I recognize that this message is late. We have been working on this for a couple of days - and though late, it is still essential that I share these words with you today.
Our country is undergoing a lot of turmoil right now. None of us could have expected the ravages of the coronavirus or the disruption of society caused by the senseless death of George Floyd. As Christians, we are not only saddened, but incensed by the pervasive racism we see around us and the increasing divide we see among people in our culture.
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If you took time this week to pray for York College: Thank you. If not, there is no time like the present! We believe prayer changes things because if there was ever a visible demonstration of God's response to prayer, it is York College.
A few days ago I received the email below from a staff member at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York. As many know, we have been offering a degree program for a cohort of women at the facility. The first cohort is about finished and we hope to start another next year. Faculty love teaching there because the students are so engaged and interested in studying and improving their lives. Students in the program are effusive in their thanks that we provide this program and allow them to see a better life...
It's great to have faculty members that really care. It is what defines this place.
Just one example is Dr. Milton Eckhart. Dr. Eckhart is a MD who had been preaching in Colorado. He and his wife Holly assist with medical missions in Haiti as well as a preacher training school. He applied for a position in our science department a few years ago. At the time he applied, he also had opportunity to go to a much larger school for a better salary and be closer to his aging parents. I have opportunity to visit with a lot of prospective students during the year. I always mention our mission and how it impacts us, mainly due to the size of the school.
We know each other. It is hard to convey to people who are just looking for a good place to get an education what a difference it makes to be in an environment where people know you personally (not just your name) and care about you (not just your grades). We just completed the first chapel of the semester. It is so encouraging to have students back and engaged in our lives.
We talked a bit about the world we live in and how it is increasingly negative, but that here, we can create an environment that is positive and supporting. After chapel two young men approached me (separately). One indicated that he had encountered several deaths of loved ones during the summer and that he needed to be with family. He then clarified that, "I needed to be here with THIS family." The second young man said that he had been thinking about the same things and that he wanted to work together to make our culture and experience here positive and uplifting for everyone. What a great heart. Last Friday we were blessed to feed one of the women's athletic teams at our house. At the end of the evening the coach asked the girls to share a hero, an inspiring moment and a hardship they had to endure. The hardships they shared were poignant and revealed the pain that this world is inflicting. I listened to stories of mental illness, abuse, loss of fathers and mothers, physical injuries and a host of other situations these young women have endured in their lives. Their courage and desire to find something better for the future became my inspiring moment.
Going away to college for the first time (or the second in the case of transfer students) is an emotional experience for families. Probably more so for parents. Each year at Parent Orientation I talk to incoming student's parents about some of the challenges they and their student will face. Here are the top 12 tips I always tell parents on the momentous day when they will drive away and leave their students behind...
The baseball team "snuck" into the regional playoffs of the NAIA World Series this week by a tremendous showing at the KCAC conference tournament. LaRee and I were able to go to Oklahoma City to watch them play. We won one game and lost two, so we are home now.
This was initially a disappointing season for our perennially strong program. We struggled to stay above .500 on the season. Through our placing in the KCAC tournament we were able to win the second spot in the playoffs from our conference. Today was the last chapel. Keeping with tradition, it was praise chapel where we just sing for the entire chapel and end with a prayer. Since we have assigned seating in chapel, students are given a moment to move wherever they like before we start singing. It is a "fruit basket turnover" to use an old phrase. For a few moments there is bedlam before things settle down and the singing starts.
Today something unique happened. I often try to sit down front during praise chapel because the singing is so beautiful and there are fewer distractions. Today was especially meaningful because it was our last chapel and our last praise chapel. One of our seniors came stood next to me on the front row, which was otherwise all faculty and staff members. She stood between Dr. Mountjoy and me. She said she just wanted to spend the last chapel beside us. I was touched and honored. |
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June 2020
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York College1125 E 8th St
York, NE 68467 1-800-950-YORK 1-402-363-5600 www.york.edu York College Online http://online.york.edu The mission of York College is to transform lives through Christ-centered education and to equip students for lifelong service to God, family and society. |
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