What's New - Fall 2005

Faculty Spotlight: Patrick Black

Patrick Black joined the RACU staff this fall as both Music Director and an instructor in the English department. He is teaching two classes during the fall 2005 semester: Composition and Advanced English. In addition to his teaching duties, Patrick coordinates music for student chapel services. “My goal is to give students more opportunities to develop their language, music and leadership skills,” he says.

Patrick has a degree in Music Performance from Fort Wayne Bible College (now Taylor University, Fort Wayne) and received the Cambridge University CELTA certification in English teaching from the Brasshouse Language Center in Birmingham, England. Patrick also studied Russian in a Russian language institute for four years. Patrick was serving as a Music and Youth Pastor in Indiana when he was invited to travel to Russia with a summer exchange program sponsored by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in 1992. “During that trip,” Patrick says, “I realized how much I enjoyed working with college students and how fascinated I was both by Russia and the Russian people.” That first trip to Russia was followed by several more, all of which ultimately led to Patrick’s long-term passion to help ‘rebuild’ Christian life and influence in post-Soviet Russia. Eight years after his first visit, Patrick and his wife Cathy sold their home and moved to Russia.

Patrick and Cathy have four children: Philip (age 17), Rebecca (15), Andrew (14) and James (12). Cathy teaches full time at Hinkson Christian Academy, the same international school that their teenagers attend. Philip, Rebecca, Andrew and James enjoy their involvement in academics, sport and music. Last year, Patrick received an invitation to teach at RACU. After that semester, he was invited to join RACU’s staff full time. David Broersma says, “Patrick is such a wonderful addition to our team. He not only teaches in an interesting and challenging way, but he is already an excellent mentor to our students.”