CCO Campus Ministry

Why do Barry and Diane Balliet give to the CCO?

This article first appeared in the summer 2009 issue of On Campus magazine.

Barry Balliet served on CCO staff during the 1970s, and he and his wife, Diane, have been generously contributing to our efforts for many years. They have sponsored and attended CCO events, contributed to individual staff workers, helped with ministry with athletes at the University of Pittsburgh, got behind the CCO’s minority ministry, and have housed students and staff workers in their home. On top of this, they have raised three children, and one of them, Nicole, has also served as campus staff and currently serves as Vice President of our Central Region. With all that they do for this ministry, it is a little mind-boggling to realize that the CCO is one of a number of Christian organizations besides their church that they stand with and behind. —Robert R. Long, Chairman of the Board

Why do you feel so strongly about ministry to college-aged young people?
Life at any age should be filled and enriched with a zeal for learning. The college years, by their very nature, are certainly times of intense and accelerated knowledge input. The longer I live, the more important the idea of gaining wisdom becomes. Academic knowledge does not necessarily lead to wisdom.

Thanks be to God, early in my junior year of college, CCO staff members, Dave Diehl, Terry Thomas and Ted Schumacher, entered the tapestry of my previously rather undisciplined and undiscipled Christian life. Their passion, enthusiasm and yes, humor, profoundly affected me. The CCO’s core theological underpinnings—that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof and that Jesus is Lord of all who seek to breathe redemption into every facet of life—still influence my day-to-day existence as I strive to live entirely unto the Lord. It is a wondrous ride.

I continue to be very, very linked to the CCO because they remain incredibly committed to reaching a vital segment of our population at a critical time.

Why did you choose to include the CCO in your estate plans?
Diane and I daily witness the ongoing impact of the CCO—not only in our own lives, but in the lives of our children, the students at our church, and many young leaders. We see men and women living out a vibrant faith in Christ that shapes and molds their careers, their families and their communities.

God’s call to be stewards of our assets influences our estate plans. We pray our planned giving might help to ensure that students through future generations come to know and to follow the Lord of all creation.

If you have any questions regarding the CCO’s ministry, or if you would be interested in considering a deferred gift, please contact our Chairman of the Board, Robert R. Long, at 412.363.3303.

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