June 13, 2013
For Immediate Release

Nick Jones, left, of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., talks with Dr. Ted Taylor, professor of Christian studies, at the
Turner Log Cabin Park. (Campbellsville University Photo by Linda Waggener)

By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Nick Jones wanted more openness to faith, and he wanted his learning to be value added. He found just what he was looking for at Campbellsville University.

Jones, a junior from Mt. Juliet, Tenn., in looking back on the past eight months he's been at CU, said, “The changes that have been made in my life have been nothing short of remarkable.

“Campbellsville's Christ-centered approach and the quality academics have had a major impact and ultimately where I found Christ.”

Dr. Ted Taylor, professor of Christian studies, director of the Leadership/Character Development Institute and lead professor of the sports ministry program, said Jones' transformation has occurred because of the “work of the Holy Spirit, and Nick has taken advantage of every opportunity on our campus to be challenged spiritually.”
Jones said everything he does on campus is centered around Christ - whether it is the many groups with which he's involved or just eating in the Winters Dining Hall with Christian music playing.

Jones has served as a student coach/manager for the CU football team and is a sport management major with a sports ministry minor. His parents are Doug and Kelly Jones, who are from Mohawk, N.Y., and now live in Old Hickory, Tenn.

“I do not seem to have a problem finding Jesus on campus at all. The opportunities to go on missions, the many Christ centered groups, and just the fellowship and openness about my faith here have been nothing short of amazing,” he said.

Taylor said Jones has grown spiritually as much in eight months on campus as anybody “I can remember in my 20 years serving on the faculty at CU.”

Taylor said he has had a “front row” seat to see Jones' life change happen from one week to the next because of his relationship to Christ.

Taylor said, “Campbellsville University will always be a special place for Nick Jones because on the campus is where Nick found Christ.”

Taylor said God has given Jones the desire to study God's word in the classroom and in Bible studies. Taylor said Jones has grown and is a leader in various ministry groups.

Jones echoes Taylor's words.

“If it was not for Campbellsville portraying those Christ-like qualities, I could never had had the major growth in my walk with Christ,” he said.

Jones has served as a FIRST CLASS mentor, where the students are focusing on the servant leadership qualities to make them be more Christ-like.

“If you are here on campus for even one semester, there is no doubt in my mind that you will see qualities and hear about Jesus,” he said.

Campbellsville University sports management students, from left, Jimmie Thompson (Bon Aqua, Tenn.), Nick Jones (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and Ellen Sholtes (Louisville, Ky.) present Todd Parish of Kentucky Heartland Outreach a donation from their Intro to Sports Management class project, and the six-person group used a pre-Thanksgiving bake sale to help raise $93 for Kentucky Heartland Outreach.

Jones is involved in Athletes in Action, International Justice Mission and a student-led prayer group. He went on his first mission trip with the football team through Sports Reach. “It was eye opening and humbling to go to Orlando and go to the prisons and rescue missions. I learned the importance of sharing the gospel and learned to appreciate what I have been given along with the opportunities I have had,” he said.

After Jones transferred to CU from Middle Tennessee State University in fall 2012, he realized his academics have been some of the “most impactful” in his life. “The core requirements, as far as the Christian studies go, have been amazing. I have learned so much from the material that has been essential to my spiritual growth,” he said.

“I found God's calling on my life, and, if I were not at Campbellsville, I would not have found my calling,” he said.

Jones said part of the reason he transferred to CU was because the professors at his old university were not “really concerned with whether I understood the information or was even paying attention.””

He said, “Here at Campbellsville that has definitely not been the case. Every professor, administration worker, advisor and even janitor, or other faculty member on campus will have a meaningful conversation and are concerned about me as an individual.”

Jones said he was not saved when he first came to CU over the summer for the football camp. “Then one day I was in my apartment when Jesus came and saved me. He came into my life and began to change me.
“I came forward one day at chapel to openly give my life to Christ and accept His gift of salvation.”

He said, “Campbellsville University has had a major impact and truly helped change my life. If it were not for the groups, classes and openness on this campus, I would never have grown as much as I have in my faith.”

He said the openness about his faith has been “nothing short of amazing. Christ has really used this university, and the people that go here and teach here to change me and guide me closer to Him.”

Jones said, “God has really worked in my life in these two semesters that I have been here. He has shown me many good examples on what it means to be a follower of Christ. He has shown me how many different opportunities there are for me to serve and benefit the Kingdom. He has shown me how not to be afraid or nervous about sharing my faith openly because here at Campbellsville, Christ is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“There is no doubt that Campbellsville University is going to have a major impact in this world,” he said.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.