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HU Student Film Advocates for Clean Water
A scene from "Refresh"
Benjamin Kroll (left) and Sean Cruse
Bethany Doyle
As a young man in New York City, Sean Cruse did not realize that his journey to become an animator and filmmaker would lead him to the American heartland.
He was originally interested in a college on the southern Atlantic coast with access to beaches and year-round warmth. After further investigation, though, he became dissatisfied with that school’s animation program. So, it was off to visit another campus, surprisingly nestled among the cornfields of Indiana. Cruse says the decision to check out Huntington University was a “leap of faith.”
“I originally did not want to attend Huntington. My dad and I drove around to scout out the surroundings and ended up in some field somewhere,” Cruse recalls. “But once I saw the facilities and talked with the professors, that’s when my mind immediately changed.”
Cruse is quick to point out that once he chose Huntington, he never doubted the decision.
Early in his college career, the university brought to campus a band that supported an organization called Blood: Water Mission. It was his first exposure to the serious issue of humans living without clean water. The experience awakened him to the reality of brothers and sisters in Christ living without basic needs.
“Huntington’s message is ‘Christ@Center’ but how do you get Christ to the center of someone who doesn’t even live past the age of 5 because he died from a water-borne disease?” Cruse asks. “It’s such a basic thing. I don’t understand. We’re in 2011, and there’s been a long time to solve this problem, and it’s just not happening yet. It can happen, and I want to see it happen.”
That concern ignited the idea for Cruse’s junior project in the digital media arts program. “Refresh,” a stop-motion short film, deals with the disparity between people who are privileged and those who live without. The film portrays a businessman going about his day, buying bottled water from a vending machine, watering his lawn and feeding an aquarium full of fish. These scenes are juxtaposed with images of a mother and daughter in Africa who take a long journey to bring jerry cans of dirty water back to their village.
During the last scenes of the short film, the businessman is shown retrieving his mail while a hose is watering his lawn (and driveway). As he walks inside, he slips on the wet pavement of his driveway, spilling his mail into the puddles and soaking his clothes. The next scene shows the mother and daughter journeying back toward their village with their containers of precious water. The young girl falls, spilling much of the water from her heavy jerry can. The mother helps her up and carries both containers the rest of the way.
The film leaves the audience contemplating how they use limited resources and freshly motivated to help those with less.
“I am blessed to be in this country (but) it’s not following out my faith to ignore my brothers and sisters in need around the world,” Cruse said. “This is where my passion comes from — the teachings of Jesus.”
Cruse’s commitment was contagious. Two fellow senior animation majors and members of the project team, Benjamin Kroll of Mount Lake Park, Md., and Matthew Weener of Hudsonville, Mich., soon shared the same motivation.
“Seeing Sean’s passion for this issue has instilled in me an awareness that has caused me to rethink my priorities,” Kroll said. Although Kroll grew up as a missionary kid familiar with poverty struggles around the world, working on “Refresh” gave him a new awareness of the magnitude of the struggle for clean water.
“Refresh” took the 2011 film festival circuit by storm, appearing in five separate festivals in the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, “Refresh” was shown at the Columbus (Ohio) International Film & Video Festival (CIFVF).
Matt Swift, adviser for the Ohio State University Film Studies and division chair for the student division of the CIFVF, was highly impressed with “Refresh.”
“I really liked the point behind ‘Refresh,’” Swift said. “It has a good message. You really feel for the characters, and it scored very high. Other films got mixed up with their message. ‘Refresh’ was very clear cut, and this made it a very strong film.”
Cruse appreciates the film’s acceptance into the festivals, but has a bigger goal.
“I’m more excited that the message is being spread,” he said. “We want people to not only become educated about the issue but to actually go do something about it.”
You can watch “Refresh” below.
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Daytona Church Putting Up Food Pantry Building
First UB church is expanding its food pantry ministry, and did a nice little video about it. Pastor Chuck McKeown wrote on Facebook on February 10, “The pantry building is almost finished. We were able to use it yesterday. Looks like the cost will come in just under $20,000. We need about $8,000. to finish the project.”
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Video Update on the Andersons in Spain
Ron and Brenda Anderson are endorsed Global Ministries staff serving in Spain with European Christian Mission International. Here’s a video update they did around the recent Foundations training course. Ron explains, “Brenda and I spent the last week of January working with a group of ECM missionaries stationed in Spain, Albania, England, and France. This was a time to encourage them in their new missionary career and to help equip them to have the resilience to make the sacrifices necessary to do what God has asked them to do.”
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Death of Prof. Jack Barlow
Jack Barlow
G. Blair Dowden, President of Huntington University
Huntington University today is mourning the loss of a longtime professor and dear friend, Jack P. Barlow Sr.
Professor Barlow served Huntington University (then Huntington College) for 32 years, after which he was named Associate Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science in 1999. He was a man dedicated to serving God and others through education. His greatest joy was to see his students develop spiritually and academically. In his own unique way, Professor Barlow was used by God to encourage and instill confidence and a sense of direction in many individual lives. He was a mentor to countless graduates who have gone on to effectively impact our world for Christ.
When Professor Barlow retired from active teaching in 1999, the Indiana General Assembly recognized him for providing more than three decades of guidance and inspiration to Indiana students. At that time, I shared with him a quote by Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops.” Professor Barlow’s influence has been truly significant and far-reaching. His legacy continues to shine through the personal lives and professional accomplishments of the Huntington graduates he taught.
Professor Barlow was a distinguished scholar and educator. He held degrees from William Tyndale College and Eastern Michigan University and also completed additional graduate studies at Michigan State University and Ball State University. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Huntington in 2005. In addition to his service at Huntington, he also taught at IPFW and the University of Saint Francis.
He was committed to the scholarly community at Huntington and held several leadership positions, including serving as the chairman of the History Department and a member of Faculty Concerns Committee and Library Committee. He was the longtime coordinator of the Forester Lecture Series and served as the director of January Term.
In 1997 he was awarded the Centennial Medallion, an honor that celebrated the 100 most influential individuals in the history of Huntington College. Professor Barlow also was given awards by many educational organizations including Outstanding Educators of America and the Christian College Coalition.
Professor Barlow’s wife and children and granddaughter attended Huntington University. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, serving as teacher, preacher and leader.
Our prayers are with his wife Becky; his children Jack Jr. and Kim; his grandchildren and his extended family. The Huntington University family shares in their loss. We thank the Lord for the opportunity of serving with this man of God and for the privilege of calling him friend and colleague.”
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Parts Country, Folksy, Beachy, and Buffet
A previous post mentioned Matt McKeown and the theme song he wrote, on contract, for the city of Palm Coast, Fla. Matt is associate pastor of First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla., and also heads up Sound Mind Studios, a recording studio in Holly Hill.The online News-Journal of Daytona Beach published a feature article about Matt and the song, titled “Holly Hill Musician Carries Tune for Palm Coast.” Some tidbits from that article:
- Matt has written energetic rock music p layed during television coverage of NFL games, NASCAR races, and other sporting events.
- After getting the Palm Coast job last fall, “I didn’t go there and walk around for song inspiration. I just jumped on their website and looked at what they were proud of. That’s what I would have done if I was doing that for a company.”
- McKeown he did all the singing and played all the instruments for the song. “I wanted it to be a little country, a little folksy, and a little beachy and to have a little Jimmy Buffet in there.”
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HU To Search for New VP for Academic Affairs
Dr. Del Doughty (right), longtime professor of English at Huntington University, has been named the interim senior vice president for academic affairs, effective June 1, 2012.In this role, Doughty will be responsible for leading the faculty and developing new academic programs. Doughty will continue in this interim role through May 31, 2013.
Beginning this fall, the university will launch a national search for a new vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Norris Friesen (right), who has held that position for the past 10 years (and has worked at Huntington University for 26 years),
will assume the role of professor of German and director of cross-cultural programs beginning in the 2012-13 school year.HU President G. Blair Dowden explained in a student meeting that he wanted a change in the position, and will be searching for a person to better focus on strategic thinking and innovation in academics.
Doughty joined the university faculty in 1996. He currently serves as professor of English, chair of the Division of Humane Studies, and the self-study coordinator for reaccreditation. He teaches courses in creative writing and world literature. He earned his Ph.D. in comparative literature from Penn State in 1995.
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David Holt Appointed to East Ovid Church
David Holt has been appointed senior pastor of East Ovid UB church (Coldwater, Mich.) effective February 1, 2012. He and Kim (right), his wife of 28 years, have 3 children, ages 16-23. His ministry background includes the Algansee Lower Light Mission of Petersburg, Mich. (which first licensed him to preach), the Zion Wesleyan Mission in Hazel Park, Mich., the Old Time Religion Group in Michigan (which ordained him in 2006). He has been pastor since 2005 of the Ball Road Tabernacle Church of Romulus, Mich.
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Work Progresses at Centennial School
Global Ministries, the Sierra Leone Conference, and the Lehigh Valley chapter of Engineers Without Borders have been working to bring a number of upgrades to the Centennial School in Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone. To date, new modernized latrines have been built, lighting is being installed to allow for evening classes and study, and very soon a drilled well will be installed.
One worker at the school shared this week that the students really like coming to class at night versus the late afternoon, as they have more time for chores and other work that can only be done during daylight hours. With Sierra Leone’s proximity to the equator, sunrise and sunset occur at approximately 6 am and 6 pm all year round.
Rev. Joe Abu is planning another trip along with engineering volunteers this spring. If you would like to donate to this project, you can do so by sending your gift, mark “Centennial School” to Global Ministries. If sending a check, be sure to make it out to Global Ministries.
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Praise Point Hires Associate Pastor
Marcus and Stacie Flood, with Brooks the beagle.
Praise Point Church (Willshire, Ohio) has hired Marcus Flood as Associate Pastor for Youth and Family Ministries. He was previously youth pastor of a church in Saline, Mich., and has been a leader with different youth ministries for over 10 years.
Marcus and his wife, Stacie, were married on July 4, 2009. They met while attending Huntington University. Marcus graduated in 2008 with a Youth Ministry major and minors in Educational Ministries and Bible & Religion.
Stacie graduated in 2009 with a Social Work major. She continued her education by getting her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan.
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Goodbye to Elizabeth Holtrop
Lots of thread for Elizabeth
Elizabeth opening her parting gifts. (click to enlarge)
Food is required whenever someone joins or leaves the staff.
On February 2, Elizabeth Holtrop concluded 8 months of service on the Healthy Ministry Resources staff, working in the bookstore. During that time, she shipped hundreds of boxes of Sunday school literature and other items to churches across the country. But she decided to move to Indianapolis, sharing a house with her brother and sister and making her way in Indiana’s Big City.
The staff said goodbye to her with a Pizza Hut meal brought to the office. Since she likes to sew, she was given several gifts of thread and other related items.
Elizabeth graduated from Huntington University in 2011 with a degree in History and Political Studies. Her father, Steve, is dean of the Huntington University Graduate School.
It was a joy to have Elizabeth with us, with her big smile and eternally sunny disposition. We wish her well.
