What Angela learned about Christians at the University of Pennsylvania

Fall 2013Fall 2013

Transforming College Students to Transform the World

On Campus

About the CCOThe CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) is a campus ministry that partners with churches, colleges, and other organizations to develop men and women who live out their Christian faith in all areas of life.

Our Core Purpose is: Transforming college students to transform the world.

Our ministry is distinct in three ways:

1. Our ministry is transformational. We challenge the students we serve to submit every area of their lives to Jesus Christ.

2. We partner with churches, colleges, and other organizations, placing our staff in strategic positions of influence on campus. Most of our staff people serve as an arm of the local church on campus, while

others work in the chaplain’s office or in multicultural relations, student services, wilderness ministry, service learning, athletics, or residence life.

3. We do contextual ministry, meaning that our staff people adjust to the needs of the particular campus at which they serve. No two CCO ministries look exactly alike.

For more about us, please visit our website: www.ccojubilee.org

On Campus magazine is produced by the CCO’s Marketing & Communications team.

Photography by Andrew Rush

“Transforming college students to transform the world” is a registered trademark of the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach).

The Mark of the Christian“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

Many of us have probably sung this song in church, at camp, or maybe at Vacation Bible School.

A few years ago, two friends of the CCO, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, co-wrote a book called unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity…and Why It Matters. In it, they posed the question: “What are Christians known for?” What they discovered was often disheartening.

“Outsiders think of our moralizing, our condemnations, and our attempts to draw boundaries around everything. Even if these standards are accurate and biblical, they seem to be all we have to offer. …The truth is we have invited the hypocrite image.”

That’s the outsiders. What about the insiders?

“Fewer than half of churchgoers, including born-again Christians, felt strongly that their church demonstrates unconditional love.”

When you read the stories in this issue of On Campus, I hope you will understand why I am so encouraged and grateful to God for the ministry of the CCO. It is clear that our ministries at the University of Pennsylvania and Point Park University are welcoming and hospitable—and loving. The quality of Christian love is a common denominator across all 103 CCO campuses. CCO students and staff members are extending that love to students who already know Jesus, and especially to those who do not.

May God continue to make us people who love Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. And may college students feel that love and accept the embrace of the One who wants His love to transform their lives for the better.

Daniel J. DupeePresident & CEOCoalition for Christian Outreach

The CCO serves college students on 103 campusesAllegheny College American UniversityArcadia UniversityArt Institute of PittsburghAshland UniversityBall State UniversityBloomsburg University of

PennsylvaniaBluffton UniversityBrookdale Community

CollegeButler County Community

CollegeButler UniversityCabrini CollegeCalifornia University of

PennsylvaniaCapital UniversityCarnegie Mellon

UniversityCedar Crest CollegeCentenary CollegeChatham UniversityClarion University of

PennsylvaniaCollege of Staten IslandColumbus College of Art

& DesignColumbus State

Community College, Columbus Campus

Community College of Allegheny County, Allegheny Campus

Delaware County Community College

Denison UniversityDuquesne UniversityEastern UniversityEdinboro University of

PennsylvaniaElizabethtown CollegeElmira CollegeEsperanza CollegeFranklin & Marshall

CollegeGannon UniversityGeneva CollegeGeorgetown UniversityGordon CollegeGrove City College

Haverford CollegeHoward UniversityIndiana University of

PennsylvaniaIndiana University-Purdue

University Fort WayneJuniata CollegeKent State UniversityKent State University at

StarkKenyon CollegeKutztown University of

PennsylvaniaLa Roche CollegeLehigh Carbon

Community CollegeLycoming CollegeMalone UniversityMarion Technical CollegeMessiah CollegeMontgomery County

Community CollegeMontgomery County

Community College, West Campus

Ohio Dominican University

Ohio State UniversityOhio State University at

MarionOhio Wesleyan UniversityOtterbein University Owens Community

CollegePenn State AltoonaPenn State BeaverPenn State Erie, The

Behrend CampusPenn State Fayette, The

Eberly CampusPenn State Lehigh ValleyPenn State New

KensingtonPenn State University ParkPennsylvania College of

TechnologyPhiladelphia UniversityPittsburgh Technical

InstitutePoint Park University

Prince George’s Community College

Princeton UniversityPurdue UniversityRobert Morris UniversityShippensburg University of

PennsylvaniaSinclair Community

CollegeSlippery Rock University of

PennsylvaniaStark State CollegeTemple University Thiel CollegeUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of DaytonUniversity of FindlayUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh

School of Dental Medicine

University of Pittsburgh School of Law

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Villanova UniversityWashington and Jefferson

CollegeWaynesburg UniversityWest Virginia UniversityWest Virginia Wesleyan

CollegeWestminster CollegeWilliamson Free School of

Mechanical TradesWright State UniversityWyoTech BlairsvilleYale UniversityYork College of

PennsylvaniaYoungstown State

University

For her creative writing class, University of Pennsylvania senior

Angela Leonardo was challenged to write a 35-page paper about a community that interested her, of which she did not consider herself a member. A self-described agnostic, Angela had been invited by a friend to attend worship services at nearby City Church. That experience intrigued her, and so she decided she’d write her paper about the Christian community.

“I thought it would be cool to focus on the church for the writing class, because there isn’t a big Christian presence in West Philly,” Angela says. “It’s a very hippie, urban place and the scene that I grew up in was not religious at all.”

Michael Chen is the CCO campus staff member who partners with City Church to reach out to students at Penn, and he and his wife, Sonja, invited Angela into their home. She interviewed them, babysat for their young sons, accepted their invitation to join them at the CCO’s Jubilee conference in Pittsburgh, and even met up

with them and other students who participated on a spring break trip to New York City.

“I really got into the assignment, much more than some of the other students in my class,” Angela admits. “Spending so much time with Mike and Sonja and the students involved in the ministry gave me a much more positive view of what it means to be a Christian than I expected. I came in with an assumption that Christians are anti-intellectual, condemning and judging everyone, looking to some father figure in the sky. This hasn’t been true at all. All the people I’ve met are extremely thoughtful; having faith isn’t an easy way out for them. They aren’t seeking false comfort. The Christian students I’ve gotten to know are very nonjudgmental and welcoming.”

City Church partners with the CCO to bring Mike Chen to Penn. Church members place a high value on college ministry, and many of them serve as mentors to university students.

“Church members help prepare dinners every month for students, which are served after

our evening services,” Mike says. “We feed students a home-cooked meal, and an older, wiser person from the church will share about their calling and vocation and how to follow Christ for the long haul.”

As church members invest in them, and as Mike challenges them to step into uncomfortable places in the name of Jesus Christ, Penn students are being transformed. Even as Angela chose to move out of her comfort zone to explore Christianity, Mike presented a similar challenge to the students with whom he works closely.

continued on the next page

What Angela learned about

I came in with an assumption that Christians are anti-intellectual, condemning and judging everyone, looking to some father figure in the sky.

—Angela Leonardo, Univeristy of Pennsylvania 2013, Comparative Religions major

CHRISTIANS@ the University of Pennsylvania

About the University of PennsylvaniaFounded in 1740 by evangelist

George Whitefield, and further

influenced a decade later by

Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia’s

University of Pennsylvania is one

of America’s most prestigious Ivy

League universities. Today, Penn

educates an enrollment of nearly

25,000 undergraduate and graduate

students.

Mike Chen

Sonja Chen

What Angela learned, continued “One of our goals as

Christians on this campus is to move out and engage the entire campus community. It’s one thing for us to do this individually. It’s even more powerful when our entire community decides to engage the campus together.”

The group intentionally chose a location to meet that put students in direct contact with others from varying lifestyles and backgrounds. The response of students from both groups has been positive. “The place we meet is very hospitable and open to any groups using their space, and students there are really warm and welcoming,” says Michael. “It’s good for us to be there, reaching across divisions and breaking down walls.”

This open-hearted approach to outreach is changing lives of students at Penn—students like Angela.

“I have a feeling that the impact of this project will be important to me over the long haul,” Angela says. “This has been one of the rougher years in college. It started off with me interviewing Mike and Sonja about how they met, how they got connected to City Church. They have counseled me through a lot, including my curiosity about Christianity. They were very open to talking about it, allowing me to decide what to do with whatever they said.”

Angela was baptized at City Church in April. She graduated from Penn in May and is now teaching English in Argentina.

Franco Nilo University of Pennsylvania 2013, Economics major

Meeting Mike Chen has truly revolutionized my time at Penn. For all of my time leading up to meeting Mike, there seemed to be a really big void in the way that academics worked into my desire to walk in step with the Lord. Penn is a very stressful place and very few campus fellowships discuss the integration of work and faith.

Since starting college, I have changed in amazing ways. If I had to put it in one sentence, I learned to walk my faith. Being encountered by God in incredible ways, in large part by mentors, has led me on a path where I can live Christ’s calling.

Jonelle Lesniak Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania 2014, Business, Economics and Public Policy major Mike Chen is a starter! He’s always thinking of starting something, or doing something to further Christian engagement with the rest of our campus. He has started many dorm discussion groups that serve as a safe space for people of all faiths and backgrounds to ask and answer big ques-tions about Christianity.

I can safely say that I wouldn’t be as busy if I hadn’t met Mike, but I mean that in a good way. I feel that our group has been a crucial space for good and engaging Christian dialogue about the world. It has helped me to see the world in a more Gospel-oriented way. I think my college expe-rience would not see as much growth in Christ without my connections with Mike and his ministry.

What students say:

of LOVE One of Atheism’s most

common criticisms [of Christians] is that

those who claim to have faith seem to act in a way contrary to the core beliefs. It is organizations such as The Body that provide a place on campus…to learn what it means to be a Christian. —Branden Kummer, Point Park University journalism major, from his editorial in Point Park’s student newspaper, The Globe: “An atheist’s perspective on The Body”

Having the opportunity to explore Christianity in a very natural and judgment-free environment has definitely reshaped my understanding of the faith. —Ian Sulkowski, member of Point Park’s class of 2013 and former president of the United Student Government (USG)

Branden and Ian are unlikely admirers of the CCO’s ministry at Point Park University.

Until recently, Branden described himself as a “hardline atheist.” He stumbled into friendships with Christian students because, on his first day on campus, one of those students invited him to attend a meeting of The Body, the CCO-sponsored fellowship on campus.

“I went to three or four meetings and decided I wasn’t interested in hearing any more about God,” he says. A semester later, he ran into one of the students he’d met at The Body and was invited to return. He showed up at a meeting and hasn’t stopped going since.

Ian didn’t want anything to do with the Christians on campus, and in fact, had

experienced a few run-ins with some of them. So he was surprised when CCO staff member Michael Thornhill pursued a friendship with him.

“Michael reached out to me about meeting one-on-one,” Ian says. “I think he must have somehow recognized—though there’s no way he would have known—that I was goingthrough a difficult time

continued on the next page

@ Point Park University

Over the last few years, I saw religion as façade, God as a dictator, church people as dishonest after they left church—hypocrites. This is the first Christian

group in my life that seems to actually believe in God and apply what the Bible says to their lives. They are the reason I’m sticking around; I kept going to school just so I could continue being a part of The Body. —Branden Kummer, Point Park University 2016, Journalism major

The POWER

About Point Park UniversityLocated in downtown Pittsburgh, Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts is one of the top programs of its kind in the nation. The university currently enrolls 3,827 full and part-time students in 82 undergraduate programs and 17 graduate programs.

The Power of Love, continued and had a lot of questions pertaining to religion and spirituality.

“After getting together a few times to discuss leadership and faith, we began to develop a solid relationship. We agreed to put together a weekly Bible study that would be open to all Point Park students—rather than focusing on members of the Christian faith who are already deeply committed. It would be for those who have unanswered questions or feel the need for a religious perspective.”

Branden insists that he wouldn’t still be at Point Park if it weren’t for the community he found at The Body. “They didn’t care that I didn’t believe,” he says. “When it comes to my beliefs, or my lack of them, I’m not quiet about it. They’re really great people. I never intended to open myself up to what they had to say, but it kind of happened.”

Branden attended the Jubilee conference in February, treating it as a journalism assignment. But when the conference ended, he was a different person. At Jubilee, he committed his life to Jesus Christ.

Ian has not made a profession of faith, but he has continued to develop friendships with Christians

and explore his questions about the faith. This spring, he joined Daniel Snoke, CCO Experiential Designs staff member, Andy Harlan, and five other male students from Point Park for a three-day back-packing and camping experience in the Laurel Highlands, where he was able to engage even deeper in conversations about Christianity.

“Over the course of the past semester, our study illuminated some passages of the Bible with which I was previously familiar, but wasn’t able to contextualize on my own,” he says. “It’s rewarding to be in a comfortable environment where everyone can ask questions. I’ve had a number of ‘aha’ moments where someone offers great insight into the faith. Michael and my peers have shown me a great deal of kindness and generosity, which serves as a humble reminder of the compassion which underlies Christian faith and practice.”

The CCO Team at Point Park UniversityKatherine Sikma, Daniel Snoke, and Michael Thornhill comprise the team of campus staff who reach out to Point Park University students. Katherine is the senior member of the team, and the CCO partners with Christ Community Church of the South Hills to bring her to campus. Daniel partners with City Reformed Church in Oakland, and a brand new church plant, New City Church in downtown Pittsburgh, brought Michael on board.

Keilynn D. Burkes Point Park University 2014, Intelligence and National Security major

The CCO ministry gave me a community that I didn’t even know existed. It helped me get more involved with Christ and taught one of the greatest lessons that I learned: you are not alone! If I was not a part of the CCO ministry at Point Park, then I would not have been able to learn that what I was doing was wrong. I finally got a chance to right my wrongs and learn that the love of God is everlasting.

What students say:

Ian Sulkowski Point Park University 2013, Global Cultural Studies major

Having the opportunity to explore Christianity in a very natural and judgment-free environment has definitely reshaped my understanding of the faith.

What former students say:

The CCO is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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www.cards.ccojubilee.orgOrder online, call us weekdays at 1.888.569.9030, or email us at cards@ccojubilee.org to request a brochure.

ΩAI

AM

JESUS

I am the Good Shepherd Print Designed by Bonnie Liefer ©Coalition for Christian Outreach, 2013 www.cards.ccojubilee.org Photograph©iStockphoto.com/Jurga Rubinovaite

I AM

We have new Christmas cards & prints!Unique Christian cards & prints you can’t find anywhere else.All proceeds benefit the ministry of the CCO.

Memorial GiftsGiven by: In memory of:Gail Denise Katherine DupeeJamie and Ken Berliner Pat Pearl McKeeMichael Swanson Matt SwansonNancy Ann Ranken Moffitt George Mills Moffitt and Ranken Moffitt

We’re proud of the way we manage our funds. A copy of our official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Simon Huff Point Park University 2010, now a graduate research assistant at the University of Rochester

I will always look back fondly on my days with the CCO and The Body Christian Fellowship. I entered college a young, naïve, selfish boy and left it a man of God, prepared for what He has for

me to do in this life.

Becca FongWashington & Jefferson College 2002, now Marketing Coordinator for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors BureauThanks to the CCO’s ministry and the Jubilee conference, I realize that all things can be redeemed for Christ. I am excited to pursue that vision.

Doug ForsbergWestminster College 1994, now Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Rochelle, IllinoisI’ve told a number of people that the foundations of how I do ministry as a pastor were built during my time with the CCO. Without that, I’d be a

much less effective pastor. The CCO gave me a theological foundation and taught me how to read the scriptures. I learned straight off that ministry is about people. You can go through seminary and not learn any of those things.

Stephanie SummersKenyon College 1998, now Chief Operating Officer for the Center for Public JusticeThe CCO has completely shaped the way I engage the world. The ministry opened up my understand-ing of the connectedness of what I was doing in the classroom to what God wanted in the world,

and that has translated into how I live my life today. Literally, how an entire day functions has a deliberateness about it that is shaped by my Christian worldview. It’s about where God wants his people to go and the part I have to play in that.

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Tom Baily has been familiar with the CCO since its beginnings thanks to his University of Pittsburgh roommate, longtime friend, and the CCO’s Chairman Emeritus and former Executive Director, Bob Long. Although Tom and Cindy now live in the Virgin Islands, the CCO remains a priority for this dynamic couple.

Andrew AloeGroup ChairVistage International, Inc.Liz BakerCEO, Hot Metal Media LLCRobert H. BishopExecutive Vice PresidentJanney Montgomery Scott

LLCCCO AlumnusKurt E. CarlsonExecutive Vice PresidentHefren-Tillotson, Inc. The Rev. Nancy O.

Chalfant-WalkerRectorSt. Stephen’s Episcopal

ChurchCCO Alumna

Jennifer CicconeVice President, Human

ResourcesMatthews InternationalRyan D. Deaderick, P.E.New Well ManagerEnergy Corporation of

AmericaJoseph P. Diggins, Jr.PartnerErnst & Young LLP Louis A. DiversPresidentPrecision Abrasives Daniel J. DupeePresident & CEOCoalition for Christian

Outreach

The Rev. William R. Glaze PastorBethany Baptist ChurchL.C. GreenwoodPresidentGreenwood Enterprises, Inc. Darrin E. GroveCEOTrueFit Solutions Inc. John M. Holt, Jr.PresidentRC Holsinger Associates, PCHarry A. KunzePresident and CEOSafety Works, LLCThe Rev. Robert R. Long Chairman EmeritusCoalition for Christian

OutreachCCO Alumnus

Martha McElhattan HomemakerTerrence H. MurphyShareholderLittler Mendelson PCBrian T. MustFounding MemberMetz, Lewis, Brodman, Must

& O’KeefeAttorneys at LawThe Rev. Richard NoftzgerPastorCenter Presbyterian ChurchCCO AlumnusJ. Paul OrganFounder & Certified

Financial Planner Marathon Financial ServicesCCO Alumnus

The Rev. Douglas RehbergSenior PastorHebron U.P. ChurchJames W. RimmelSenior Vice President,

InvestmentsUBS Financial Services Inc.Martin L. RoarkGroup ChairVistage International, Inc.James D. RobergeManaging DirectorStaley Capital Advisers, Inc.John S. RossoCEOPeak Performance

Management Inc.Kenneth E. SmithChairman of the BoardPresident, Etcetera

Edutainment

Lori StuckeyHomemaker Henry B. Suhr IIIAdjunct FacultyGeneva CollegeCCO AlumnusJ.T. ThomasEntrepreneur and Business

ConsultantMary Martha TruschelAssistant Counsel, Southwest

Regional OfficePennsylvania Department of

Environmental ProtectionDr. John H. WhitePresident EmeritusGeneva College

Our Board

What makes the CCO unique?Once college students leave home, the CCO keeps them connected to their faith and helps attract those students that do not have a faith in Christ. What a great way to impact and develop our future leaders!

What message do you have for current and future donors?Take the opportunity to get to know CCO staffers in your area. See what’s happening on their campus. Meet students impacted by the CCO. By learning about what Christ is doing in students’ lives, you

will be inspired to give. We are waiting for the CCO to expand to the University of the Virgin Islands!

Tell us about your current involvement with the CCO?I went to Pitt on a wrestling scholarship, so when we read about Pitt athletes going to Haiti with the CCO and the tremendous impact this trip had on their lives, how could we not want to help? This fall, we are coordinating an event in Pittsburgh to introduce people to the CCO ministry and to gain support and momentum for another Pitt athlete trip. In fact, we are hoping to go on the

next trip and see first-hand what Christ is doing in students’ lives.

Have you remembered the CCO in your estate plans or through another planned gift? Please join Tom & Cindy and other CCO planned giving donors at the first Legacy Fellowship Luncheon on Tuesday, October 22 at The Duquesne Club. For more information, or if you have any questions about the CCO’s ministry, please contact Allyson Sveda at 412-363-3303.

Why Tom and Cindy Baily give to the CCO

Spend 13 days in one of the world’s most beautiful countries!

Join CCO President Dan Dupee and the leadership of our Experiential Designs (XD) team.

For more information visit: ccojubilee.org/newzealand