Inspire, Spring 1997

reative Missiona avid '81 and Carol Sue Cox Merkh'82 are missionaries in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While on the field,they have written many books and articles,including 101 Creative Ideasfor Small Groups,101 Creative Ideasfor Family Worship,and 101 Creative Ideasfor Women's Ministry. Dave has also written many articles for Casal Feliz, a national Baptist magazine. The Merkhs'second Portuguese book,101 Creative Ideasfor Family Worship, was well received in Brazil. Within just a few months,it sold 40,000 copies,ensuring a second edition. Because the book was so well received in Brazil, the Merkhs published the English version privately while on furlough last year in the United States. The Lord has greatly blessed the Merkhs' writing, and it in turn has blessed many people. In addition to their writing,they have other responsibilities. Dave teaches at the Word of Life seminary in Sao Paulo,and together Dave and Carol Sue raise five children. All of their responsibilities make for a busy life, but the Merkhs approach it all with pen in hand,serving their Lord and writing for His people. Educating Writers n 1984,Cedarville College Professor Sandra Welch: Harner'64 submitted a proposal outlining a professional writing emphasis for the Department of Language and Literature. The proposal for five new courses was approved,and the first course was taught in the spring of 1985 with 13 students. More than 10 years later, the program has grown dramatically. Under the direction ofSandi Harner, what started as an emphasis in English for a few students is now a major,consisting of 11 courses with approximately 50 students. In 1992,Don Humphreys'89 left IBM and returned to Cedarville College to teach professional writing. Cedarville's outstanding reputation in professional writing is due in large measure to the success of its alumni. Their accomplishments include: An Authorit His Field • Tami Eimers Meoak'86 worked in advertising for 10 years and recently started her own freelance business from her home. • Jeff Main'88 is a technical editor and webmaster for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington,D.C. • Pam Smith'88 works for a Chicago-based consulting firm specializing in multimedia-based training development. • Joy Haworth '93,David Bates'93,and Jodie Delich Pait'96 are information developers for IBM in Raleigh,North Carolina. • David Kimmel'93 is a technical writer for Computer Technology Corporation in Milford,Ohio. Professional writing students actively participate in the student chapter ofthe Society for Technical Communication(STC).In 1993,this international professional organization ofover 18,000 members recognized the Cedarville College student chapter as the top student chapter in the nation.In addition, the Cedarville student chapter has won an achievement award for its newsletter and in 1995 was awarded the Pacesetter Award to recognize the students' active involvement in the STC Annual Conference. The professional writing program has always been about doing as well as about learning. For this reason,the courses focus on application in real-life situations. Professors look for hands-on projects to give their students practical experience. In fact, students taking Public Relations Writing this winter quarter wrote several articles for this issue ofInspire. The professional writing major will continue to attract students and prepare them to communicate effectively in this growing field. The implementation ofCedarNet,the award-winning computer network,gives the students the experience needed to compete in a highly technical market. '34'•,--. o Creation A ;t pp T he doctrine of creation is estial to the Christian life, but sometimes we lose the wondethat once accompanied the story. Wanting to give children a memorable picture of the creation story, Martha Sprano Riedel'79 wrote And God Said. Its full-color illustrations, drawn by husband Dan Riedel'77,show God's hands at work on each of the six days of His creation. Scripture references and a simple explanation accompany each illustration. Not thinking of this as just another Bible story, Martha sees theology reflected in day-to-day life."If Christians lose the doctrine of creation, we lose the patterns that God has for US to follow. We lose the value of work and life." Martha definitely believes in the value of work. After graduating Worn Cedarville,she worked in journa marketing. Currently she has fi and continues to work out of teaches business writing se And God Said is the only bo the last."I hope I'll write fo When you pick up Martha the illustrations; let it renew God's creative work. lie relations, advertising, and between the ages of one and eleven ha works in communications and pany in Philadelphia. Although bed thus far,she hopes it is not 1.11).111,J, 11 „Mu:J.1-J far u hui; • tif.,1 Liw,..,,fliedel's book,don't simply marvel over der and reinforce the significance of •• • or 18 years, Dr. Vernon Miller'63 has worked for Regular Baptist Press. As the executive director for the pas 10 years, he and his team are required to produce Sunday School materials, the Baptist Bulletin, and a limited number books. Regular Baptist Press employs approximately 60 people and serves approximately. 15,000 churches. Along with his responsibilities at Regular Baptist Press, Vernon also serves, as the treasurer for the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches(GARBC). Vernon attended Cedarville College in 1960 to finish his liberal arts education. While at Cedarville, Vernon concentrated on English literature, history, and Bible.One of his favorite teachers was Dr.James T.Jeremiah.The liberal arts training at Cedarville gave Vernon a stronger understanding for his position at Regular Baptist Press."The Bible classes gave me an understanding ofthe content, the English classes gave me an understanding ofthe method,and the history classes gave me an understanding ofthe audience,"explains Vernon. In 1990, Vernon hired Kelli Kolesar'90,a Cedarville College professional writing graduate,as director ofchildren's church curriculum to develop a new line ofcurriculum. Kelli has gone on to earn a master's degree. Vernon and his wife, Alice,have five children, all graduates of Cedarville College—Ron'77,Phil '79,Elizabeth Green '81, Annette Haskins'84,and Doug'85. W ith books of poetry, psychology textbooks,books on biblical doctrine, and storybooks for children, Cedarville College alumni are impacting our world for Christ through the written word.This issue ofInspire highlights a handful ofthose alumni. An archival shelfin our Alumni Office displays only a smattering ofthe many books which have been authored by Cedarville alumni.If you have authored or co-authored a book,please contact us at 1-800-837-2566 or "alumni@cedarville.edu. " Better yet, please send a copy of your book to the Cedar ville College Alumni Office, P.O.Box 601,Cedarville,Ohio,45314.We want to commemorate your accomplishment and share your words with future generations of alumni!