by Brianna Langley | Oct 31, 2014 | News Slider
Due to rising concerns about the Ebola virus, Lipscomb students, parents and faculty are making some difficult decisions about international travel. With Commitment Week just around the corner for Lipscomb Missions, as well as Spring Semester Study Abroad trips coming up in only a couple of months, students and parents are faced with making decisions regarding international travel through Lipscomb-run programs. Concerns are certainly elevated in regards to travel, and especially travel going to West African countries, such as Ghana. “It’s definitely something that’s been on my mind and something I’ve been praying about,” Lipscomb junior Trisha Stocker said. “It’s definitely a concern and it’s something that’s scary, but at the same time, if God wants me to go and He opens the doors, how can I say no?” Stocker has been planning on participating in Lipscomb’s mission efforts in Ghana for two years now; however, due to the unforeseen epidemic, her parents are now understandably cautious about sending her. “I am being respectful of my parents since I am still dependent on them to a certain degree, so it is hard to feel called to go and then have some doors possibly be closing, but if God wants it, it’ll happen,” Stocker said. Missions coordinator and Ghana Missions team leader Paul Stevens says he wants parents and students alike to understand the high level of security and safety Ghana has developed as a country over the years. “The thing about Ghana that makes me feel a little bit more comfortable with it is just knowing that it is the most stable, most advanced country not just in West...
by Erika Thornsberry | Jan 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
The opportunity to take mission trips as a Lipscomb student fits right into freshman Samantha Gwinn’s plans to travel the world and help others. Gwinn is studying elementary education, but her dream is to be a missionary. Already, Gwinn has quite a bit of experience in mission work. A few places she already has visited are Mexico, Honduras, South Africa and Swaziland, as well as many places in the United States. “The summer before my senior year of high school, I knew I was being called to do something more than just a week of mission work,” Gwinn said. “I’ve wanted to be a missionary since seventh grade, and I just wanted more of it. So, I spent a summer in Swaziland two summers ago with a group of people I had only known for four days.” Gwinn mentioned the joy that she has encountered through the people she has spent time with during her journeys. “I enjoy seeing people from other cultures worshiping God. Sometimes we think that we are the only ones who love God, and that we are such good people for going out and spreading Christ’s love. Well, the love is already there,” Gwinn said. “Often times, it is more there than it is here. The kids seem joyful so much of the time, no matter if they’re wearing ratty, dirty clothes and only eat one meal a day. They have the joy of the Lord inside of them.” Gwinn says that she hopes her mission trip travels continue. “Madagascar is high on my list,” Gwinn said. “I’ve learned about it during a project, and God...
by Danielle Boyd | Sep 21, 2011 | News Slider
SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) is an international non-profit organization on college and university campuses, where students do community based projects on relevant economic, social and environmental factors. “They go in and empower people based on those factors to improve their standard of living and quality of life through the positive power of business,” said Duncan Gross, a junior accounting major from Memphis, Tenn., and executive director of Lipscomb SIFE. The organiztion, established on campus Jan. 15, 2010, made its debut as one of the fastest growing student-led organizations on campus. When it first began, SIFE enlisted students to join the efforts for service within the Nashville community. “We sought to really work with the non-profits in Nashville to help them with the process and improvement of the projects they do within the community,” said Gross. Originally taking on 16 projects at a time, SIFE has narrowed down their mark this year to only three, giving students the opportunity to engage and serve at a more feasible work schedule. Within the past year, SIFE members have collaborated with many non-profit organizations such as Greenhouse Ministries in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “One of our biggest projects is Kilowatt Ours,” said Gross. “I plan to reenergize America.” For that project, SIFE members and organization leaders complete a series of workshops to help low-income families save energy and decrease their electric bills by at least $80. “This will help them save money, which they can reallocate to other aspects of life,” said Gross. As SIFE continues to grow, its service has reached beyond state lines and into the international level. In addition to serving the community, SIFE has also developed a pen pal project with David Lipscomb Middle School as well as...
