SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Trees of Honor dedication ceremony was held recently at Evangel University, honoring the career of former Vice President of Business & Finance George Crawford.

A 1965 graduate of Evangel, Crawford served there for 39 years and retired in 2013. His tree is flourishing on the campus quad, east of the 50^th Anniversary Clock Tower.

The Trees of Honor project began as an idea formed by a small group of graduates from the early 1960s known as “The Pioneers,” and it took root following Springfield’s great ice storm of 2007.

Their idea was to help replace lost trees and restore the natural beauty of the campus. An engraved bronze plaque is placed at the base of each tree as a permanent tribute to the person being honored. There have been 31 thus far.

“I am deeply honored by being chosen for this award,” said Crawford. “There are some giants among those who have already been honored, and I am humbled to be included with people who have served Evangel with such distinction.

“My first thought was that the candidate pool must be getting pretty shallow or someone had discovered a bramble bush on campus that lacked a name!”

Crawford’s legacy

Following his graduation from Evangel College, George Crawford served in the U.S. Army, then invested five years with Ramey Super Markets. The pivotal point in his career was joining the Evangel staff in 1974, one month after Dr. Robert H. Spence arrived as president.

The retired Evangel University CFO George Crawford (right) was honored by retired President Robert H. Spence and others, during a recent Trees of Honor ceremony held on campus. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“For 39 years, George Crawford served with distinction as Evangel’s chief financial officer,” said Spence. “His competence and dedication helped make Evangel a more efficient and effective institution.”

Crawford’s responsibilities included leadership of most of the university’s support services such as food service, building construction and maintenance, housekeeping, human resources, student financial aid and all business operations.

During his last 15 years, those construction projects completed the transformation of the campus from a WWII-era Army hospital to a state-of-the-art university.

George has been married to his wife, Doretta, for 54 years. Both of their children and their spouses are Evangel grads.

Their daughter, Michele Crawford Bilton ’95 (B.S. in mathematics), is married to Jamie Bilton ’96 (B.S. in journalism). Their son, Michael Crawford ’00 (B.B.A. in management) is married to Shonna Penners Crawford (’00 B.S. in elementary education, ’03 M.Ed.).

To top it off, Crawford’s oldest grandchild, Anna Bilton, has enrolled as a freshman at Evangel this year (2018).

George and Doretta Crawford with their son Michael and his wife Shonna, following the Trees of Honor ceremony at Evangel University. Dr. Shonna Crawford serves as the chair of the Department of Education at Evangel. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Retirement has increased his focus and time spent buying and selling merchandise through six area flea market booths. In addition to his interest in repairing and refurbishing vintage furniture, Crawford’s efforts include repurposing industrial-type items to create furniture that is attractive to loft dwellers.

“I am also serving as the MC, leader, entertainer, whatever for the twenty-five or thirty Evangel retirees who meet for lunch once a month,” he said. “I should add I was railroaded into this role!”

The Pioneers

Evangel University’s unique setting is traced back to World War II, when the land was used as O’Reilly General Hospital. In 1954, parts of the land were awarded to local organizations. The Assemblies of God received a major portion of this land to build its new liberal arts college.

Ninety-three students comprised the first freshman class in 1955. Those “pioneer” students in the first ten years all lived and studied in the former hospital barracks.

Today, the Evangel campus covers approximately 100 acres of land, roughly half the area that O’Reilly Hospital once covered. At one time, 86 barracks covered EU’s portion of the land. Now, only the original boiler house remains.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Evangel University music professor, Dr. Larry Dissmore, traveled to Mongolia to conduct a series of three international concerts July 18- 29, 2018. The performances were part of the two-week Harmony Tour sponsored by Messiah Project, Inc.

Performers included the National Army Orchestra of Mongolia; 14 dancers from Ballet Excelsior of Houston, Texas; the Korean Christian Women’s Chorus; the Mongolian Evangelical Men’s Chorus; and three vocal soloists from Springfield.

The Korean Christian Women’s Chorus and the Mongolian Evangelical Men’s Chorus were featured during the Messiah Project tour of Mongolia. Lindsey Robison, president of Messiah Project, Inc., sang with them (top center). // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The soloists included tenor Todd Link, a 2002 Evangel graduate and GM/owner of CPO-Redeemed Books; mezzo-soprano Heather Nelson, minister of music at First Baptist Church, Republic, Missouri; and baritone, Lindsey Robison, president and director of Messiah Project, Inc.

In addition, 1980 Evangel graduate and violinist, Marva Rasmussen of Cincinnati, Ohio, performed with the Mongolian Army Orchestra. Her husband and 1979 EU graduate Gary Rasmussen, provided the sound technician skills for the tour.

Dr. Larry Dissmore has served as professor of strings and director of orchestral activities at Evangel University since 1988. In addition, he has performed regionally with the Excelsis Trio for more than 20 years, and he currently serves as the principal second violinist with the Springfield Symphony.

“The Mongolians are a welcoming and hospitable people,” said Dr. Dissmore. “In spite of the language differences among us, we all were able to develop a cordial musical and spiritual rapport with all involved. The performers—dancers, soloists and chorus—all performed at a high artistic level.”  (See video.)

The program

Each program on the Harmony Tour began with a 30-minute concert of traditional Mongolian music performed with the National Army Orchestra.

The united international performers then presented the feature work, Saviour—a modern oratorio written by Bob Farrell and Greg Nelson. The concerts were presented in three theatres in Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar and in the northern city of Darkhan.

After crossing 13 time zones during nearly 24 hours of travel, the American performers arrived in Ulaanbaatar in the early morning hours of Friday, July 20.  Rehearsals were held throughout the day on Saturday, July 21 with dress rehearsals on Sunday.

The Ballet Excelsior team pose with some of the tour principles including, Professor Larry Dissmore from Evangel University, back left; Todd Link, soloist and Evangel graduate, back right; Lindsey Robinson, soloist and president of the Messiah Project (front right); and Heather Nelson, soloist from Republic, Mo. (front left, red hair). // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The first performance was given at the Military Academy Theatre to a full house on Sunday evening, July 22.  The group then traveled to the northern Mongolian city of Darkhan for the second performance, which was given on Wed., July 25, before returning to Ulaanbaatar for the final performance in the National Opera House on Sat., July 28.

All performances were presented before full houses. While all three concerts were free to the public, tickets were required to attend.

“It was a complete joy for me to lead this talented group,” said Dr. Larry Dissmore. “The highlight for me was the final performance in the National Opera House. What a magnificent theatre it was; and the performance … the performance was absolutely stunning!”

Ballet Excelsior with guest artist/dancer Richard Bowman joined the Messiah Project tour of Mongolia to present three unique performances of Saviour—a modern oratorio written by Bob Farrell and Greg Nelson. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Evangelical Alliance of Mongolia worked with Messiah Project to organize “on-the-ground” logistics including concert promotion and translation services.

While in Mongolia, the American performers had opportunity to visit the National Chinggis Kahn memorial, a Buddhist Monastery, and several cultural attractions in Ulaanbaatar.

Prior to returning to the US, the group also spent two days in Beijing.

Evangel music

The Evangel University Department of Music offers a variety of degree programs in music, including music performance, music education, recording technology and worship leadership. The department has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1970.

For more information, contact the Evangel Music Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7212.

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SIDEBAR

Tour highlights

Springfield, Missouri, Tour Participants

• Larry Dissmore, conductor (Evangel University music professor)
• Gayle Dissmore, coordinator of narrators/stage manager
• Todd Link, vocal soloist (Evangel University Class of 2002)
• Heather Nelson, vocal soloist (minister of music, First Baptist Church, Republic, Missouri)
• Lindsey Robison, vocal soloist & president of Messiah Project, Inc.
• Jane Robison, chorus member and communications facilitator

Additional Evangel University Alumni

• Gary Rasmussen, sound technician (Cincinnati, Ohio, Class of 1979)
• Marva Rasmussen, violinist (Cincinnati, Ohio, Class of 1980)

Performing Groups

• Ballet Excelsior with guest artist/dancer Richard Bowman
• Korean Christian Women’s Chorus
• Mongolian Evangelical Men’s Chorus
• Mongolian National Army Orchestra

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In the nine years since George Carballo graduated from Central Bible College (CBC), there hasn’t been a lot of time for reflection.

As a speaker, writer and self-described “church media enthusiast,” Carballo has served as everything from a creative director, to a Speed the Light director, to an evangelist… and that’s just part of the story.

The Houston, Texas-born Carballo has been able to speak to cross-cultural groups throughout the United States and other countries, putting his 2009 bachelor’s degree in youth ministries to use. Within the church, he has held positions—sometimes simultaneously—such as assistant to the pastor, young adults pastor, sectional youth director and bible school teacher.

Since 2010, he has served as the district youth director for the Texas Louisiana Hispanic District of the Assemblies of God.

George Carballo now adds another distinction to the list, as the CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus for 2018. The presentation will be made during the Homecoming Banquet Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center. CBC consolidated with Evangel, its sister school in Springfield, Missouri, in 2013.

The Alumni Board recognizes that many young alumni have enjoyed significant achievements in the few years since their graduation, although they may not yet have reached the height of their accomplishments. Nominees for the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award are under 36 and have made significant contributions to their chosen field, church, community, state, nation, or to university or seminary.

Building for the future

George and Rocio Carballo // PHOTO: Provided (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Rev. Carballo and his wife, Rocio, are now preparing for a new transition and, in the process, taking some time to  reflect. As he posted on social media, “As I sit back and look at the past year and look ahead toward what is to come in this next season, I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for what God is about to do next.”

That “next” is the launch of a new church plant in Houston—the fourth largest city in the U.S. with a population of more than 6 million people. Over the next year, the Carballo’s will be building a team, raising funds, and praying for direction for VIVE Church.

“I first met George over 10 years ago,” said Michael Fernandez, young adult pastor for Cornerstone Church in San Antoniao, Texas. “He was and continues to be a young man of radical passion and commitment to the Lord. He successfully leads the Texas Louisiana Hispanic District with great conviction, and I know that even better days await him and his wife Rocio.”

The Rev. George Carballo at work. // PHOTO: Provided (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Carballo credits CBC for helping to prepare him for this type of ministry.

“Many of the fondest memories at CBC are moments in the CBC chapel,” he said. “These are irreplaceable moments that shaped my heart and mind for ministry. Each day I was challenged by Godly men and women who motivated me to someday be something bigger than what I currently was.”

He adds, “As I would sit in classes, I would listen to professors express their knowledge of the Bible in ways I had never heard of before; it challenged me to seek out God and get to know him on a deeper level.”

The Carballos currently reside in Houston and are members of Templo Aposento Alto / Upper Room Assembly of God, with Pastors JR & Patsy Rodriguez.

More information about George Carballo’s new ministry can be found at www.vivehouston.org.

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EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Five alumni awards will be given during this year’s homecoming celebration, representing alumni from the three AG schools that consolidated in 2013 — Evangel University, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Central Bible College. The recipients were chosen by the Evangel University Alumni Association board of directors.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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Author. Pastor. Businessman. You might be tempted to ask which hat he is wearing today, but for Mark Batterson, it is all about sharing his faith in ways that meet people where their needs are, in their everyday lives.

Dr. Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C., which was recognized as one of the “Most Innovative and Most Influential Churches in America” by Outreach Magazine in 2008.

Ten years later, NCC is one church with seven campuses and 10 services. “We are always looking for new ways to do church. As we continue to grow, we desire to start new locations in creative places throughout this city and beyond,” he said.

Batterson is also an in-demand speaker and a prolific writer. He has authored 15 books, including The New York Times best-seller The Circle Maker, as well as popular titles In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Chase the Lion, and his newest, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God.

“Mark is a gifted leader,” said Dr. Richard Foth, the legendary author, speaker, storyteller and connector, who spent decades of ministry in the nation’s capital. “The young and expanding congregation he serves is a slice of Washington D.C. but, more than that, his writings can be found in every nation of the world. Those words inspire and encourage millions!”

For the breadth and depth of his inspiration and service, Mark Batterson is being honored this fall with the 2018 CBC Distinguished Alumnus award. He is a 1992 graduate of Central Bible College.

The presentation will be made during the Evangel University Homecoming Banquet Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center. CBC consolidated with Evangel, its sister school in Springfield, Missouri, in 2013.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented annually to one who has made significant contributions to their chosen field, church, community, state, nation or to the university.

“Mark and I have been friends for 24 years — over half of his life and less than a third of mine,” said the Rev. Foth. “His heart for God, adventurous spirit, and powerful intellect have added to my life beyond measure.”

Mark Batterson is being honored this fall with the 2018 CBC Distinguished Alumnus award during Evangel University’s Homecoming. // PHOTO: Provided (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Meeting the needs

“Doing church in the middle of the marketplace had become part of our DNA,” said Batterson, who moved to Washington in 1994. “We began dreaming of new ways for the church and community to intersect daily.”

As a result, National Community Church owns and operates three unique venues in the Nation’s Capital.

• Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse serves “coffee with a cause,” and all profits go toward the church’s community outreach projects, locally and nationally. It is a very popular “chill space for coffee, tea and live music,” located in an historic building one block from Union Station, three blocks from the Senate offices and five blocks from the Supreme Court. The lower level is available for meetings and concerts, and it serves as one of the NCC satellite church locations.

• The Miracle Theatre is located on Capitol Hill in a 1909 theater building, less than a block from the historic Marine Barracks complex. Originally a vaudeville theatre offering a mix of entertainment over the years, the facility now serves as a neighborhood theater, live performance venue and the seventh campus for the National Community Church.

• The DC Dream Center is a community center located on Pennsylvania Avenue, 5 miles southeast of the White House, in a neighborhood Batterson says is in need of “a safe place where kids can be kids with facilities including an art center, dance studio, computer lab, basketball court, recording studio and much more.” The mentorship volunteer program pairs children with responsible adults looking to make a real difference in a young person’s life.

The journey

Batterson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in Naperville, Illinois. He went to the University of Chicago on a scholarship, playing basketball and majoring in pre-law. However, “after a prayer walk through a cow pasture,” he felt called to full-time ministry and ended up at Central Bible College.

It was a great decision, according to Batterson. While at CBC, he played basketball for coach Kirk Hanson, and his senior year, he was named a first-team All-American.

Off campus, Batterson also served at a small church called West Grand Assembly, “where I cut my teeth preaching,” he said.

“During my senior year, I got serious about seeking God. I used to go into the chapel during the lunch hour when the lights were off and the chapel was empty and I’d pace the balcony. It’s where I learned to not just pray, but pray through. I probably logged a hundred miles pacing the chapel balcony. It’s one of my burning bushes.”

Mark and his wife, Lora, first moved to the nation’s capital to direct an inner-city ministry in 1994, and he has served in his current position with NCC since 1996.

“Pastoring a church in Washington, D.C., is an adventure in and of itself. But writing has been an adventure as well,” he said. “When I wrote my first book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, I prayed that God would put it in the right hands at the right time. He has answered that prayer millions of times, and He has done it in some strange and mysterious ways.”

Because of his sports background, he says he has found great joy is in leading chapels for a variety of professional sports teams.

“I have a little mantra,” he said. “If your sermons are boring it’s probably because your life is boring. If you want to preach better sermons, get a life.”

Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University.  He and Lora have three children, and they live on Capitol Hill.

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EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Five alumni awards will be given during this year’s homecoming celebration, representing alumni from the three AG schools that consolidated in 2013 — Evangel University, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Central Bible College. The recipients were chosen by the Evangel University Alumni Association board of directors.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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“When I was a young boy I discovered a murdered man in the African bush. He had been killed with a machete so his brother-in-law could steal his shoes.”

Dr. Dick Brogden was born and raised in Kenya. His perspective on life, death, salvation and service is different because of the things he experienced growing up there, in a missionary family, rather than here, in the comfort, safety and abundance of middle-class America.

As a child, he developed a faith that works and a passion for sharing his faith with people who are without — the poor; the oppressed; the hopeless; the lost. That faith is his life, and it drove him to found the Live Dead movement, reflecting the deepest level of spiritual commitment.

“We are to die to self and live through Christ,” said Brogden. “From there we get His passion for the world, His strength, His vision and our marching orders.”

Live Dead is an initiative that focuses on planting churches among unreached people groups through multi-national teams. More than 40 percent of the world doesn’t have access to the gospel, according to the Live Dead research. Of the world’s 16,448 people groups, more than 7,000 are unreached — not a single church, Christian or Christian witness is known to exist.

Dick and Jennifer Brogden with their sons Luke and Zack. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Brogden currently lives in Cairo, Egypt, with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons, Luke and Zack. They oversee both the Cairo Training Team and the Live Dead Arab World program, as Assemblies of God World Missionaries.

On Saturday, Oct. 20, Dr. Dick Brogden will be recognized for his faithful service when he is named the AGTS Alumnus of the Year for 2018, by the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University.

The presentation will be made during the Evangel Homecoming Banquet at 6:30 p.m., at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center.

The journey

In 1992, Brogden graduated from North Central University, a sister school to Evangel located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He immediately put action to his faith and returned to West Africa, where over the next several years he pastored a multi-tribal church in Kenya, worked among the nomadic Samburu, and moved to Sudan, where he served for 15 years.

During that time he earned a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Global University, which is based in Springfield, Missouri, but on their extension campus located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dick Brogden in Old Cairo, Egypt. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Brogden’s thirst for knowledge then led to a five-year stint with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, completing his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies in 2014. He was impressed with the entirety of his AGTS experience, including “incredible classes, erudite professors and challenging reading.”

He added, “The most enriching aspect of my time at AGTS was the cohort of students I studied with. Their experiences globally and through decades of missions and ministry experience was invigorating.”

The Live Dead Journal, developed in coordination with his AGTS doctoral research, is a journal and prayer guide designed to lead Christians in 30 days of personal challenge and prayer for unreached people.

Released initially as a free e-book in October 2013, the journal rose to the No. 2 spot in the Religion and Spirituality category in Apple’s iBooks, and ranked as high as sixth in paid downloads in the Christian category on Kindle.

A visionary leader

“Dick Brogden is a leader who is always looking over the horizon imagining and creating a preferred future,” said the Rev. Omar Bieler, Eurasia regional director for AG World Missions. “His active mind generates more ideas than I can keep up with, so I have created a ‘Dick Brogden Ideas’ file that may well keep me busy for the rest of my life. I love this man.”

Dick Brogden, in the Mohammed Ali mosque in Cairo. “I’m teaching a group of African mission directors about Missions and Islam so they will mobilize Africans from their AG churches to come to the Arab world as missionaries.” // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Dr. Jim Bradford, pastor of Central Assembly in Springfield, Missouri, feels that Brogden is perfect for his calling.

“Dick is a genius when it comes to mobilizing people to go to the hardest places to reach the least reached,” he said. “Behind that genius, however, is a deep spirituality that hungers for God, depends on the Spirit and loves Jesus. He is an admirable person in every way.”

Bradford has also been impressed to find that Brogden is an avid student of history.

“I have traveled overseas with him and been amazed at his grasp of the history of the Arab world. We will walk down a street and he can start relating names, dates, facts and interconnections over time periods that span centuries. His memory is unbelievable and he reads constantly,” said Bradford.

Jumping the shark

Brogden’s memorable encounter with the murdered man was not the only early experience that helped shape his future. He also shares a story of jumping off a 100-foot bridge into shark-inhabited waters.

“An old veteran missionary was so frustrated trying to win a hearing from Muslims without success that one day, exasperated, he went to this bridge full of Muslim pedestrians. He said, ‘If you stop and listen to me preach the Gospel, I will jump off the bridge.’ He drew a crowd, preached and jumped. He was a little crazy.

“We heard the story and said, ‘If he can do it, we can too.’ So we did….twice…and made the national newspaper.”

For more on the life-work of a man unafraid to take the occasional leap of faith, visit the Live Dead website.

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EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Five alumni awards will be given during this year’s homecoming celebration, representing alumni from the three AG schools that consolidated in 2013 — Evangel University, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Central Bible College. The recipients were chosen by the Evangel University Alumni Association board of directors.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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For Heather Rooney McBride, a 2003 Evangel University graduate and founding partner of Rooney McBride & Smith LLC, lessons learned as a music student have served her well in her career as an attorney.

“Dr. Bonnie Jenkins taught me the importance of being fully prepared, musically and spiritually, before every HeartSong concert, as well as the do’s and don’ts of appropriate church platform attire,” said Rooney McBride with a smile.

“I have put those lessons into practice in many areas of my life since — including the practice of law. I built a law firm that provides sophisticated legal representation that is underscored by prayer. The practice of law is not just a job to me; it’s a calling.”

That calling fuels a passion to support and empower other women.

“I spend much of my time speaking to and mentoring young women, particularly those interested in the practice of law,” she said. “Helping young women navigate the ropes of what still is, in many ways, a ‘man’s profession’ allows me to pass on certain learning experiences and tips that I have honed over the years.”

This fall, Heather Rooney McBride will be recognized for following her calling with excellence during Evangel’s Homecoming Celebration, when she is named the Evangel University Outstanding Young Alumna for 2018.

The presentation will be made during the Homecoming Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m., at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center.

The Alumni Board recognizes that many young alumni have enjoyed significant achievements in the few years since their graduation, although they may not yet have reached the height of their accomplishments. Nominees for the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award are under 40 and have made significant contributions to their chosen field, church, community, state, nation or the university.

Finding her focus

A Springfield native, Rooney McBride started out dual-enrolled at both Evangel University and its crosstown sister school, Central Bible College.

After two years, she stayed with Evangel, and in her third year, her future came into focus. She finished her Spanish program, dropped the music major to a minor, and applied to law school.

“I have only somewhat jokingly told Dr. Randy Tate and Dr. Linda Ligate that their courses (Postmodernism and Music History) single-handedly prepared me for the amount of reading that would be required in law school,” said Rooney McBride.

“In all seriousness though, Dr. Tate’s class was thought provoking and engaged students at a higher intellectual level than any course I had taken previously.

“Similarly, Dr. Ligate’s class was for me a magical combination of beauty and brains in that we listened to stunning music but were asked to become knowledgeable about the historical, sociological and political contexts of each artist.”

In 2003, Rooney McBride graduated from Evangel summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and was honored to receive the Outstanding Spanish Graduate award.

While at Drake University Law School, she served as president of the International Law Society and was a member of the Drake Law Review where she received the “Best Drake Law Review Note” award in 2006 for her writing on Guantánamo detainees.

In 2006, Rooney McBride graduated second in a class of 165, with Order of the Coif honors.*

Heather Rooney McBride (center), with Scott A. Smith, her partner at Rooney McBride & Smith LLC, and other members of their team. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Since returning to Springfield, Rooney McBride has been admitted to practice law in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, representing business clients in commercial transactions and litigation matters, and individual clients in estate planning matters, in each of those states.

She frequently provides continuing education to other attorneys and has been published on various estate planning topics and the right to a jury trial in civil matters.

She has been recognized for her excellence in many ways, including:

• Top Attorneys in Missouri and Kansas Award—Rising Star (2015)
• National Association of Professional Women’s “Woman of the Year” Award (2013-14)
• Missouri House of Representatives Professional Recognition Recipient (2013)

“Heather is a talented lawyer who is truly the best in her field,” said Amanda Kastler, CPA and partner with Elliott, Robinson & Company.

“I have had the privilege of benefiting from her intelligence and her caring and compassionate heart. She serves our community with grace, and she is an inspiration and outstanding example to all professionals.”

The arts & giving back

While that music major may have become a minor, the arts continue to be a source of refreshing to her soul.

“During the 12 years I have been practicing law, I have continued to devote free time to music, including singing in church and community choirs, leading church worship, giving solo and collaborative recitals, and maintaining my piano studio — teaching beginning-to-intermediate students how to play,” said Rooney McBride.

Ben and Heather Rooney McBride, with their daughter Cora Ann. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“Supporting the growth and development of the arts in the Springfield community is a big priority for me as well,” she added.

In addition to being an arts patron, she served on the Springfield Symphony Orchestra board of directors for five years, and she presently serves as a board member and board counsel for the Springfield Regional Arts Council.

She is married to Ben McBride, owner of McBride Law. In addition to his law practice, Ben is an adjunct professor for Government and Pre-Law programs at Evangel University.

The couple live in Springfield and have one daughter, Cora Ann.

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*SIDEBAR: What are Order of the Coif honors? Learn that and more from this alumni profile video with Heather Rooney McBride.

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EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Five alumni awards will be given during this year’s homecoming celebration, representing alumni from the three AG schools that consolidated in 2013 — Evangel University, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Central Bible College. The recipients were chosen by the Evangel University Alumni Association board of directors.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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Dr. Barry Corey, president of Biola University in La Mirada, California, has been selected as the 2018 Distinguished Alumnus for Evangel University. This is an award that is presented annually to one who has made significant contributions to their chosen field, church, community, state, nation or to the university.

“In Dr. Corey’s case, the Evangel Alumni Association changed the word ‘or’ to ‘and’ in recognition of his more than three decades of impactful leadership across the U.S. and around the world,” said Hector Cruz, director of alumni engagement. “He really has made significant contributions on every level.”

At Evangel, he was elected to serve as student body president and baccalaureate speaker. He graduated with top honors in 1984 and soon was asked to serve on the Alumni Association board of directors.

As a Fulbright Scholar, he served a year in Bangladesh. As a humanitarian, he served on the board of directors for Convoy of Hope and as a Rotary International Good Will Delegate.

As an educator, he taught at Boston College; served as vice president of Gordon-Conwell Seminary; was a leader at the Global Executive Leadership Forum in Cape Town, South Africa; and was a delegate to the Inaugural Conference on Theological Education in the former USSR.

Dr. Barry Corey is Evangel University’s Distinguished Alumnus for 2018. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Dr. Corey is the eighth president of Biola, a school with more than 6,000 students on 95 acres in Southern California. He began his tenure in 2007, and since then, he has steered the university to its highest enrollment, while successfully leading the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Biola history.

In addition to his many presidential duties, he also serves on the executive committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, and on the board of directors for the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.

And with all of this, somehow, he found time to run the Boston Marathon — twice!

“We are delighted to have Barry return to campus for Homecoming 2018,” said Dr. Carol Taylor, president.

The 2018 Distinguished Alumnus award for Evangel University will be presented to Dr. Corey during the Homecoming Banquet Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., in the Bass Pro White River Conference Center.

“I first met Dr. Corey in 2007 when he was arriving as Biola University’s eighth president, and I was transitioning to Vanguard University,” President Taylor continued.

“I have followed his extraordinary service at Biola and in the circle of Christian College and University presidents, and I have had the opportunity to observe his leadership far beyond his campus. He is a national and international voice of influence within both Christian and secular communities, leading with the virtues he describes in his book Love Kindness. One of my great delights is to call Barry both colleague and friend.”

Discovering Kindness

A native of Massachusetts, Corey earned his B.A. in English and Biblical Studies from Evangel University in 1984. He then returned to the Northeast where he taught, researched, pastored and earned both an M.A. in American Studies and a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction and Administration from Boston College.

Through the twists and turns of his career, he was inspired to write Love Kindness: Discover the Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue (Tyndale 2016).

“Kindness is neither timid nor frail. Instead, it is brave and daring, willing to be vulnerable with those with whom we disagree. It is the revolutionary way that Jesus himself called us to live,” he says.

Dr. Corey’s writing has also been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The National Review, Relevant, and Converge, among others.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE: Friends that keep you humble

Dr. Corey remembers the impact of his Evangel professors and peers, saying, “Studying under exemplary faculty in biblical studies, philosophy and English helped hew my ideas about Christian worldview. Certainly leadership in student government, working with an outstanding team, was a tremendous experience. Both of these I’ve carried with me—as I have friendships.”

Focusing on friendships he reflects:

“The day I arrived at Biola in 2007, two old Evangel friends, Doug Green and Mike Leahy, came to meet me. Inside the office they prayed, ‘Dear God, may Barry begin this job with peace, confidence and humility.’

“The next morning, I drove the rental car to campus, arriving before 6 a.m. Tailing me was another car, a campus safety patrolman. I stepped out of the car into the dawn darkness to greet the silhouette of the officer. All I recall were his words and their tone. ‘Get back in the car.’

“I laughed. He didn’t,” remembers Corey. “He told me, ‘Get back in the car. Shut the door. Roll down the window.’ At that point I decided to comply.

“‘You here for a conference or something?’

“‘No, sir, it’s my first day on the job. I’m going to work.’

“‘You ran a stop sign. We take California traffic laws seriously here.’

“I learned a few big lessons day one on the big job. First, the employees at this place where I work take their jobs really seriously. That’s a good thing. Second, the previous day my two college friends prayed I would begin this job with humility, and the Good Lord answered their prayer in no time flat.”

Green, who is now the pastor of North Hills Church in Brea, California, has a few memories as well.

“What started out in brick dorms and wooden barracks has become an opportunity to see God’s favor rest on Barry,” said Green. “His 12 years as president of Biola University has impacted our globe, for thousands of graduates are everywhere, living out the motto:  Above All, Give Glory to God!

“His influence with local, state, and national leadership has redirected the future of religious freedom. His phone contact list is filled with the names of the most influential leaders of the Christian Church—all over the world. Daily, he does important ministry.

“However, in spite of all the people he might know, he knows his family and his friends. And, we know him.

“For this, I am grateful to not only have a front-row seat, but a backyard seat—a seat where we often talk about it all, and it sounds a lot like two Evangel College buddies still trying to figure out where God is going and how we can go where He is.”

Corey and his wife, Paula, have three children: Anders, Ella and Samuel.

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SIDEBAR: What’s “nurturing your soul?” Hear how Evangel impacted Dr. Barry Corey on this Alumni Profile video.

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EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Five alumni awards will be given during this year’s homecoming celebration, representing alumni from the three AG schools that consolidated in 2013 — Evangel University, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Central Bible College. The recipients were chosen by the Evangel University Alumni Association board of directors.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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The Evangel University Business Department will welcome back Megan Washam, a 2017 EU graduate who currently works as an analyst with Google in San Francisco, Calif. She will be a guest speaker on Thursday, October 11.

Washam will be meeting with students one-on-one in addition to hosting a Q&A session, held in Zimmerman Hall, room 105 at 4:00 p.m.

Megan will share her journey of her college internships and landing a job with Google.

“It should be a great discussion for students and one of her emphasis is to start early in your college career in obtaining meaningful internships,” Robert Thomas, director of talent engagement at Evangel, said.

About Washam

Washam, a native of Corinth, Texas, graduated from Evangel with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. In 2016, she interned in political advertising at Google Elections in Washington, D.C. She helped both Democratic and Republican clients, strategize and sell advertising spots on Google search.

From there, she secured a job as Associate Product Marketing Manager at Google in San Francisco, Calif., where she works today.

During her time at Evangel, Washam was an All-American honoree for the varsity softball team. The infielder and team captain played 148 games at Evangel and started 147 of them. She also achieved scholar-athlete status for her academics.

For more information, visit www.evangel.edu or contact the Evangel University Business Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 8110.

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As part of Evangel University’s annual Homecoming weekend, the school is hosting the first ever Evangel University Car Show & Cruise on Saturday morning, Oct. 20. The goal is to raise funds for scholarships for deserving students.

The registration is $30 and includes coffee & pastries, a goodie bag, prize drawings, a very cool T-shirt (with advanced registration), and for the end of the Cruise, two tickets to Evangel’s Homecoming Football Game.

Registration is open to everyone, and all Ozarks area enthusiasts are invited to enter and attend. Admission for the viewing public is free.

Our cars were meant to be driven!

1988 EU graduate Bret Chrismer has been a big help with this event. He will be bringing one of his ’40 Ford hot rods to the show. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“We will enjoy each other’s cars over coffee in the morning, then take a cruise east of town on old Route 66,” said Paul K. Logsdon, director of public relations for Evangel. “About an hour later we will end up at Ozark High School for Evangel’s Homecoming tailgate party and football game.”

The event is open to everyone with an interesting car, truck or motorcycle — including classics, muscle cars, exotics, customs, hot rods, rat rods and barn finds.

• The car show will take place from 8-11 a.m., with vehicles displayed in front of the Evangel campus, facing 1111 N. Glenstone Ave. Awards will be presented prior to the cruise.

• The cruise will then run from 11-12 noon — participants will drive together through the countryside starting east of Springfield on old Route 66 (Division) and then south to Ozark.

Owners who register online by Monday, Oct. 15 will enable us to order a shirt in their size. We do anticipate having a few on site for sale as well. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

All Car Show & Cruise entrants will receive special parking at Ozark High School and two tickets to the Homecoming game. Individual photos will be taken crossing the old iron bridge in Ozark, as a memento of the day.

“The intent of the car show is to raise scholarship funds to help students at Evangel experience a first-class education,” said Hector Cruz, director of alumni engagement. “We are excited to connect alumni from near and far with our local community in this fun and unique way.”

Logsdon added, “Many of our alumni have fond memories as students of cruising Kearney, the Steak ’n Shake car shows, and taking dates for a drive to Fellows Lake. This is one more way to revive those good memories.”

Advance registration is encouraged: https://www.evangel.edu/homecoming/carshow/

Homecoming 2018

Evangel is hosting a wide array of events for the 2018 Homecoming weekend, beginning with a Jazz Orchestra Concert featuring music legend Jay Daversa and album release party on Thursday, Oct. 18 and ending with a Homecoming Banquet on Saturday evening, Oct. 20.

More than 700 alumni and friends are expected to register for Homecoming this year according to Cruz.

*** SIDEBAR ***

EU CAR SHOW & CRUISE SCHEDULE:

• 7:00 a.m. — Check-in/registration at Evangel University
(Includes coffee & pastries, goodie bag, prizes, T-shirt & more!)

• 8:00 a.m. — Car show and activities
(Rain or Shine)

• 11:00 a.m. — Cruise Route 66 and the backroads to Ozark, Mo.
(Reserved parking at Ozark H.S.)

• 12:00 p.m. — Evangel’s Football Tailgate Party at Ozark High School
(Food may be purchased onsite)

• 1:00 p.m. — Homecoming 2018 Football Game — Evangel vs. MidAmerica Nazarene

  (Two tickets included — stay if you can)

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NEWS COVERAGE

1. Within minutes of this release, the Springfield News-Leader used our photo and wrote a story about cars shows being held at EU and across town at the community college.  https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/now/2018/10/12/otc-evangel-host-car-shows-benefit-students/1613986002/

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A formal installation service for Dr. Timothy A. Hager as head of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University will be held Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. in the Seymour Chapel at AGTS.

Dr. Hager holds the title vice president/dean; he began serving in this Cabinet-level position in January.

The timing coincides with the start of Evangel’s annual  Homecoming Celebration, when the Board of Trustees and alumni will be in town. The installation service is a formal ceremony where faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends from around the world gather for dedication and celebration.

As dean, Dr. Hager reports on all academic matters to Dr. Mike McCorcle, provost/executive vice president. As vice president, he reports to President Carol Taylor on church and other external relations and fund-development initiatives.

Background

Dr. Hager brings a unique blend of academic, ministry and executive-level experience to the position. As a leader, he is passionate about the development of excellence in relationships and excellence in performance.

“It is a great honor to serve the church in a place where the development of future and current leaders is at the heart of the mission,” he said.

Dr. Hager completed both his Master of Divinity (’89) and his Doctorate in Leadership Development and Management Theory in Non-Profits (’02) at AGTS.

Prior to assuming his new position, he served as chief operating officer of the Assemblies of God national office.

He has pastoral and district leadership experience in Iowa, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia. He has taught college-level courses for more than 20 years, in the classroom and online, in the U.S. and abroad.

Tim and his wife, Lynn, have four adult children and two grandchildren.

For more information or to leave a congratulatory message please visit www.evangel.edu/agts.

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Awards for grads of Evangel, AGTS & CBC

The alumni board of directors from Evangel University will honor five alumni this week during the Homecoming ’18 Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 20. The alumni awards will be presented during a banquet at the Bass Pro White River Conference Center, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The alumni association presents Distinguished Alumnus awards annually at homecoming to honor those from Evangel and Central Bible College who have made significant contributions to their chosen field, church, community, state, nation, or to the university.

They also recognize that many young alumni have enjoyed significant achievements in the few years since their graduation, although they may not yet have reached the height of their accomplishments. The Outstanding Young Alumnus awards are presented to those in this category.

The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at Evangel University will also present the AGTS Graduate of the Year during the Homecoming 2018 Celebration Banquet.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Barry Corey, a 1984 graduate, demonstrated servant-leadership during his senior year at Evangel when he was student body president. As a Fulbright Scholar, he served a year in Bangladesh. As an educator, he taught at Boston College; served as V.P. of Gordon-Conwell Seminary; and currently serves as president of Biola University. “(Barry) is a national and international voice of influence within both Christian and secular communities, leading with the virtues he describes in his book Love Kindness,” says Dr. Carol Taylor, president of Evangel. Barry and his wife, Paula, have three children. Read about how he stays level in a full-length story on the EU website.

• EU Outstanding Young Alumna

Springfield native Heather Rooney McBride is founding partner of Rooney McBride & Smith LLC. She graduated from Evangel summa cum laude in 2003 and finished second in her class at Drake University Law School. Heather is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, representing business clients in commercial transactions and litigation matters, and individual clients in estate planning matters. A patron of the arts, she currently serves on the board of the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Heather and her husband, Ben, have one daughter. He owns McBride Law and is an adjunct professor at Evangel. Read about how she integrates music with her life, on the EU website.

• AGTS Alumnus of the Year

Dr. Dick Brogden was born and raised in Kenya. After college, he pastored a multi-tribal church there, worked among the nomadic Samburu, and then moved to Sudan, where he served for 15 years. Dick completed his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies at AGTS in 2014 and said he was impressed with his AGTS experience, including “incredible classes, erudite professors and challenging reading.” It was during that time that he developed the Live Dead Journal. Dick lives in Cairo, Egypt, with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons. They oversee both the Cairo Training Team and the Live Dead Arab World program, as AG World Missionaries. Read Dick’s story about jumping into shark-inhabited waters, on the EU website.

• CBC Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Mark Batterson, a 1992 graduate, is an accomplished author, pastor and businessman. He serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C., which was recognized in 2008 as one of the “Most Innovative and Most Influential Churches in America” by Outreach Magazine. Ten years later, NCC has seven campuses and 10 services. Mark has authored 15 books, including The New York Times best-seller The Circle Maker. “I have a little mantra,” he said. “If your sermons are boring it’s probably because your life is boring. If you want to preach better sermons, get a life.” Mark and his wife, Lora, have three children. Read about Mark and the entrepreneurial outreach of his congregation on the EU website.

• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus

The Rev. George Carballo, a 2009 graduate, has served as the district youth director for the Texas Louisiana Hispanic District of the Assemblies of God since 2010. He has also held positions such young adults pastor, sectional youth director and bible school teacher. He regularly speaks to cross-cultural groups throughout the United States and other countries. George and his wife, Rocio, are now preparing to launch a new church plant in Houston—the fourth largest city in the U.S. with a population of more than 6 million. Read more about George’s vision on the EU website.

EU Homecoming 2018 Honorees

Informative, feature-length articles have been written about each of the five awardees. Click at the end of their summaries above or on the list below.

• EU Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Barry Corey ’84
• EU Outstanding Young Alumnus – Heather Rooney McBride, J.D. ’03
• AGTS Alumnus of the Year – Dr. Dick Brogden ’14
• CBC Distinguished Alumnus – Dr. Mark Batterson ’92
• CBC Outstanding Young Alumnus – George Carballo ’09

For more information, contact Evangel University Alumni Relations Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7333.

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The annual President’s Leadership Forum will feature two alumni as a part of Evangel University’s 2018 Homecoming Celebration on Friday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public — it will feature a roundtable discussion on “Preaching as Leadership.” The discussion will take place in the Seymour Chapel at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, on the corner of Glenstone and Division.

Panelists include Mike Burnette, who identifies himself as a teacher on his Facebook page, while serving as lead pastor of LifePoint Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. LifePoint was recently named the Fastest Growing Church in the Nation for 2018, by Outreach Magazine. Burnette completed his Master of Divinity in 2008 from AGTS. He and his wife, Stephanie, have four daughters.

Joining him will be David Lindell, campus ministries director and West Campus pastor at James River Church in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from Evangel University with a B.A. in 2006, and then earned his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. David and his wife, Becky, have four young children.

Dr. Doug Oss will moderate the President’s Leadership Forum. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon ( CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Doug Oss, professor emeritus of AGTS. Dr. Oss is also a Greek scholar, Biblical translator, author and the 2017 AGTS Alumnus of the Year.

Following the forum, there will be a reception in the AGTS Great Hall.

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Featuring alumni of Evangel, CBC & AGTS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel University Department of Music will present its first Alumni Orchestra Concert on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m. in the Robert H. Spence Chapel Auditorium.

Admission is free and open to the public. The Spence Chapel is located south of the main entrance to campus, at 1111 N. Glenstone Ave.

More than 40 alumni players will be involved from Evangel University, plus Central Bible College and Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. The three schools consolidated in 2013.

The first Alumni Orchestra Concert will be on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“Current students will join the alumni for select parts of the concert, and the ‘grand finale’ piece will be performed by more than 80 musicians,” according to Dr. Larry Dissmore, director of orchestral activities at Evangel.

The varied program will include music from classical, sacred and pops repertoires.

Among the classical selections to be performed are Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, the Waltz from Khatchaturian’s Masquerade Suite, and Nelhybel’s A Mighty Fortress.

Sacred and pops selections will include Camp Kirkland’s arrangement of Praise to the Lord the Almighty, Goeller’s arrangement of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, and Michael W. Smith’s Hibernia.

Alumni Orchestra Background

The idea for the Alumni Orchestra arose from two sources.

“Over the years, alumni have suggested the idea to me,” said Dissmore, who is in his 31^st year on the Evangel faculty.

Dr. Larry Dissmore // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“In addition, I learned of similar liberal arts colleges that had developed Alumni Orchestras and thought it might be a good idea for us, so I asked Professor Emeritus John Shows to join me in organizing the orchestra,” said Dissmore. “A planning committee of various orchestra alumni was formed about 18 months ago to develop the event.”

Alumni players are convening for a full weekend of rehearsals to include Friday evening and two rehearsals on Saturday. Current students began working on various selections earlier this semester.

The Department of Music at Evangel University offers majors in music, music education, music performance, music business/technology and worship leadership. Each program is carefully designed to ensure that students build strong musical skills, gain professional training and experience a wide range of musical activities.

For more information, call (417) 865-2811 ext. 7212.

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2018 Outstanding Alumnus Award from Department of Natural and Applied Sciences

SPRINGFIELD, MO — “I will never forget when my adviser told us in the pre-med program that he intentionally scheduled his classes to be the very first ones of the day, because if we can’t get up to make it to an 8 a.m. class every day, we can’t expect to make it in medical school where we will have to report in the wee hours of the morning to clinical rotations. He was right!”

Those were the reflections of Springfield native Dr. Milta (Oyola) Little when she was honored by Evangel University as the 2018 Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Department of Natural & Applied Sciences.

Dr. Michael Tennesson, chair of the Department of Natural & Applied Sciences at Evangel University, presents the department’s 2018 Outstanding Alumnus Award to Dr. Milta Little. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“The department recognized Dr. Little as an exemplary representative of God and Evangel University,” said Dr. Michael Tenneson, department chair. “Dr. Little’s professional success, consistent Christian character, and strong ties to Evangel University resulted in her nomination for this award by her fellow science alumni.”

Little graduated from Evangel University in 2002 and then earned a Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Midwestern University, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006.

“The benefit of getting a liberal arts education prior to obtaining a professional degree is that every class, whether directly related to my field of study or not, was instrumental in shaping who I am and how I think, act and believe,” said Little.

Little specializes in the unique health needs of the elderly, while following the path of academic medicine.

Recognized as an international leader in her field, she currently serves at Saint Louis University Medical Center as an associate professor of geriatric medicine and the director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program.

She has been selected for three Duke University Fellowships and the Harvard-Macy Scholar Program. She also has postgraduate training from the European Academy for Medicine of Ageing.

Little was awarded the prestigious HRSA K01 Geriatric Academic Career Award and has over 20 publications and book chapters in top geriatric publications.

She has served as president and a board member of the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, and serves on the editorial board for the Missouri Association of Long-Term Care Providers. Additionally, she was awarded Best Doctors in Saint Louis, Missouri, 2013-2018.

As a result, she is a frequent speaker at local, regional, national and international medical symposia.

Appreciative alumna

“I am proud to call myself a graduate of Evangel University and am grateful that my alma mater can be proud of my accomplishments,” said Little upon receiving the award.

“This has been a hard but rewarding career journey, and I am both appreciative and humbled to be recognized by my department. Every step I have taken, and every success I have enjoyed, has come from God. I give Him the glory every day.”

Noah Holmes, a senior pre-med student from Houlton, Maine, was inspired by her recent visit to Evangel.

“I thought it was encouraging to see an alum come back and talk about her experiences,” said Holmes. “She was very enthusiastic and joyful to be able to be back and be awarded, showing me that she was appreciative of her experiences at Evangel as well. She inspired me to soak it all in while I’m still here.”

The Little family. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Milta met her future husband, Dr. Josh Little, when they were students at Hillcrest High School. They graduated there in 1998, enrolled at Evangel and again graduated together in 2002.

Josh is an assistant professor of anatomy at the St. Louis School of Medicine and was named the Distinguished Alumnus by the Evangel University Department of Kinesiology in 2014. Together they have two daughters and live in the St. Louis area.

Milta is the daughter of Dr. Eliezer and Milta Oyola, retired professors of Spanish at Evangel University.

For more information, contact Dr. Michael Tenneson at TennesonM@evangel.edu or call the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences at (417) 865-2811 ext. 8313.

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WEBSITE SIDEBAR: Random reflections on her time at Evangel

• “C.S. Lewis with the great Twyla Edwards is the highlight of every EU grad who had the privilege of taking that course.”

• “Studying organic chemistry the night before a big final with all the other students at the house of Dr. Bohannan while eating warm, freshly baked cookies is something most EU Pre-med students can reminisce about.”

• “Hearing about the various MD-alternative pathways to a health professions degree made me decide to pursue a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, which I have never regretted.”

• “Getting to present a poster in Savanna, Georgia, representing the first Alpha Chi Honor Society chapter at Evangel University helped me see how great an academic career could be — even though it would be years later that I would stumble onto the true realization that I was meant to be in academic medicine.”

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel University Music Department will present the 35^th Annual Christmas Concert on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., in the Robert H. Spence Chapel. Special guests this year will be the Girls Choir of Springfield.

The Christmas Concert at Evangel University! // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The event is open to the public and the doors will open at 6 p.m.

Admission to this popular holiday celebration is either a non-perishable food item or a cash donation to benefit The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army’s nationwide campaign enables them to provide food, toys and clothing to more than six million people during the Christmas season. Last year’s Christmas Concert at Evangel raised 813 pounds of food and $1,042 in cash for the Salvation Army.

“The Evangel Christmas Concert is a community event that historically has offered a wide variety of Holiday Music, including both choral and instrumental music,” said Dr. Tom Matrone, chair of the Department of Music.

“This event is both a gift to the community at large and is a tangible way to assist the Salvation Army as they bless our neighbors,” said Matrone.

A University Tradition

Dr. Tom Matrone greets the crowd. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

While this is the 35^th annual Christmas Concert at Evangel, for the first time, the Children’s Chorus of Springfield will welcome guests with music in the Chapel foyer.

The prelude will begin at 6:30 p.m. inside the auditorium, featuring the Suzuki Strings. They will be followed by the organ prelude at 6:45 p.m., featuring Dr. Mark Bowdidge, adjunct professor of music, and Heather Culbertson, a senior mathematics and chemistry double major at Evangel, from Homewood, Illinois.

More than 200 musicians will be performing in a variety of ensembles, starting at 7 p.m., including the Evangel University Orchestra, University Chorus, University Chorale, Men’s Vocal Ensemble, Women’s Chamber Ensemble, HeartSong, and the ever-popular Jazz Orchestra.

The EU Jazz Orchestra, directed by Joel Griffin. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The concert will range from classical to traditional Christmas songs, including the Orchestra favorite, “Sleigh Ride,” the Jazz Orchestra’s “We Three Kings,” and the majestic “Come and Worship.”

The concert will also be live-streamed on the Evangel website, for those unable to make it to town.

Music at Evangel

The Department of Music at Evangel University offers majors in music education, music performance, recording technology and worship leadership. The department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and the Missouri Association of Departments & Schools of Music.

For more information, contact the Evangel University Music Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7211.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Students, faculty and staff from Evangel University recently donated enough food and gifts to fill 136 stockings and cards for the deployed men and women of the 935^th Aviation Support Unit of the Missouri National Guard.

There are 135 local soldiers in that unit who deployed last summer to the Middle East.

“We just wanted to express appreciation for our soldiers. Each one will receive a filled Christmas stocking from the Evangel community reminding him or her that we are thankful for their sacrifice and their service,” said Dr. Sheri Phillips, vice president for Student Development at Evangel.

Volunteer packers at Evangel included Krista Spenser, and AGTS student and faculty work study; Chaplain Stormy Davis, director of Evangel’s Veterans Center; Aaron Coleman, Evangel student, Army vet and Veterans Center work study; Cassandra Langr, AGTS student and Army vet; and Cappy, Cassandra’s service dog. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Nine boxes full of snacks, games, books, puzzles, and other gifts were packaged by staff and veterans affiliated with Evangel. They were shipped Monday and are scheduled to arrive on Dec. 14, 2018.

Chaplain Joe Pence, a graduate of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at Evangel University, is deployed there and will distribute the stockings to members of the 935^th, according to Veteran Center Coordinator Stormy Davis, who also went through the chaplaincy program with Pence.

The project was a partnership with the Evangel University Veteran’s Center, the EU Center for Compassion, and the school’s Student Development office.

Close to home

Dr. Sheri Phillips, vice president for Student Development at Evangel, with the boxes of Christmas stockings that were shipped to the Middle East for local soldiers, including her son-in-law, Josh Van Note. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

In June 2018, Evangel University hosted the deployment ceremony for more than 2,000 National Guard soldiers from the tri-state area who were deployed on a 13-month assignment.

Of those, 135 men and women deployed from the Missouri National Guard. The unit is literally in Evangel’s backyard — behind the campus, on Fremont.

“We started thinking about what we could do for our soldiers. When we learned that about 60-percent of these soldiers deployed for the first time, and many are the ages of our college students, the idea about filling Christmas stockings grew,” said Dr. Phillips.

“Additionally, this hits close to home for me, as my son-in-law, Josh Van Note, an Evangel grad, is among them,” she added.

Rylin Van Note checks the packages prepared by volunteers at Evangel University, one of which is designated for her father, who deployed with the men and women of the 935th Aviation Support Unit of the Missouri National Guard. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

This was a community effort as students, faculty and staff all got involved writing notes, filling stockings, and donating funds to assure that the soldiers would have a little taste of home.

“Particularly around the holidays, our soldiers feel the isolation from their families and friends, and long for reminders of home,” said Dr. Phillips. “Reading a card or letter from a grateful community could be life changing!”

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Dr. Mark McLean, a retired Evangel University professor and chaplain with the Springfield Police Department, passed away Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, following a long-term struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

Mark is survived by his wife, June, and two grown children, Scott and Christina.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Evangel Temple, 2020 E. Battlefield. A graveside service will follow at noon, at Missouri Veteran’s Cemetery on Evans Road and Hwy. 65.

Dr. Mark & June McLean at a faculty dinner. // Evangel Archives (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Professor

A Harvard graduate, McLean retired from Evangel University in 2007, following 25 years of service as a highly respected professor of Hebrew, Old Testament Bible and philosophy.

“No one was more influential in my time in college than Dr. McLean,” said Dr. Brandon Schmidly, a 1998 Evangel graduate and current associate professor of philosophy there.

“I came to Evangel as an athlete, but was challenged and inspired by the classes I took with Dr. McLean,” said Schmidly. “His teaching grabbed my attention and drew me back. Sadly, he stepped down as a professor the spring before I arrived to teach in 2007. I was honored to occupy his office, though — we met regularly, and he offered me many solid sessions of ‘new faculty mentorship.’”

Schmidly currently serves as chair of undergraduate seminary programs at Evangel. “I would not be where I am today without his influence,” he said.

McLean earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees from Harvard University — he holds a Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations and Languages. He also served as the Keeper of Coins at the Harvard Semitic Museum. His bachelor’s degree is from Southern California College (now Vanguard University), a sister school to Evangel in Costa Mesa, California.

An avid writer, Dr. McLean published nearly 30 articles in a variety of publications including the Anchor Bible Dictionary, the Wall Street Journal, The American Red Cross and Law and Order, reflecting his service to the community outside of Evangel.

In 2007, Springfield Police Chief Lynn Rowe (ret.) thanked Dr. Mark McLean for his 25 years of service as a chaplain with the SPD. // Evangel Archives (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Police Chaplain

Much of McLean’s personal time was dedicated to serving as a police chaplain, starting in 1979.

From 1983 to 2007, he was a member of the Police Chaplains Service of Springfield and served the organization as treasurer, secretary, vice president and president. He was also a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains and was the Midwest Regional Director in 1991.

The Springfield Police Department honored Dr. McLean for his service at a reception Aug. 21, 2007.

The Mentor

Mark McLean and Bill Griffin arrived at Evangel at the same time, in the fall of 1982. Griffin as a nontraditional student and McLean as a gifted teacher whose influence neither could imagine at that time.

Dr. Mark McLean with his star pupil, Bill Griffin, at Evangel’s 1985 graduation ceremony. // Evangel Archives (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“I was an older student when I arrived, and did not have a stellar record from high school,” said Griffin. “For some reason, Mark took me under his wing, and his encouragement set the tone for my entire college career.”

Now he is Dr. William P. Griffin, professor of Hebrew Bible at Evangel University. On Monday, Dr. Griffin announced to alumni on Facebook, “Today we mourn the passing of our mentor, colleague and friend.”

Following Griffin’s graduation from Evangel, McLean helped him get into Harvard, and several years later, McLean influenced Griffin to return to Evangel as a fellow professor. The two served on the faculty together from 1995 to 2007.

“To this day — and I mean literally today — he has had a huge impact on what I teach and how I teach in the classroom,” said Griffin.

Dr. Mark McLean shares another graduation photo, now with Dr. William Griffin, fellow faculty member, at Evangel’s 2000 graduation ceremony. // Evangel Archives (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Upon his retirement in 2007, Dr. McLean was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Evangel Alumni Association, during a special Homecoming ceremony.

In recognition of his career in Christian higher education, Dr. McLean also received the Delta Sigma Educator Award in 2007 from the Alliance for Assemblies of God Higher Education. Adapted from the Greek words for “teacher of wisdom,” this is the highest honor given to Assemblies of God educators.

Honoring a Friend

Mark is survived by his wife, June McLean, who is retired from Evangel University. Their son, Scott, works at a movie studio in Los Angeles; and daughter, Christina, resides in Springfield and owns her own business.

Friends who wish to honor his memory may make a charitable gift to Convoy of Hope, P.O. Box 1125, Springfield, MO 65802; and Evangel University, Advancement Office, 1111 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO 65802.

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Dan Wheeler has had more hours in front of the camera on live TV than David Letterman and Jay Leno combined — more than 11,000 hours throughout his career. Most of those were accumulated during the past 29 years on QVC, the No. 1 electronic retailer in the world.

During his time on QVC, Wheeler interviewed every one of his childhood heroes — people like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and George Foreman — as well as hundreds more in the world of sports, entertainment, business and politics. He has also traveled the world, visited historic places and sampled more exotic cuisine than most foodies can imagine.

Dan Wheeler’s senior picture in the 1977 Evangel College yearbook. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

And the foundation for those adventures was laid right here in Springfield, Missouri, during his years at Evangel College (now University). Wheeler’s first taste of live broadcasting was in 1974, as a sophomore, on the campus radio station.

“I remember working at KECC and realizing that radio was an amazing way to reach people with a message,” he said following a recent visit to the Ozarks on a book tour. “When students on campus said they listened to my show, I was thrilled that I could reach so many people by speaking into the microphone.”

He played baseball at Evangel, was a music buff, and learned to combine those passions with humor on his popular evening radio show.

“The creative aspect was amazing to me, and I just really enjoyed working there. So I remember thinking — I love this, and I seem to have some ability for it, so this is how I want to make my living!”

Wheeler graduated from Evangel in 1977 with a double major in broadcast communication and Biblical studies, and was honored as the Outstanding Communication Major that year.

The path to success

Dan stayed in Springfield following graduation and landed his first professional job as a sports reporter on the former KMTC-TV, which has also been known over the years as KDEB, KSFX and currently goes by KOZL.

He recently told students at Evangel that they have to be willing to take chances, make moves, and follow the leads where they go. He had seven jobs from Springfield to Chicago to Minnesota before landing the gig with the fairly-new QVC Network.

“I prayed that it would last three years, thinking that would be the break-even point for moving our family to the East Coast,” he told the students. “I look back now and am thrilled to have lasted 29 years with the greatest company in the world.”

Dan Wheeler and QVC brought in the New Year in 2015, with an emphasis on fitness. // Photo by: QVC (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

QVC is currently found in 110 million homes. However, on the air, Wheeler says he speaks to one person at a time. “Our goal was to communicate like we were talking to our neighbor over the back fence.”

It certainly works.

Dan sold more than $4 billion (yes, that’s a B) worth of product during his years with QVC ranging from sports memorabilia to books and music, from home electronics to tools for the handyman.

Harkening back to his radio days, career highlights also include launching new albums for a wide variety of artists, including Hall & Oats, Alabama, Michael McDonald and Willie Nelson.

However, of the hundreds of stars that he has met, “The three who stand out as most memorable are Joe DiMaggio (sports memorabilia), Charlton Heston (Bible on DVD), and Bob Hope (Christmas album),” said Wheeler.

Legendary actor Charleton Heston with Dan Wheeler on QVC. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Most of his efforts were broadcast from the mega-studio in West Chester, Pennsylvania, but Dan was also known for his remote broadcasts from around the world.

“QVC led the world into the dawning of the new millennium on Jan. 1, 2000, and I was honored to be the host from Gisborne, New Zealand, which is the City of First Light,” said Wheeler. “We were 18 hours ahead of New York. John Tesh and I were on a beach overlooking the Indian Ocean with a cast of hundreds.”

That same year, he spent three weeks in Sydney, Australia, hosting the QVC coverage of the Summer Olympic Games.

The turning point

Life was grand for the Wheelers. As Dan tells it, he and his wife, Beth, lived in a beautiful home and had raised a wonderful family. They had two lovely daughters, a great son-in-law and an amazing grandson.

However, their world was rocked in 2012 when Beth was diagnosed with Stage IV endometrial cancer, Dan wrote in his book, Hurricane of Love: My Journey with Beth Wheeler.

The new book about Dan and Beth Wheeler’s battle with cancer, available online. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

For the next three years, Dan balanced his career as a cheerful, upbeat QVC television host with caring for his wife, Beth, as she battled for her life, he shares in the book.

“Our priorities were turned upside down, but ultimately right side up in an instant,” he wrote. “While those three years were the toughest of our lives they were also the most meaningful because we didn’t waste our time worrying about little things that didn’t matter.”

In his book, he shares personal stories, such as how they turned chemo treatments into chemo “dates.” He tells of Beth’s tremendous capacity to love, which impacted everyone she touched — like a hurricane of love.

That love “swept through the halls of medical clinics, hospitals and chemotherapy suites, positively impacting the lives of medical personnel, family and friends. She became every doctor’s favorite patient and helped nurses rediscover why they went into their profession,” shared Wheeler.

“In October of 2015, after a very long roller coaster of emotions, she decided to stop all treatment. Beth passed into heaven at her home on October 30, 2015,” he wrote.

Dan Wheeler (right) with Jeff & Kirstyn (Wheeler) Hauser, plus their three children, and Kelsey Wheeler. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Their inspiring story is published by WestBow Press and was released in October 2018.

Hurricane of Love: My Journey with Beth Wheeler can be purchased on Dan’s website, hurricaneoflove.com or on Amazon.

Evangel classmate Kay Compton Logsdon was deeply touched. “If you ever need a book to remind you how to love life, this is it,” she said, after reading an advance copy.

“Yes, it tells the story of walking through cancer, from diagnosis to death; and yet, it is so full of moments done right that you can’t help but think, ‘This is how to do it,’” said Logsdon, publisher of The Food Channel.

The passing of his beloved wife and the process of writing this book caused Dan to re-evaluate his priorities.

“Fearless Faith” is a ministry formed by Dan Wheeler and his dear friends from Evangel, Terry Steen ’77 (left) and Brian Roland ’73. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

In 2016, he partnered with his old college roommate, Terry Steen, and another friend from Evangel, Brian Roland, to form Fearless Faith Ministries. “FFM is a nonprofit organization created by three friends seeking to pray for, inspire and encourage people to live a fearless life through faith in God,” they say.

With more than 23,000 people following them on Facebook, Fearless Faith features a daily three-minute devotional rotated among the three of them, which they call their “Morning Cup of Inspiration.”

Dan retired from QVC at the end of 2017.

Returning to his roots

Dan Wheeler returned to the Ozarks in early December 2018 — for the first time since the mid-1990s — at the invitation of another friend from his days at Evangel, Karen Best, who now serves as mayor of Branson, Missouri, the live entertainment mecca of the Midwest.

Dan Wheeler, Evangel’s President Carol Taylor, and Branson’s Mayor Karen Best, at the 2018 Evangel University Christmas Concert. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Best booked a full weekend of activities, including a parade, a book-signing party and several broadcast appearances. “His first night in town, we attended and enjoyed the 35^th Annual Christmas Concert at Evangel where Dan met President Carol Taylor and reconnected with several other old friends,” said Best.

“Returning to Evangel was like coming home,” said Wheeler. “My mind was flooded with great memories of walking across campus and realizing that my whole life was in front of me. Evangel is where so many of my aspirations and dreams were born.”

Steve Grant is an Emmy Award-winning reporter and anchor on KY3 News, a top-rated NBC affiliate. He fondly remembers Wheeler from classes they took together in the mid-1970s.

Dan Wheeler and NBC’s Steve Grant, moments before going live on KY3. // PHOTO BY: Paul K. Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“Even then, we knew Dan was a natural for TV,” said Grant. “He had what those of us in the business call ‘star power.’ Dan is proof of how strong and relevant the Evangel broadcast and communication department was and is.”

While in the area to promote Hurricane of Love, Wheeler was warmly welcomed by the local media, where he was interviewed on:

• KOLR-10’s Ozark’s Live, by Joy Robertson and Tom Trtan;
• KADI-FM morning radio by Rod Kittlemen;
• KY3 News at Noon by fellow Evangel grad Steve Grant; and
• KRBK’s Ozarks Fox AM by Kelly Smith.

Back on campus, Wheeler shared words of wisdom with a class of combined business and communication majors. He used students to illustrate how to create a story, how to position a product in the mind of the listener, and then challenged them to commit to excellence.

Evangel business prof Elizabeth Fletcher (right) hosted Dan Wheeler for a class. Many students were able to stay after for photos and more conversation. // PHOTO BY: Kay Logsdon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

“Speaking to the students was so much fun — they were locked in on what I was saying, and they were taking notes. I was so impressed with their desire to learn. Evangel is truly a special place to get a fabulous education in a rich, Christian environment.”

Before leaving town, Dan recorded his thoughts about the trip to Branson and Evangel University, while standing in the middle of the campus where his passion for broadcasting began.

CHECK IT OUT!  That video was posted for the next edition of “Morning Cup of Inspiration,” and his strong endorsement for his alma mater has since been seen by thousands of people around the world. Thanks, Danny!

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BONUS PHOTO: Many alumni crave the burrito enchilada-style at the original Mexican Villa Restaurant; among the alumni gathered on this occasion were Mark Rhoades ’74, Brian Roland ’73, Karen Best ’81, Dan Wheeler ’77 and Paul Logsdon ’77. // PHOTO BY: Random Stranger (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

For more of the heart of Dan Wheeler, or just to see more photos with stars, read his last blog at QVC, written Dec. 22, 2017:  “Looking Back Before Moving On.”

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The Evangel University Faculty Brass Quintet will present their annual concert in the recital hall of the Barnett Fine Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m.

The concert is free and open to the public. The Fine Arts Center is located south of the Robert H. Spence Chapel, facing Glenstone Ave.

The group serves as the brass quintet-in-residence at Evangel University. Members are Tim Wootton and Darren Eddington on trumpets, Dr. Eric Jackson on horn, Matt Moore on trombone and Dwight Davis on tuba.

In addition to playing for university functions, the quintet enjoys performing in the surrounding community through concerts, clinics, workshops and other events.

“This year’s program features one of the great original compositions for brass quintet; Eric Ewazen’s Colchester Fantasy,” said Wootton. “Ewazen’s music is a favorite among brass players and audiences alike. His compositions are known for beautiful melodies, interesting harmonies and being very easy to listen to.

“The remainder of our program will feature arrangements of well-known melodies with a brand new composition mixed in. We look forward to sharing an evening of great melodies with the Evangel community.”

The concert will also be online and available to watch live: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/evangel-university-music

The Evangel University Faculty Brass Quintet is comprised of (L-to-R): Darren Eddington, Dwight Davis, Tim Wootton, Eric Jackson and Matt Moore. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

PROGRAM

• “Fugue in G Minor” by Bach/Hudson
• “Lament” by Ridenour
• “Simple Gifts” by Brackett/Villanueva
• “Hallelujah” by Cohen/Hakkarainen
• “Colchester Fantasy” by Ewazen
• “Danny Boy” Traditional Irish Folksong/Hudson

For additional information or to schedule an event with the Evangel Faculty Brass Quintet, contact Tim Wootton at woottont@evangel.edu.

The Department of Music at Evangel University has been accredited with the National Association of Schools of Music since 1970 and offers majors in music, music education, music performance, music business/technology and worship leadership. Each program is carefully designed to ensure that students build strong musical skills, gain professional training and experience a wide range of musical activities.

For more information, visit the Evangel University website or contact the Music Department at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7212.

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The path to chaplaincy for Matthew Maestas required him to take extraordinary steps to fulfill his calling. The road was neither smooth nor straight, and the lessons are still being unfolded each day.

But his faith is strong, his vision is clear and he has a solid three-point message that helps him help others to weather the winds of change.

“I was with Chaplain McChrystal at the luncheon following my Oath of Office ceremony at Evangel University, and he talked about the lessons in perseverance that my family and I have learned,” said Chaplain Maestas. “He talked about the great cloud of witnesses that were cheering us on. And with each change we faced, he assured me that I will be more mature in the end.”

Scott McChrystal is the military representative and endorser for military and VA chaplains for the Assemblies of God. He served 31 years on active duty, 10 as an infantry officer and the remainder as an Army chaplain. He knows about change.

Maestas continued, “Chaplain McChrystal asked me if I could sum up what I have learned from my journey thus far. I told those gathered at the luncheon, three things — trust God; love people; and have a community of believers around you.”

That is the quick summary of a man who feels deeply the commitment, courage, and honor to motivate a team to complete the mission.

“At the end of the day, I do not want to look back at my career and see the works of just another counselor, social worker or a soldier on which to cry,” he said. “I will be a chaplain that brings God’s love to Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and their families. I look forward to being there for our service members by listening to their concerns and building trust. Having the opportunity to serve God and my country will be the greatest honor.”

The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University held a public ceremony for the taking of the Oath of Office by newly accessioned U.S. Navy Chaplain Matthew Maestas on January 29, 2019. The event was held in the Robert H. Spence Chapel before the entire student body

Maestas earned his Master of Divinity, which is the required degree for military chaplaincy, from AGTS in 2016.

The picture of perseverance

“Chaplain Maestas is the picture of perseverance,” said Chaplain Stormy Davis, coordinator of the Veteran’s Center at Evangel University. “The journey toward chaplaincy took him and his family nearly eight years to complete; during which time, Maestas never faltered. When he was told he needed to do more, he did it. The times he was questioned about his calling, his actions lived the path toward that calling to its fullest.”

Matthew & Melissa Maestas and their children Makayla, Malaki and Mavrik. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

He started at a community college in the great plains of Eastern Colorado and completed his business degree in 2005 at Colorado State University-Pueblo with a self-admitted below average GPA. Newly married and starting a family, he spent the next several years in corporate America, before God called him into ministry and gave him a focused purpose in life.

“To meet the requirements of the ministry to which God called me, I started additional educational training at AGTS,” he said, adding that this time, he had a strong sense of purpose and maintained a much higher GPA.

Prior to moving to Springfield, Chaplain Maestas worked with the youth, college and career-ages in Pueblo. During his years at AGTS, he gained ministry experience in Springfield area AG churches in adult education and as an outreach pastor. He ended with two years as a pastoral care intern.

“I graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2016. As a student, I commissioned into the U.S. Navy as a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer, and held this commission from May 2012 to June 2017.”

At that point, he was advised to gain some additional chaplaincy experience, so he moved his family to Kansas where he became the associate pastor at Wellington First Assembly and a chaplain at Wesley Medical Center.

“Being a chaplain at Wesley Medical Center has given me the honor to serve within a pluralistic institution. I have learned talking about psychological and emotional health can be difficult and at times overwhelming.”

Chaplain Matthew Maestas, center, has served the past couple of years on staff at First Assembly of God in Wellington, Kansas, with Dr. Marvin Miller and Pastor Caleb Foster. Miller is a 2016 graduate of AGTS, with a D.Min., and Foster is a 2012 graduate of CBC. // (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Chaplain Maestas became a great resource for patients, families, and friends struggling with medical decisions and the ethics surrounding those decisions. This often involved underlying spiritual and emotional issues. As a chaplain embedded in the medical field, he had the opportunity to serve alongside nurses, doctors and staff to support the overall care.

“This close connection and shared identity initiated trust with everyone; I was fortunate to be their Chaplain. These experiences have equipped me for a future career in the Navy Chaplaincy.”

The perseverance paid off, and now, having taken the Oath of Office as a Navy Chaplain, it is time once again for the Maestas family to move on to the next step in their calling.

“We are headed next to Chaplain School in Rhode Island,” he reported from his car, with his wife Melissa and three children, Makayla, Malaki and Mavrik. “And after that, we have been told our destination will be the U.S. Navy Base in Coranado, California.”

Chaplaincy by the numbers

The U.S. Navy struck a chord with Chaplain Maestas when he read their promise, “The Navy Chaplaincy is a unique opportunity to serve God and country while also extending your spiritual reach around the world. In addition to working with people of many faiths, Navy Chaplains have the privilege of living and working side by side with their flock. In this way, you’ll be able to forge bonds in ways you’ve never imagined, in places you’ve never dreamed you’d see.”

He’s not alone. Combining all facets of the military and veterans services, the Assemblies of God fellowship has 214 active chaplains, with another 72 candidates and endorsees in the pipeline. Of those, 113 are from AGTS, CBC and Evangel University.

Broadening the scope even more, to include institutional and occupational chaplaincy — be they corporate, correctional, healthcare or a variety of special focus members — there are currently 467 chaplains affiliated with the Assemblies of God, and 47 more in the pipeline. Of those 127 are from AGTS, CBC and Evangel.

AGTS serves the larger Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions with 21st-century leadership for the Church and its mission. AGTS is accredited by The Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada.

As an embedded seminary, AGTS with Evangel University serves more than 2,100 students from all 50 states and numerous countries, offering 65 undergraduate majors and 19 master’s and doctoral degrees.

For more information about AGTS visit www.agts.edu; and for more about Evangel, visit www.evangel.edu.

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