By Tanner Anderson, Page Editor
To begin their new year, 100 students made their way to Frontier Ranch in Colorado. Surrounded by mountains and natural beauty and with no distractions like televisions, cell phones or other electronic influences, the ranch was transformed into a secluded spiritual sanctuary for the visiting students.
The students stayed in Colorado Jan. 2-8 to participate in the 11th annual Leadership Summit. The summit’s 12 guest speakers, all with prestigious business credentials, armed the listeners with advice, life lessons and information that focused on how to be a spiritual leader in the workplace.
“I didn’t know what to expect; I thought it was going to be another business class,” said Jonathan Navarro, senior business management major from Rowlett. “The spiritual level amazed me; the first night hit us spiritually, and it made me realize that it wasn’t just about business.”
The Leadership Summit began 11 years ago, focusing on the leadership in the church and home. Now Mike Winegeart, assistant professor of marketing and director of COBA’s global programs, has prepared the event to focus on how to become a Christian leader at home and in the work place. Winegeart decided to create this year’s Summit over the question: if you could sit next to one of the Fortune 500 Christian business leaders, what would you ask them?
The speakers revealed the defeats and difficulties as well as the triumphs in their lives.
“All of the speakers had their own unique testimony; each speaker was great, and there was never a boring class,” Navarro said. “We learned how to focus on the business world and how to be good Christian role models and leaders in the business community.”
Some Summit classes and discussions ranged from creating and abiding a family budget to learning how to effectively manage your time as well as self-evaluation periods.
“It showed and shocked some people on how difficult it can be for a family to live on a budget; it was complicated to create a budget, and the issues we discussed went deep,” said Sylvia Tucker, junior accounting and finance major from Houston.
The class lasted only five days, but each day began at 9 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. with meals and breaks scheduled throughout the day.
“It goes by so fast, but then again, you’ve done so much that you can’t believe all that you’ve accomplished through the week,” Tucker said. “I think every student should go on this; it’s just not about having a career, it’s about becoming a Christian leader.”
