Alumni Spotlight
Daphne Smith '00
Major: Missions and Psychology
Occupation: music ministry
“God’s
direction in my life has sometimes been very clear and other times pretty
fuzzy. Although the ‘fuzzy’ times are frustrating, those are
the moments that I really seek God and find answers that are far beyond
my expectations.”
One of these incredible answers was Daphne Smith’s discovery of
Evangel. In 1995, she was a high school senior looking for the college
that would provide her a well-rounded education. Her search began in
Springfield, Missouri. “I always knew I would end up in Springfield,”
she says. “I’m not sure why. Perhaps part of it was my mom’s
stories of Evangel (Mary
Herron Smith ’73). I think most of it was God’s divine direction.”
Daphne always knew she was called to full-time, vocational ministry. “Looking back, I realize that my selection of a school was based on two things: an orchestra that I could play my violin in, and a well-rounded, Bible-based education,” Daphne says. Before she visited Evangel, Daphne talked with Christian high school teachers who were concerned about her decisions for her future. “They wanted me to get an education that wouldn’t leave me stranded when I was finished,” she says. “I think they were concerned about the limited opportunities that a woman might encounter in full-time ministry.”
Daphne and her teachers considered the fact that the Apostle Paul helped support his evangelistic ministry by using his skills in another trade. From those conversations, one word stood out to Daphne: tent-making. Because she wasn’t called to preach, she knew she needed training to minister in other ways. “I didn’t really want a back-up, but I knew it was wise to get an education that would provide me a degree with which I could support myself financially,” she says.
Daphne made a trip to Evangel and visited the Biblical Studies department.
“I was interested in their missions major. Interestingly, one of
the first things Dr. Palmer said to me was, ‘The missions degree
we offer is a tent-making major.’ All I could do was look at him
like he was crazy.” After this confirmation and more prayer, Daphne
decided to apply to Evangel.
By the time she graduated, Daphne had received an education beyond her
expectations. “I had opportunities to travel all over the country
and to Europe with the Concert Orchestra. That was a ministry experience
that I’ll never forget,” she says. Daphne also expanded her
course of study to include psychology. In the spring of 2000, she received
her Bachelor of Science degree with a double concentration in Missions
and Psychology.
After a year and a half as publications assistant in the A/G Kansas
District Council office, Daphne accepted a staff position as director
of music ministries and publications at Maranatha Worship Center in
Wichita, Kansas. There she leads congregational worship as well as worship
for many district-wide events. She has also started a full-time choir.
“This is a job that I never allowed myself to dream about,”
she says. “I always knew that I would be involved in music, but
I never thought I could do what I love full-time and get paid for it!”
Although she didn’t graduate with a music degree, Daphne knows
she couldn’t be where she is today without caring friends and professors
who believed in her. “I knew I was making the right decision to
take this position when I told one of the music professors that I couldn’t
believe I was a music director and he
said, ‘I’m not surprised at all!’ That statement is characteristic
of the professors at Evangel. They care about you as a student, but
they also want you to succeed as a person. They have helped me get where
I am today.”