Mission Moment

On November 6, the Huntington University Department of Agriculture facilitated its first ever crop harvest. The outdoor learning lab at Thornhill was the home to the inaugural corn crop that was planted last spring. Just as God designed the world to work in complete coordination and synchronization, the seed planted in the spring was ready for harvest this fall. For our University and the Department of Agriculture, this harvest represented more than a business venture, as it does for many farmers. The planting and harvesting of this crop represented numerous community partnerships, a true hands-on learning experience for students, the expansion of a vision cast by Mabel Thorne decades earlier, and the cusp of greater things yet to come.

The Bible is riddled with references to farming…planting, harvesting, the seasons, and all the components that work together in intricate ways. What strikes me most about the Huntington University harvest earlier this month, however, is how it serves as such a tangible example of God’s provision. So much of what a Christ-centered higher education institution does is reliant on He who created the heavens and the earth. Without God’s blessing and hand in our work, we literally could not do what we do. The same is true of farming and the Department of Agriculture’s experience. Every detail, from the rain to the sun to the changing seasons were all intricately woven together by God for a harvest to successfully happen. Isaiah 30:23 tells us, “He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows.” The Department of Agriculture is focused on the pillars of Faith, Family, and Farming. What a great extension and reflection of our overall University’s mission of promoting Christ through Scholarship and Service.