FROM THE COLLEGES: Samford, CBU, OBU, Union, Mobile

EDITOR'S NOTE: "From the Colleges" includes news releases of interest as written and edited from Southern Baptist-affiliated universities and colleges or state Baptist newsjournals.

Today's From the Colleges includes items from:

Samford University

California Baptist University

Oklahoma Baptist University

Union University

University of Mobile

Samford Announces New Chair Honoring Charles T. Carter

By Betsy Childs

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Samford University) -- Samford University's board of trustees has approved the formation of an endowed chair in its Beeson Divinity School to honor longtime trustee and Baptist pastor Charles T. Carter.

"We are honoring Charles Carter because he is the most respected Alabama Baptist leader of our generation, a great preacher and pastor for many years and a faithful professor at Beeson Divinity School," Beeson's dean, Timothy George, said.

The purpose of the new chair is to ensure the faithful teaching of the rising generation of ministers. The chair will be filled after the funds to endow it have been raised.

Carter is a native of Birmingham, Ala. When he was 6 years old, his 14-year-old neighbor took him to Calvary Baptist Church where he heard and believed the Gospel. Carter knew from an early age that he was called to preach and became the pastor of West End Baptist Church in Birmingham when he was only 16 years old. He graduated from Samford University in 1956.

Charles Carter was pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., from 1966-72 and then served as pastor of the Birmingham-area Shades Mountain Baptist Church for 26 years, retiring in 1998. Church membership grew from 2,000 to nearly 6,900 under his leadership. Since his retirement from Shades Mountain Baptist, he has served as an interim pastor in numerous churches in Alabama and Mississippi.

Carter chaired the Resolutions Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1995 when it adopted the Resolution on Racial Reconciliation, which apologized for the role that slavery played in the founding of the SBC.

In other leadership roles in Baptist life, Carter served two terms as president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention (1988-89) and nine years on the SBC's International Mission Board. Carter has been a member of the Samford University board of trustees for 20 years and in 1999 was named the James H. Chapman Fellow of Pastoral Ministry at Samford's Beeson Divinity School.

"Charles Carter's positive influence at Samford University through the Beeson Divinity School is seen across the world in the meaningful work of our graduates. We are grateful that he has invested so much of his life and ministry here," Samford President Andrew Westmoreland said. "It is entirely fitting that students for decades in the future will know his name as they see it associated with those who will hold this treasured position."

The Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity will be a permanent commemoration of God's work through Carter, George said. Reflecting on this legacy, George said, "Dr. Carter honors us by allowing us to name the chair for him."

With a membership of more than 100 colleges and universities, the NCCAA is an association of Christ-centered collegiate institutions whose mission is to use athletic competition as an integral component of education, evangelism and encouragement. It is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The non-profit organization hosts 23 National Championships and Invitationals annually and has two divisions of membership.

Meanwhile, California Baptist University has received notification from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that it will be moving on to its final year in the three-year Division II membership process after successfully completing Candidacy Year 2.

Director of athletics Micah Parker said DBU's administration and coaching staff "have worked hard to ensure that we keep moving successfully through this process.

The result keeps the Lancers on track to become full-fledged NCAA Division II members in 2013-14.

The Lancers played their first full season of NCAA Division II competition this past season as part of Candidacy Year 2, joining the Pacific West Conference. The Lancers were eligible for conference championships immediately, winning a conference-record six in 2011-12, but were not yet eligible for NCAA National Championship competition. The same holds true for the coming provisional year as the Lancers can once again compete for PacWest titles, but will not be eligible for national competition until they become active NCAA members. CBU will continue to function as a Division II institution in all regards.

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Obedience Drives OBU Students' Mission in Uganda

SHAWNEE, Okla. (Oklahoma Baptist University) -- A team of seven Oklahoma Baptist University students journeyed to Uganda, in the geographical heart of Africa, to share their faith in Jesus Christ and lead Vacation Bible Schools both in an island village on Lake Victoria and in the vast slums of Kampala, the capital city. By the end of the team's mission trip, 62 Ugandans had discovered a new relationship with Jesus.

The country of Uganda, which sits on the equator, is home to a veritable melting pot of ethnic groups and cultures. The landlocked country, roughly the size of the state of Oregon, boasts a population of more than 35 million people - many who do not have a personal relationship with Christ.

For team leader Ben Buchanan, a 2012 OBU graduate from Shawnee, Okla., the May 13-June 4 experience was a return trip to a land and people he served for six weeks last summer. For others, such as OBU student Caitlyn Yount, the trip was a bold step of obedience into a great unknown.

OBU's mission compels students to integrate faith with all areas of knowledge and to engage a diverse world. More than 60 OBU students, faculty and staff embarked on Global Outreach (GO) Trips during the summer 2012 semester, sharing their faith around the globe under the leadership of Joy Turner, director of global mobilization. Turner enlisted Buchanan to lead a GO Trip team to Uganda. Although he had served in Africa the year before, he encountered new personal frontier on the recent trip.

"The most challenging part of my trip was preparing a sermon and preaching for the first time ever," said Buchanan, who earned a degree in pre-allied health with a minor in cross-cultural ministry. "It was kind of a daunting task, preparing a sermon and preaching at a church overseas for the first time."

Buchanan said preachers in Uganda typically speak for 45 minutes to an hour, a task outside his comfort zone. With God's help and the encouragement of the congregation, he successfully preached on three Sundays. Buchanan said the most rewarding part of his trip, though, was the opportunity to share his faith with people on the island in Lake Victoria and in Kampala's slums.

"We got to talk to Catholics, Muslims, Christians, people who believed in African traditional religion and people who had never heard of God before," he said. "I love evangelizing, and it is such a blessing to be a part of God's work."

Yount, a senior physical therapy major from Shawnee, said she has felt God leading her to participate in a GO Trip since her sophomore year, but she was derailed by class and work schedules. Turner helped her realize she could do all three: go to Africa on mission, take a class she needs to graduate and work a summer job.

"The timing could not have been more perfect, and I just felt a sense of peace about going," Yount said.

The team in Uganda sensed God prepared the way for a successful trip, providing guidance by Southern Baptist representatives who live and work on the mission field. Yount discovered that with a simple step of obedience to God's leadership, she was able to overcome a fear of evangelism - sharing her personal faith one-on-one with others.

"I have never evangelized door-to-door, prayed with people to receive Christ (or) given my testimony in front of a lot of people … but I was able to do all those things on the island," Yount said. "Before we left for the trip, I made excuses saying that evangelism wasn't my spiritual gift; but after I was there, I was forced to step out of my comfort zone.

"Since I was willing, God used me and the rest of the team in amazing ways. We were able to lead 62 people to Christ that week alone, and I will remember that week for the rest of my life."

Yount said she learned to discount the excuses of schedules, finances and fear which could keep her from engaging in future mission endeavors. Rather than focusing on excuses of why not to go, Buchanan noted the benefits of participating in a GO Trip.

"Missions is one of the biblical mandates, whether it be here in the U.S. or overseas," he said. "It is great experience to be able to talk with people about the Bible, God and what you believe. It is also a blessing to be able to be one of God's ambassadors, sharing the Word boldly as we are called to. Traveling overseas is a great cultural experience as well which can help broaden your worldview."

Just as their classmates have experienced on other summer GO Trips across the globe, the OBU team set out to change lives in Uganda. While successful in their missions ventures, they also returned home with changed lives themselves.

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Union's R.C. Ryan Center receives book donation from Dehoney family

JACKSON, Tenn. (Union University) -- The family of prominent Southern Baptist statesman and former Union University trustee Wayne Dehoney has donated a portion of his personal library to the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union's campus in Jackson, Tenn.

Among approximately 1,000 volumes are books Dehoney collected on subjects such as preaching, pastoral counseling, Baptist history, theology and travel to historic biblical sites.

"The Union community has the highest appreciation for the long-term relationship that we have enjoyed with the Dehoney family," Union University President David S. Dockery said. "To receive these books from Dr. Dehoney's personal library, given his influence and reputation across the Southern Baptist Convention, is an exclamation point to that very special relationship."

Dehoney pastored churches in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. He served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., and at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. He was a two-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1964-66,and joined other prominent pastors in early racial reconciliation efforts during the 1960s.

Dehoney co-founded a travel company specializing in tours of biblical sites in Israel, and he continued to lead such trips after his retirement as pastor of Walnut Street Baptist in 1985. Health problems curtailed his ability to travel in his final years. He died in late 2007 at the age of 89, just a few weeks after the death of his wife Lealice.

Both Wayne and Lealice maintained strong ties to Union. Lealice was a 1961 graduate and later a founding member of The Union Auxiliary, a service organization that raises money for scholarships. Both served as Union trustees. Wayne was awarded an honorary degree and named trustee emeritus. A residence life building on the Jackson campus is named in their honor.

Kathy Dehoney Evitts of Louisville, Ky., the couple's daughter, arranged for the donation.

"The Dehoney family has a lot of love for Union University," Evitts said. "We're so thrilled with the dynamic direction we see the institution continue to pursue in its Christian approach to higher education. You're training our future leadership."

The variety of subjects covered in the collection will benefit the students, pastors and teachers who use the Ryan Center library on a daily basis for years to come, director Ray Van Neste.

Brian Denker, assistant to the director of the Ryan Center, will help catalog and display the collection. The donation has special significance for him.

"In my home church as a child, I kept hearing the name Wayne Dehoney just about every Sunday in every sermon," Denker said. "He had such an influence on my pastor. So I am excited to see what kind of things valued and what books shaped his preaching and his teaching."

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University of Mobile New College of Christian Leadership Expands Opportunities for Students

MOBILE, Ala. (University of Mobile) -- The University of Mobile has established its new College of Christian Leadership to oversee three schools aimed at preparing graduates for Christian ministry -- the new School of Worship Leadership, School of Christian Ministries and Center for Performing Arts/School of Music.

John Roger Breland has been appointed executive director of the College of Christian Leadership (CCL). He said the move expands opportunities for students, with more emphasis on internships, innovation and entrepreneurship in music, Christian ministries and worship leadership, plus new concentrations in areas such as film and theatre, music business, church ministry and technology.

"Our purpose is to prepare graduates, spiritually and professionally, to be transforming influencers in the revitalization of Christian faith and character in America and beyond," said Breland, who also serves as vice president for project development at the university. Previously, he served as executive director of the UMobile Center for Performing Arts, which began in 2003 under his direction.

Breland's worldwide experience and connections in Christian ministry, music and film industries have led to impressive opportunities for CPA students seeking internships and graduates obtaining jobs in their field. The CCL brings the resources of all three schools together and expands opportunities for UMobile students in Christian ministry, music and worship leadership.

Breland founded TRUTH, one of the first contemporary Christian ensembles, performing concerts worldwide for 31 years, recording award-winning albums and launching the careers of many successful leaders in Christian music. He was elected to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

The three schools in the College of Christian Leadership, their leadership and programs, are:

-- School of Christian Ministries. Formerly called the School of Christian Studies, this includes undergraduate majors in theology and intercultural studies, and master's program in Christian ministries. Joe Savage has been named executive dean of the School of Christian Ministries. He continues as director of the University of Mobile Center for Leadership and the Twelve23 Movement. Savage has more than 20 years in ministry, including 10 years as a senior pastor and a ministry to more than 200 coaches and executives in the National Football League. Douglas Wilson, professor of Christian ministries, has been named dean of the School of Christian Ministries. Wilson founded the university's intercultural studies program. He has served in pastoral and church ministry roles for more than 25 years in the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast United States and has taught for and represented UMobile internationally in Central and South America, Africa, Scandinavia, the Pacific Rim, and Europe. Cecil Taylor, professor of Christian ministries, has been named director of University Missions. Taylor has served as dean of the School of Christian Studies and founded the University Missions program in 1992, which has sent more than 130 faculty-led teams on short-term mission trips to 46 nations, resulting in over 13,000 professions of faith.

-- School of Worship Leadership. The university's popular major in worship leadership has been expanded. The School of Worship Leadership offers a major in worship leadership with concentrations in church ministry, film and theatre, music business and technology. Vocal and instrumental ensembles travel and record, providing students experiences beyond the classroom. Al Miller, professor of music, is dean of the new School of Worship Leadership. He continues as dean of the Center for Performing Arts/School of Music. Miller directs major productions such as Christmas Spectacular that attracts an audience of over 7,500 during three nights of performance. He has worked with outstanding Christian recording artists and worked with Breland to develop and expand the Center for Performing Arts.

-- Center for Performing Arts/School of Music. Formerly known as the Center for Performing Arts, the program offers undergraduate degrees in music, music education and vocal performance. The course of study encompasses both classical and contemporary styles of music, more than 20 performing ensembles. Al Miller continues as dean of the Center for Performing Arts/School of Music.

For more information about the University of Mobile and the College of Christian Leadership, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call 1-251-442-2222 or 1-800-WIN-RAMS.

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FROM THE COLLEGES: Samford, CBU, OBU, Union, Mobile

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