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Pastor Paul Graham spoke for PUC’s Winter Revival, January 25–28. The theme of the four-day series was “Grounded in Love,” and Graham emphasized the importance of building a foundation in Christ. Being rooted in Christ enables one to look past the day-to-day difficulties of life and believe that God has already overcome, said Graham. Among other Biblical stories, Graham examined the parable of the prodigal son, likening the prodigal son’s venture away from home to the way one may venture away from God by choosing activities that are not pleasing to Him. Graham encouraged students to surround themselves with friends that will help—not hinder—one’s walk with God. After Friday vespers, Graham addressed a Q-and-A session in Scales Chapel. Student leaders had previously distributed index cards and pens in the lobby of the church for students to write any questions they had for the pastor. Many students submitted requests for guidance in their personal relationships. Graham addressed these questions directly, also taking questions from the students in attendance. The chapel filled quickly with students eager to find answers. Graham is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and currently serves as senior pastor at the Restoration Praise Center in Lanham, Maryland....

Pacific Union College held its first annual Service Day on January 20, 2012, by organizing a fair featuring service opportunities for students from local and international non-profits. The day aimed to inspire students to serve their world and showcased opportunities to put that inspiration into action.According to PUC Service Coordinator Fabio Maia, the idea was to create more volunteer opportunities for students. "We brought in non-profits in the area to provide opportunities students can signup for," said Maia. "But it's not just a signup list for them to be contacted at a later date. We wanted to provide real opportunities so they can start serving."Among the organizations at the fair were St. Helena Hospital and Rose Haven, the Napa Youth Advocacy Center, the St. Helena Family Center, and other organizations serving the Napa Valley. Alongside the local organizations were groups like Developing Communities Nicaragua, and Project Pueblo that showcased opportunities to serve outside the Valley. The mayors of Calistoga and St. Helena, Jack Gingles and Del Britton, were also present.Mayor Britton said he believes PUC contributes positively to the Napa Valley. "One of the nice things about PUC is its 'service first' philosophy," he said. "The advantage of a fair...

Pacific Union College held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Colloquy on January 12, 2012, celebrating the legacy of this civil rights leader ahead of Monday’s federal holiday in his memory. The program featured a presentation by Norman Knight, PUC’s outreach chaplain, entitled Beyond the Red Sea and highlighted the college’s diversity and its commitment to continued progress in the area. Knight focused on the message King would have had for young people on college campuses across the country were he still living today. Knight opened his address by reading the account in Exodus 16:1-3 where the Children of Israel were grumbling to their leaders. Knight used this as a springboard to weave a puissant narrative paralleling the civil rights movement with the struggles of oppressed people everywhere and the responsibilities that come with arrival in the “promised land” or an end to oppression. Knight discussed the movements of people standing up for their civil rights as springing from an innate human force which refuses to be suppressed. “It is always true that when you have one force dedicated to denying people their freedom and dignity, you will always have another force committed to ensuring liberty and liberation. The...

Two Pioneers basketball players won California Pacific Conference honors last week when they were named players of the week. The conference recognized senior Josh Jewett from the men’s team, and senior Carla Bartlett from the women’s team, for outstanding play last week against West Coast Baptist College and the California Institute of Technology.Read more at the Napa Valley Register....

Peter Thornburgh, recently creative director at Yahoo!, was the speaker for Pacific Union College’s Colloquy Speaker Series on December 1. Following his presentation, students filled the Dining Commons for the 31st annual Career Day exhibition, where over 60 consultants, recruiters, and professionals shared their experiences in the work field. Thornburgh began his presentation by highlighting a U.S. Department of Education statistic showing that over 65 percent of today’s middle school students will land jobs that do not yet exist, emphasizing the effect technology will have on future careers. Thornburgh gave students three keys to success in the technology driven economy. First, Thornburgh urged, “Don't be average, be invested.” Recalling Psalm 139:14, where David praises God for making him with such care, he said, “God doesn’t make good, he makes great.” Second, he said, “Let God guide.” Finally, he encouraged students to take advantage of any support available, stating, “Don’t go it alone…work with your colleagues.” After sharing his keys to success, Thornburgh referred to late Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. In the speech, Jobs urged students to look for something they love. Thornburgh repeated that advice but with a caveat: “Finding a job you love...

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, creator of over 25 films including The Power of Forgiveness, Bonhoeffer, and The Adventists, visited Pacific Union College last week to address students, present one of his films, and give the college’s annual Longo Lecture. Doblmeier’s engagement at PUC opened Wednesday evening with a screening of The Adventists, his documentary exploring the denomination’s unique whole-person approach to healthcare. After the screening in Scales Chapel, the filmmaker spent several minutes answering questions about the film, which premiered on public television in 2010. On Thursday morning Doblmeier faced a panel of student interviewers for PUC’s Colloquy Speaker Series in the PUC Church. Following a moving clip of his film The Power of Forgiveness, students Samantha Angeles, Peter Han, and Justin Feltman took the stage with the filmmaker to ask him about his views on Adventism, justice, filmmaking, and the controversial German resistance figure Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “The common denominator in my films is exploring the question, ‘How is God working in the world today?’” Doblmeier said, responding to a question from Feltman on how he chooses his topics. Doblmeier also discussed the complexities of showing The Adventists, a film that to a degree promotes facets of Adventist faith...

College administrators, PUC alumni, faculty, and staff celebrated the dedication of the newly renovated Nelson Memorial Library at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, November 12. Several of the project’s major donors attended, and President Heather Knight, interim advancement vice president Carolyn Hamilton, and library director Adu Worku took the opportunity to thank them for their contributions. After a dedication prayer by outreach chaplain Norman Knight, the president, along with Worku and donors Jim and Bonnie Comazzi, Hans and Nancy Boksberger, and Herb Ford cut the ribbon, welcoming in the crowd of eager attendees. In front of the new and brightly-lit group study rooms provided by Adventist Health, Knight again addressed donors, thanking them for making the renovation possible. Academic dean Nancy Lecourt, the point person for the planning stage of the renovation, also spoke about the project, and Worku outlined the philosophy of the modern library that had developed over the 10-plus years since the plan was first conceived. Over the course of the renovation, construction crews completely stripped the main floor of the library, removing over 50,000 books to a remote storage facility on campus. The expanded space on the floor is now brightly decorated and well lit and features...

Last week the CalPac conference recognized two Pioneers volleyball players for their performance in the recently closed season. Senior Casey Miller was named to the 1st Team All-Conference group, and junior transfer student Calai Brown was named one of the conference’s two Newcomers of the Year. Head coach Brittany Brown had glowing praise for the two players. “[Casey] is one of those players that really gives 100 percent every day and helps set the tone for PUC volleyball for years to come,” she says. “[Calai] has come into this program with a strong understanding of collegiate volleyball and really excelled this season.” Miller finished the season leading the Pioneers in kills, with 205 (3.1 kills per set). She was second on the team with 23 service aces on the season, and she also finished second on the team with 191 digs and third with 18 total blocks on the year. Brown finished the season third on the team in kills, with 123 (1.68 per set) and second on the team with 27 total blocks on the year. “I’m glad that it was my senior year,” says Miller. “It’s a nice way to finish. I consider it an honor.” “It feels...

On Sunday, Oct. 30, a group of Pacific Union College students spent the day restoring the wildlife habitat surrounding Lake Berryessa. The recreational site, which is just a half hour drive from the PUC campus, had been damaged by human impact and the students’ hope was to rebuild it by planting native species that once flourished in the habitat but have been unable to survive in the current conditions. There were 18 students involved with the project, which was led by Aimee Wyrick, assistant professor of biology. Students in Wyrick’s conservation biology class made up the majority of the group, although the event was also open to biology majors and anyone else who was interested. Three park rangers from the Bureau of Reclamation also helped with the project. “As a biology major who has taken ecology and conservation classes, I've always studied cases of habitat degradation and how we need to conserve what we have left,” says senior Brian Lee. “The habitat restoration that we performed really drove home the fact that these ecosystems are incredibly fragile and that these problems may be witnessed in our own backyard.” Students planted blue oak acorns, native trees that take about a decade...

According to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder, goodness isn’t a virtue that people naturally embrace, particularly when you’re considering the goodness of another human. “We all tend to push away evidence of virtuousness that exceeds our own,” said Kidder at a lecture at Pacific Union College. Kidder was in Angwin on October 27, 2011, as part of PUC’s Colloquy Speaker Series and to discuss his book, “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.” The book is this year’s selection for PUC Reads, a campus-wide book club. Kidder shared with the audience, comprised mostly of college students, his own encounter with a character of true benevolence, what it unveiled, and how it impacted his own world perspective. His presentation recounted the story of Farmer, a Harvard-educated physician and anthropologist who has committed his life to diagnosing and curing infectious diseases in impoverished communities. Kidder first met him by accident in 1994 while researching American soldiers in Haiti. But it was specifically the virtue of Farmer—his insistent idealism and courage—that kept Kidder from actually pursuing his story for another six years. Kidder surmised that a character “so gifted, so self-sacrificing, so passionate for...