A Choice That Became a Legacy
When Mark Scharnberg ’97 chose Cedarville University as a high school senior, he had no idea where this decision would take him. Looking back, he sees God’s hand at work in ways no one could have planned.
Mark recently shared on the Cedarville Stories podcast that Cedarville was the only Christian university he seriously considered. “I can’t even tell you why,” he admitted with a smile. Yet God often uses ordinary decisions to begin extraordinary stories.
As Mark arrived on campus, another story was beginning. Through a connection with then-President Paul Dixon, Cedarville invited Mark’s father, Lorne Scharnberg, into conversations about serving on the University’s Board of Trustees. A son’s college choice opened the door to a relationship that would shape the Scharnberg family and Cedarville University for decades.
Mark remembers that his father poured himself into Cedarville more than any other organization. As God prospered the family’s businesses, Lorne saw every opportunity as something to steward for the Lord. Supporting Christian higher education became a natural expression of that calling because he believed Cedarville was preparing students to follow Christ wherever He led them.
Over time, that conviction became Mark’s conviction as well.
As he assumed leadership of the family’s businesses, Mark wrestled with the responsibility that comes with success. He understood that financial blessings carry both opportunity and temptation. God’s gifts are meant to be used faithfully, never trusted more than the Giver Himself.
That perspective shaped Mark’s own commitment to Cedarville. He chose to invest because he believed in the University’s unwavering commitment to God’s Word and its mission to disciple students for lives of faithful service. His generosity also reassured his father that the work they had supported together would continue into the future.
The Scharnberg family’s story offers a picture of how God works through His people. He gives different gifts and different assignments. Some serve from a classroom. Others lead a business. Still others strengthen ministry through generous giving. Every calling becomes an act of worship when it is offered back to the Lord.
A young man’s decision to attend Cedarville became the first chapter of a much larger story. Through one family’s faithful stewardship, generations of students have been encouraged, equipped, and sent into the world for Christ. That is the kind of story God delights to write through people who simply place what He has entrusted to them in His hands.
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