Name: Emily Oakley
Graduation Year: 2011
Major: Biblical Studies
Current Position: Evangelist, Counselor, CEO of Rebirth Ministries
City and State: Wichita, KS
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
I get the wonderful opportunity to run Rebirth Ministries. Through this, I get the opportunity to travel and speak as well as counsel. My heart is to help equip and encourage the body of Christ to live the lives we were intended to live – free and full of Him!
What is your favorite memory from Evangel?
Oh man, that’s hard. I made some incredible friends while there. Hanging out in the Crosswalk office, being with friends; Evangel was just a wonderful time to be with some amazing people.
How did Evangel help you identify/develop your calling?
Evangel helped me learn how to better exegete the Word of God. A lot of what I do is teaching the Bible, and knowing how to interpret and apply it comes a lot easier because of my education. We live in a world that really needs to understand what the Word of God says – not what we want it to say. I also had a lot of people that helped me understand that my struggles didn’t identify me; being a child of the King identifies me. Sharing this is a huge part of my calling. Evangel shaped me in more ways than I have space to type!
How did your experience at Evangel prepare you for life after graduation?
Evangel gave me tools. Some of those tools I am just now getting to use, but it allowed me to learn.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
Let God lead. Life after graduation looked nothing like I thought, and that’s okay. Be prepared to go wherever He leads, whatever it looks like. Our lives are meant to be in service to Him, so whether that’s the “dream” job right away or just serving in a learning role, take it and run.
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire new graduates from Evangel?
I would look for humility and teachability. We can have all the intelligence in the world but aren’t much fun to work with if we aren’t humble about it.