Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: Miss Missouri Speaks on Faith and Personal Responsibility
Miss Missouri Speaks on Faith and Personal Responsibility
September 23, 2003
Missouri Baptist University welcomed Tara Bollinger, Miss Missouri USA 2003, as the guest speaker for the September 18 chapel service. A former MBU student, Tara has spent recent months speaking a message of faith and personal responsibility to over 35,000 students in the US and Australia. Her spiritually-grounded approach to issues such as alcohol, drugs and sexual health encourages students to consider the possible lifelong consequences of their decisions.
Tara spoke to MBU students of her decision at a very young age to not drink or smoke, and to remain sexually pure. "It wasn't always easy," she said. "There was certainly pressure, but I've found out that by far this is the best decision I could ever make, and it has helped me accomplish other goals in my life." Later, she removed the diamond-encrusted crown – worth over $200,000 – from its padded case and displayed it to illustrate an important spiritual truth: earthly treasures dim in comparison to the eternal rewards awaiting the believer. Tara’s beauty, confidence, and evident strong faith in Christ captivated and motivated the audience.
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything,” she said. “The way to be empowered is to first realize that we are valuable and worth respecting. That kind of attitude develops strength of character and courage which allows you to pursue an incredible future, even in the face of peer pressure or fear of failure."
Tara’s primary goal is not to win pageants, but to win souls for Christ in the process. Though in many places she cannot directly share her faith, she speaks in such a way that her Christian morals and views are evident to her listeners.
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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