Focus: Family & Friends - Winter 2006

Prayer emphasis highlighted during 50th Anniversary Celebration

Warm winter greetings! I am thrilled to share this update with you and tell about the many ways your Association has been actively involved this academic year in supporting Evangel and its mission.

Evangel enjoyed a prominent presence at the 51st Biennial General Council of the Assemblies of God held this past August in Denver. Council is a wonderful opportunity to share with pastors and church members — as well as past, present and future students — about Evangel. Many AEUFF members volunteered their time to staff the exhibits and shared their unique perspective with thousands of visitors.

Move-in Day at the beginning of the fall semester is always a great time for AEUFF to bless new students and their parents. We appreciate the many volunteers who staffed refreshment tables in the residence halls and supplied cool drinks and satisfying snacks to those who needed a respite from hauling boxes and furniture into the dorms.

Homecoming was a fitting conclusion to the 50th Anniversary Celebration, and the campus was alive with the largest homecoming attendance ever. For many, it was their first visit to Evangel in a number of years. In talking with some of the guests, I was impressed by their enthusiasm for the incredible transformation that the campus has undergone during the past ten years. In chapel, we presented a plaque that commemorates our commitment to pray for Evangel (see photo, top right).

I would personally like to thank all of you who joined us for the AEUFF luncheon during Homecoming. With more than 350 in attendence, it was by far the largest event we have ever hosted. I would also like to commend Dennis Whaley and the staff for being such wonderful hosts.

At the luncheon, we honored Arkansas State Representative Horace Hardwick and his wife, Jeretta, for their service to Evangel, and for his efforts in organizing AEUFF (see photo on back). Horace has tirelessly advocated upholding Evangel in prayer. This prayer connection is the cornerstone of our existence as an organization and is our mandate for the next 50 years.

We look forward to an exciting 2006 at Evangel University. Whether it is through our publications, weekly prayer updates, sporting and fine arts events, or one of our exciting summer camps, we will do our best to keep you in touch with the EU community and AEUFF.

Blessings,

David W. Barnett
President

---

The Association of Evangel University Family & Friends presented a Proclamation of Prayer to the student body on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. Parents and friends of the University have offered prayer support from the beginning, and this proclamation was offered as a visible way of saying, “We will be there for you for the next 50 years,” according to AEUFF President David Barnett. Also pictured are Muriel Denton, president of the Evangel Auxiliary; Shirley Anderson, Jeanine Bartels and Sandra Clopine, members of the Tuesday prayer group. To receive the prayer requests via E-mail, so you can join in prayer from where you are, contact Dennis Whaley.

---

Meet the most interesting people at the EUA

When the Evangel University Auxiliary meets for prayer on Tuesday afternoons with Anne Spence, wife of President Robert H. Spence, many wonderful people gather together.

Sandra Clopine, a former missionary to Africa, serves as the EUA chaplain. She is also a chaplain for the Maranatha Village retirement center.

You may also meet First Vice President Martha Garrett, whose family took a spiritual journey from being Amish to Mennonite to Pentecostal. Her husband, Dale, a retired Army Lt. Colonel, teaches government in Evangel’s Department of Social Sciences.

Muriel Denton, retired school teacher and Evangel graduate, serves as the EUA president. She states, “The EUA is working to create a vibrant, active organization that will make a difference in the lives of Evangel students.”

The Evangel Auxiliary is made up of women from various age groups who have diverse interests and educational backgrounds. They unite and work together with the goal of supporting the students, administration, faculty and staff of Evangel University through prayer, financial support and by providing scholarships for students.

The EUA has committed to provide $50,000 for furniture in two of the three student lounges in Academic Building II. The group holds fundraisers such as the annual Valentine’s Day bake sale and the “Super Colossal Annual Garage Sale.” This year the sale will be held May 10-13th, and is accomplished by the EUA ladies and their husbands gathering and pricing items donated by departing students.

If you live in the Springfield area, you are invited to join the EUA. The only requirement is that you are a woman with an interest in Evangel University. Dues are $20 per year. For more information, call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 417-865-2815 Ext. 7290.

---

Founders of Family & Friends honored

In reflecting on Homecoming 2005, I see how far the Association of Evangel University Family & Friends has come. Five short years ago, President Spence invited me to a breakfast meeting to discuss the possibilities of such an organization. I was asked to chair the ten-member task force committee.

This committee spent many hours together working out the details for the name of the organization, its purpose, mission statement and the constitution and bylaws to guide it. The University Board of Directors then approved our recommendations and the funding to establish it in 2000.

Since that first organizational meeting, it has been a rewarding experience to watch the growth of Family & Friends from the small group that attended our first luncheon in 2001 to the more than 350 in attendance at the luncheon during Homecoming 2005. Through our commitment to prayer, God has blessed us with unity, support and growth.

Those of you who have heard me speak know that I stress how the main purpose and objective of Family & Friends is to pray for Evangel . . . pray for our students . . . pray for our faculty and staff . . . and pray for the parents and friends. Prayer is the single most important function of this organization!

It has been my pleasure to serve as the first president, along with the tremendous dedication and help of the other officers: Director Dennis Whaley, Vice President Jim Williams, President Robert H. Spence, and their staffs. I greatly appreciate their support as well as the Outstanding Service Award presented to me at this past Homecoming luncheon.

We have a dedicated slate of officers to serve and lead us forward, and I trust everyone will prayerfully support them. Jeretta and I will continue to be strong supporters of Evangel Univerity in every way possible.

God Bless,
Horace Hardwick
Past President