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The Recipe for Restoration

The mission of the Christian Higher Education Foundation (CHEF)

is to help churches promote and provide scholarships for Christian higher education within their respective communities.

Our vision is that God’s people would work together in harmony to reduce poverty, retain their youth, and share the gospel through fostering Christian higher education.

Why Restoration?

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So the Next Generation Will Know...

Ps. 78

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Have the churches of Christ lost their saltiness? (Mt. 5:13)

- The churches of Christ in the U.S. will shrink from 1.1 million in 2016 to 250k by 2050 at the present rate of decline.*

- Most of this loss happens in college where 7 out of 10 young believers leave their faith.*

- Satan's power has increasingly pervaded nearly every aspect of public higher education and our youth aren't holding Hope.

The key ingredient lies in our Christian colleges & universities but access is limited.

*p.41 of Empty Church by Stan Granberg

*p.ii of Chucking College by Melanie Ellison

Madison D.,

Oklahoma Christian (OC)

Alumnus

“The scholarship from my home church tipped the scale towards me attending a Christian college. OC's church match helped me choose their school where I grew in my faith, met my husband, and fostered a deeper appreciation for my heritage in the churches of Christ."

David Shannon, 

Freed Hardeman Univ (FHU)

President

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"FHU funds the church match discount. It is costly, but it is important to use to continue to not only build closer relationships with churches but give them a direct way to make a substantial contribution to their young people."

John Dodd,

Fourth St. CoC

Elder

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"We're a group of believers that knows the importance of Chrisitan community in college which is why we pull together every year over a benefit dinner to help every one of our graduating seniors maximize the church match program at their chosen Chrisitan university."

Steps to Recipe

1

Whip Together a Team

Let CHEF help you recruit volunteers at your church to join 120+ other churches in establishing a scholarship fund for youth in your community. 

2

Add Sage

- CHEF will train the team offering them "sage" wisdom on how best to proceed with implementing and maximizing a scholarship fund.

- One such training module is obtaining sage wisdom and a blessing from the elders at their congregation to proceed with this ministry.

3

4

Role into Dough

- CHEF will teach you how a few simple steps can result in big scholarship dough for youth in your community.

- A big source is matching programs offered by a number of our partner colleges and universities. See match amounts

- We'll also teach you how to process and select scholarship recipients.

Enjoy a Memorable Meal

The pinnacle moment of this ministry is opening the table to the community at the National Potluck Benefit where participating churches will open their doors to the community, share the best recipes across the churches of Christ, learn about Christian higher education ministry, and raise funds for scholarships.

Let's Get Started!

What are you waiting for?! Start the conversation today.

Services

For Prospective Students

Scholarships

Website and Videos

Christian College Day

Freedom Food

For Christian Colleges

Harmonize

Christian College Day

Other Marketing Opportunities

For Churches

Scholarship Trust

CHEF Match

Fundraising Training

Freedom Food Fundraising

Elder’s Report

Scholarship Awards

Accounting

Estate and Gift Planning

Coming soon!

For Fundraising Organizations

Freedom Food

LevlEd Tracking and Profile

Christian College Scholarships

CHEF in Numbers

120+

Churches w/ Scholarship Funds

$500k+

Scholarships Awarded

by Churches

300+

Volunteers Raising Awareness and Funds

$0

CHEF Endowment

Princpal Amount

Our Team...

Volunteers
Volunteers are at the heart of what we do. The most successful church funds have the following roles.

A well-loved and respected individual who recognizes the value of Christian education who can rally the troops to make stuff happen and present before the elders asking for their blessing.

Head Chef

Someone who will put on the National Potluck Benefit at their home church, secure cooks, find and share the best recipe at their church.

Marketing Manager

Someone to promote the church fund within the church and in the surrounding community through various channels.

A detail-oriented believer who is trustworthy in working with the Harmonize board in tracking scholarship funds receipt and distribution for their church

Tech Guru

This individual helps the church fund team utilize our software and prepare the tech elements at the potluck benefit.

Foundation Members
(Most Former Presidents of Colleges & Universities)

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Mike O'Neal - OC ('02-'12)

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Wayne Baker - York ('96-'09)

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Andy Benton - Pepp ('00-'19)

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Milton Sewell - FHU ('90-'08)

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Steve Eckman - York ('09-'20)

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Mac Lynn - Nations ('95-'11)

Harmonize Board

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Title: Board President

Alumnus: York University and Freed Hardeman University

Occupation: Senior Financial Risk Analyst

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Title: Member

Alumnus: Oklahoma Christian

Occupation: President of ACE Educational Foundation

Background: Former administrator at Ohio Valley and Oklahoma Christian universities

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Title: Member

Alumnus: Harding University

Occupation: Former manager of News Services at Harding University

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Blaine Chason

Title: Member

Alumnus: Faulkner University

Occupation: Youth Minister

Background: Saw too many in his youth group fall away at public colleges and universities.

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Title: Board Chair

Alumnus: Harding University

Occupation: Christian high school history and Bible teacher

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Title: Member

Alumnus: Pepperdine University

Background: Harmony 2020 Executive Director

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Title: Member

Alumnus: OC, Pepp, A&M

Occupation: Professor at A&M

Background: Product of Christian higher education and appreciation for his heritage.

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Michael Mitchell

Title: Member

Alumnus: Oklahoma Christian

Occupation: Fundraising Educator with CAFO.

Background: Former fundraiser for OC and Water4.

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Title: Member

Alumnus: UT

Occupation: Christian Education Consultant

Background: Founder of Brentwood Christian School and the National Christian School Association

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Title: Member

Alumnus: Oklahoma Christian, Abilene Christian, and Vanderbilt universities

Background: Volunteer with the Christian Scholars Conference

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Phillip Randolph

Title: Member

Alumnus: Faulkner University

Occupation: Faulkner Recruiter

Background: Longstanding familial commitment to Christian higher education.

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Jayson McKinley

Title: Member

Alumnus: Lamar and SMU Law (candidate)

Background: Love for the Lord and commitment to the churches of Christ prompted his service to CHEF.

Advisory Board

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Title: Advisory Member

Alumnus: Abilene Christian and Pepperdine universities

Background: Preaching and Ministry

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Sid Walker

Title: Advisory Member

Alumnus: A&M and Texas Tech

Occupation: CEO at Walker Consluting Group

Background: Elder at the A&M CoC

Employees, Contractors, & Consultants

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Title: Founder and CEO

Alumnus: Oklahoma Christian and Pepperdine Caruso Law

Background: Growth in knowledge and love for Christ and others at Chrisitan schools led him to found CHEF so others would be similarly blessed.

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Title: Business and Strategy Consultant

Alumnus: Virginia Tech and Oklahoma Christian

Occupation: Founder and Chief Strategist at SDG Strategy

Background: Advisor for Harmony 2019 Event

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Title: Website Contractor

Alumnus: Oklahoma Christian University

Occupation: Digital Manager at Supergiant

Partners

An Oklahoma-based tech start up that makes it easy for Harmonize partner churches to manage their localized scholarship programs.

A consulting firm leveraging decades of wisdom and experience within Christian education consulting to help Harmonize and its partner churches secure funds for Christian higher education scholarships.

An estate planning and immigration firm helping Harmonize and its donors navigate complex legal and tax scenarios pertaining to estate and blended giving plans.

A faithful volunteer group within the Southwest CoC in OR who for 15 years has attracted thousands of students to Christian colleges through their educational and inspiring Christian College Day Northwest which Harmonize is seeking to implement more of across the nation.

A business, strategy, and start up consulting firm focused on helping values driven leaders navigate challenging changes helping Harmonize shore up its business plan.

History

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The 501c3, nonprofit, Harmonize Community Inc. (dba The Christian Higher Education Foundation) began first as an idea from then Oklahoma Christian University Freshman, J. Tyler Clark, who wanted to know which Church of Christ-affiliated college had the best Spring Sing event. Tyler hired 20 friends and went to work. In March of 2019 seven sister colleges came together to promote Christian higher education at the Harmony 2019 event. 450 people tuned in to the live performances across the globe. The student team awarded a $500 scholarship to a random high school student watching live.

The Harmony Event continued for two more years hosted by Pepperdine students in 2020 and ACU students in 2021. Each year the team raised more funds to award as scholarship to student viewers.

In 2022 the board made a strategic decision to pivot away from an annual show and instead focus on enabling churches to promote and provide scholarships for Christian higher education.

 

Q&A

Q: Why do you list only Church of Christ affiliated colleges and universities on your website? A: CHEF promotes Christian higher education broadly, but we primarily partner with colleges, universities, and churches associated with the Churches of Christ. Our board members are all involved with Churches of Christ, and we have a special place in our hearts for churches in that fellowship. Moreover, Churches of Christ are autonomous, and so coordinating efforts can be a challenge deserving of a unique approach. At CHEF, we hope to encourage cooperation and a spirit of unity as we promote Christian higher education for rising generations. We are honored to help all churches promote and provide scholarships for Christian higher education.

Q: What are the Churches of Christ and why do you want them working together to promote Christian higher education The historical roots of the churches of Christ run to the Restoration Movement in the U.S. in the nineteenth century, often called the Stone-Campbell Movement. The movement sought a return to the structure and practices of the early church, as described in the book of Acts and other parts of the New Testament. While originally a movement that sought unity among Christians, splits resulted in the emergence of three distinct fellowships: the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Churches, and the Churches of Christ. While our fellowship is surely flawed and has often exhibited sectarianism and other weaknesses, the Churches of Christ have nourished a culture of serious biblical study, faithfulness, and zeal for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of its adherents have founded institutions of higher education that help to form and send Christian men and women of high moral character, practical skill, and, most importantly, commitment to Christ, serving the church and the world in profound and meaningful ways. Having come to faith in and been blessed by our membership in the Churches of Christ and institutions of Christian higher education our fellowship has fostered, we hope to share this gift with others and pass on the tradition of faith, scholarship, and leadership we have inherited. We believe in the mission these institutions are pursuing, we believe that mission plays an important role in building the Kingdom of God. We hope to see these institutions of Christian higher education grow, flourish, and continue to play that role in an increasingly effective and faithful manner.

Q: Why should I consider going to a Church of Christ-affiliated college or university anyways? There are lots of reasons to attend an institution of Christian higher education, including those associated with the Churches of Christ. These universities and colleges offer a unique environment in which to pursue education and professional training, an environment in which faithfulness, holiness, and the genuine search for meaning and truth are not avoided or ignored but actively encouraged. Many of these institutions offer the chance to form lifelong friendships, mentoring relationships, and other connections you will cherish and will support you throughout your life and career. The institutions we promote are pursuing excellence in scholarship and professional training within the context of communities seeking God's presence and the guidance of his Holy Spirit. We encourage you to prayerfully consider study at a Christian college or university as a possible fit for your aspirations, and a possible step in the path God is leading you in your life.

Get in Touch

J. Tyler Clark, Esq

CHEF, Founder and CEO

tyler@chefscholars.org

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