GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University leaders and students recently broke bread with local ministers and team members of a Christian organization as they continue collaborating to spread God’s word and love on campus.
Dr. Chris Shumate, Tusculum’s campus minister and assistant vice president of student affairs, addresses fellow ministers and guests.
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, speaks at the luncheon.
During the luncheon at Tusculum, Dr. Scott Hummel, the university’s president, and Dr. Chris Shumate, campus minister and assistant vice president of student affairs, emphasized the important role churches are playing in supporting students during their studies. In particular, Dr. Hummel noted many students have accepted Christ through their interactions with churches since they have been at Tusculum.
“I appreciate that you and churches see that ministry and missions are not just in another country,” he said. “It’s also here. Tusculum University and Greene County are places where our students can discover Christ, discern and be equipped for their calling and grow in their faith. I’m glad that we can work together to achieve that. Our students welcome the opportunity to go and worship at your churches, but they are also happy when you come to their games and their events. That takes that relationship and concern to another level.”
Tusculum, a private Christian institution established by Presbyterians, periodically holds the lunches with area ministers to keep the ties strong and remind them that the university values its partnership with them.
Dr. Hummel highlighted the strong work by Dr. Shumate to establish relationships with students, churches and the community. Dr. Shumate has served as the campus minister for nearly two years, and he recently received additional responsibilities in the Office of Student Affairs. Campus ministries and Student Affairs have enjoyed a strong connection, and it has now become even more integrated, Dr. Hummel said. He said every part of the university has the ability to minister to students.
“If you want to prepare individuals in all professions to incorporate their Christianity as part of their careers, attending a Christian university is one of the best ways to accomplish that,” Dr. Hummel said. “As they pursue their careers, we are able to fulfill the Great Commission if our students have been able to grow, develop and be prepared for their calling during their college years. Together, we can make a difference in their lives.”
Dr. Shumate said Tusculum covets people’s prayers as the university invests in the holistic development of students. But he also said churches and individuals are welcome to become more involved in campus life. That is even the case in the summer, when some students return to campus before the start of the fall semester for a variety of reasons and might need assistance with meals because the cafeteria will not be open then. Supporting the students during that period is another way to build relationships with them, he said.
But Dr. Shumate said this is not a one-way street. He encouraged churches to reach out to the university if they need assistance from Tusculum with service projects and other needs.
Comments from a Tusculum student
Tusculum student Aidan Dark shared his spiritual journey.
Another speaker was Aidan Dark, a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history education, who shared about his journey. He expounded further afterward, saying he wanted to go to a university where God wanted him for His purpose. That place turned out to be Tusculum. Guiding him was Proverbs 35: 3-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord, your God, with all thy heart. Lean not on thy own understanding but acknowledge Him in all the ways, and He will show you which path to take.”
One of Dark’s main prayers was that he would find the right type of friends and groups, people who were receptive to God. He said he has met a lot of godly ministers from the community, as well as Dr. Hummel, Dr. Shumate and friends.
He noted that Tusculum students are blessed to have access to ministries, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Arrowhead Church’s College + Young Adults and Tusculum Baptist Church’s Students Pray on Thursdays. He has participated in these spiritual opportunities as well as Bible studies, Sunday services at Tusculum Baptist and spreading the gospel at Walmart.
He talked about a message he received from a woman who prayed over him recently and said she saw a picture of him putting down his sword of the spirit but then picking it up again.
“She said I would never be full of joy and have truthful joy unless I was doing what I was called to be doing for God’s kingdom and His purpose,” Dark said. “I feel like that was another confirmation of what I need to be doing here. I feel it’s OK to reap the kingdom’s blessing as long as you are not losing sight of the focus on the kingdom’s purpose because that’s truly what is most important. It’s not about you. It’s about His ministry and His kingdom and how He can win over souls and how He can use anything for His glory.”
Remarks from Longview ranch leader
The luncheon included several ministers and representatives of Longview ranch, some of whom are shown here.
Matthew Nasekos, executive director of Longview ranch, discusses his organization at the luncheon.
The luncheon also featured remarks from Matthew Nasekos, executive director of Longview ranch, which holds camps and retreats in Mosheim. Dr. Shumate said Nasekos’ heart and ministry align with Tusculum’s investment in students at the university, shaping young leaders and equipping them for ministry and service in the future.
Nasekos discussed discipleship. Longview is focused on raising godly leaders, training leaders and casting a vision for developing people. It achieves those goals through an internship program called Live Bold. He said Longview is intentional about putting into practice the biblical passage from Matthew 28:19-20, which says in part, “Go and make disciples.” Current and former interns spoke about the program and their experience during the luncheon.
“We want to raise up a generation of people that will proclaim the good news of Jesus regardless of the persecution they receive,” Nasekos said. “We want others to say what was said about Peter and John in Acts 4: ‘They have been with Jesus.’ Our goal is bold disciples.”
Building off the message from Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones in the book “Expository Exultation” by John Piper, Nasekos also reinforced that the most urgent need in Christian churches and the world is true preaching and teaching God’s word.
“Thank you for giving the Gospel message that Jesus came and lived the perfect life that you and I cannot live; died on the cross to take the penalty for people’s sins upon himself; to rise again, conquering sin and death; and to ascend to heaven, interceding for his people,” Nasekos said.
“He has sent us His word and His Spirit, and believing in Him is life,” he said. “This Gospel message is what people need to hear. It gives life, it gives truth, it causes us to grow, it pushes us outward toward others to proclaim the Gospel, it fortifies our evangelism, it informs our discipleship, it keeps us in Christ and it bring us to glory.”
Further information about Tusculum’s campus ministries is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/campus-ministries/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.