(BEAVER FALLS, Pa.) – Geneva College is proud to welcome Rev. Derek Bates to speak at Chapel on February 1 at 10:10 a.m. in Metheny Fieldhouse.

Bates is the campus minister of the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at the University of Pittsburgh since 2008 when the program first started its chapter. The RUF is the official campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. 

Bates focuses on what it really means to know Jesus personally as a Christian. He also speaks about life in college, journeys in faith and overcoming doubt in our lives.

He grew up in rural Virginia and is a graduate of both James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Covenant Theological Seminary in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Bates and wife Luda, who speaks three languages, live in Pittsburgh and have four children. Bates enjoys reading, baseball, fixing broken things, good music and coffee. 

Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 40 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and classroom options, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Five Regional Best Value with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.