Torch, Summer 1998

- There are many in the church who put themselves out. It is amazing the kind of schedules some people keep and the things that some do to carve out time to meet with and to serve God. But for many, there is no sacrifice of time, treasure or talent for God. Romans 12 demands we be living sacrifices. A similar passage in the Old Testament is just as clear. "'Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated from the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel," (2 Samuel 24:24-25). The background to this passage is that Araunah came to David and said, "We want to help you worship God. We are going to give you the wood and we are going to give you the sacrifice and if you want us to, we will even light the match, we will light the fire so you can worship God through this offering." David answered, "Wait a minute, no way! I refuse to give God that which costs me nothing." You need to realize Christianity cost Jesus Christ everything-His life, His sacrificial death. He is a risen Savior. His demand is for us to live sacrificial lives. But, where are the sacrifices of today's Church? Finandal Blessings Experienced 1997-98 brought financial blessing to Cedarville as the operational need (Annual Fund) was fully met by thousands of individuals, churches, corporations, and foundations. Budgeted at $1.2 million last July, the Annual Fund bridges the gap between what students pay and what it costs the College to offer its education. On June 30, the gap was not only filled, but exceeded by $54,000. The Annual Fund need was met by over 5,000 gifts, and the average gift to the Annual Fund was approximately $90. Inclm:l.tng..the._Annual Fund, gifts to Cedarville totaled over $5.3 million. Many of the gifts fulfilled commitments to capital projects like The Dixon Ministry Center. "The financial friendship of so many tli1s year was not only important to our stuaents' eaucation, but also in helping the College address high priorities that will influence their education next year and in the years beyond," stated Dr. Martin Clark, vice president for development. "We were able to invest in faculty and staff, in techno ogy and in CedarNet, in the retrofit of the previous chapel into the Technology Resource Center, in bolstering chapel programming, in enhancing the residence halls this summer-these are just a few of the investments we were able to make because so many were generous and wanting to be a part of our students' lives." The operational need for 1998-99 also exceeds $1.2 million. "We pray that all those who took part in this banner year will sense great satisfaction in how they touched students and desire to do the same again this next year," Dr. Clark shared. "We are sure that God will use many in mighty ways." 12 Torch