Andrew Twibell: Sketches

Andrew Twibell from Muncie, Indiana, is a senior biology/pre-med major at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais, Illinois. He is serving his second year as the ONU student body president and has been elected as the co-chair of the Nazarene Student Leadership Association. After graduation in May, he plans to attend medical school and pursue a master's degree in religion from ONU.

Q: Name a defining spiritual moment. A:

I received Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at the age of eight at a Nazarene Vacation Bible School. Several years later, I attended the Northeast Indiana Nazarene Church Camp and became sanctified.

Q: How do you free your mind in order to worship?

A: I consciously lay my thoughts and concerns before the Lord before entering into worship, allowing Him to carry the burdens that have weighed upon me. Then, I enter into personal communion with Him.

Q: Having been raised in the church, why have you chosen to remain in the church?

A: The truth of the Word of the Lord was instilled in me at an early age, and I have chosen never to stray from the One Way, Truth, and Life. I have had much exposure to other Christian denominations but I have yet to find a doctrine or lifestyle exhibited by a church that would pull me from the Church of the Nazarene. I have put it to the test against the Scriptures and life examples and have found the Church of the Nazarene to be of sound doctrine.

Q: Where do you turn for spiritual support?

A: My parents and grandparents have never failed to be at my side during the personal crises of my life. I also have two accountability partners at ONU that hold me to the highest moral standards.

Q: What's your greatest fear?

A: Complacency.

Q: Favorite song?

A: "The Champion of Love" sung by the Cathedrals

Q: Who is your mentor?

A: My parents. Also, Walter "Woody" Webb, the dean of students at ONU, serves as both my advisor and mentor.

Q: What common threads do you see with student leaders across the Nazarene colleges?

A: Dedication to prayer and the desire to minister.

Q: What three words describe today's college students?

A: Impassioned, emboldened, seeking (truth).

Holiness Today, January/February 2006

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.