PIU Board Meeting Day 3

The third day of the board meeting is usually mostly evaluations and election of board officers for the next year. After three years as Board chairman, Bill stepped down and Howard Merrell (pictured on the right) was elected to the position. Bill will continue as a trustee on the board. Billy Kuartei was elected as vice chairman, Siska Hutapea secretary and John Robertson treasurer. I think this was a very productive meeting and we have a very clear goal for what we need to do in this coming year.I am looking forward to working with this board and believe that God will move PIU forward to where we need to be as a school.

Friday is also the day for the board to lead the PIU chapel service. Each one of the board members gave a testimony or shared a word of encouragement to the PIU students, staff and faculty.

Harald Gorges shared a story of reconciliation on his recent trip to Chuuk. He said that he had to learn how to hug and it was still somewhat uncomfortable for him. But he said that the hugs he received in Chuuk were very comfortable because they were hugs of reconciliation. Howard Merrell said that Harald needed more practice hugging and created the PIU Rising Tide “Hug Fund” so that Harald could receive more hugs from everyone there.

 

Howard writes, “In an extension of the old "Kissing Booth" we said that anyone who wanted to could get a hug from this guy--who isn't nearly as unhuggable as his story implied--for $1. Soon there was a bid of several $$ to not have to hug him, and I think over $100 came in because of our impromptu fund-raiser. The fact is PIU is a significant ministry doing a good work on a shoe-string--or in this part of the world a flip-flop strap.It's a horrible mingling of cultures, but if you'd like to Help Us Get-r-done--HUG, go the PIU website, click on the Advancement tab, and follow the instructions for making an online gift.http://www.piu.edu/

Chapel was followed by a fellowship lunch for board members, faculty and staff. All the board members took the opportunity to thank the staff and faculty for faithful service

Board members and PIU staff got to know one another a little better. John Robertson sits with Anne and Steve Stinnette who are Liebenzell missionaries and Larry and Sharon Bock who volunteer at PIU On the right Howard Merrell make his point to Ken Dixon, a missionary from TITIP in Indonesia on faculty at PIU this semester

Each Board member received a PIU business card holder (handmade by PIU IT coordinator Mary Lou Carruthers). Billy Kuartei encouraged us by reminding us that PIU is much needed in the region because we “produce leaders with character, not just education.”