The area surrounding Dayton in southwest Ohio is rich in history. It is here that the cash register and the automobile battery were invented. Probably the most prominent of all local inventors were Orville and Wilbur Wright who developed the art of controlled flight on nearby fields; their memory is preserved not only in the name of the area’s largest employer, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, but also at Wright State University, where Campus Bible Fellowship has been meeting the spiritual needs of students since the Spring of 1975.

WSU Student Union

Over thirty years of ministry can also account for a lot of history, as students whose parents were active in CBF during those early years are now attending the same university. Gary and Betty Holtz helped to introduce CBF to the Wright State campus and ministered to those students and now have the opportunity to serve their children, as well. From 1986 until her retirement in the Spring of 2005, Miss Kay Lamb served as part of Team CBF in Dayton/Fairborn; now we are looking forward to the addition of Joe Hollaway, veteran missionary to New Zealand and Ireland, to our team.

The Wright State University student population is unique in that the majority of them are commuters; less than 3,500 of nearly 15,000 students live in campus housing. Nearby Sinclair Community College, located in downtown Dayton and where CBF has been active since 1977, has nearly 23,000 students, all of whom travel to campus every day, some from as far as 50 miles away. With over 90 per cent of these 38,000 students living off campus, weekly group Bible studies are scheduled during the day, usually around the noon hour to accommodate busy schedules. Two groups meet on Wednesdays at Sinclair; three studies are scheduled on Fridays at Wright State. A regular schedule of events combines students from the two campuses as well as from area churches for fellowship and encouragement.

International Thanksgiving Dinner

Even though most of the students from these schools come from nearby communities, there is also a world-wide ministry available as over a thousand international students make their way to these two schools each year. For 20 years CBF has sponsored an annual international Thanksgiving dinner where 12-15 nations are represented by students attending and where these students have an opportunity to enjoy the festivities of our traditional holiday as well as to hear a clear message of that for which we are most thankful – a living relationship with God through our living Savior. Volunteers from local area churches come together to prepare and serve a delicious Thanksgiving meal. A special benefit of this event is the contacts which are made with families from the churches which often result in life-long friendships; several students have come to saving faith in Christ as a result.

Opportunities for campus outreach abound in Southwest Ohio, with many other schools yet to be touched by Campus Bible Fellowship. The needs are great as students face daily challenges to their faith and the existence of absolute truth as represented by God’s Word. Relativism prevails as the constant call for tolerance and diversity apparently does not apply equally to those who hold to Biblical standards. We are grateful for the open doors presently available for ministry and for the faithful local churches in the area that provide the resources for this ministry. Additional workers for this needy mission field would be welcomed!

Gary & Betty Holtz