I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.– 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
Dave Jongeward, Dean of Spiritual Formation
Pastor Dave Jongeward died peacefully Monday, September 4, 2023, surrounded by family. Dave joined the Colorado Christian University family in 2015 as campus pastor after serving for more than three decades as a faculty member at Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon.
“While we are saddened by the loss of Pastor Dave in our personal lives, the gospel of Jesus Christ assures us that he is now in the eternal presence and the glory of our Lord,” said Eric K. Hogue, CCU president. “Pastor Dave was a shining example of the power of Christ’s love in one’s life. Countless students, alumni, faculty, and staff were significantly impacted by Pastor Dave’s spiritual guidance and leadership.”
A former youth pastor and Christian school teacher, Dave put together a long and distinguished career in Christian education and loved the educational environment where a Christian world-view could be taught and immersed among the young generations to come.
“Dave quickly fell in love with CCU; the environment, the community, the students, and what CCU stood for,” said Jim McCormick, senior vice president and vice president of Student Life and Enrollment for the College of Undergraduate Studies. “He was proud of this campus and the work it was doing and being a part of it was the peak of his career ('Oh my goodness!'). He would often say, ‘I am so proud to be a part of this campus and minister to these exceptional students.’”
Dave was a story teller and students quickly turned on to his stories about growing up in Africa, how the Lord governed his early life through the death of his brother and father; how he met his wife, Debbie, because he honored his mother and stayed home and went to the local community college instead of leaving the state; and how God brought him to CCU — an amazing story of God’s faithfulness and Dave’s never-ending leaning on God’s sovereignty and provision.
A good man with a heart of sincere concern and urgency when it came to students spiritual lives, we celebrate his life-long commitment to Christian education ("for sure, for sure"), students, and a path of “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ,” (Col. 1:28, NIV).
Memorial services are tentatively planned for October. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
Dave was passionate about students’ spiritual formation and Christ-centered higher education. Please consider furthering Dave’s work with the University’s undergraduate community through a memorial contribution to the CCU Fund in Dave’s honor.