Maestros of Ministry: Their Legacy in the Department of Music and Worship

PREFACE |  v ii PREFACE At my first department retreat at Cedarville University in 2009, one of my new colleagues, Chuck Clevenger, told me that the real “guardians” of the University Mission are the faculty. Faculty are entrusted with providing an excellent education in submission to biblical authority. Beyond the profes- sional training and sound biblical teachings, the person and godly charac- ter of faculty has the potential to leave a greater impression on students than any other aspect of university life. Faculty are in the trenches disci- pling students day by day through all the grit and glory of their 1000 days. Faculty impart valuable lessons learned: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth (II Tim. 2:15). Faculty announce the unsearchable riches of Christ: To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel (Eph. 3:8). Faculty unveil to students the treasure in their earthen vessels: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us (II Cor. 4:7). Whether in the rehearsal room, the studio, or the classroom, the faculty members featured in this book have left a mark of ministry that has changed the lives, turned the direction, and inspired a renewed consecration in many students who came to Cedarville to pursue a career in Music or participate in the many music ensembles. In addition to sound musical abilities, students graduate with a strengthened commitment to ministry for their future lives. According to Dave Matson, the strongest asset of Cedarville’s Music Department during these years has been ministry, simply defined as “the act of serving.” Long before there was a Christian Ministries Division, the Music Department served as the only music ministry of Cedarville College, providing tour group music ministries and music in daily chapel.