Like any denomination, the face of the RPCNA is as diverse as its members. With countless stories and memories, they bring their testimonies of God’s faithful work in their lives. But within these stories, you’ll often find a recurring thread: Geneva College.

Blessed with local RPCNA congregations, professors, and students, Geneva is a community where students from across the spiritual spectrum can examine their beliefs and worldviews within the framework of Scripture. Titus Martin, associate pastor at College Hill RPC, has seen this firsthand:

“In many cases, college students are starting to ask the big questions about life: Who am I and why am I here? What am I going to do with my life? What do I value? What is important in life? And the only fulfilling answers are found in the Bible,” he says. “As a result, many students have a renewed interest in examining and reexamining the Scriptures to see what God says.”

For three particular Geneva students, their questions led them just across the street. College Hill RPC has attracted many college students throughout the years, as evidenced by their two-service schedule during the school year. And while the majority simply come for Sunday worship and stay only as long as their time at Geneva, many have formally joined the church.

Donnie Hicks, an elder at College Hill, is one such person. He came to Geneva in fall 1970, eager to continue his football career and confident in the advice given to him by a high school coach that Geneva would be a good fit.

Even with his Christian upbringing, Hicks discovered that some of Geneva’s beliefs, particularly rules about Sabbath activities, were foreign to him. But as he saw these beliefs lived out on Geneva’s campus, he began to examine his own walk with Christ.

“I discovered students that were committed to their Christian beliefs and who attended weekly Bible studies,” says Hicks. “In addition, the professors played an intricate part in the lives of the students. They were not just concerned with our GPA, but also our spiritual growth. Through these examples, I grew in my Christian life and became a more dedicated Christian.” ‘

One particular student helped bring Hicks to the RPCNA: his wife, Karen Dickson. Through Karen’s own membership in the Bloomington, Ind., RPC, and her attendance at Geneva RPC during college, Hicks grew to understand and love Reformed doctrine. “My faith was most challenged in that I saw I was not as committed to attending church and living a consistent, prayerful life.” Hicks has been a member of College Hill for many years, and he is still encouraged by the denomination. For him, “the teaching of the Word, the singing of the Word, and the unity of the denomination as a whole” are what keep him here.

Hicks first served as a deacon, as well as a Sabbath school teacher, and now has been an elder at College Hill for 23 years. He has also been involved in the family conferences, most recently serving on staff for RP International 2008.

For Christian Eriksson, coming to Geneva was almost an accident. “Almost” because as he understands now, his life is framed by the sovereignty of God.

Four years ago, however, Geneva truly looked like an accident. Eriksson had filled out the application for Geneva since his associate pastor had recommended it and his sister had been attending for four years. But Geneva wasn’t his first choice — the University of Pittsburgh had his top vote, and if he had filled out the application on time, it might have been his alma mater. Accident or not, Eriksson settled into Geneva.

Through classes on Daniel and Calvin, Eriksson encountered Presbyterian professors whose Reformed views permeated their teachings. “The teachers had good, solid answers,” he says. “The more classes I took, the more answers I got.”

Eriksson says most of his questions focused on the sovereignty of God. “Eventually I had to ask, ‘Is it more about me or God?’ ‘What is our ultimate end?’”

After an argument with friends over what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, Eriksson was challenged to reread the passage. “I realized that I had only read bits and pieces of Scripture,” he says. After that, he reread Romans as well, and in the process became reconciled with what Paul had to say about predestination.

Once set on his course to discovering what Scripture as a whole had to say, Eriksson was well guided. He began attending College Hill, and friends and members of the church mentored him along the way.

Eriksson became a member in April 2008, after becoming convinced of the doctrine and encouraged by the community of the RPCNA. He graduated in May and, committed to the church and to the Beaver Falls community, sought work at Geneva. “I appreciate the faithfulness in the history of the RP church,” Eriksson says. “I would like to help restore the church’s positive image; because I am from the outside coming in, I would like to open the doors for more to come in as well.”

Questioning peace” may be an oxymoron, but they also may be the best words to describe Caitlin Zeiset’s present state. A junior at Geneva this fall, Zeiset has spent the last two years asking, seeking and receiving.

When she began her freshman year, Zeiset was expecting change. “I could tell that there was something more important going on here than just academics,” Zeiset says. “I knew that if I came here I would grow up, and Geneva seemed like a safe place to do that.”

One of the first challenges she met was Geneva’s introductory Bible course. “I’d never taken a Bible course before,” she says. “I immediately learned that the Bible—that God—was bigger than I had imagined.”

As she felt herself opening up to new things, even her understanding of what a Christian should look like changed. The Reformed tradition seemed strange, not fitting into her idea of normal Christianity. “It scared me! Yet, there was no shame or fear of asking questions that might make me seem like I wasn’t a Christian,” says Zeiset. “The professors offered me more than pat answers, instead equipping me to think through all the doctrine and encouraging me to be certain of what I believed.”

The increasing rift between her prior experience and new way of thinking resulted in frustration: How could she know which church to trust?

During her sophomore year, Zeiset visited College Hill RPC. She was realizing more and more that she needed the kind of community and accountability that College Hill offered. As she sought the truth, she felt safe doing it at College Hill.

“RPs are so careful about what they say,” Zeiset says. “They look at the whole of Scripture to support their views. I didn’t feel manipulated.”

While being the first to say that she hasn’t found all the answers she’s looking for, Zeiset is confident that she is in the right place to find them. She hopes to become a member at College Hill soon, and is excited about the community she will join. “This is a tradition where there is freedom—and that freedom happens because of the overwhelming amount of Scripture, especially in the worship service,” Zeiset says, “and Scripture is truth.”

College Hill, like many congregations near universities and colleges, has tried to take advantage of the ministry God has placed in their backyard. Through discipleship, encouragement and hospitality, the members of College Hill have seen God’s kingdom built up as kingdom workers are prepared to serve Christ wherever He calls them to be.

“There is immense value for the kingdom and the denomination as we invest in college students and help them along in their spiritual journey,” says Pastor Martin. “Most of the time students leave the area of Beaver Falls to serve in another area of the country or the world, but what I have seen in the past two years is that some of the students, after their four years, have stayed around this area in order to be a part of this congregation and a part of the larger community. This gives the entire congregation encouragement. The kids have young adults to look up to, and the older adults have someone to mentor and piece by piece to pass on the work of the congregation, the work of the kingdom.

“There is great blessing in seeing the youth grow up to be palace cornerstones and well-grown plants. And, by God’s grace, we have seen that here.”

—Laura Cerbus

Laura (Zimmovan) Cerbus (Geneva class of 2008) is an English teacher and volleyball coach at Eden Christian Academy in Wexford, Pa. Laura and her husband Ryan are members of College Hill RPC and live in Beaver Falls, Pa.