In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

CBU dean leads team of experts writing on “The Love of God”

Dr. Chris Morgan, dean of the School of Christian Ministries at California Baptist University, recently finished editing “The Love of God,” which will be released by Crossway publishing on Sept. 30.

The book is the seventh volume in the series “Theology in Community” that aims to unpack the biblical and theological teachings on historic and contemporary theological issues. Morgan, who is also a professor of theology at CBU, has served as general editor for each of the volumes.

Morgan said the goal of the book is to present a biblical view of the love of God from the perspectives of the Old Testament, New Testament, biblical theology, systematic theology, apologetics, missions and social justice.

“The Love of God” is written for thoughtful church members, pastors, as well as college and seminary students, Morgan said.

“We can have a tendency to make love (only) about ourselves,” Morgan said. “We need to view love in light of God and the Bible’s own teaching.”

Morgan assembled a team to write on issues such as: “Distorting the Love of God?”; “Is the God of the Old Testament a God of Love?”; and “How Does God’s Love Inspire Social Justice?” The book has 10 chapters.

“One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most in this project is finding high caliber experts in their disciplines that could come together to write about the love of God and address important current questions,” Morgan said.

Contributors include accomplished evangelical scholars D. A. Carson, Mariam Kamell, Andreas J. Köstenberger, Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., Robert L. Plummer, and more.

Morgan also contributed a chapter, “How Does the Trinity’s Love Shape our Love for One Another?” He said the ultimate purpose of every Christian’s life is to bring glory to God, but that many never consider how Jesus’ command to love others brings glory to God. Morgan’s essay seeks to address how and why love for one another is shaped by the love of the Trinity.

For Morgan, the love of God is a boundless topic.

“I’ve been captured by the love of God. God’s love is infinite in its depths and heights and I’m fascinated to see how it relates to everything in the Christian life,” Morgan said.

 

Lancers dominate at national cheer competition

The cheer team at California Baptist University scored higher than any other female or coed team from all NCAA teams—including Division I—at the National Cheerleaders Association/USA Cheer Collegiate Camp.

The Lancers accumulated 148 points, which qualified the Lancers to compete in the upcoming nationals held in April in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Lancers will be aiming for their unprecedented fifth-straight title.

“It’s so rewarding to watch this team come together quickly and learn how to be great teammates both on and off the mat,” said Tami Fleming, head coach of CBU cheer. “I feel confident that this year will be one of our best yet, and we will work hard to continue staying at the top of our game.”

Read full article here.

 

Professor hopes book on persecution will “edify” Christian faith

Dr. Greg Cochran realizes persecution may not be an easy read, but he hopes his forthcoming book will help believers develop their faith.

Cochran, associate professor of theology and director of the applied theology program at California Baptist University, said persecution is inevitable for Christians. His aim is to help the church understand what their faith teaches on persecution.

His book, “Christians in the Crosshairs: Persecution in the Bible and Around the World Today,” is set to be released Nov. 1 by Weaver Book Company. In it, Cochran breaks down persecution into three sections: “The Meaning and Magnitude of Christian Persecution”; “The Biblical Portrait of Persecution”; and “The Implications and Practical Applications (of persecution).”

“One of the most surprising aspects of studying persecution has been its effect on me. I thought I would be dour and woeful—defeated—after hearing of great suffering,” Cochran said. “The opposite is true. The gospel—with its resurrection power—is able to take the worst situations and reframe them in victory. Hearing stories of triumph through suffering has been nothing short of glorious.”

In his book, Cochran defines persecution as a hostile, retaliatory action in response to the revelation of Christ and/or His Righteousness.

“We are united with and connected to Christians all over the world who are persecuted,” Cochran said.  “You’ll be glad that you read it, you’ll be glad that you understand it and your faith will be edified because of it. That’s my hope.”

For Cochran, knowing people are being persecuted for their faith has made him more thankful for God’s simple blessings.

“I really want to enjoy the simple things, the real blessings of life that God has given me, and it’s helped me do that,” he said.

 

Lancer 5000 brings running enthusiasts to CBU

More than 200 runners and walkers participated in the 6^th annual Lancer 5000 on the campus of California Baptist University on Aug. 20.

Organized by CBU’s track and cross country program and sponsored by Lexus of Riverside, the event featured a 5K at 7:15 a.m., followed by a 1K Kiddie Run at 7:45 a.m. Awards were presented to the top five overall male and female runners. Proceeds went to the CBU cross country and track program.

The top five female runners were Megan Crum, who ran a time of 18:42.746, followed by Raizah Singh (19:14.286), Arian Mayorga (20:17.513), Natalie Cuellar (21:21.123) and Ahris Mayorga (22:25.450).

The top five male runners were Erik Gonzalez, who ran a time of 15:11.426, followed by Kevin Ramos (15:19.110), Michael Ramirez (16:17.363), Dalton Seckinger (16:33.540) and Jacob Moran (16:37.136).

“This is a wonderful opportunity to provide an enjoyable race for our community,” said Benjamin Gall, head coach for men’s and women’s cross-country and track at CBU. “It is also an opportunity to showcase our campus.”

Gall said the event was scheduled in August to spark interest in the upcoming CBU cross-country season that starts Sept. 2 with the Lancer Invite. Additionally, local high school teams are gearing up for their seasons, and this event offered a unique preseason opportunity.

Catherine Lua, a senior and cross-country runner at Jurupa Hills High School, said she was looking to run a good time at the Lancer 5000.

“I enjoy competition and it’s neat to be able to tune up on the campus of California Baptist University,” said Lua, who starts her season next month.

Alejandra Herrera, a high school student and resident of Fontana, Calif., said she signed up for the race as a new experience.

“This is the first 5K race I’ve been in,” said Herrera. “I’m enjoying the atmosphere.”

See the 5K race results below:

Women’s
Men’s

 

Student’s heart for foster kids leads her to launch nonprofit

For Natalie Dixon, a graphic design senior at California Baptist University, helping foster kids is her Great Commission service.

Dixon is the founder of Rose Again Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists foster children through a variety of programs. This summer the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce recognized the efforts and success of Dixon by nominating her foundation for a Non-Profit of the Year award. Additionally, Dixon has also been nominated for the national Roslyn S. Jaffe Award, given to individuals that are seeking to make the world a better place for women and children.

Dixon’s passion for her current ministry was ignited as a high school student when she went on a trip, with her dad, to a Christian orphanage in Guatemala.

“I had never been to a place in the world that was so poor,” Dixon recalled. “Yet these were some of the most joy-filled kids that I had ever met.”

Dixon came back with a desire to help kids in need, and she ultimately set her sights on foster children. After researching and interviewing foster families and children to discover their needs, she, with the help of her family and friends, started the Rose Again Foundation in 2013. The name comes from a combination of Dixon’s middle name and her desire to see kids “rise again” out of their circumstances and become wholesome individuals.

“It felt like God opened all these doors,” Dixon said.

The nonprofit serves Southwest Riverside County. Some of the programs Dixon has incorporated into her organization include Kids of Summer that funds extra-curricular activities; Bless the Children that provides gifts during the Christmas season; and the Thrive Boxes initiative that gives 18-year-olds, who have aged out of the foster system, household goods. Additionally, this past spring, for the first time, the foundation offered two scholarships for college.

The Rose Again Foundation holds fundraisers, applies for grants and receives donations from individuals and organizations to pay for its programs.

The CBU community also has helped Dixon along her journey of launching the foundation. When a professor learned the nonprofit needed a logo, he made that part of an assignment in a design class. An art professor has offered Dixon art for a fundraiser. Dixon’s husband, Jeffrey Dixon, is a CBU nursing major, and the School of Nursing has made some of the foundation’s events a volunteer opportunity for nursing students.

Dixon said she hopes by providing for the children’s needs it will help in their overall well-being.

“The foundation was founded on the basis of loving these kids like Christ loves us,” Dixon said.

 

Family Updates

Dr. Elizabeth Morris, associate provost for accreditation, assessment, and curriculum, is a senior contributor for an online textbook Algebra, a zyBook to be used as a college STEM textbook replacement. The textbook was published in March 2016 in part by support from the National Science Foundation. She also worked on extended material for a new edition of the book that came out at the end of August.

 

 

 

The Communication Sciences and Disorders program in the College of Health Science received notice on Aug. 10 that it has been awarded candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. The first cohort of 25 students in the new master’s program in speech-language pathology begins classes this fall. There were many people across CBU who contributed to the efforts. The faculty would like to offer a special thanks to Dr. David Pearson, dean of the College of Health Science, and Lisa Schwartz, department secretary for the Department of Public Health Sciences.

 

 

Evoke Magazine, a student produced CBU/Online and Professional studies publication, won a “Gold Hermes Creative Award” for the second edition of the magazine. The editorial team is made up of CBU/Online public relations and graphic design students. Dr. Mary Ann Pearson, chair of arts and sciences and associate professor of public relations, and Sam Park, assistant professor of graphic design and digital media, both for Online and Professional Studies, serve as faculty advisers for the publication, which is published annually.

 

 

Marilyn Moore, associate professor of sociology, spoke Aug. 20, Aug. 22 and Aug. 26 at recruitment orientations for Sunburst Youth Academy (SYA), a residential program for 16-18-year-old high school dropouts run by the National Guard in Los Alamitos. CBU hosts recruitment orientations and CBU students also have opportunity to volunteer as mentors for the program’s participants.

 

 

Dr. Lesley Mayne, assistant professor of communication disorders, presented at the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) conference in Toronto, Canada, Aug. 8-11. The title of her presentation was Developing Participation: An AAC Model for Practitioners, Parents, and Children.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Carol Minton-Ryan, professor of sociology, and her team have worked on the documentation of the Malawian Sign Language and the completion of an online Malawian Sign Language dictionary. They presented their work at the International Educational Conference at Chancellor College in Zomba, Malawi, on July 27.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Julie Browning, associate professor of accounting, presented two papers at the American Accounting Association’s Conference in New York on Aug. 6. The papers were titled How to get on the job experience before applying for a job and How to engage and retain principles-level accounting students in online courses.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Gretchen Bartels, assistant professor of English for Online and Professional Studies, had a poem, “Yellowing Pages,” published in KAIROS, an online literary magazine (Volume 1 Issue 1).

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Rod Foist, professor of electrical and computer engineering, presented a paper at the 2016 FYEE (First Year Engineering Experience) conference at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, July 31-Aug. 2. The paper, co-authored with Dr. Anthony Donaldson, dean of the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering, was titled An Improved “Intuitive Calculus” Project, Using Electronic Filters, for a First-Year Engineering Math Laboratory.

 

 

 

Dr. Jong-Wha Bai, associate professor of civil engineering, co-authored a paper titled Probabilistic Shear Capacity Models for Concrete Members with Internal Composite Reinforcement, which was published in August issue of the Journal of Composites for Construction.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Monica O’Rourke, visiting professor of kinesiology for Online and Professional Studies, spoke at Belmont University College of Pharmacy in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 23. She presented on the recent American Heart Association updates on cardiac resuscitation and assisted in life support training for 85 doctoral students.

 

 

 

 

CBU hosted Jurupa Unified School District’s Superintendent Committee along with college and career counselors from Jurupa Unified Schools on Aug. 16. The visit was part of a collaboration initiative with CBU and school district’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics college readiness programs. Kent Dacus, vice president for Enrollment and Student Services, and Dr. Dirk Davis, associate vice president of academics for Online and Professional Studies, the directors of college admissions and athletics, and the deans, directors and chairs in College of Health Science, School of Nursing, College of Engineering, and Online and Professional Studies hosted the group.

 

Margaret Marquez, accounting clerk II for Facilities and Planning Services, has been chosen Employee of the month for September. The nomination form included the following statements: “Margaret works well with other departments on campus and with vendors/contractors who are checking their invoice status. She’s an exemplary employee with a true servant’s heart. Margaret has consistent, excellent work product. She’s always willing to take on new tasks without hesitation. She’s organized, thorough and has an eye for detail.”

 

 

 

 

Dr. Glenn Pickett, associate professor of music, presented at the Disney Performing Arts Inspiring Brilliance conference, held at Disneyland, Aug. 12-13. His presentation was titled The Eyes Have It!  To end the presentation, he had two CBU master’s degree students, Amanda Tabora and Traivon Williams, sing as a demonstration of effective use of eye contact in a performance.

 

 

 

Beth Groves, assistant professor of public administration for Online and Professional Studies, presented at a Leadership Training Retreat sponsored by Soroptimist International of the Americas Golden West Region, held in Ontario on Aug. 20. Her presentation was titled Lighthouse Leadership.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Natalie Winter, associate professor of marketing, spoke to the Business in Action group of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 10. Her presentation, titled Millennials: Mystery or Mavericks, provided insights to local businesses on how to engage millennial customers.

 

 

 

 

Frank Mihelich, assistant professor of theatre, attended the national conference for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education in Chicago on Aug. 10-15. He participated in a panel discussion titled Small Christian Theatre Programs in Motion: A Panel and Discussion Exploring Play Selection, Copyright, Administration and Audience Relations.

 

 

 

 

Sammi Sheppard, director of sports information, and Richard “Doc” Wellman, assistant men’s basketball coach, were married Aug. 14 at Highland Springs Resort in Cherry Valley, Calif.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Carol Minton-Ryan, professor of sociology, and her husband, Chris Ryan, welcomed their eighth grandchild Aug. 18. Natalie Jane Newman weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long. She is the daughter of Hannah Minton Newman (’12).

 

 

 

Personnel Updates