Inspire, Fall 2007

Inspire 17 health care where none existed. Senator Coburn introduced the bill in the Senate in March. The bill was featured in the Wall Street Journal upon introduction and continues to be debated as the free-market vision on how to provide universal health-care access. At times, Stephanie cannot help but ask, “What am I doing here?” Washington and the very secular political arena seem very different from what she initially set out to do when she chose nursing as a major. Yet God is using her in this exciting field as she works alongside Senator Coburn to monitor health-related legislation, review and analyze proposed bills, and recommend a “yes” or “no” vote on pending legislation. Because of her position, she finds there are many ways to be a witness for Christ. Stephanie sees herself as “an inside missionary” and asks herself, “Am I doing all I can to glorify the Lord?” As a Capitol Hill insider, she has earned respect professionally, which has created opportunities to witness. She has been able to invite staffers to her church and informally talk to those in her office about Christ. In her current position, with several staffers under her, she sees herself as both a professional mentor and a spiritual mentor. Recently she and another staffer began doing brunch together to discuss spiritual topics. Opportunities like these open many doors to share her faith in Christ. Stephanie’s job also includes giving speeches about health- related issues to various groups on behalf of Senator Coburn, as well as drafting speeches and articles for him to present. Each represents an amazing opportunity to be a light, and Stephanie continues to see God’s graciousness every time she gives a speech. She shares, “I used to be scared of giving speeches — my speech professor at Cedarville, Margaret Wheeler [’64], probably remembers — yet recently I gave a speech to more than 200 orthopedic surgeons!” While Stephanie loves the many opportunities she is given to affect public policy in health care, she readily admits that her job comes with challenges. A major one is the lack of believers in the political arena. Her desire is to be a witness as she communicates with many people who disagree with her on policy. She shares, “Politics can be a rough field because, as most of America knows, it’s filled with corruption! Additionally, it’s a challenge to communicate concepts that I believe as a Christian in ways that non-Christians can grasp.” Her goal is to love the people she works with, even through policy disagreements, while shining as a light to those around her. While most of what Stephanie does in Washington revolves around her work with Senator Coburn, she has also enjoyed having a role in the annual National Prayer Breakfast, an event widely attended by American and world leaders as well as the President. Initially, she worked as an usher for the event but then became a team leader. This past year she helped plan for the breakfast, a three- to four-month commitment. She shares, “Being involved with the breakfast has allowed me to meet other staffers in Washington. As we meet and interact, more opportunities are created to share Christ.” Although Washington is a long way from Cedarville, Stephanie has not forgotten her roots. She looks back on her time at CU as preparation for what she is doing now. She shares that Cedarville “challenged her to look at life with a bigger vision than just a nine- to-five job with a regular paycheck.” She is thankful that people at Cedarville challenged her to ask, “How can I use my talents and interests to influence God’s kingdom?” Her time at CU also taught her to think critically and filter everything through God’s Word, an invaluable lesson in the world of politics. And as a nursing major, she learned to take initiative in tasks large and small. Now that she’s in Washington, Stephanie loves to use her influence to help other Cedarville graduates find jobs in politics. She shares, “When you get to know others on Capitol Hill, they trust your recommendations for job candidates. It’s neat to be able to recommend Cedarville grads who have the same vision about life and how to impact the world for Christ.” Working with Lew Gibbs, director of career services at CU, Stephanie has been able to facilitate relationships between Cedarville students and leaders in Washington. She also has been a great resource for students and graduates as they prepare to take careers in Washington. Stephanie feels strongly that God created this career opportunity for her, blending her love of health care with her passion for politics. Recognizing the need for biblical thinking in public policy, she challenges believers to get involved in politics and to study hard to be able to credibly defend what they believe. That way, all believers can shape our culture for Christ. Feature God used this experience to give Stephanie a bigger vision: one in which she could influence public policy in the area of health-care issues. As Sen. Tom Coburn’s legislative assistant for health care, Stephanie conducts policy development, speechwriting, and legislative analysis. She serves in various capacities at the Church of the Resurrection in Washington, DC. Stephanie hopes that becoming a wife and then a mom will be her next career move. Stephanie can be contacted by e-mailing stephanie_carlton@coburn. senate.gov or by calling 202-306-0548. I Cheryl Warren Brugel ’90 is a freelance writer who currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Steve, and their children, Matthew and Lia. They are expecting their third child in October. Cheryl graduated from Cedarville University with a bachelor’s degree in business education and went on to earn her English degree at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Cheryl can be reached via e-mail at cbrugel@cedarville.edu .