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Evangel University President Robert H. Spence featured speaker for ninth annual Easter sunrise service at Hammons Field

Published on Apr 15, 2014 by Evangel University News

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Hundreds from across the Springfield community will gather on Easter Sunday for the ninth annual Greater Springfield Sunrise Celebration at Hammons Field.

Dr. Robert H. Spence, president of Evangel University, will be the featured speaker.

The gates will open at 5:45 a.m., and the service begins at 6:15 a.m. Free parking will be available in the parking lots around the stadium.

The service is interdenominational and open to all. There is no admission fee.

“We are honored to have Dr. Spence as part of this service,” said Shirley Shedd, Evangel archivist. “He has been a vital part of the Springfield community for the past 40 years and is a dynamic speaker.”

Shedd and her husband, Glenroy, both Evangel graduates, have been part of the celebration organizational committee for the past eight years.

The service will open with the Triumphant Trumpets, led by John Shows, 1966 alumnus and professor emeritus of music at Evangel University. They will perform Paul Fetler’s “Easter Fanfare: Christ the Lord is Risen” just before sunrise. The group includes Dr. Glenn Bernet, provost/vice president for academic affairs; current Evangel sophomore Michael Borders; and alumni Jonathan Plaster, Darren Eddington, Nina Ayres, Andrew Ayres and Dody Harmon.

An offering will be taken, all of which will be donated to the Cardinals Children’s Charities.

The Springfield Cardinals organization makes Hammons Field available at no cost for the community-wide event.  The celebration is made possible by volunteers from area churches and the staff at the stadium.

In case of rain, the service will be held indoors at the Springfield Cardinals training facility on the east side of Hammons Field.

Service schedule:

  • Opening prayer: Major Claire Grainger of the Salvation Army
  • Scripture reading: Conor Smith, captain of the Missouri State University baseball team
  • Congregational singing: Evangel alumni Jason Huneycutt, leader, and Heidi Schwindt, pianist
  • Testimony: Mark McKnelly, director of outreach & connection, Schweitzer UMC
  • Special music: Jeremy Harris, Evangel alumnus and assistant professor of science and technology
  • Offering: David Embree, campus ministries director at MSU
  • Speaker: Dr. Robert H. Spence, Evangel president

For more information, contact John Shows at (417) 576-0007 or Marilyn Raines at (417) 881-0541.