Inspire, Winter 1997

Alumnus ofthe Year Craig Miller'79 Craig Miller pastors Faith Community Church in Santa Clarita, California. In the ten years of his pastorate, the church has grown from five families to over 700 in attendance on Sunday morning,and most ofthese are in their first evangelical church home.Craig's privilege has been not only to ground young saints in the Scripture, but also to challenge them to be involved in missions. By the end ofthis year, the church plans to add its ninth missionary family, not only carrying a large part of their support, but committing people to be involved in the missionaries' ministries. A recent count indicated that at least 80 people from the church had been to a field. Craig has led teams from the church to all the fields where their missionaries serve. For instance, over the years,four teams have assisted Mike'83 and Joan Wilcox '82 in Indonesia.Three teams have gone to Mexico to help build a church and to staff and renovate a clinic where missionaries work with a tribal group.The church also has sent ten people on each of three trips to Beijing,China where,as business professionals, they have taught business principles to Chinese middle managers. Craig has assisted missionaries in the Ukraine by teaching in Bible institutes. He led and taught three study tours to Israel, one for his church people and two for pastors. Craig has assisted the local school district as chair of the parent advisory council to the superintendent(three years)and as president of the local school site council (five years). Graduating from Cedarville with a 4.0 GPA,Craig received both the President's Trophy and the Faculty Scholarship Trophy.Among his many activities were summer and weekend Swordbearers,OVCH ministry, MIS to Australia(twice), Fiddler on the Roof,and director ofthe infamous Norman Tabernacle Choir. Craig holds M.Div. and Th.M.degrees from Talbot Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Kathleen,are the parents ofRebekah(11),Christine(8),and Nathan(5). Honorary Alumnus ofthe Year Dr.Eugene Apple Gene's longtime relationship with Cedarville College began when his daughter,Brenda'78,came to Cedarville to study music. He helped with the campaign for the Athletic Center and,a few years later, became a member ofthe Board ofTrustees during the same year that Paul Dixon became president. He chaired the business committee ofthe Board and later served as chairman of the Board. He is currently the vice chair. Input from the President's Associates,of which Gene was an early member,was the impetus for starting the nursing program. Later Gene became a member ofthe Engineering Advisory Council which helped launch the engineering program.The Council still meets regularly to review the program's progress and give direction. He also serves on the Technology Advisory Council. Gene and his wife,Jane,established the Nehemiah Scholarship,one ofthe first scholarships for engineering students.The award recognizes "devotion to God and diligence of professional purpose that was projected by the life of Nehemiah." "Gene's dedication to our Lord and his business insight have been most significant," states Dr.Paul Dixon."He has been a great encouragement to me and a personal friend." Gene earned his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in chemistry at Penn State University. His alma mater named him Alumni Fellow in 1987. "As an alumnus," Gene says."I have been involved with Penn State, but I work with Cedarville because this college has eternity's values in view." He has a great interest in Cedarville alumni."I see them as tremendously important to the future of the College." After a distinguished,34-year career with General Electric, he retired in 1989 as vice president ofthe Technical Division in lighting. He has been vice chair ofthe Ohio Industrial Technology Enterprise Advisory Committee for the past six years and is currently consulting with the State of Kansas on technology development. The Apples have five children, Linda Kester,Brenda'78,Barbara Camacho,Alan, and Andy,and enjoy five grandchildren. Young Alumnus ofthe Year Troy Hamilton'95 Following his graduation from Cedarville in 1995,Troy Hamilton planned to delay seminary for two years as he sensed the Lord leading him into pioneering missions in remote areas ofthe world. During the first year, he apprenticed under an evangelistic association in the Philippines. He preached the Gospel ofJesus Christ, discipled, helped train national pastors and plant churches in a variety of settings. Troy accompanied Filipino pastors and tribal guides as they took the Gospel to unreached people groups in remote and mountainous regions ofthe islands ofLuzon and Mindinao.These trips required arduous travel and living in extremely primitive conditions.The Lord gave him a great love for the Filipino people and especially for his faithful Filipino pastor friends. Since September 1996,Troy has ministered with a medical missionary family in Nampula,Mozambique,an African land unrivaled in poverty and spiritual desolation. Disease,terrorism, and crime are rampant.Troy has assisted the missionaries in their primitive clinic and in the church they planted. He has discipled and trained young Christian men to be evangelists and has taken the Gospel into the bush. Despite battling malaria and pneumonia,a serious knee injury,infections that are slow to heal, equipment breakdowns,and many disappointments,Troy writes,"God has been gracious and has given me the stamina and spiritual joy to persist...." He has extended his year in Mozambique to continue the work and to prepare for and direct a Teen Missions International(TMI) boot camp to reach and disciple young Mozambicans. He also will coordinate efforts ofTMI construction teams to build a hospital. The oldest offive children, Troy was drawn to a life of missions during his high school years through missions trips to Jamaica,England,and the Philippines. A preseminary major at Cedarville, he was active with Open Heirs, Ad 7,and Alpha Chi, was president of the Class of 1995,and received the Christian Ministries Award. Dr. Harold Green,former vice president for Christian Ministries, states,"I will not be surprised when his name appears among those of other great missionaries in God's service." Distinguished Service Award Professor Edward Spencer One person alumni most frequently ask about is Mr.Spencer. And small wonder. After 35 years ofteaching language and literature at Cedarville College,Ed Spencer still looks forward to getting up in the morning and coming to the College because he loves what he does—ministering to students. The professor ofEnglish loves teaching his craft to students. Besides his regular classes, he has assisted over 100 ofthem through out-of-class summer courses.In addition, he was advisor to four classes,advised the Yearbook staff and the Literati club, discipled small groups ofstudents, served as a mentor in Fit-To-Be-Tied, counseled untold numbers ofstudents in planned and impromptu settings, and hasjust enjoyed their company in the cafeteria, on the sidewalk,in the dormitories,or anywhere else they might meet.A colleague says,"Ed is of that mind which says 'everything that I do doesn't have to be recognized.'He works hours beyond the contractual boundaries." He chaired the Department of Language and Literature for 17 years and has served on many college committees. Ed loves to preach the Word ofGod.He is a people-person,easy to talk to, possesses keen insight, and he loves to be out in the churches. He pastored churches in Pennsylvania and Ohio(nine in all) before coming to Cedarville and has since served in several interim pastorates. He says he has the best oftwo worlds—teaching and spending time with students during the week and preaching and being with church people on weekends. Ed loves literature. He is an avid reader, for, as he says,how can he challenge his students if he doesn't challenge himself? For many years, he coordinated the yearly college trips to the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Ed received his 35-year college service award this fall. As Dorothy,his wife of over 50 years,says,"IfEd stopped teaching,I'm not sure what he would do. It's his life." The Spencers are the parents of three and grandparents of three. 3WINTER'97