Journal: Journal of Ministry and Theology
Volume: JMAT 19:2 (Fall 2015)
Article: Summit University Celebration April 20, 2015
Author: James Lytle

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Summit University Celebration
April 20, 2015

James Lytle

President
Summit University
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

I am deeply grateful for all of you both from our area and from far away who have joined us today.1 We all would agree with Dr. Don Shirk’s testimonial, “Some of the most amazing things God did in my life, he did because of Baptist Bible College and Seminary.” I have been involved with this school for forty-two years in a variety of roles ranging from student to President. I admit that it is a challenge to learn to say “Summit University” when I have said “Baptist Bible College and Seminary” for so long. This morning when I was leaving for the office, I told my wife, Diane, “I’m heading over to the university.” I got it out and it sounded right.

If you have been on our website, you have seen the prominent Summit University advertising that makes it clear: our name has changed, but our mission has not. The formal statement of our mission reminds us of that and calls us to action: we exist to serve undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students by preparing them for lives of significant service for Jesus Christ in a variety of ministries and careers.

Our new corporate seal2 illustrates this commitment to mission well. On the bottom is the reminder that we have existed since 1932. That is a lot of history! And every year when the new students arrive, we try to help them appreciate the foundation

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laid for their education. We ask them to look at the names on the buildings. Back in 1932, Miss Thomson, Miss Vibbard, Miss Fletcher, and Dean Emory Bancroft had the audacity to start a school. It certainly requires some courage to step into an existing ministry and build it up, but it’s much more challenging to start from the beginning. Don’t forget that they made this choice in the height of the Great Depression. During those early years, the four of them taught Bible survey, Bible book studies, theology, and how to work in a local church. Nearly everything that we have today is an outgrowth of what they pioneered for us so many years ago.

Move your eyes up a little higher on the seal, and you find a copy of the Word of God. At Summit University, the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice. As we all know, it is easier to say those words than to live them. We have to soak in the Word of God, and we must not do it in the abstract nor as a parallel track in our studies. We must integrate the truth of the Word with everything else we learn. This exercise creates a unique perspective on ...