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David Baily

Baily-David.jpg“The CCO has shaped every area of my Christian walk from birth on,” says David Baily. “Working for the CCO was the most formative part of my life and faith journey—the teaching, training, and fellowship of CCO staff, and the application of that learning was a catalyst for stretching me and accelerating my growth as a follower of Jesus beyond my wildest dreams.”

David’s story has a bit of a prodigal son theme to it. Born to Chuck and Shirley Baily, the first CCO staff members to serve in the residence halls of Waynesburg College (now University), David spent his earliest years in the company of college students, living in the dorms along with them. When it was time for him to go off to college himself, he chose Penn State McKeesport—and he deliberately eluded the CCO staff members there.

“I gravitated toward reckless behavior, and I was susceptible to peer pressure,” David says. “While at times I tried half-heartedly to live out the Christian vision I’d been raised with, I was generally distracted by relationships that were not beneficial to me.”

The summer after his freshman year, he was hired to work at a Christian camp, Summer’s Best Two Weeks, which was run by his dad’s friend, Jim Welch. “I had no business being hired, but because of my dad, Jim gave me a chance. Working at camp started changing things for me. As we were going through training, we went to the Billy Graham Crusade in downtown Pittsburgh, and when Billy Graham gave his altar call, I knew I needed to respond. That was a catalytic moment, and I spent the rest of that summer surrounded by people who were really living it out. I caught a vision for what it might mean to live out my faith as a university student, surrounded by like-minded people I really respected.”

David finished his college degree at Waynesburg University, where he met CCO staff member Jennifer Williams, who is now his wife. His goal was to pursue a medical degree, but instead, he ended up joining CCO staff himself, and he reached out to Carnegie Mellon University students for several years.

Recently, David and Jen and their five children moved back to Waynesburg, where they are actively involved in Greene Community Church and where David is now running the family business: Baily Insurance Agency. He and Jen both credit the CCO’s ministry for giving them a blueprint for how to live out their faith in every area of life.

“Through relationships and Jubilee conferences, how I approached my studies and coursework was completely transformed,” David remembers. “The CCO has informed every area of my life—from how I treat my wife, disciple my children and run my business to what I eat, what car I drive, what church we’re a part of, to the amount of toothpaste I use every morning. I’m a steward of all I’ve been given—relationships, time, money—everything.

“The CCO kept me from being entrapped by the material stuff that can end up owning you. As I run the business, it’s not about ‘the bottom line’ for us—it’s ultimately God’s economy that counts, that shapes our core values, how we treat clients and employees and business partners. Integrity is a huge part of that, in all those relationships.

“Jen and I are wired to invite people into our lives. That’s something that was modeled for me as I grew up, something that my Dad has always done. Our home is never immaculate—we have five kids—but we share our faith by inviting people into our lives, engaging them and welcoming them into our everyday, ordinary space. It is our prayer that despite our typical chaos, people will ultimately experience the love and peace of the living God.”