The 2012 Legacy Banquet

Alumni Impact Award Thomas Reed Bockman ’94 Since his graduation from Cedarville in 1994, Tom Bockman’s journey has taken him not only from New Jersey to Wisconsin and back, but from business to seminary to youth ministry to construction, back to ministry, and now to business and ministry. He writes, “As confusing as my career path seems to be, it has become clear why God has built into my life such a seemingly strange combination of business, construction, and ministry experience. It was not the path I had envisioned when I asked God to lead me as a broken student at the ’Ville, but it was His path nonetheless.” It was Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, a memorable chapel speaker, who set up three chairs on the platform and challenged the students to keep their faith vibrant. Dr. Wilkinson illustrated with the chairs that our grandparents’ faith and our parents’ faith can get stale as each generation moves on. Tom returned to his dorm room realizing that his personal walk with Christ could not belong to his parents — it had to be owned by him. In an intimate moment with his Savior, Tom asked Christ to lead him down whatever path he desired. Tom is currently a Team Leader for Capstone Property Services, a small Christian-owned construction company in South Jersey. It is Capstone’s desire to pursue “business as mission” in order to reach the people of the over 40 countries where traditional missionaries cannot enter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Business is the door that opens up the opportunities to proclaim the Good News in these countries. The Alumni Impact Award is one of two that must be nominated by current students. According to the student who nominated Tom, “He is part of the reason I am here today. I want to thank him for that. He was the one that God showed His love to me through. Tom had a Christ-focused mind and heart, and he was able to display that to me in my time of sorrow. I always knew that he was praying for me. I know he still is too.” Tom remembers Cedarville’s motto from Revelation chapter one and realizes that the words, “for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” became ingrained on his heart during those years. “Our legacy on this planet,” Tom writes, “will be the people to whom we have passed on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our business. This is our mission. We will be evaluated by our Lord on our understanding and dedication to the mission of disciple-making.” Tom and Tiffany (Beheler) Bockmann ’95 have been married for 17 years and have three children, Benjamin, Bevan June, and Joseph.