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Pacific Union College held its first annual Service Day on January 20, 2012, by organizing a fair featuring service opportunities for students from local and international non-profits. The day aimed to inspire students to serve their world and showcased opportunities to put that inspiration into action.According to PUC Service Coordinator Fabio Maia, the idea was to create more volunteer opportunities for students. "We brought in non-profits in the area to provide opportunities students can signup for," said Maia. "But it's not just a signup list for them to be contacted at a later date. We wanted to provide real opportunities so they can start serving."Among the organizations at the fair were St. Helena Hospital and Rose Haven, the Napa Youth Advocacy Center, the St. Helena Family Center, and other organizations serving the Napa Valley. Alongside the local organizations were groups like Developing Communities Nicaragua, and Project Pueblo that showcased opportunities to serve outside the Valley. The mayors of Calistoga and St. Helena, Jack Gingles and Del Britton, were also present.Mayor Britton said he believes PUC contributes positively to the Napa Valley. "One of the nice things about PUC is its 'service first' philosophy," he said. "The advantage of a fair...

Pacific Union College held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Colloquy on January 12, 2012, celebrating the legacy of this civil rights leader ahead of Monday’s federal holiday in his memory. The program featured a presentation by Norman Knight, PUC’s outreach chaplain, entitled Beyond the Red Sea and highlighted the college’s diversity and its commitment to continued progress in the area. Knight focused on the message King would have had for young people on college campuses across the country were he still living today. Knight opened his address by reading the account in Exodus 16:1-3 where the Children of Israel were grumbling to their leaders. Knight used this as a springboard to weave a puissant narrative paralleling the civil rights movement with the struggles of oppressed people everywhere and the responsibilities that come with arrival in the “promised land” or an end to oppression. Knight discussed the movements of people standing up for their civil rights as springing from an innate human force which refuses to be suppressed. “It is always true that when you have one force dedicated to denying people their freedom and dignity, you will always have another force committed to ensuring liberty and liberation. The...

Two Pioneers basketball players won California Pacific Conference honors last week when they were named players of the week. The conference recognized senior Josh Jewett from the men’s team, and senior Carla Bartlett from the women’s team, for outstanding play last week against West Coast Baptist College and the California Institute of Technology.Read more at the Napa Valley Register....

Peter Thornburgh, recently creative director at Yahoo!, was the speaker for Pacific Union College’s Colloquy Speaker Series on December 1. Following his presentation, students filled the Dining Commons for the 31st annual Career Day exhibition, where over 60 consultants, recruiters, and professionals shared their experiences in the work field. Thornburgh began his presentation by highlighting a U.S. Department of Education statistic showing that over 65 percent of today’s middle school students will land jobs that do not yet exist, emphasizing the effect technology will have on future careers. Thornburgh gave students three keys to success in the technology driven economy. First, Thornburgh urged, “Don't be average, be invested.” Recalling Psalm 139:14, where David praises God for making him with such care, he said, “God doesn’t make good, he makes great.” Second, he said, “Let God guide.” Finally, he encouraged students to take advantage of any support available, stating, “Don’t go it alone…work with your colleagues.” After sharing his keys to success, Thornburgh referred to late Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. In the speech, Jobs urged students to look for something they love. Thornburgh repeated that advice but with a caveat: “Finding a job you love...

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, creator of over 25 films including The Power of Forgiveness, Bonhoeffer, and The Adventists, visited Pacific Union College last week to address students, present one of his films, and give the college’s annual Longo Lecture. Doblmeier’s engagement at PUC opened Wednesday evening with a screening of The Adventists, his documentary exploring the denomination’s unique whole-person approach to healthcare. After the screening in Scales Chapel, the filmmaker spent several minutes answering questions about the film, which premiered on public television in 2010. On Thursday morning Doblmeier faced a panel of student interviewers for PUC’s Colloquy Speaker Series in the PUC Church. Following a moving clip of his film The Power of Forgiveness, students Samantha Angeles, Peter Han, and Justin Feltman took the stage with the filmmaker to ask him about his views on Adventism, justice, filmmaking, and the controversial German resistance figure Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “The common denominator in my films is exploring the question, ‘How is God working in the world today?’” Doblmeier said, responding to a question from Feltman on how he chooses his topics. Doblmeier also discussed the complexities of showing The Adventists, a film that to a degree promotes facets of Adventist faith...