Partners in Missions

“We want to build a heart for outreach, experience Jesus cross-culturally, and be

obedient to do what God would want us to do”

Partners in MissionsBy Laura Adams

PHOTOS Katie Miller

This coming spring, Caroline and Steve Poetzl will lead a team of eleven New Hope Christian College students and a matching number from Northwest Christian

University on its second outreach to Tijuana, Mexico. The joint team will also be working with students from Southern California and Ohio.

“I look forward to meeting up with and ministering to desperate people,” said Steve Poetzl, talking about the groups of illegal aliens that have been kicked

out of the United States and live in the border towns. Many of the people do not have any work permits or visas or hope. “We can show them that

there is hope, “ he said.

While the team does not know what specifically they will be doing, they are planning to work with a Mexico-based organization

Puente De Amastad, which means “Gateway of Friendship.” Each student will have to raise about $450 for the trip and they

will be planning a couple of fundraisers. To save money, they will drive rather than fly.

The purpose of the trip is to build the kingdom of God through evangelism and service. “We want to build a

heart for outreach, experience Jesus cross-culturally, and be obedient to do what God would want us to

do, “ said Carolyn Poetzl.

People in the community can get involved by committing to pray for the team, helping

with the fundraisers and donating ministry supplies such as blankets, soccer balls,

diapers, toothbrushes and anything useful for work in poor areas.

The team that has been selected from NHCC includes Ashley Franks,

Gwen Fielder, Daniel Wolf, Anthony Argueta, Chris Erickson, Corinne

Neuschwander, Katie Miller, Jasmine Johnson, Jessica

Vineyard, Sarah Smith, and Daniel Loftis.

“It’s more competitive than tackle, it takes more skill to get the flag.”

By Laura Adams

PHOTOS Ryan Bluebaugh

“Besides winning,” the best part of flag football, according to team co-captain Brendan LeLacheur, “Is to play with the guys and see their abilities outside, seeing them relax and have fun.”

This is the second year that New Hope Christian College students have played Eugene city league flag football. The team is headed by Ryan Bluebaugh and Brendan LeLaCheur.

The idea for playing was originally from Bluebaugh. “He leads it and I support him and make things happen.” said LeLaCheur.

There are sixteen players on the New Hope team and eight are on the field at a time. The rules are similar to regular football, except that players have two flags that are pulled instead of being tackled. There are no fumbles and if the ball hits the ground the play is dead.

“It’s fun,” says NHCC Flag football player Luke LeCavalier, “It’s more competitive than tackle--it takes more skill to get the flag.”

Despite flag football’s general safer approach to the game, there have been a couple of minor injuries this year. Dominique Watson pulled a hamstring and Luke LaCavalier cut his leg on the turf and popped his left shoulder out of socket.

The city league season is eight weeks long and there are four teams that play once per week. Currently NHCC has two wins and two losses. You can see them play Sundays between 6 and 9 p.m. at Jefferson Middle School. Each game lasts about one hour.

L I G H T S

Engaging

By Krista Goecker

N ew Hope Christian College’s Professor Richard Beswick will teach a new course Islam and Christianity this spring. With the new class he hopes “to give students the background, experience

and confidence [so] that they can engage Muslims in dialogue on matters of truth, present a compelling case for Christ and create a reasonable foundation for friendship.”

The class will cover a wide variety of topics including Muhammad and his call, Islam’s history, Islamic beliefs and practices, what the Quran says about Jesus, the Bible, salvation, law, forgiveness, grace, the fall and judgment. The class will also include Christian and Muslim apologetics, the reliability of the Bible, the crucifixion, resurrection and deity of Jesus, the character and transmission of the Quran, and Islamic Mysticism and Muslim’s desire to know God. The class will have both Muslim and Christian missionary guest speakers, and debates from films, manuscripts, and Mars Hills Forum.

Dr. Beswick studied Philosophy of Religion and Ethics in his undergraduate at the University of Oregon and world religions and apologetics at Yale Divinity School. He has served as the director of the University Christian Fellowship at the University of Oregon for the past 33 years. In this process he has engaged people from many different religions. For the last five years he and his team have worked with different Muslim leaders. He is now meeting with two different Muslim groups. He has also taught the course on World Religions for 11 years at Northwest Christian University and five years at New Hope Christian College (formerly EBC).

Beswick thinks this class will be helpful to students by “reducing fear, sharpening our appreciation of the uniqueness of Jesus and the salvation offered only through him and forging links of friendship with Muslim students while we have the opportunity.”

This class has been added to the curriculum because it is important to know how to face the rising influence of Islam.

“New Hope is really achieving new levels of energy and impact, we have an opportunity to bring the truth of the Gospel into a very tough and dark arena. Islam claims to be the final word in religious revelation. But the apostle John said, ‘the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.’ (John 1:17)”

Starting next semester, New Hope Christian College will offer a new course, Introduction to Business and Management, as part of a bachelors degree in Leadership and Business. Headed up by David Brink, CFO and instructor at the college, the new program is about developing a worldview and application of strategic skills and techniques to enable students to successfully lead in diverse kinds of organizations they will encounter in their lives and careers.

“Leadership is leadership,” explained Brink, “Business does not just happen, you make it happen, and learning the fundamentals of business, organization and leadership are essentials to success. “ The curriculum will include courses in Bible and Theology, General Education including Math and Social Science, and Professional Education. The instructors will include current faculty as well as a pool of highly qualified adjuncts, including a Christian attorney to give the students a broad perspective.

Brink believes that good business is “every bit a much as ministry as a vocational pastor, but it is stripped of the trappings of formal church ministry.” He says that often pastors go into sales because they are “people people,” and that the business world is an opportunity for the harvest.

Offering the business degree in the context of the New Hope Christian College experience will help students not only learn business skills, but keep their moral foundation. Brink believes that Christians can be a light in the business world by doing their work “as unto Christ.” Referencing Miroslav Volf, a leading theologian and professor of theology at Yale, Brink said that, “ work in itself is not sacred, but what the believer brings to it makes it sacred.”

Work in itself is not sacred, but what the believer brings to it makes it sacred.

WORDS Laura AdamsPHOTO Derrick Miyaraha

New Hope Christian College

The Ignite Contributors

Editor: Laura AdamsCover Art: Gary HisaokaLayout: Ryan BluebaughWriters: Krista Goecker, Aleisha JohnsonPhotographers: Ryan Bluebaugh, Derrick Miyahara, and Katie Millertheignite@newhope.edu

© 2010 New Hope Christian College

Gary Lau is a visiting professor who is teaching Team Leadership with Dr. Paul Leavenworth. They

were introduced to each other by Bobby Clinton of Fuller Theological Seminary. “I wanted to teach a course based on his book The Making of a Leader and Dr. Paul Leavenworth wanted to make a workbook based on the same book.” They have finished the workbook and are team teaching the class this semester at New Hope.

Gary Lau is a full-time Foursquare Associate Pastor at New Hope Central Oahu, he is the Director of Undergraduate Studies and also teaches Old Testament and New Testament Survey at Pacific Rim Christian College in Hawaii.

Visiting Professors Enrich Campus LearningVisiting Professors Enrich Campus LearningPHOTOS & WORDS Laura Adams

Andy Homer is a visiting professor from Trinidad and Tobago, an English-speaking, two-island country in

the Caribbean. He and his wife attended New Hope Christian College (then EBC) from 1976- 1979. He is currently the senior pastor and field director for Open Bible Churches in Trinidad and Tobago. He is also an adjunct faculty member for Caribbean Nazarene College. His wife is the regional coordinator of Institute of Theology by Extension (INSTE) in the Caribbean.

During his stay on campus, Homer has been teaching in counseling classes and guest lecturing in missions classes. His specialty is Marriage and Family Counseling and he has been taking some time here in the U.S. to do some writing. He will also be holding a family enrichment seminar Friday, November 19.

One of the differences he noticed about people in the U.S. is their public displays of friendship and affection. “We do not hug and kiss in public,” he said, “Here people are not afraid to show emotions.”

Andy Homer guest lectures in Vicki Silverthorn’s counseling class.

Gary Lau teaches in Team Leadership class.

This is his second time visiting New Hope Christian College and is enjoying his time here. “There is a sense of friendliness, community and love, “ he said. “This place is going to go far.”

n Saturday, November 20th, New Hope Christian College will partner with Free People Eugene (www.freepeopleeugene.com) in a joint outreach effort to the homeless of the Eugene area. We will serve a Thanksgiving meal from 12 p.m.-3 p.m. at WOW Hall (www.wowhall.org) in Eugene and are hoping to reach 400+ in the homeless community.

Students, staff and community members can volunteer in various ways, from food preparation and serving, relational ministry and worship, to collecting sweatshirts and socks to pass out to those who come.

“We are not serving the homeless to stroke our egos and please our conscience,” says ASB president Chris Stites, “We want to stop talking about serving and actually get our hands dirty.”

If you are interested in volunteering and serving anytime between 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., please sign up at the New Hope Christian College reception area or contact Aleisha Johnson to find out how you can be a part of sharing Jesus’ love with those in need this Thanksgiving season.