ABLAZE — Spring 2021 Edition

2021 Magazine • Spring Edition

ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

LOSS AND LEGACY

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT MUNSIL

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hat an extraordinary year for all of us.

Somehow God has continued to bless ACU and its vital mission to prepare Christian leaders - despite a worldwide pandemic, and through a challenging and volatile political and cultural season.

We know from Scripture that God is constantly at work, bringing about His purposes in every circumstance. And so we give thanks in all things, despite the pain of this season, knowing that God is changing hearts and transforming lives on our campus and through the faith and hard work of so many in our community.

This spring edition of our ACU magazine features just a few members of our amazing community, and provides updates on others who have been a part of a university now completing its 60th year of operations.

For six decades now – through times of war and peace, economic recessions and booms, tranquility and social upheaval, and changing cultural norms – ACU has been providing quality undergraduate education that is grounded in the eternal, unchanging Word of God. This year, due to COVID, 95 percent of colleges lost students – an average of 13 percent declines. Somehow God enabled ACU to grow by 10 percent, a seventh-straight year of record enrollment. We achieved our highest rankings by U.S. News & World Report, including being ranked No. 1 in undergraduate teaching in the West region.

Nothing compares to the life change we see in our students, as they grow in their faith and ability to live and flourish as followers of Jesus, trained and equipped to be difference makers in our culture.

This year, among other things, reminded us of the fragility of so much of what we in America often take for granted – health, peace, even safety. This year more than others we’ve been reminded of the brevity of life.

Earlier this year I said goodbye to a friend, a basketball legend, a man of humble faith in Christ, and a passionate supporter of ACU – Paul Westphal. Until his death in January, Paul served as a member of ACU’s Board of Trustees. Paul and his wife Cindy have been generous supporters of ACU’s scholarship fund, and we are blessed to remember Paul through our athletic booster program, the Westphal Athletic Fund.

Paul left a tremendous legacy through his life, his family, his commitment to Christ, and his support for a strong and growing Arizona Christian University.

Reflecting on the loss of a friend, I am reminded of Scripture’s admonition to “redeem the hours.” What will our legacy be?

God has used ACU for 60 years to prepare Christian leaders for the church and beyond. I want to invite you to consider investing in ACU’s continued growth and ministry, through prayer and financial support. Please visit www.arizonachristian. edu/give or call (602) 386-4164 for more information on how you can create a living legacy through an investment in the current and future students of ACU.

CONTENTS 3 / Full Circle The story behind the creation of the CRC

6 / Transformation U What makes ACU athletics different

8 / Whispers of Promise ACU student spotlight

11 / For Such a Time as This A charge to the Class of 2020

14 / Following Truth ACU faculty spotlight

16 / Class Notes Updates from ACU/SWC alumni

17 / Firestorm Family Celebrating alumni milestones

18 / Faithful Servants Alumni profiles

19 / Enduring Legacy A story of eternal impact for the Kingdom Arizona Christian University magazine is published by the Department of University Engagement and Marketing. Arizona Christian University’s mission is to provide a biblically-integrated, liberal arts education equipping graduates to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in all aspects of life, as leaders of influence and excellence. www.arizonachristian.edu Send address changes to: Office of University Engagement 1 W. Firestorm Way Glendale, AZ 85306 Email advancement@arizonachristian. edu 2021 Magazine, Spring Edition

Len Munsil, B.S., J.D. President 2

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FULL CIRCLE Shared Vision, Renewed Friendship Lead to the Launch of the Cultural Research Center The seeds for the University’s new biblical worldview research institute—the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University— were planted almost two decades ago.

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he year was 2002.

ACU President Len Munsil was leading the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP), the nation’s largest pro-family state policy organization, based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. George Barna was running the research organization he founded in 1984, The Barna

Group, which conducted cutting-edge research on faith and culture.

It was the night of the annual CAP dinner. Barna delivered the keynote speech, sharing his research depicting America’s precipitous decline in biblical worldview. Fewer Americans were thinking biblically, even those who regularly attended church.

Speaking at the close of the evening, Munsil’s remarks built on Barna’s message.

Without a return to God and His principles, Munsil explained, the moral and spiritual challenges facing America would continue and worsen.

Munsil contended that changing the course of the nation would not happen through politics or policy. True transformation, he said, would only come through God moving in our nation, bringing about a return to biblical truth. Foregoing the usual appeal for funds, Munsil instead asked the nearly 1,000 in attendance that night to join him and others in 21 consecutive days of noon-time prayer.

Although the two had never met before appearing on stage that night, they quickly discovered a shared vision of God restoring America to its biblical foundations.

Years passed and the

two men saw each other on occasion, connecting through a telephone call or email.

Each spent their time working and building, focusing on the piece of vision God had given them. For Munsil this meant advocating for public policy to strengthen faith, family and freedom. And for Barna, it was researching the state of the biblical worldview in American culture.

But God was about to orchestrate a reconnection.

In March of 2019—almost two decades after that first dinner event—the two shared the stage again, this time speaking to key supporters of Arizona SPRING 2021

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Christian University.

Much had changed in the intervening years. Barna had sold the Barna Group and emerged as one of the nation’s leading researchers on worldview and culture. Munsil left CAP to run for governor of Arizona and was now president of Arizona Christian University.

In their presentations at the 2019 event, President Munsil shared his vision for educating Christian leaders of influence and excellence at ACU, while Barna shared his latest worldview research showing the need for a return to a biblical worldview, especially among young people.

The next day, Barna and his wife Nancy, and President Munsil and his wife Tracy reconnected over coffee—and discovered the vision they had

carried for so many years was ready to be re-envisioned and reignited.

That shared vision of transforming culture with biblical truth had come full circle. And the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University was born.

“Partnering with our friend George Barna to create the Cultural Research Center was a natural extension of ACU’s vision,” President Munsil explained. “We’d both been advocating for cultural transformation for decades in different ways, and as we reconnected, this next step of working together became obvious. We knew it was something we were supposed to do.”

Dr. Tracy Munsil, a long-time ACU professor who now serves as Executive Director of the

Cultural Research Center (CRC), agreed. “As the four of us talked, we all recognized how God was leading. We began brainstorming about what worldview research might look like in our academic setting.

And we started getting excited about how George’s expertise would not only enhance ACU’s worldview efforts, but how all of this might open a way to dramatically increase biblical worldview across the nation.”

A few months later, in August 2019, the CRC was formed and Barna stepped in as Director of Research.

Getting a veteran researcher of Barna’s caliber, experience and reputation would be key to the new organization’s success. He had already written more than 50 books, including a number of New York Times bestsellers.

And having taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level, he was familiar with

“PARTNERING WITH OUR FRIEND GEORGE BARNA TO CREATE THE CULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER WAS A NATURAL EXTENSION OF ACU’S VISION. ”

Dr. George Barna, CRC Director of Research; ACU President Len Munsil; Dr. Tracy F. Munsil, CRC Executive Director

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higher education.

“Having felt called to spend my remaining years focused on worldview measurement and development, in the context of cultural transformation, there is no place that could be a better fit for me,” Barna commented. “I had been looking for a group with those two objectives as their driving force for years. When the Munsils and others introduced me to the school’s mission, vision, history, ethos and transformational potential, it became the answer to my prayers.”

The Cultural Research Center’s mission is two-fold. First, to help ACU more effectively equip students with a biblical worldview, so they understand and live according to God’s truth. Second, to provide educators, churches, ministries and other partners with informed research and practical, strategic resources to effectively build biblical worldview and engage in cultural transformation.

“It is exciting to be able to translate a heady concept like ‘worldview’ into something that is practical and hands-on for every believer,” Barna said.

“Ultimately we want people to think like Jesus so they can live like Jesus. That’s what a biblical worldview enables people to do; move from simply gaining head knowledge to both knowing and applying the Bible’s life principles to daily action and influencing every dimension of life.”

The CRC’s first year was a busy one. Since launching in March 2020, the CRC established two key research initiatives. The first was the American Worldview Inventory 2020, a yearly national research study measuring the worldview of American adults.

The second was the ACU Student Worldview Inventory (SWVI), designed to measure the development of student worldview—making ACU the only university in the world to actually measure and analyze the biblical worldview develop-

ment of its student body.

Designed by Barna in collaboration with ACU faculty and administrators, the SWVI specifically measures the worldview of all ACU students, while also identifying ways to improve the effectiveness of academic and spiritual life programs at the University.

“CRC is working on a lot of exciting new projects, but the Student Worldview Inventory may be the most important to the University’s mission,” President Munsil said. “We hear about students losing their faith while in college—but at ACU, we’re committed to doing all we can to make sure students actually strengthen their biblical worldview during their time here.”

In addition to the worldview inventories, the CRC is also releasing information from a post-election survey of Americans, and in 2021 preparing to launch the first-ever national study of “competing worldviews.” Through the research performed in the AWVI 2020, the CRC found that only 6% of U.S. adults possess a biblical worldview. The 2021 version of the American Worldview Inventory will identify the most common competing worldviews (such as Marxism-Socialism, secularism, postmodernism, modern mysticism, and others) embraced by American adults.

Those findings will be released beginning in April.

As President Munsil noted, “the CRC is off to a great start—doing reliable research, laying the foundation for future study, and creating powerful new resources for biblical worldview development, while at the same time growing a national following and reaching hundreds of thousands of people through Dr. Barna’s dozens of monthly media appearances.”

“Considering the amazing way the CRC came into existence at ACU,” President Munsil said, “we can’t wait to see what God will do next.”

Q&A WITH DR. BARNA

Q: A:

Why did you choose to partner with ACU to launch the Cultural Research Center?

I’d been searching for a college that was committed to blending biblical worldview and cultural transformation.

When I discovered that those two factors are the heartbeat of ACU, I explored it more deeply and fell in love with the school.

Through what happens on campus, ACU is a great model for how to convert an interesting concept (i.e., biblical worldview development) into a world-changing reality.

Q: A:

What do you see as the biggest threat to the biblical worldview in America today?

It’s a combination of the media being the dominant influence on the minds of young people (parents are abdicating the worldview development of their children to media, schools, and government; public schools are rejecting biblical principles related to truth, morality, family, and purpose) and the virtual invisibility of the local church in championing biblical worldview development. Put that all together and it is devastating. No wonder just 2% of adults under 30 have a biblical worldview.

Q: A:

Please tell us about your upcoming book, The American Worldview Inventory 2020.

It will not only address trends revealed through the research but also dig into where Americans are missing the mark in their worldview and what we can do to turn things around. Not to be dramatic, but if America does not solve its worldview crisis, America as we’ve known it will cease to exist.

Worldview is the central issue on which the nation’s future hinges.

Q: A:

Can you give the readers some encouragement or prediction for the future?

People typically make significant changes only when they experience pain or suffering. I expect the next few years to introduce a level of discomfort that Americans have not endured in a long time – and that discomfort will serve as the wake-up call to the nation. We cannot turn around the worldview crisis overnight, but I am hopeful that over the next few decades we can build momentum moving in the right direction to restoring America’s heart and soul to God.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. BARNA AND THE CRC? OPEN YOUR MOBILE PHONE’S CAMERA APP AND HOVER OVER THE QR CODE FOR AN EXPANDED VIDEO INTERVIEW. SPRING 2021

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TRANSFORMATIO

R

andy Chambers was late for his scheduled telephone interview.

He’d just run to his car from the pre-game chapel he had led before ACU’s baseball game against a team from Louisiana.

“Sorry I’m late, but five guys from the visiting team just received Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” he exclaimed. “It was beautiful!”

“We offer a pre-game chapel for the visiting team prior to all our baseball games.

Football games too. This year, 109 young men and women have accepted Jesus during

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our pre-game chapels and recruiting events,” Chambers continued. “The slogan of the Firestorm baseball team is ‘win forever.’ When our athletes have experiences like these 5 young men coming to faith in Jesus, competition takes on a new meaning. Yes, we play the game to win, but the scoreboard does not define us, our lives in Christ define us. When guys from the visiting team find Jesus, we realize that’s the ultimate win.”

Randy Chambers is far more than a team chaplain. Athletes call him a Transformational

Coach, because his role is to help ACU student athletes follow Jesus’ call to transformation in Romans 12:2. For Randy—and all the coaches at ACU—athletics is a platform for evangelism,

healing, and discipleship.

These days, student athletes who are dedicated and talented enough to play at the collegiate level likely have devoted a significant amount

“...THE SCOREBOARD DOES NOT DEFINE US—OUR LIVES IN CHRIST DEFINE US. WHEN GUYS FROM THE VISITING TEAM FIND JESUS, WE REALIZE THAT’S THE ULTIMATE WIN.”

ON U

of their lives to their sport since childhood. By the time they arrive at ACU, they have spent countless hours training, practicing, competing and honing their craft. Many student athletes even arrive at ACU with aspirations to eventually compete at the professional level. And while a tiny fraction go on to do so, the vast majority come to realize that a pro career is not in their future.

For some of those, their identity (previously rooted in their athletic accomplishments and status as a star athlete) begins to crumble, leading to

deep questions about who they are and what they will do after their college athletic career ends.

It is at that point that Arizona Christian University earns its reputation as “Transformation U.” At many other higher education institutions, when a student-athlete’s contribution to the team diminishes, they are marginalized—or even set adrift to figure out for themselves what’s next now that they’re no longer a star. But not at ACU. In Latin, the word “compete” means “to strive with.” Coach Chambers and the other ACU coaches walk alongside their student-athletes . . . strive with them, mentor them, and help them make sense of their individual stories—whether the athlete is a high-profile starter or never sees the playing field.

Chambers says, “mental illness and emotional brokenness is at an all-time high in sports . . . many athletes are striving to compensate for something missing from or broken in their lives. As athletes begin to move away from seeing their identity tied to sport and claim their true identity in Christ, restoration and healing occur.”

“Athletic competition demonstrates our athlete’s strengths,” Chambers continued. “It also exposes their deficiencies. Sport becomes the laboratory where they understand who they really are, what they are really made of. We teach our athletes they are ‘competing for completeness,’ and they come to realize that sports will never complete them—only Jesus can.”

He tells of one football player who arrived on campus an angry young man.

Andrew was only 10 when his father passed away. He sought alternatives for the approval no longer available from his dad, leading to broken relationships and addictions as a teen.

But he was physically gifted.

“ATHLETICS AT ACU IS MUCH MORE THAN WHAT HAPPENS ON THE COURT OR ON THE FIELD.” He gained acceptance and approval from sports. His anger and resentment drove him to excel on the football field.

On the outside, he projected strength. On the inside, he was broken, seeking the approval he would never find.

Though he expressed faith in God, he had not yet confronted the deepest void in his life. Mid-season, Andrew tested positive for a controlled substance, forcing him out of football for the remainder of the year.

Without football, Andrew was aimless and lost, leading him to make a visit to Coach Chambers’ office. A broken man sat in the chair across from Chambers’ desk.

Randy asked the Lord for guidance. God led Randy to take Andrew to an imaginary cemetery where the young man would face his deepest loss. But he didn’t go there alone. Led by the Holy Spirit, Randy guided Andrew to invite Jesus to stand with him at the gravesite. During the following moments, with courage and restoration only available

through Jesus, Andrew forgave his father. Randy hugged a grown man with tears in his eyes and new hope in his spirit.

Andrew served his suspension and eventually returned to the team. With new resolve, he completed his academic work at ACU as well, becoming the first in his family to earn a university degree.

As he walked off the graduation platform, Randy Chambers was there . . . the first to hug a TRANSFORMED man.”

Jesus’ greatest commandment is, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30. Chambers teaches his athletes to apply this to all dimensions of their sport . . . and their lives.

“Athletics at ACU is much more than what happens on the court or on the field,” Chambers reflected. “It’s amazing what Jesus is doing in our athletes as they seek to glorify God through sports.

And I can’t wait for the next pre-game chapel!”

Randy Chambers leads ACU students in prayer.

WANT TO SEE MORE STUDENT STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION? OPEN YOUR MOBILE PHONE’S CAMERA APP AND HOVER OVER THE QR CODE FOR TRANSFORMATION U VIDEOS.

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WHISPERS OF

PROMISE Ariel Artiga is a sophomore at ACU, majoring in Communication & Biblical and Theological Studies.

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riel Artiga didn’t come from a perfect home.

In fact, she came from a broken family. “I had to grow up fast—and finances were always a struggle,” she reflected.

So as a teenager, when she was able to attend a Christian high school, Ariel believed she finally might be on the right track.

But several people she considered Christian role models told her she would never amount to much. “Because of my background I felt like an outsider, and believed I had to work hard to earn God’s love and approval,” she said.

Today, she knows differently. But from this “lie of the enemy” came a prideful heart that wanted to prove those people wrong. She wanted to prove she could be good enough.

“I threw myself into excelling in my sport and my schoolwork, and I signed up for an exclusive mission trip to Haiti to which I thought I wouldn’t be accepted because I believed it was intended for just the elite Christian students. But rather than doing these things for the Lord, I did them out of spite and pride,” she said.

It was on that high school mission trip her senior year that God started to chip away at her pride, and something amazing happened.

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WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ARIEL’S STORY? OPEN YOUR MOBILE PHONE’S CAMERA APP AND HOVER OVER THE QR CODE FOR HER FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW.

As Ariel arrived in Haiti, her prayer was, “Okay God, they say you can speak, I need you to speak, but where are you?”

It turned out to be a very intense trip in every way. When the students arrived, a Category 4 hurricane barreled toward the island. In addition, due to an economic crisis, riots broke out across the country. “I could see fires everywhere,” she said.

“And while we were in the country, the airport shut down.”

“In the midst of this stress, God really broke me, in a beautiful way. I knew about God, but I didn’t really know God,” she said.

During the week, Ariel worked with a group of young Haitian girls, sharing the love of God and the gospel of Christ. On the last night they celebrated with a music and dance event, during which one girl came up to Ariel, looking inquisitive. The girl scanned the room, as if someone had just entered. Then her eyes stopped wandering the room and locked on Ariel. In broken English she stated, “Jesus is here.”

Ariel scanned the room, but didn’t see anyone who looked like Jesus. She reflected, “I was trying to process what was hap-

pening . . . and that young girl looked deep into my eyes and told me again . . . ‘I see Jesus.’

Then it hit me—she saw Jesus, in me,” Ariel recalled.

At that moment, Ariel realized her identity did not come from her good works or her athletic accomplishments. A young Haitian girl helped her realize her identity was in Jesus Christ.

A few months later, with a new sense of clarity, Ariel began her first year at ACU. “I actually wasn’t supposed to go to ACU,” Ariel reflected. “I was all set to attend a different university. Then, God showed up.

At the very last minute, he made it clear that ACU was where He wanted me. He promised an experience I couldn’t find at any other school.”

But the challenges of university-level academics and collegiate softball were taxing. Ariel felt herself falling back into prideful habits, trying to fulfill God’s promise to her . . . by herself.

Things weren’t working out as she planned. “Playing softball wasn’t what it used to be and I wasn’t playing as well or finding enjoyment in it. Then COVID happened and everything was put on hold,” she stated.

Then through quarantine and during the summer, Ariel was able to spend an incredible amount of time with Jesus for the first time in her life. As she says, “like a quiet whisper, God reminded me of His promises.”

She felt called to step down from the softball team and apply for a position on ACU’s spiritual life team, through which she helped create ACU’s on-campus prayer room.

She is now being mentored by older ACU students and staff, who remind her often that God specializes in restoring broken people to do His work. Ariel stat-

“IT’S AN AMAZING ADVENTURE TO GO FROM BROKENNESS TO BEING BROUGHT TO LIFE IN CHRIST.” ed, “It’s an amazing adventure to go from brokenness to being brought to life in Christ.”

Ariel recently shared her testimony during an ACU chapel service, and is helping to lead the University’s AWAKEN, 24-hours of Worship Saturated Prayer events each semester.

“I’ve learned to depend on God, rather than try to accomplish life on my own,” she said.

“The Kingdom of God is real, near and more beautiful than anything.”

She saw that first . . . through the eyes of a young Haitian girl.

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FOR SUCH

A TIME AS THIS

PRESIDENT LEN MUNSIL’S CHARGE TO THE CLASS OF 2020 On Friday afternoon, December 18, 2020, President Munsil delivered this “charge to the graduates” at a Commencement ceremony for May 2020 graduates whose celebration was delayed by COVID. The ceremony was held outdoors on the new turf football field and was the first ACU Commencement held on its new campus in Glendale.

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lass of 2020 – I hope you sense the gravity and the urgency of this moment.

Before the beginning of time, God chose you for this moment. God prepared you to live in this moment in history, because He knew that—in a year when it seemed like the world was falling apart around you—that you are equipped and prepared and ready to bring hope, healing and truth to your generation.

The Sovereign God of the universe—who could have sent you out of college and into the world at a very different and simpler time—sent you out in the middle of a global pandemic, at a time of significant social and political division and unrest, when disease and economic and mental health challenges are straining our nation and our world.

Think about this for a moment—God could have let

you graduate in a year when the main things people were talking about were the newest Tik Tok video trends, or the latest season of the Bachelor.

Instead—you get a massive virus, shutdowns and lockdowns, economic and political crises and conflicts and protests.

You know what I talked about last year in my charge to the graduates?

The Avengers finale.

I was making the case that we are born into a world at war, an epic battle between good and evil—and that all of us are actually living in a battle that is more real than any science fiction or fantasy story told in a movie.

But doesn’t that seem kind of trivial now—talking about the Avengers movies?

That’s so 2019.

And yet, it was true. In many ways, what we’ve lived through this year is the reality check

I was talking about. We don’t have to look to the big screen anymore to see stories of good and evil, heroes and villains and victims—because these stories are unfolding all around us in real time.

And yet God chose to turn you loose on the world in this time of bigger challenges and larger concerns.

Why? Well, what do we know about God? We know that He sees the future. We know that nothing that has happened in 2020 caught Him by surprise or made Him anxious or worried.

What else do we know about God? We know that He knows us really well, and that His plans for us are good, and that nothing—nothing—can separate us from His love.

So it’s not an accident that you got launched out of college in the year of the global pandemic.

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“WE KNOW THAT NOTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN 2020 CAUGHT [GOD] BY SURPRISE OR MADE HIM ANXIOUS OR WORRIED.” means He expects great things from you. It means He created you for such a time as this.

And so, I think it’s time to stop talking about the opportunities and activities we’ve lost during this year. We can’t go back. We can’t regain the time that was wasted or make up for the experiences that were taken away.

The opportunities in front of you are just enormous—rebuilding the spiritual foundation of a nation that is reeling from confusion, unbelief and depression.

Rebuilding an economy shattered by unemployment, with businesses closing and so many jobs disappearing.

Rebuilding a civil society based on our ability to trust one another; in a culture and community that needs to learn how to extend grace and to believe the best about each other instead of the worst.

But the God of the universe chose you for this moment— He believes you can do these things.

So do we here at ACU! We have watched you grow, and mature, and persevere . . . and rebuild.

You are the pioneers who— in the middle of your time at ACU—uprooted and moved to a brand-new campus—without complaint—and built a new and larger and better community in this new place.

You are resilient; you somehow stayed focused on your studies and your spiritual growth through all of these changes and transitions and interruptions.

And then you persevered to reach this day—delayed but not denied. You graduate at a time when many students who were faced with what we were faced with in March—moving to virtual and remote instruction—and so many students 12

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across the nation—just gave up and checked out. They didn’t adapt, overcome and finish the race like you did.

Even now in America only about one-third of all adults have a bachelor’s degree—so if you’ve never been in the top third of your class before, today you are in the top third of all humans in America in educational achievement.

You have persevered and you deserve to celebrate.

But let’s not spend any more time on what’s been lost.

Let’s talk about what you’ve gained, and about how God chose you to live through 2020 for His purposes. And what might those purposes be?

We are called in Scripture to be salt and light, and to seek the welfare of the city. We are called to love one another.

At ACU you have been grounded in not just the love of God but the truth of His Word, and this prepares you for desperately needed leadership in our nation and world.

No matter where your journey takes you, God has prepared you for what is needed in this moment.

Some of you will help rebuild an economy—you have learned here that hard work pays off—you have learned that freedom and opportunity and limited government create opportunities for those who work hard and keep their word. And you can carry that into the world as entrepreneurs and job creators, knowing that you can serve others and enable human flourishing when given the freedom to pursue your dreams.

Some from among you will help rebuild families and marriages who have been stressed and challenged by this season—you will counsel and en-

courage those struggling with mental health; others among you will serve the health care needs of people dealing with the physical challenges and frailties and viruses of the future, and you will serve with compassion and excellence.

Many of you will help rebuild community—you have learned here that your shared faith in Christ, and a desire to love and serve one another, can bridge any division caused by race, wealth, nationality or denomination.

You learned here how to live in a diverse community, how to engage with people from different places and experiences, and how the God who lives within us and unites us is so much greater than what the world tells us should divide us. You’ve experienced what it means to be part of God’s family here, and you can take those experiences into a broken and divided world and help rebuild our fractured community.

Some from among you will enter the divisive and corrupted political world, and you will become leaders who speak truth and hope and life and liberty, who proclaim freedom and opportunity to people who have lost faith—even as you remind citizens of the limitations of earthly powers, and that our rights come from God, not the government, and that government’s legitimate power comes only from the consent of the governed.

Some from among you will become truth tellers in new media, you will break the stranglehold of old media that is so often driven by ideology, not objectivity and truth; others from among you will become writers and musicians and artists and filmmakers who can respond to the hopeless and dystopian stories of today by choosing to lift the human spirit—telling stories of life and striving and hope that point to a Creator God who loves us and cares for us even during trials.

Some from among you will

become teachers and coaches and mentors—educating and teaching and coaching young people who have been caught up in discouragement and who are distressed by these confusing and disruptive times.

And you will believe in your students and their potential, and you will encourage them by your love and your commitment to their growth as students and as children of God. And many of you will rise up and rebuild the church, as pastors and teachers and worshippers—restoring a church that is a bold and courageous witness for the truth and the gospel, and also a compassionate servant of the least of these in every community.

A church that is ready and willing to obey the governing authorities, but prepared, if necessary, to say as Peter ultimately did—that we must obey God rather than men. A church that is unbowed, unbroken and unafraid.

If 2020 has done anything, it has revealed the brokenness of our world—it has laid bare the cracks and fissures of our crumbling foundations and made abundantly clear that we cannot build and sustain a community or a nation on the shifting sands of the latest polls or opinions or fads or ideologies. Those false gods have failed us again in 2020.

But rather, we must turn to the solid rock of the truth of God’s Word which never changes and never returns void.

And that’s why God has chosen you—the Firestorm Family Class of 2020—to emerge into the world at this moment in history.

So as we send you off, I pray and declare over you the words of the prophet Isaiah: “that those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins, you will raise up the age old foundations, you will be called repairers of the broken walls and restorers of the streets and cities in which to dwell.”

Congratulations, Arizona Christian University Class of 2020, and Godspeed!

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FOLLOWING TRUTH Professor Al Fadi Shares His Journey from Muslim to Christ-Follower

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CU professor Al Fadi was proud to be a son of Saudi Arabia. “I felt privileged to be born in the center of Islam,” he reflected.

From the time he was a child, he was taught that Islam was the only acceptable religion to God. To deny that carried severe consequences.

“I used to be terrified,” stated Al Fadi, “that God might punish me for doubting his commands.

I began to realize at a very young age there was no hope for me as a Muslim to gain acceptance from my God, unless I did and accumulated a lot of good deeds.”

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As an adolescent, he was taught the only sure way to get into heaven was through the ultimate gift to Allah.

“I knew that if I were to go and die for the cause of this fight, to promote Islam and justice for Islam, that would be the only way my sins would be forgiven. I would go straight into the highest level of heaven, so why not go for what is guaranteed, and that is to die,” he stated.

At age 15, Al Fadi wanted to train for Jihad. His hero was a man who had gone to school three blocks away, Osama Bin Laden. At that time he admired

Bin Laden’s courage to leave the wealth of his family to prove his devotion to Allah.

But his parents forbade him to go. And he knew that disobeying his parents was against the teachings of Mohammad.

“I decided to stay behind and keep on maturing in Islam and become more knowledgeable about it.”

So Al Fadi memorized half of the Quran. And at age 16 he led prayers in the local mosque.

His parents encouraged him to continue his education at an American graduate school, so he came to the U.S. to study, as well as with a mission to convert

Americans to Islam.

“Islam says that anyone who doesn’t follow Islam is like a slave that you are freeing when they convert to Islam . . . so I had a mission to go to America and invite people to accept Islam,” he continued.

When Fadi arrived in the U.S., he wanted to learn more about American culture and hone his English language skills, so he joined an international student welcome program, through which he was befriended by a local couple. By virtue of his relationship with them, he believed they would convert to Islam. But it wasn’t that simple—they were

devoted followers of Jesus.

As he grew in relationship with this host couple, he began to see their passion for Jesus.

“That was very baffling to me. I asked myself, where did they get this moral value? I was taught their Bible was corrupt. I began to think I was a spiritual midget compared to them.

As if I am lacking something,” he stated.

“I began realizing Islam may not be the religion I grew up thinking it was.”

As time went on, Al Fadi completed his graduate degree, got a job, and developed a friendship with a coworker who turned out to be a committed Christian. His new friend shared how Jesus had transformed his life and given him true freedom and joy.

Fadi eventually got to a point where he asked his friend the most important question ever posed: “Who is Jesus Christ?” He had been taught that Jesus was a prophet. Could he be more?

Fadi reflected on that time.

“I am thinking as a Muslim, (my friend) is talking about following a prophet. That prophet is Jesus, so, how is it that by following the prophet Jesus he is transformed in this way? Yet, I am following the “best of the prophets,” the prophet of Islam, Mohammed—and yet I am still feeling the same inner ache? I began to realize that Jesus was the central person in his life. Jesus was the source of the transformation in his life.”

Then, the tragic events of September 11 occurred. Fadi remembered thinking, “To watch people willing to go that far, to take hundreds of innocent lives with them . . .” His former hero, Osama Bin Laden, had gone too far.

Al Fadi began to question his Islamic faith. He stopped praying, reading the Quran and going to the local mosque.

Instead, he pursued a spiritual quest and decided to visit a Christian church. At the time, he told himself he wanted to disprove the claims of Christianity.

“I began a comparison

process, looked at the Quran and compared it to the Bible. I looked at the person of Christ . . . and after six months I fell in love with this Jesus. I just could not resist the compelling evidence, the conviction of the Holy Spirit in my heart, and the gospel message,” he stated.

He continued, “The God of the Bible loved me and sent his Son to die for me. The God of the Quran never did that for me. I fell down on my knees and prayed . . . and asked Jesus to become my Lord and Savior.

What a huge relief. Never did I feel a freedom inside of me as I felt at that moment,” he remembered.

Today, Al Fadi has a new mission—to tell other Muslims about Jesus Christ, and to teach truth wherever he can.

In 2007, Fadi decided he needed additional training in the Bible and in Biblical theology.

And, in 2008, he began his seminary coursework at Phoenix Seminary, where he met ACU Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Ed Clavell.

After completing his advanced degree, he was invited to join the faculty of Arizona Christian University, where he now teaches courses in Biblical theology, business and comparative religions.

When speaking with Profes-

“I FEEL LIKE I AM UNIQUE BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND. I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH.” sor Al Fadi, one hears him speak of truth quite often.

“I feel like I am unique because of my background. I know what it is like to NOT know the truth—I did not know it for 30-plus years,” he said. “It is important for me to always share truth, the Bible, Christ and the Word of God. I want people to know He is real. I left everything behind for the sake of following the truth.”

Professor Fadi is passionate about evangelism and apologetics. He loves teaching students to think with a “biblical worldview.”

He seeks to equip his students to live their lives in truth, especially in a changing world.

“The culture is shifting and changing in a radical way,” Fadi reflected. “In John Chapter 17, the Lord states he doesn’t want to take us out of the world, but

to stay (and be salt and light) in the world.”

“In my humble view, ACU is among just a few Universities in the Western Hemisphere that stands firm on Biblical truth and does not accommodate worldly views to sign up more students.

Rather ACU presents truth first; nothing else matters,” he said.

In addition to teaching at ACU, Al Fadi is a guest lecturer at major universities around the world. He continues to share Jesus with Muslims through his YouTube channel, Let Us Reason, a Christian/Muslim Dialogue, and he is the author of several books.

Al Fadi has come a long way since the days of his youth. He left everything to find truth. And now that he has, he is making an eternal impact on the students of ACU and beyond.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AL FADI’S STORY? OPEN YOUR MOBILE PHONE’S CAMERA APP AND HOVER OVER THE QR CODE FOR HIS FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW.

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CLASS NOTES 2020s 2020 SARAH BURNS is pursuing her Master of Theology in Historical Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and recently became engaged to current ACU student, Elliott Alexander.

SARAH MOSSMAN is a Placement Coordinator at ACU.

2010s 2019 WARREN BRANNOCH works at PureFlix, a Christian-based streaming service located in Scottsdale. He is also a part-time volunteer football coach at Peoria High School coaching freshmen on the offensive and defensive line.

2017 DELAINEY (WUSSOW) SCHUBERT and her husband are missionaries in the United Kingdom with the Alliance for Transatlantic Theological Training. They recently had their second child and will be returning home to Arizona this summer, where she plans to teach elementary school while he becomes a pastor.

2015 MATHEW POPE is currently serving as the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church in Ridgecrest, CA., but he and his wife, Victoria, sensed God leading them in a different direction. So in April, Mathew will join the United States Navy as an officer in their Chaplain Division.

MELISSA RIVERA is currently attending school to become a holistic health coach, where she can implement counseling, nutrition, and Jesus into her career. She resides in North Carolina.

2013 JORDAN AUGUSTINE is married with two children and is a teacher and basketball coach at Ironwood High School, as well as a sportswriter for Prep Hoops Arizona.

In 2020 he led Ironwood to its first basketball state championship. He also earned his master’s degree in Educational Administration.

MARCUS HOOVER is a University Counselor for Grand Canyon 16

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Education. His wife, ALLISON (MCGLAUGHLIN) ’15 is a stayat-home mom and they will be welcoming their second child any day!

2012 DR. ELIZABETH INSCORE is a Physical Therapist with ATI Physical Therapy.

CODY and CODIE (HAARALA) KLEPPE reside in Tempe, where Cody is a police officer for the city and Codie is a preschool teacher in the Tempe Union High School district-MDN.

2011 HANNAH (FILLINGAME) POOL, her husband and two children are moving to the United Kingdom for her husband’s service in the United States Air Force.

2000s 2007 JEREMIAH HANN is the online campus pastor for Palm Valley Church, on the school board of West Valley Christian School, and the President of the Arizona High School football association. His wife, AMBER (MOLLERUP) ’09, teaches English online to students in China and is the chairman of the fundraising committee at West Valley Christian School. They have been foster parents for the last three years.

2005 JONATHAN NORTON recently became an elder in his church and is an insurance producer for American Church Group of Arizona.

He and his wife have been married for 15 years and have four children.

2004 NATHAN DARUS is the High School Music Director for Douglas Unified School District. He is also involved in building the music program for a small town on the border of Mexico. He and his wife, Brittany, sing virtually in the Douglas Tabernacle. Nathan also started a Facebook music page to promote music within the community.

2003 LAURA (KENNEDY) JANSEN and her husband, Ryan, work with

international students at Iowa State University through Bridges International. They have been in awe of all that God did to connect students through the move to online ministry. The couple have two children, Adi and Merrick.

Director of Government Relations at Eastern Washington University after serving as a State Representative in the Washington State House for two terms. He and his wife, Becky, love serving in their church.

JOSEPH AND CASSANDRA (MANSOR) ’05 MASON are celebrating 16 years of marriage as Southwestern sweethearts.

They are parents of a teenager and a soon-to-be-teen. Joseph is the Assistant Center Operations Director for Concentra and Cassandra is the Assistant Headmaster for Great Hearts.

1982

2000 CHRISTINA (CARVER) WEBSTER and her husband, Matthew, live in Virginia where he serves in the United States Coast Guard and she is a busy housewife preparing their home for children through adoption. Please pray for their waiting process and ministry opportunities for Christina.

1990s

JIM AND TERI (KALB) BAUGH have served in pastoral ministry for 30 years. In 2008 they joined a small ministry called Global Training Network, a missions agency that equips and trains leaders in the majority world, so that they might more effectively reach their own people with the good news of Christ. Jim has also served on ACU’s board of trustees for a number of terms and is now serving in the most exciting time of growth and expansion in the school’s history.

The Baughs have 5 grown, married children who love the Lord, love their spouses, and have given them 8 grandchildren!

1970s 1979

1997

MICHAEL BEARD is an instructor and Academic Dean at Alaska Bible Institute in Homer, Alaska.

DONALD COLANN is a teacher at Legacy Traditional School.

1976

TRAVIS DALE and his wife, Amy, just celebrated 22 years of marriage and have three sons. After 20 years of full-time church ministry, he started a private Christian-based counseling practice in 2016, where he is able to serve many people and partner with churches.

1994 DANIEL MORRISSETTE is a Production Engineering Associate Manager for Tesla in Nevada. He is also involved as a lay minister and helper in a local church. His two children have both graduated from college.

1990 GERALD “JERRY” MIHELIC, JR. is a faculty member and Director of Educational Leadership (Principals) at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

1980s 1986 DAVID BURI is the Executive

After 40 years of reading through Proverbs on a daily basis, DAN BUTCHER wrote a book, “Five Minutes with God: Daily Lessons from the School of Wisdom,” which is available on Amazon.

1973 The NEWKIRK family takes attending SWC/ACU seriously.

DONALD and KATHY (HEGLAND), ’80 and their children JENNIFER (NEWKIRK), ’90 DAY and STEVE ’92 all graduated from SWC. Steve is currently in Senegal with Worldventure. Jennifer has been a nurse for 25 years. Jennifer’s daughter, Rachael, is continuing the legacy as a current ACU student.

She is currently completing boot camp for the National Guard and will finish her bachelor’s degree at ACU next year!

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1) DUANE ’87 AND ELLEN (HILL) ’16 ILLSLEY had their first official date at the 1980 Southwestern Baptist Bible College Spring Banquet. This was their first picture together and they remember this as the night they fell in love. They were married the following October 15, 1980. They just celebrated 40 years of marriage and are still smiling.

2) JASON ’99 AND LINDA (TROWER), ’98 GREGG, pictured with their

children, Elijah, Sofia, Ezra, and Eliana, are teaching in Taiwan. Pray for Elijah and Sofia as they transition to living stateside and the rest of the family as they stay back in Taiwan to continue work at Morrison Christian Academy.

3) KAYLA KOEHN ’15 and Andrew Gilbreath were in high school youth group together, but lost touch when Kayla went to ACU. Years later they reconnected and were married on September 5, 2020 in a small ceremony officiated by their high school youth pastor! Pictured are Andrew, Kayla, and Andrew’s children, Naomi (6), and Oliviah (3).

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4) DANIEL ’18 AND KATHERINE (FITZGERALD) ‘20 SCHEMBRI were married in Fall 2020. The Schembris are both seminary students and work at Scottsdale Bible Church, he as a Minister in Residence and she as a worship leader.

5) NIKI FOSTER ’18 and Matt Maynard were married on May 16, 2020, after receiving news that their June wedding would be postponed due to Covid-19. Given the restrictions in San Diego county where the couple reside, they had to keep the ceremony very small, so they grabbed their closest family members and met at a trailhead outside of Julian, CA. Niki shared from Hosea 6:3, a scripture that has so beautifully reminded her of the Lord’s faithfulness each time she sees a sunrise. How wonderfully fitting it was that the Maynards began their marriage right next to Sunrise Highway!

6) ADAM ‘13 AND CAITLIN (ALLGOOD) ‘15 STEARNS and son, Graham, are excited about the arrival of little brother this summer!

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FAITHFUL SERVANTS CAROL MERTZ TETZLAFF Carol Mertz Tetzlaff (SWC Class of 1994) loves to celebrate!

From major life events to the smaller daily pleasures, her philosophy is that as a follower of Jesus, there is always cause to rejoice.

Carol attended Southwestern College in the early 90s and played keys for the Chenaniah singers, traveling the country and promoting the school. Graduating with a degree in Elementary Education in 1994, she initially taught in Gilbert for 8 years while receiving her masters in curriculum development from NAU. She then joined the staff of her home church, Mesa Baptist Church, as children’s director in 2000.

Early in her ministry career, there were two things Carol said she never wanted to do: speak in front of people and serve in women’s ministry. Both terrified her! But God had other plans.

Today Carol serves as both a worship leader and women’s ministry director! Her roles have led her to speak and serve not only in her local church, but also as the leader of annual events for women and on leadership teams in churches all across the southwest.

Carol has also begun writing Bible studies for women. Her first study, “Ezra: Unleashing the Power of Praise” will be published this June from Redemption Press. And as proof that God has a sense of humor, you will find Carol speaking this fall at the three women’s retreats held at Prescott Pines Camp.

Today Carol lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her husband, Kelley, along with their family which includes 11 grandchildren.

MARK STAFFORD Mark Stafford (SWC Class of 1997) was recruited out of high school in San Diego to play the electric bass for Southwestern College’s music group, Chenaniah. As ambassadors for the college, the group played at hundreds of churches, and in his two years with the band Mark began to learn the basics of marketing. In addition, he and some other SWC students formed another band that toured nationally, were signed to a record label, and were even nominated for a Dove award! Even before his SWC graduation in 1997, Mark was hanging out with Toby Mac, POD, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, and a whole host of other Christian artists.

After graduation, Mark joined the admissions staff at SWC, and built Southwestern College’s first website. He also began to serve at several local churches, and helped plant a church as well. In fact he started his company, Ablaze Media, to support that church plant. And while that church didn’t really take off, his media company did. Ablaze Media has been serving small businesses, churches, non-profits and missions organizations for almost 25 years.

Recently Mark also published an eBook called “The Ultimate Guide for Small Business Digital Marketing,” and is working on another with his brother titled, “Small Business Marketing Essentials.” In his free time, you’ll find Mark hanging out with his wife, Lara (Thowson, ’00) and their four kids, leading a worship team at his church, or playing jazz at a local venue.

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ENDURING

LEGACY

I

rene Blumhagen has been part of the SWC/ACU family since the beginning. She was one of eight young people attending classes during Southwestern College’s first year of operation, and today remains one of Arizona Christian University’s most faithful prayer and financial partners.

But Southwestern/ACU was never part of her original plans. At age 20, severe rheumatoid arthritis caused Irene to relocate from her hometown in Iowa to the warm, dry environs of Phoenix.

At midnight on New Year’s Eve in 1952, Pastor Leroy Thomas of Palmcroft Baptist Church and his wife Adrianna met her at the train station.

They helped her find a room to

rent and picked her up every Wednesday night and Sunday morning to join them for services at their church.

At first, Irene was resistant to the sermons she heard each week. But the Word of God took hold in her heart, and six weeks after arriving in Phoenix she accepted Christ as her savior. She was baptized at Palmcroft on Easter Sunday 1953.

That was 68 years ago.

After her time at Southwestern College, Irene served with Campus Crusade for Christ, sharing the Gospel on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. Eventually Pastor Thomas convinced her to return to Phoenix and join the staff of Palmcroft Church, where she met her late

husband, Dale. Dale became a pastor and evangelist, and for years he and Irene served together, leading many to Christ, until Dale passed away of a heart attack at the age of 43. Irene never remarried.

“I was privileged to be a pastor’s wife, speak at conferences, and teach Bible classes. As I have studied and taught the Scriptures, I learned that God has a divine plan,” she stated.

Today, on the eve of her 90th birthday, Irene is engaged in what she considers the most exciting ministry of her life.

About six years ago she experienced a “transient ischemic attack,” which she describes as a mini stroke in the brain. At that point she knew she could

no longer live alone, so she moved into a senior living community in central Phoenix.

Her primary ministry at that time had been teaching the Bible to men who had just been released from prison at a transitional housing facility. So, rather than stop her Bible study, she received permission to move it to her new senior community!

Soon, her weekly study grew to include residents of her new senior living community, in addition to those men who were transitioning from prison. First the study expanded to 30, and then to more than 60 individuals. The word was out—Irene’s Bible study was the place to go for relevant, practical teaching of the scriptures.

Then, Covid-19 hit. The group studies were forced to stop. But Irene didn’t. She modified her study materials into a weekly printed publication, offering scripture and the gospel message to all 90 residents of her assisted living community.

“I have the responsibility to share the Word of God. And I always present a salvation message,” stated Irene.

But that’s not all.

At age 89, Irene has also taken her scripture lessons to Zoom. She just finished teaching the book of Revelation in her weekly Bible study that meets on video each Sunday night. Now, she is taking her students through the epistles of Paul. And she’s reaching more people than ever!

Irene has been with Southwestern College/ACU since day one. And she is very much with us today. For more than 30 years she has given generously to this institution. She is a Tower Society member through her faithful monthly donations to ACU, and enthusiastically participates in ACU’s planned giving program through a charitable gift annuity administered by the University.

“I get great joy out of giving.

It’s God’s money, it’s not my money. I just have to thank Him,” stated Irene.

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