Advancing Cedarville
I have spent most of my life in the construction industry. In 1975, I
went into business with my dad and my brother, Russ ’73, designing
and building churches and Christian schools. Since 1988, Jenkins
Restorations has specialized in insurance repair work following
property damage by storms, fires, and other disasters. Our mission
is “restoring property and lives with a servant’s heart.”
This business is built on biblical principles. When I hire people
to join our team, I ask, “What does that mission mean to you?”
I look for people who understand that, for example, when a client
has a complaint, “a soft answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1).
We have 12 offices in four states, and every one begins the day with
a reading from
Our Daily Bread
. We share prayer requests. We use
our resources to support missions. We aim to put God first, and I
believe He has blessed that.
When I was young, my father drilled it into me to approach
my work with integrity and with a passion for God’s Word.
He would say, “I don’t care if nobody’s there beside you; take a stand
for what’s right.” I think of Joseph in the Old Testament who took
a stand with no one there to support him. One of the great things
about the student experience at Cedarville is you’re not on your
own. It’s easier to take a stand when you’re surrounded by Josephs,
Daniels, and Esthers.
Sharpening Iron
I came to Cedarville from a public school where I didn’t have
many Christian friends. When I arrived in 1968, it was great to be
surrounded by 800 students who held biblical convictions. It felt
like four years of Christian summer camp. I remember college as a
time of rich relationships. Not only did I meet my life’s companion,
Ellie (Sommerfeld) ’75, I met people who became some of the best
friends of my life.
I played soccer at Cedarville, mostly because I was a football guy
and Cedarville didn’t have a football team. So I connected with the
other “football guys” who wanted to be out chasing a ball once the
leaves turned yellow and the
air turned crisp. I had never
seen a soccer game, but I was an athlete at heart and wanted to play.
I made friends with a student fromBrazil who worked withme every
day on passing and juggling. It couldn’t snow deep enough and the
wind couldn’t blow hard enough to keep us from practicing. By the
following year, I was a starter on the varsity team. By my senior year,
I was named to the first team in the Mid-Ohio Conference.
I was never an honor student. As a freshman, I struggled to
choose a major. I remember going forward at one of the missions
conferences and praying, “God, whatever You want to do with
me, that’s what I want to do. I’ll go where You want me to go.”
I declared a communications major, and I discovered that I loved
public speaking. I loved my professors. My grades went up. It was
a good fit.
On November 21, 1972, just months after I graduated, my draft
number was among the last to be called. I entered the Army and
was sent to serve in Germany, not knowing what was ahead. But
I’d had four years of biblical teaching, chapel messages, community
with Christian friends, discipline I’d gained as a student-athlete —
my college experience could be summarized as iron sharpening
iron. I went with confidence, carried by all I had experienced
at Cedarville.
Building Trust
My career in construction began after I left the Army. Excellence
matters in my profession because your track record is always on
display; you are only as good as your last job. My company’s goal
is to be the top contractor doing what we do. Although insurance
companies have told us to stop putting tracts in our invoices, the
fact remains that customers are drawn to the biblical values on
which we’ve built this company.
We’ve hosted safety meetings with our employees and with
outside companies and field workers that included Bible studies.
A Blueprint for Excellence
by Warren Jenkins ’72
50
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Cedarville Magazine
