2013
H OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR H
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ven as a youngster, Cmdr. David Bynum (’84) knew he wanted to be a minister like Henry McBroom (’54).
The preacher of a Church of Christ in Brady, Texas, made a lasting impression on Bynum, setting him on a path in two major areas of his life. Bynum lived in Brady until age 7, when his family moved east to San Saba. Even then, he and McBroom saw each other every summer for years at the Heart of Texas Bible Camp in Brady. By age 10, Bynum knew he wanted to emulate McBroom. “I wanted to be like him. I admired him for who he was and how highly regarded he was,” Bynum said. Determined to fulfill his aspirations, in eighth grade he set a goal to graduate eight years later with a degree in Bible from ACU. “My parents encouraged me to be goal-oriented. My dad was always a big believer in goal-setting,” he said, adding that his father viewed education as a lever to move a person forward. “Besides goal-setting, I think, another important thing is to not lose sight of your goals.” Bynum did not. Now a chaplain in the Navy, Bynum will complete his fifth college degree – a master’s in strategic studies – in June at the National War College in Washington, D.C., before beginning a new position at the Pentagon. On Sept. 1, he will be elevated to the rank of captain. He earned three degrees from ACU – a bachelor’s in biblical studies, a Master of Divinity and a doctorate in ministry – each under the tutelage of professors he admired for their scholarship and godliness, including Drs. Neil Lightfoot, LeMoine Lewis (’36), Charles Siburt (’68) and and Ian Fair (’68), then-chair of the Bible department, who selected Bynum to be his graduate assistant. He also credits former Hillcrest Church of Christ evangelist Jimmy Jividen (’51), with encouraging him to attend graduate school. “Those people, I carry them with me wherever I go,” Bynum said. “How far I’ve gone is because of their influence.” After earning his bachelor’s and master’s
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JACK MAXWELL
degrees, Bynum fulfilled his dream to become a minister at churches in Waco and Hearne, Texas, while completing his doctorate. In 2003 he earned a master’s degree in religion and culture from Duke University. Oh, and that other path McBroom inspired 10-year-old Bynum to take? It concerned his future mate. At camp, McBroom told him, “You need to be praying right now for the spouse that God is going to bring to you someday,” Bynum recalled. Ten years later while teaching at the same camp, he met Elizabeth Petty, a counselor from Lubbock Christian University. They married two summers later. After a decade in local ministry, Bynum felt the need to experience ministry in a broader context. He had always wanted to serve his country, and becoming a military chaplain fit the bill. Torn because he loved the congregation in Hearne, he discussed his quandary with his father. “He said, ‘Sometimes our determination for a thing can push us farther than we ought to go.’ He knew me well enough to know how determined and dedicated I was, but he could also see that I maybe needed a little push to go ahead and make the decision,” Bynum recalled. “Of course, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because I think it ultimately was the place God wanted us to minister.” Joining the military, however, affected not
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just him, but his family, which had grown with the births of daughter Rebekah and son Micah. The career move had to be a family decision. “We knew it was going to be such a life change,” he said. “For us, our first assignment was overseas in Okinawa, so we got the whole change of culture from civilian to institutional ministry [and] a change of culture from Texas to Okinawa. It was a big decision.” Commissioned in 1995, his career has taken him around the world. In addition to Japan, he has served in Korea; Guam; Kingsville, Texas; Bahrain; Singapore; Hawaii; and Afghanistan, among others. Bynum is one of only five Church of Christ chaplains in the Navy and one of 10 ACU alumni serving as a military chaplain, according to Col. Don Taylor, retired Army chaplain and the endorsing agent for Church of Christ-affiliated chaplains in the armed forces. Currently, Churches of Christ endorse 40 chaplains serving in the armed forces, which includes the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard active and reserve forces. Becoming a Navy chaplain enabled Bynum to broaden his ministry to the Marines and Coast Guard, as well as Navy troops. It also gave him the opportunity to go to sea, with a tour aboard the USS Nimitz in 2006. While in Kingsville, he also took to the air as a wing chaplain, accumulating more than 150 flight hours and numerous aircraft carrier landings and earning a Parachutist Badge (also known as Jump Wings). But his primary duties involved spiritual guidance and counseling of service members. Like all military chaplains, he is bound by a code of ethics preventing him from doing something counter to his faith tenets, such as infant baptism. However, he must facilitate for those outside his faith group who come to him with a need he ethically cannot fill. For example, he would connect a sailor wanting to baptize his infant with a minister willing to do so. All chaplains must care for any service member, regardless of faith or lack thereof. “There’s no doubt to me, that as a chaplain, the best work is when you’re at