Welcome to a local tradition, the Springfield and the Ozarks 48 Hour Film Festival, often referred to as SATO 48.

Gabriel Mays, Evangel University’s TV and radio adviser, enters the competition every year with a team of students and alumni.

This year, the 15-member EU team accomplished a major goal. Their film, Champion of Fire, was named Best Cinematography entry out of 81 films submitted.

They also won Best Sound Design and were nominated in three additional categories — art direction, poster design and film editing.

Gabriel Mays is Evangel University’s TV and radio adviser.

But the cinematography award was special to Mays.

“Cinematography is the art of filmmaking,” he says. “It is the lighting, composition and movement of shots.”

Their film is one of three chosen to play in the New York Brownfish Popup Festival on June 13. This is the first time SATO has awarded this honor.

“The Brownfish people chose our film to be a part of their festival. It could land a person in our group a job,” Mays says. “It’s nice to know your work is appreciated by judges from all over the nation and the world, not just this area.”

Competition is the best instructor

Mays enjoys the challenge of the SATO 48 competition.

“During the competition, you learn to adapt,” Mays says. “If it rains, you can’t just shoot tomorrow. It’s good for students because in the real world you have to think on your feet.”

“As a filmmaker, you’re constantly trying to compete with the multi-million dollar film industry. Audiences have seen it all,” Mays says.

This year, the EU team tackled drama and presented a story line based on the premise of what one would say to a suicide bomber if given the chance to talk him out of it.

“A lot of them don’t have any story line,” Mays says of the other films in the competition. “It was the first time I had tried to do drama in a short film. After the audience viewed it . . . silence. Then they turned to each other and started murmuring.”

Mission accomplished.

“Content is king,” Mays says. “If what your actors are saying or doing doesn’t make any sense, it’s pointless.”

Team members not pictured above include alumni Brent Bolinger (2012, broadcasting) and Andrew Farmer (2010, electronic media); students Caleb Campbell (senior), Elijah Austin (junior), Josiah Austin (senior), Juan Gonzalez (senior) and Jared Carpenter (sophomore); and communication department chair Dr. Cameron Pace.

The biggest change is aimed at making the website mobile friendly for the thousands of website visitors who access the site via a smart phone or tablet each month. In the last year, 15 percent of Evangel’s website visitors have used a mobile device. That number is certain to increase as more Americans use mobile devices to access the Internet.

Responsive design

Rather than develop an alternate mobile site — which could offer only limited access to the website’s content — Evangel has chosen to adopt a responsive design that will make the full website adaptable to all mobile users. “Responsive design has an optimized layout that allows us to move beyond just mobile and serve all the various devices that access the site,” says Evangel’s Web Designer Chase Replogle. “With this design, a single website works for all users and screen sizes, regardless of the device or browser they are using.”

In addition to the new responsive design, users will notice a variety of improvements to the content that better features campus life. “Through social media integration, new video blogs, better photography and new student life content, we are hoping to provide prospective students with a broader perspective of what it really means to be a part of Evangel University,” says Replogle.

Alumni, parents and community members were also an important consideration in the design improvements with new features aimed to provide these users with more relevant content about the Evangel news that most matters to them. This includes improved public event information, pages for services provided to the community, and dedicated pages for parents of both prospective and current students.

Continual improvement

The current design changes build on improvements that were made in April 2012 when Evangel launched a brand-new website. “The new website represented a philosophical shift in the way we manage content for both our public and on-campus users,” says Michael Crawford, director of enrollment marketing for the university. “We were concerned that because the old site contained information for both types of users, it had become cluttered and was difficult for users to sort through.”

The solution was to divide the content and create a public website for outside audiences, including prospective students and families, alumni, and community members; and move all internal information to portals for current students, faculty and staff.

The success of the new website and the data gleaned over the last year have guided the improvements being made with the current redesign.

“The new changes implemented today represent the university’s commitment to continually improving the website and adapting to the ever-evolving nature of technology and trends in digital media and higher education websites,” says Crawford.

Evangel has already begun sending students and faculty on what will be nearly 20 summer trips, with locations varying from within the state to across the globe. After months of preparation and fundraising work, one thing is for sure: These students are prepared to serve.

“These trips enable students to live out Evangel’s mission of integrating faith and career,” says Alli Fontaine, Global Connections logistics coordinator. Global Connections, a cross-cultural awareness program that is part of Evangel’s Frameworks curriculum, is sponsoring the majority of the summer trips.

“We desire that the students develop lasting relationships with their team members and sponsors, gain a greater perspective of the world and differing cultures, as well as make an eternal impact on those they meet and serve while traveling,” Fontaine says.

On May 4, Erica Harris, assistant professor of science and technology, and a team of eight Evangel students and 11 U.S. medical professionals set out on a trip to Peru to work with the Assemblies of God’s HealthCare Ministries. The team will run a one-week clinic in the city of Moquegua to provide medical, dental and optical care to the people who live there.

Abbi Leathers, a freshman Healthcare-Nursing major, says this trip opened up the perfect opportunity for her to get a taste of the medical mission work she feels called to after college. It is her first time on a service trip, and she says it has been a powerful experience so far.

“The healthcare and dental care here are so poor, and spiritually there is such a great need and hunger among the people,” she says. “I’ve seen many people’s bodies touched, but I’ve also witnessed many people earnestly surrender their lives to God right in the middle of our makeshift clinic.”

As the Science and Technology team works in Peru, a team from the Education Department is preparing to send a team of seven to Cambodia to teach workshops for the Cambodian secondary and elementary school teachers. Team members will also be working with children on the street to help them with their English-speaking skills.

Emily Akins, a junior Elementary Education major, is one of the students going on this trip.

“I believe it will be an incredible experience, being able to be in a completely different culture,” she says. “But more importantly, I want God to challenge me, use me, and pull me out of my comfort zone. I hope to develop lasting relationships with the people I meet and make a lasting impact on the education system.”

Another trip, led by Dr. Becky Huechteman, professor of education, will remain a bit closer to home – in New Mexico. The team will be working with a local school and church, ministering to Navajo children.

Katelyn Schmitt, a sophomore, says she is looking forward to ministering to others using what she has learned about education.

“I am wanting to someday teach overseas, so I am hoping that this gives me a taste of what it is like to teach in another culture,” she says. “I also want to be able to share Jesus’ love in a culture that is so dark. These children have parents that are addicted to alcohol and are living in extreme poverty here in the United States.”

This will also be Schmitt’s first time on an airplane.

Dr. Gary Martindale, associate professor of biblical studies, will be sponsoring four trips to Southeast Asia this summer.

Sean White, a junior Intercultural Studies and Journalism major, will be going on one of these trips to teach conversational English to the native people. This will be his second visit to the location, and he is looking forward to building on the relationships he began last summer.

“That was probably the biggest draw for me,” he says, “getting to see all of those people who I met last year and reconnecting with them. Everyone was just so incredibly kind, and we built friendships so fast. I do not consider myself a very talkative person; however, the previous trip helped me become much more confident in myself and to be confident working in another country.”

Evangel will also be sending several musical groups on tours as well this summer. Heartsong and 57.7, both groups originally from Central Bible College, as well as Stained Glass Story, Evangel’s traveling worship team, will each be touring in different locations across the country. The Central Bible College-based drama team Floodgate will also be touring.

The Humanities Department is sending students on a number of study trips to Europe. Dr. Robert Turnbull, professor of French, will be taking a group of students to France; Dr. Eliezar Oyola, professor of Spanish, will be leading several students on a study trip to Spain; and Michael Buesking, associate professor of art, is taking several art students on a study tour of Italy.

Other trips include the football team’s journey to Kyrgyzstan, the softball team’s trip to Guatemala, the tennis team’s trip to Italy and the C.S. Lewis study trip to Oxford, England.

With teams on four continents, Evangel is reaching out far beyond the city limits of Springfield, Missouri. As eyes are opened, as the gospel is spread and as lives are changed, students will be making a lasting impact on the world around them.

And they will have plenty of stories to share come fall.

Offerings include football, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball for participants ranging from early elementary to high school.

Evangel coaches, athletes and guest instructors will offer training tips, drills and advice in an encouraging environment for all skill levels.

Schedules and registration forms for each sport are available below. For more information, contact the Athletics Office at 417-865-2815 ext. 7282.

Football

Information and Registration Form (High School)

Information and Registration Form (Kid’s Camp)

Baseball

Information and Registration Form

Softball

Information and Registration Form

Basketball

Information and Registration

Women’s Basketball

Information and Registration

Volleyball

Information and Registration

Evangel University Athletics

Guiliano is using his scholarship to study for a Ph.D. in history at the University of Cambridge, England. It pays the full cost of pursuing the degree, including tuition, fees, living expenses and other research-related expenses.

A native of Bartonville, Illinois, Guiliano earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Evangel and completed a Master of Divinity last spring at Harvard University.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships were established in 2000 by a donation of $210 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They are among the most prestigious and generous international scholarships available.

According to the Gates guidelines, successful applicants demonstrate outstanding intellectual ability, a good academic fit with Cambridge, a capacity for leadership and a genuine desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society.

The scholarship allows Guiliano to work full-time on his topic, the composition, transmission, and use of the Homiliary of Paul the Deacon, a late 8th century collection of homilies and sermons from the early Church.

“This collection became, it seems, one of the most widely-read books in the Middle Ages, apart from the Bible itself,” says Guiliano.

“I’m very curious about this topic because it gives us an idea of what the average ministers in the Middle Ages had at their disposal when they needed to ‘study up’ for a sermon. But it was also used up until the modern era. For instance, Martin Luther used it when he was preparing to publish his own collection of sermons on the Gospels.”

Guiliano’s advisor at Evangel was Dr. Bill Griffin, professor of Hebrew, who says Guiliano has an aptitude which sets him apart from his fellow students.

“He has a rare gift for languages,” says Griffin. “While I have had a few other students who can translate as well as he does, I have never seen anyone who can pick it up as fast as he does. He is downright incredible.”

Students will travel with Dr. Wave E. Nunnally, professor of Early Judaism and Christian Origins, and Dr. James C. Martin, president of Bible World Seminars. The trip allows participants to study at more than 50 biblical and historical sites in Israel.

Nunnally says that this study trip will be distinctly different from a traditional tour, which focuses on sightseeing.

“Study trips cover representative sections of the entire land and focus on the development of tools for more effective Bible reading, study, personal application, witnessing, and proclamation. This trip will change dramatically and forever the way the participants read, interpret, preach, teach and witness from the Scriptures.”

The trip will include boating across the Sea of Galilee, swimming in the Dead Sea, studying on-site in the Wilderness, snorkeling in the Red Sea, and exploring other significant sites mentioned in the Bible.

“Our preference is to get off the beaten path,” Nunnally says.

This trip is also intended to add clarity, depth and power to passages from scripture by putting them in their tangible original context.

“When you participate in this trip, you no longer feel like you’re reading someone else’s mail—instead, you’re reading the Bible as an insider,” Nunnally says.

Students can earn three hours of undergraduate or graduate credit, but the trip is not strictly limited to students. Parents, friends, pastors, Sunday School teachers, professors and others are welcome to participate as long as space is available.

“There is no other experience or class that will change your life and the way you approach the Bible as much as this,” Nunnally says. “I have found this to be true with person after person since 1982.”

The down payment of $600 and application form is due by October 30, 2013. The total cost of the trip is $2,800 (in-country only—this does not include domestic and/or international airfare), which is due by February 5, 2014.  Airline tickets are the responsibility of each individual participant.

This will be Dr. Nunnally’s last group to organize, administrate, and instruct.  After the May 2014 Study Trip, the Evangel University Middle Eastern Studies Program will transition to new leadership and Dr. Nunnally will assume an advisory status.

In addition, Dr. Martin (who has team-taught with Dr. Nunnally for decades) is transitioning into retirement after this next Study Trip.  Thus, this trip will be the culmination of more than 30 years (and for the two together, more than 60 years) of studying and teaching the Bible on-site and in-context in the lands of the Bible.

For details on taking the trip for academic credit, feel free to discuss the details with Dr. Nunnally. For those specifically interested in taking the Study Trip to fulfill Evangel University’s “Global Connections” requirement, email or call Allison Fontaine at 417-865-2815 ext. 8526.

Itinerary and Application Form (October 30, 2013 Deadline)

Return to:
Bible World Seminars
Dr. James C. Martin
P.O. Box 2687
Amarillo, TX 79105
806-373-2637
bibleworldseminars@gmail.com

With additional severe weather threats approaching the area, the game was shortened to three quarters.

The maroon-clad offensive squad defeated the white-clad defensive group 24-14.

Evangel quarterback Andrew Brimhall threw two touchdown passes including a 50-yard throw to Michael Bowman.

Springfield product Brett Diers, who started his college career quarterbacking for Ottawa University, also completed a 23-yard touchdown throw to senior Mitch McHenry.

The defense picked up seven points on a fumble recovered by linebacker Kenneth Bennett.

The game marked the end of spring practice for the team. 2013 was the fourth year of spring drills led by head coach Brenton Illum.

The Crusaders, ranked No. 23 in the spring NAIA poll, will open their 2013 season on September 14 at Kansas Wesleyan.

Evangel University Athletics

Photo by: Bill Griffin

The total included traditional undergraduate, graduate, adult studies and James River Leadership Campus students.

The previous record number of graduates was 494 in 2009.

The ceremony was held in the main sanctuary at James River Assembly of God in Ozark, Missouri.

Evangel President Dr. Robert H. Spence observed his 39th ceremony as leader of the university. Spence is scheduled to give the commencement address at commencement in 2014, which will be his final act as president.

Alumnus Cecil Richardson, a Major General and Chief of Chaplains in the United States military, served as commencement speaker in 2013.

Dr. Doug Green, Rev. John Lindell and Dr. George Wood also contributed to the day’s proceedings with prayers and scripture readings.

Watch the commencement video blog

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