacific Union College held its first Global Medical Brigade (GMB) trip. The site was in Honduras, the second-poorest country in Central America, and 22 students and one physician devoted a week of their vacation with the mission of providing medical care. GMB is an organization developing sustainable health initiatives and providing relief in areas of limited healthcare access, with a focus in Central America. It is a program of Global Brigades, Inc., the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. They define "brigades" as “groups of passionate volunteers who mobilize toward positive social change.” Last year, several PUC students went on a GMB trip with UCLA, and this year the movement spread to our own campus. In December, the PUC students were joined by a few La Sierra University and Loma Linda University students, PUC staff member Edilson Garcia, and student Janna Vassantachart's father, Prasit Ben Vassantachart, who works in internal medicine. The PUC brigade traveled to Tegucigalpa and settled into brick cabins alongside Sociedad Amigos de los Niños- Nuevo Paraiso Village, the orphanage project of a nun named Sister Maria Rosa. The first day was spent visiting the orphans and...

The Pacific Union Community has watched in sorrow news of the tragic earthquake in Haiti. The campus rejoiced with our one student from Haiti, Pierre Julov, when he was finally able to speak with his parents and learned that they were alive and well. In the meantime, the community has endeavored to help in several ways, most notably when the Angwin Community Services pledged up to $10,000 in matched funds. Calls for participation were made at colloquy and church services and word spread across campus, resulting in the raising of $17,690 — totaling $27,690 with the matching funds. Another connection came in the form of a PUC alum. On January 14, Scott Nelson ('92) arrived in Haiti to set up an orthopedic surgical unit. Nelson works as a medical director for CURE International at a hospital in the Dominican Republic and has made numerous trips in the past to Haiti to perform corrective surgery for children. At Hopital du la Communitie Haitien, Nelson and his team found many orthopaedic cases filling the parking lot and patio, as people were too frightened to go inside the building. "One 3 year old child was about to get his arm amputated by an...

At Southwestern Adventist University's (SWAU) winter graduation this year, PUC director of library services Adu Worku spoke on "What a Difference Education Makes." He shared his own story of being a shepherd boy and not beginning school until the age of 15, going on to earn three master's degrees; he is now a great proponent of the value of Adventist education. "Seventh-day Adventist education is value-added education," he said during his address. "The education we provide is both timely and timeless. It is purpose driven with consequences for this life and for the life to come." Following the address and the bestowing of degrees, SWAU president Eric Anderson, a former professor at PUC, surprised Worku by presenting him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Anderson said that Worku's "life story is an illustration of the transforming power of Christian education,” adding that "today he is one of the most learned men I know.” Worku is a musician, poet, activist, teacher, and writer and has earned master's degrees in history, education, and library science. Worku and his family also have connections to PUC in addition to his role at the library. Worku received his undergrad degree at Avondale, but...

In its annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial colloquy, Pacific Union College celebrated the legacy of this civil rights leader in several ways on January 14, 2010. PUC president Dr. Heather Knight opened with a brief background on Dr. King and thoughts on his legacy, which influences our own campus as a "dynamic multicultural learning community," she said. "We owe a lot to Dr. King." She also shared a little-known fact about King's name: His father was named Michael Luther King and named his son Michael Luther King Jr. After a family trip to Germany, the family was so impressed by the life and legacy of Martin Luther that King's father changed both his and his son's names to Martin. The program featured several beautiful and energetic songs from a recently formed PUC gospel choir, who, said Dr. Knight in her intro, "are truly embodying our living out of the 'Beloved Community' here on campus." One of their songs, "Bless Me (Prayer of Jabez)," was dedicated to those suffering from the recent earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Norman Knight, PUC's outreach chaplain, delivered a sermon – "a message that I believe Martin Luther King would bring to college students today." He...