I’ve been at Rochester College for the past couple days speaking to some of their student leaders. I’ve said this before here and I’ll say it again: RC is an incredible school. It has an amazing, diverse student body. It has a strong administrative team (lead by Mike Westerfield, the president) and some of the best teachers I know.
I got to stay with John, Sara, Nate, and Brynn Barton, the family we stayed with for a month while they were still missionaries in Uganda. We got to know John and Sara well when I was preaching at the College Church and they were students at Harding. It was also a blast to have our buddies Greg Taylor and Mark Moore staying there.
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As I think of these friends, the old Jinja mission team, and the gang of buddies that I climbed Kilimanjaro with, please check out www.kibogroup.org.
Here’s what the site says about “who we are”: “Kibo - (pronounced, kee-bow) is the highest point in Africa, the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro rising 20,000 feet above the plains of Tanzania. It has long been the goal of many Western climbers who come each year by the thousands and pay thousands of dollars to take the challenge of climbing to Uhuru (freedom) peak. The Kibo group was founded and incorporated as a 501c3 by a group of such climbers in 1999. 14 of us made the five-day climb, half of us lived in east Africa at the time, collectively we represented 80+ years of living and working in Africa. Learn more about how the Kibo Group was founded. Our trip to the highest point in Africa inspired us to help take African communities to their highest points. Since that climb we have been funding various small-scale projects presented to us by East Africans. At present we limit our interaction with countries located in the lake Victoria basin, focusing on the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Recently, as our partners have succeeded the Kibo group has grown to meet the increase in interest. Kibo is not a religious organization yet it is faith based in that our common faith in God inspired us to act in this way. We will consider any group or person that displays a creative spirit, a sustainable plan and a heart for social entrepreneurship. Read more about our motivations.”
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Those of you bringing students to ACU — I hope to see you Sunday morning. Our assemblies will be at 8:15 and 11:00.
RC is a great place. I taught adjunct Youth Ministry classes there in the 90’s while I was a youth guy in Michigan.
For all you preacher types out there (and David Fleer can thank me later for the advertising, albeit it is on someone else’s blog, but hey Mike, you started the RC thread), here’s a plug for their Sermon Seminar in May - GO to it. It is one of the most helpful sermon seminars I have ever attended. Valuable homiletic stuff. Plus it is really cheap. It is the best kept secret around.
I have likewise been impressed with students from RC, though I’ve never been there myself. Mostly I’m posting to recommend the Kibo group to those interested. I met Clint at the Tulsa workshop and was impressed with both him and the vision that the organization has. I’m excited to see what they’ll do for the Kingdom, especially here in Tanzania. BTW, I’ll be able to see the Kibo summit from my backyard in about 3 months, as soon as we finish language school and move to Moshi. Jealousy is an appropriate response.
We (KentF, Megan and I) will be there Sunday at 8:15. We are all looking forward to it. Have a great day!
IMHO, much of the credit for Rochester College’s current excellence goes to Ken Johnson, RC’s previous president. He recruited staff and faculty with excellence in mind (he brought current president Westerfield in as part of his team). Most importantly, he led the board through a process of defining, refining, and focusing the college’s vision in a way that encourages independent thought on the part of students and faculty. Ken was a risk-taker and had the courage to take bold action when he felt it was necessary. His wife Mary was a tireless promoter and fund-raiser. I am thankful for their impact on Rochester College.
When I think of Rochester College I think of one of my business teachers - Jeff Simmons. Jeff taught me at least once every semester I attended school there. He put up with me in his class, a firebrand overemotional canuck who, freshman year, had something to prove to every American she came in contact with. Over the course of four years, he got used to me barging into his office to speak my mind about whatever I was struggling with at the moment. He had a box of kleenex he probably replaced more than a few times because I went to his office in tears. He led us on mission trips into Detroit with IMAGE. One summer he led us to Brasil. I’m sure when I graduated part of him was thankful adventures with Allison was coming to a close.
But they didn’t. He got frantic late night phone calls from ACU as a novice TA tried to get a handle on the classes she was teaching. He got discouraging e-mails when grad school and life in Texas got to be too much - all of which were replied to with not a little humour and a great deal of encouagement. Five years after I graduated he (and his family) drove hours just to be at my wedding.
The point of all this seemingly pointless rambling is this. RC does have “an amazing, diverse student body” who are “impressive.” A very big part of the reason they are impressive is because they are a reflection of the faculty and staff, people like Jeff, who have sunk their entire lives into that school and her students, teachers whose commitments to teaching don’t stop when their students graduate. Attending college there was one of the greatest blessings of my life….thanks for this post, it reminded me of all of that.
We’re starting our trek from Ohio to Abilene next Tuesday. Not looking forward to the unbearable heat, but we are looking forward to hearing an uplifting message. Our son can’t wait to get back, just wishes that Sophomore Bible classes included Mike Cope. Thank you Highland for ministering to my children while they are away from home.
Mike,
I’m very glad to hear your report on Rochester College. It was my opportunity to attend college there (NorthCentral Christian College - later Michigan Christian College) my first year of college and the first year of the college.
I am honored that I have been invited to speek in chapel there on September 29th. and preach at the Lake Orion church that following Sunday.
I enjoy your blog daily.
SPEAK - not “Speek” - Sorry, spell check must not be working.
I downloaded some of the summer sermons off the web, Mike. I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed and appreciated the Teaching Children to Dance: Lord’s Supper one. Thanks for being a blessing.
I want to give a shout out to the current jinja team they are an amazing group of young people whose passion and love for Jesus is apparent in how they are already serving these communities. Spencer and Emily, Ben and Kym and Mark and Lori are salt and light. It’s great to know that a wonderful mission was passed on to some unbeliveable servants of Jesus Christ.
Thanks, Happytheman. Blessings on the Jinja team — and all the other groups in East Africa.
I believe that Rochester College will one day be the college/university associated with the CoC that is most responsible for the direction of the CoC — and that is a wonderful and encouraging thought.