Torch, Summer 2000

If you want a good study in leadership, I recommend Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald Phillips. Lincoln didn’t look like a leader. If there was ever a president of the United States who didn’t look like a president, it was Abraham Lincoln. People thought he was dumb, but he was a very intelligent, articulate, and insightful man. One of the things that made Abraham Lincoln such a genius as a leader was not only what he had in his mind, but also what he had in his heart. Everyone knew him to be a man of integrity. Integrity comes from the Latin word integer , which means “whole number.” It refers to a characteristic that permeates our entire being and begins to permeate the entire organization. If Cedarville University is going to be an organization of integrity, then all of us who are in leadership roles have to be people of integrity. From our trustees, to the president, to the vice presidents, to all the deans and the department chairs, to all those on the faculty and staff, we must have integrity if Cedarville University is going to be an organization of integrity. Consider now, though, another attribute I believe is essential to effective, successful leadership, at least when we are considering leadership of Christian organizations or biblical institutions. I Peter 5:1-7 says, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed.” You begin to get the whole sense of God speaking through Peter to those who are to be overseers of the church and leaders of the church about the aspect of humility. It is certainly difficult to be a humble leader. We are not to lord over others. Leaders must make decisions; there are tough things that must be done, but the decisions made and the actions taken must be done in an attitude of serving those who are, by the grace of God, entrusted to us. Scripture tells us to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. Just as we awake and dress our bodies, we ought to clothe Torch 7 (continued on page 12) Are You the William Gibson of the 21st Century? A little more than a hundred years ago, one person made a single decision that changed the course of history and influenced thousands of lives. The year was 1891, and the man was William Gibson. Those were the days when Cedarville College was still a dream, waiting to become a reality. The state of Ohio had chartered the school in 1887, but due to the lack of any kind of meaningful monetary support, it existed in name only. The board members’ anxieties from the lack of funding for the school climaxed, their hopes faded, and eventually it looked as though they would have to abandon the entire project. Then, they received word that a $25,000 bequest had been made to Cedarville College from the estate of the late William Gibson, an influential businessman from Cincinnati. This news spurred a renewed promise for the young college. Four months later, on September 19, 1891, Cedarville College formally opened with an enrollment of 32 students. The gift amounted to less than two percent of the total value of the Gibson estate. Today, the eternal value of Gibson’s bequest cannot be measured. Most people, given the opportunity, would like to feel that they have made a lasting contribution toward a better world, that their lives have touched others—perhaps for many generations to come. In the same way that God used William Gibson, he can also use you. Your gift can help to secure the future of Cedarville University. Bequests are as important to the ministry of the University today as they were in 1891. Many different methods of giving are available. You can make a bequest as a specific asset or dollar amount, as a percentage of your estate, or as a remainder interest. God used William Gibson to make the dream of Cedarville a reality in the 20th century. Do you feel that God is calling you to pave the way for the future leaders of the 21st century? Does God want you to be the William Gibson of the new millennium? If so, please contact Dave Bartlett or Kim Longo at 1-800-766-1115 to discuss how gifts through your estate can continue the work of Cedarville University for years to come.