Inspire, Spring 2010

Training the Next Generation of Educators Dr. Floyd Elmore ’77 and his wife, Pam (Repine) ’01, have found a way to combine their passions for missions and teaching. Floyd, a former Cedarville Bible professor and department chair, now trains future pastors and teachers at seminaries in Costa Rica and Cuba. In 2001, the couple left Cedarville to take on the pastorate of Faircreek Church in Fairborn, Ohio. “One of the reasons,” Floyd said, “was because the church offered us eight weeks a year to be involved in missions, which gave me more flexibility.” Floyd’s work at Faircreek eventually connected him with the Cuba Partnership, a group of churches and missions organizations working together to rebuild the Las Palmas Camp and Conference Center in Cuba. But before going to Cuba, Floyd started teaching in San José, Costa Rica, at Esepa Seminary, an education partner with Las Palmas. Soon afterward, Esepa not only asked Floyd to coordinate the Cuba education project but also invited him to serve as the seminary’s academic dean. The Elmores now live and work in Costa Rica, and Floyd travels to Cuba twice a year to train future leaders there. “Although Cuba has three seminaries,” he said, “none of them is large enough to hold a master’s program independently. Esepa now offers graduate-level courses that allow the other seminaries to train their professors without relying on foreigners.” You may contact Floyd at felmore2@yahoo.com. Where Are They Now? In the Christian university, however, the humanities still retain the ability to develop strong character because there is an objective viewpoint that undergirds the discipline. When we recognize that God is the object of worship as well as the source of truth, the study of His created beings and their creations — when evaluated from the standard of biblical truth — becomes an important part in determining moral values and in sifting through the myriad of worldviews. For all these reasons, the study of the humanities is important to Cedarville students. When John Stuart Mill gave his inaugural address in 1867 upon his election as rector of the University of St. Andrews, he made the following statement: “Men are men before they are lawyers, or physicians, or merchants, or manufacturers; and if you make them capable and sensible men, they will make themselves capable and sensible lawyers or physicians.” Dr. Larry Brown of Lipscomb University took this idea a step further when he said, “A premed student may learn more about the value of human life in a literature or philosophy course than in all of medical school. A business major may realize through a course in art or music appreciation that there are riches other than monetary ones to be enjoyed in this world.” No matter what they’re earning a degree in, students at Cedarville study the humanities in order to address the questions of life and apply what they have learned in their Bible minor. As a result, they develop the vital skills they will need to navigate our rapidly changing world — not only from a professional standpoint but also from a spiritual one. Dr. Steven Winteregg serves as dean of the school of humanities. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Wright State University, and The Ohio State University. He is an award-winning composer and has had many of his compositions performed around the world. He has also served as principal tuba for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently a member of its board of trustees. You may contact him at winteregg@cedarville.edu. facul ty voi ce i “ How can studying communication arts , history, government, language , literature , music, or art prepare students for careers in a constantly morphing society?”