Mount Vernon NOW Fall 2012

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September 2012 • www.mvnu.edu

THE SHAPE of

MVNU'S ARIEL ARENA WILL OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2013

THINGS TO COME

SonFest Poster Inside!

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From Russia With Love Meet Danil. You're not going to believe his story.

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September 2012

Vol. 48

Issue 1 21

Doug Banbury

David Crowder Look who's coming to SonFest this year!

Director of Communications

7 Questions With …

Editorial Board

It's a QR code.

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Jeffrey P. Scott

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Mount Vernon NOW (USPS 761-980) is published three times a year by Mount Vernon Nazarene University, located at 800 Martinsburg Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. Periodical Postage Paid at Mount Vernon, OH 43050 and additional mailing offices.

MVNU's new Ariel Arena promises great things for MVNU athletes, students, and the community.

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Dr. Henry Spaulding

Vice President of Enrollment Development and Marketing

Marcy Rinehart, the heart and soul of WNZR.

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Presidential Search at MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

As you are undoubtedly aware by now, Mount Vernon Nazarene University is currently seeking its seventh president, following the resignation of Dr. Daniel Martin who was elected as president at Seattle Pacific University earlier this year. Though these are times of transition, I can tell you that they are also times of great excitement and energy on the MVNU campus and throughout our educational region. As you will read in these pages, progress on the new athletic facility, Ariel Arena, is well under way. And our alumni continue to be shining real-life examples of MVNU’s vision to change the world with the love of Christ.

As the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search committee continue to work diligently through the process of leadership transition, we covet your prayers. You can find details about our work, a timeline of the process, and updates on our progress at www.mvnu.edu/presidentialsearch. Already, so much has been accomplished in such a short time: • The Board of Trustees appointed a Search Profile Development Task Force in April. This team gathered valuable input from trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni which was instrumental in the development of our Presidential Profile.

• Over the past two months, the Presidential Search Committee has been accepting applications and nominations for the position, and we are encouraged by both the quality and quantity of the response we have received.

In the coming weeks, the Presidential Search Committee will continue to use this the Presidential Profile to guide our work as we integrate each of the defined leadership qualities to carry out our next steps: 1. the creation of a rubric for applicant evaluation, 2. the selection of applicants for interviewing, 3. the formation of questions for applicants being interviewed, and 4. the selection of candidates to be presented to the Board of Trustees in November.

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of those who have participated in this process and specifically to the Presidential Search Committee for their diligent work.

Because of their efforts, I am pleased to report that we remain on task and expect to proceed according to the initial timeline set by the Board of Trustees.

As this process develops, we will continue to update the Presidential Search website so that all University constituents are able to view our progress. Again, thank you for your prayerful support of Mount Vernon Nazarene University during this period of transition. I truly believe that MVNU’s greatest days are ahead, and I look forward to celebrating each new milestone with you.

CAN THIS BE SHORTENED A BIT?

• A Presidential Search Committee was formed, with representatives from the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and alumni. In June, this team completed work on the Presidential Profile.

You can find details about our work, a timeline of the process, and updates on our progress at

www.mvnu.edu/presidentialsearch.

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Rev. Geoff Kunselman Chair, MVNU Board of Trustees

f o E

P A H S E TH

E M O C O T S G THIN 3

MVNU'S ARIEL ARENA WILL OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2013

“WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS; THEREAFTER, THEY SHAPE US.” - WINSTON CHURCHILL It is difficult to describe the kind of expectant energy that was birthed on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University in early March. What had long been the stuff of dreams—wished for, hoped for, and even prayed for by some MVNU athletes, intercollegiate and intramural alike—seemed to finally be materializing in the wide-awake real world.

This is precisely why what happened on March 2, 2012, was so viscerally important to the psyche of Cougar Nation. Following a brief ceremony in the Prince Student Union, a few men donned hardhats, grabbed shovels, and stepped outside into the cold rain for one of the most important photo ops in MVNU history. Technically, the ground had already been broken. A few weeks earlier, the Prince Student Union Annex building had been brought down and the ground cleared for the pending construction. The annex facility most recently served MVNU’s Computer Science students and faculty, but had also been home to Art and Design majors prior to the transition to Buchwald Center in downtown Mount Vernon. While bittersweet for some, its destruction also signaled to the campus that something was definitely happening— something significant.

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There have been plans (and rumors of plans) for a new athletic complex on or near the MVNU campus in Mount Vernon for nearly a generation. Alumni soon celebrating 10and 15-year reunions at Homecoming are sure to swap stories of how they earnestly believed a new athletic facility would be built during their time as students. In fact, there were serious plans for construction at least a couple of times in the past 20 years. But for a variety of reasons, those plans never progressed beyond the planning stage.

“THIS WILL BE A FACILITY THAT NOT ONLY OUR ATHLETES APPRECIATE, BUT THE ENTIRE CAMPUS COMMUNITY.”

• Jameson Seymour, an MVNU senior and SGA President, may have just missed his own personal opportunity to enjoy the new facility as a student; but he symbolized all those who would soon be shaped, in part, via MVNU’s relentless passion for educating the whole person—body, mind, and soul.

And so, it was recently tilled and relatively level ground which was formally broken for the cameras. Those turning the earth represented every facet of MVNU’s reach and impact:

• Paul Swanson, MVNU Athletic Director, has been a fixture in MVNU athletics for nearly three-fourths of the University’s lifespan, and appropriately represented all athletes, coaches, staff members and fans for whom this new structure would soon embody a great deal of Cougar pride.

• Reverend Geoff Kunselman, a pastor and the District Superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene in Northwestern Ohio, had recently been elected as Chair of the MVNU Board of Trustees—the first MVNU alumnus to serve in that position.

• Richard Mavis, longtime Mayor of Mount Vernon, represented the dynamic and growing connection MVNU had been intentionally developing with the local community and Knox County.

• Dr. Daniel Martin, still President at MVNU, although just a few weeks away from announcing his resignation after being elected President of Seattle Pacific University, quoted Winston Churchill as he reminded those gathered that this new building would help shape the lives of future students.

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The carefully rehearsed shoveling went off without a hitch. Unlike so many MVNU groundbreakings that preceded it, this ceremony was held in abovefreezing temperatures, so no pick-axes or drills were required to unearth the sod.

Instead, the five laborers in suits posed for photos, shook hands, and then ducked back into the PSU for some refreshments.

And just like that, a new MVNU athletic arena—that which had been taking shape conceptually for so long—began to take shape materially, concretely, permanently.

And in some way, it also began to fulfill its promise to shape us as well.

When construction is completed in the fall of 2013, MVNU’s Ariel Arena will be one of the largest event spaces available

in Mount Vernon and Knox County.

The 68,000-square-foot structure will seat 2,100 for basketball, volleyball, and other athletic competitions, and up to 3,000 when configured for concerts, performances, and other special events.

The project will also include a redesign of the current PSU and Donoho Recreation Center, providing additional and improved intramural facilities, updated equipment, and a brand-new 586 Café. Perhaps most significantly, Ariel Arena will be a signature element of MVNU’s commitment to the overall health and well-being of the entire campus community with premier fitness facilities as well as additional gathering spaces. “This will be a facility that not only our athletes will appreciate, but the entire campus community,” said Swanson.

Among other features, the Ariel Arena will include: • Three full-sized athletic courts • A spacious lobby overlooking the arena • A special event banquet hall seating 225 • A state-of-the-art Athletic Training Center • Cardio fitness and weight rooms • Additional classrooms, locker rooms, and offices “I suspect that every mayor in America is probably envious of me today,” said Mavis, during his ceremonial remarks at the groundbreaking. “I’m standing in front of a group that is building a $10 million facility on their campus, while America is climbing its way out of a recession.” The

“MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY EXISTS TO SHAPE LIVES THROUGH EDUCATING THE WHOLE PERSON AND CULTIVATING CHRIST-LIKENESS FOR LIFELONG LEARNING AND SERVICE.” – MVNU MISSION STATEMENT So, let’s revisit Winston Churchill for a moment. Just exactly how does a building shape us? More directly, how will this new facility, Ariel Arena, shape the MVNU experience?

The answer really does go to the heart of our mission. If we truly believe that lives are shaped through educating the whole person, then there must be great value in all facets of the communal learning experience offered at MVNU—from small groups and chapel services, to the food service and residential facilities, to the classrooms and laboratories, to the aesthetics of the outdoor environment. And yes, to the fitness facilities and gathering spaces and community-building school spirit derived from the kind of complex Ariel Arena will be.

The truth is that students are choosing schools like MVNU precisely because of the investment being made in the overall experience.

AMONG OTHER FEATURES, THE ARIEL ARENA WILL INCLUDE: Three full-sized athletic courts > A spacious lobby overlooking the arena > A special event banquet hall seating 225 > A state-of-the-art Athletic Training Center > Cardio fitness and weight rooms > Additional classrooms, locker rooms, and offices >

“We really do believe that learning happens best in community,” says Rick Engstrom, Director of Residence Life at MVNU. “We have the unique challenge and opportunity of translating that communal learning into buildings, environments, and programs that enhance the overall experience.”

With Ariel Arena, almost every element of that overall campus experience will be affected and enhanced. The addition of three brand-new classrooms and several faculty offices—tangible and modern learning spaces—will offer a number of additional academic environments and opportunities. There is also the potential for a dramatic impact on the physical development of MVNU’s students and employees. “With this new arena … students will have more opportunity to have a healthier lifestyle,” says Seymour. “This also will allow us to promote wellness on campus, which has been a passion of many students.” Brandnew cardio fitness and weight-training rooms will be open and accessible to all students, faculty and staff—not just athletes.

These improved and expanded resources will dovetail nicely with the increased interest in health and wellness on campus.

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ability to take on such a project is in no small part a testament to the generous support of MVNU’s mission and vision from Ms. Karen Buchwald Wright, President and CEO of Ariel Corporation, a leading energy industry manufacturer located in Mount Vernon.

Wright’s consistent financial support and leadership giving toward MVNU development projects was the reason the MVNU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to honor Wright’s partnership by naming the new structure Ariel Arena. “This is a tremendous day in the life of our University,” said Dr. Martin during the groundbreaking ceremony. “A new MVNU athletic arena has been a dream of ours for some time. We are grateful for Ms. Wright’s leadership giving, which has helped to make this dream a reality.”

“WE HAVE THE UNIQUE CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY OF TRANSLATING COMMUNAL LEARNING INTO BUILDINGS, ENVIRONMENTS, AND PROGRAMS THAT ENHANCE THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE.”

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And then, there is the impact on MVNU Athletics. It may be more difficult to quantify just how much a new facility like this can affect the ability of the athletic program to improve upon its contribution to the overall environment and student experience. But it is worth at least considering. Perhaps most obviously, the new arena will be an attractive amenity for student athletes choosing where they will train, practice, and compete. “This is just a tremendous thing from a recruiting point of view,” says Swanson. “When students see it in person, it just makes it an exciting place to want to come and compete. Our coaches do a tremendous

job of highlighting the positives of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, which are many. This will be a great addition to that long list.”

Ariel Arena will also more deeply connect MVNU and the surrounding community, allowing for an extension of our mission and influence through multiple avenues and into more and more lives. Imagine concerts, performances, and other special events open to as many as 3,000 members of the public who might never otherwise have stepped foot on the campus. Envision youth basketball and volleyball tournaments bringing participants from all over central Ohio to MVNU. Imagine serving these participants and their families while they are with us, and the lasting impression that experience will make.

This project will create countless additional opportunities for MVNU alumni to take pride in their alma mater.

For churches and other organizational

partners to engage MVNU, and share in our common vision for changing the world with the love of Christ. And for MVNU to further enhance its growing reputation as a leading institution of Christian higher learning in all that entails.

Certainly, this building will shape us.

Ultimately, we may require the wisdom and experience of time in order to fully understand just what that will look like. In the meantime, we can content ourselves with being shaped by the process of growth and development on campus, by what this investment says about us as a community, and by the hope that is found as long-held dreams are brought to life in the wide-awake real world.

Ariel Arena is on schedule to open in the fall of 2013, and plans are in place to have the structure in place before winter of this year.

For more information about Ariel Arena and updates on construction progress, you can visit www.mvnu.edu/arena.

A RENOVATION OF MVNU'S MAIN ENTRANCE IS ALSO UNDER WAY, PROVIDING IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW AND ENHANCING THE OVERALL APPEARANCE OF OUR “FRONT DOOR.”

THE CURRENT PHYSICAL EDUCATION CENTER

has been the center of athletic activity on MVNU’s campus for nearly two generations. Along the way, MVNU teams and individuals have helped create a number of memorable events, experiences, and milestones in and around the facility. Thanks to Dave Parsons, MVNU's Sports Information Director, for compiling this list.

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Most points in a single game; Steve Gregory (1990), Ben Falkenberg (2007)

Nov.

18

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Most points in a single game, Women's Basketball; Angie Trainer (2000)

1975

Most 3-pointers in a single game, Men's Basketball (1990).

W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W

Men's Basketball wins first game in (then) new gym.

W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W

Dec.

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1998

Cougars score 75 points in second half to upset No. 21 Olivet.

W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W

99.3

Average points per game, Men's Basketball 1994-95.

1991-97 Women's Volleyball

70-GAME

home winning streak

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Most rebounds in a single game, Women's Basketball; Kathy Bailey (1977)

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122-9

Women's Volleyball home record during the 1990's.

2616

Most career points by an MVNU basketball player (Ben Falkenberg).

##/##/## 2007: Amy Sebastian posts first triple-double in MVNU Women's Basketball history.

First triple double, Men's Basketball: 1998, Adam Stevens

2007 Women's Volleyball goes 19-0 and

WINS AMC

championship.

from

{ with love }

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After five years, thousands of miles, and several seemingly insurmountable challenges, Danil Zakhlebnyy graduated from MVNU this spring.

QUESTION: COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE: DANIL ZAKHLEBNEYY ...

A. WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN. B. WAS FORMERLY A MAJOR NCAA DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL RECRUIT.

D. JUST GRADUATED FROM MVNU WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. E. ALL OF THE ABOVE. ANSWER: E. (YEAH. YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO READ THIS ONE.)

T

he first thing you notice about Danil Zakhlebnyy is his size. He’s big. It’s an athletic big—essentially, Danil looks like a bigger, stronger, faster version of what you look like when you’re dreaming of being athletic.

Then he hits you with that rich Russian baritone, impeccable English with a slight and perfectly satisfying accent, which was born from a vocal range as wide as it is deep. If at this moment he chose to stare you down or make a quick and unexpected move in your direction, Danil would be nothing short of perfectly intimidating. Instead, he flashes a wide grin, cracks the first of what are to be numerous and regular jokes—about Mount Vernon, Russia, Tim and Wendi Lahmon (both of whom work at MVNU and with whom Danil has lived off and on for two years), and the glaring lack of Russian tea in the U.S.—and immediately draws you into the warm and inviting orbit of his personality.

Between Mount Vernon, Ohio, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, lie 7,000 miles of mountains, desert, forest, ocean, urban centers, countryside, totalitarianism, and democracy. “I was born in the Soviet Union,” explains Danil. “It’s Kazakhstan now, but it is still the Soviet Union and Russia to me.” The collapse of the Soviet Union in December of 1991 left enormous political, social, and

economic vacuums spread out over an area equaling one-sixth of the world’s land surface. “Basically, there was no law,” says Danil. “Where there is no law, people take the law into their own hands, and become the law. That’s why the Russian mafia gained so much power. They had the money. They had the guns.

So they got to make the rules.”

It is difficult for most of us to imagine the utter destruction of our government and civic systems. Easy access to the elements of life we comfortably take for granted such as transportation, emergency services, a police force, and food will not disappear in January no matter who wins the upcoming presidential election. But that is precisely what happened for Danil and millions of others when the Soviet Union simply ceased to exist.

“It was what it was. Yeah, I grew up in a rough neighborhood.

It wasn’t the roughest neighborhood, but it was rough.” Danil pauses for a moment. “They all were.”

There was no centralized government. There were no social systems in place. There was no church. There was not much of anything. There was simply the next day. In a former country with a population nearing 300 million at the time of its collapse, even the most meager of opportunities seemed permanently entrenched in the rearview mirror. In this environment, Danil’s learned behavior was just like that of so many other post-Soviet kids coming of age in the late ‘90s, who spent their time doing what they had to, what they could get away with, and what they wanted.

What Danil wanted to do was to play basketball. Why? “Space Jam,” Danil answers. “The Michael Jordan movie.”

OVER 80% of Russian citizens CONSUME TEA DAILY. One notable feature of Russian tea is a distinctive 2-step brewing method.

10 Mount Vernon NOW

C. WAS ONCE HOMELESS ON THE STREETS OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

good. Very good. Soon, Danil was playing for the Kazakhstan Junior National Team, averaging 25 points and 7 rebounds, and demonstrating the kind of promise college scouts dream about.

DANIL FIRST GAINED NOTORIETY AS A MEMBER OF THE KAZAKHSTAN JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM, AVERAGING 25 POINTS AND 7 REBOUNDS.

SPACE JAM, released in the U.S. in 1996, grossed more than $230 MILLION worldwide. Warner Bros. built Michael Jordan a regulation basketball court on set for pick up games and workouts.

Right. Space Jam. The one where Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons win a basketball game against some aliens. To be honest, we didn’t see that one coming. If Danil weren’t so big—and sitting so close—we might be tempted to laugh.

Thankfully, he flashes that grin again and laughs first. “Seriously, man. That was an awesome movie.

Have you seen it? I knew right then I wanted to be Michael Jordan and play in the NBA.” Danil’s newfound passion soon found rich soil in his natural size and athletic ability and began to bear fruit. His skill also caught the attention of scouts whose job it was to develop a pool of talent from which the best of the best might eventually be chosen to play for the national team in the Olympic Games or other international competitions. “The better you were, the more they invested in you. You get more opportunities to play. You play against better competition. And you get better. So they invest more.” They quickly invested all they could in Danil, because Danil was

As his training progressed, Danil came to meet a man named Kevin. Kevin was an athletic scout of sorts himself, from America. His official role was with a sports development company in Almaty, helping to connect young Russian basketball players to the many college and university teams in the U.S. that might be able to offer an education in exchange for a few years of competitive play.

By now, Danil was playing and training regularly, and Kevin could see he had the talent to play at the highest levels. But Kevin held another job as well, one he considered far more important than basketball. “He was Christian missionary,” explains Danil. “He couldn’t really do that out in the open, so he had to be careful.” At that time in post-Soviet culture, it was virtually impossible for a foreigner to be a full-fledged missionary in public, so Kevin used his basketball position as a cover. In the former communist regime, Kevin saw a generation of young men on whom the world had largely given up, and he was determined to be at least one voice speaking love and hope and purpose into their lives. He used his basketball connections as an in with these kids, and took advantage of every moment they gave him.

“He was the first man to really talk to me about God in a way that made it seem like maybe God would care about me or my friends,” recalls Danil. “At first, we were all sort of like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ But he kept at it, and a lot of what he said really made a lot of sense to me.”

Kevin held up the other end of his bargain as well, leveraging his connections in the U.S. to promote Danil’s ability and viability as a top-flight recruit.

Soon, Danil began to be recruited by several major NCAA Division 1 basketball programs in the United States. It certainly looked as if Danil was going to beat the odds so formidably stacked against him.

Then he got hurt. It was his knee, and it would require surgery and extensive rehabilitation. The news was crushing. The timing was worse. Most of the basketball programs that had expressed an interest began looking elsewhere. However, once again, it was Kevin who refused to be included among those who gave up. He believed in Danil, and kept pursuing every opportunity.

Eventually Kevin was able to connect Danil to

California Baptist University in Riverside, where Danil enrolled as a freshman in 2007. By this time, Danil was not only committed to doing whatever it would take to realize his dream of playing basketball; he was also a committed Christian.

Ready for the new adventure, Danil was already praising God for the blessing of playing basketball in America. “I’m serving God and I go where he asks me,” Danil told the CBU International Center in an interview for their website. “I’m a fighter, a player on Jesus’ team.”

In the end, Danil’s injury took much longer to heal than anyone had expected. His playing career at CBU ended after one year and minimal playing time. After taking some classes at a junior college, Danil wound up finding another scholarship at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky. He joined the team in the spring of 2009 and played regularly.

Danil is sharing his story over dinner. Up to this point, he has been doing more talking than eating.

His exuberance is infectious. But the pace of the narrative slows at this point. “I want you to understand that I haven’t always made the best choices, even after becoming a Christian,” says Danil, as if by way of an explanation for the turn his story is about to take. “But God has always stayed with me, and protected me. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for God’s grace in my life.”

As Danil continues, he begins to open up about a series of choices, unfolding in succession rather rapidly and dramatically, which ultimately created enormous complications for Danil, his basketball career, and his ability to remain in the United States. The details of the choices are unimportant and frankly not uncommon to the human experience. But they do lend an authenticity to

his amazing story. You see, Danil isn’t perfect either.

He’s one of us.

Danil met a girl and they got married. He also dropped out of college and moved to Texas. Sadly, in almost less time than seems possible, Danil found himself in the middle of a divorce and without a home. He was also in trouble with the law, although the charges were at best overreaching and eventually dismissed. Most significantly, he was also running out of reasons to stay in the United States. “I had no idea what my status was. I could have been sent back home at any point. I can’t really believe that didn’t happen,” Danil acknowledges.

But it didn’t happen. Instead, once again, Danil found out how far grace can reach.

When Steve Fast, a businessman and believer living in Houston, met him, Danil was homeless and living on the streets. Like Kevin before him, Fast was not inclined to give up on Danil so easily.

He began to help Danil navigate the web of civil and legal issues he was facing. Eventually, their relationship developed to the point that he took Danil into his own home. “He helped me out a lot, both financially, and just getting the right help for the legal issues,” says Danil. “He definitely did more than I could have ever expected. He wanted me to know that God hadn’t given up on me. So, he just never gave up on me either.”

In the meantime, Kevin also continued his relentless support from half a world away. He got in touch with MVNU Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Moore, just to see if there was any way Danil might be able to finish what he started, both in basketball and education. Moore, it turns out, had worked with another of Kevin’s players (and Danil’s best friend from home) while serving as an assistant at Grace College. “I actually met Danil when he played at Cumberland,” said Moore. “I remembered not only a good basketball player, but an extremely hard-working and driven young man. I thought there was a lot about Danil that our program could benefit from. And I thought he could probably benefit from the environment at MVNU.”

THE CROSSROADS LEAGUE is the premier faith-based NAIA conference in the Midwest.

MVNU is one of ten member schools.

According to 2010 Census numbers, the population of the HOUSTON metro area is almost 6 million.

On any given night, as many as 10,000 homeless individuals are on Houston's streets. 25% of these are youth.

345 There are

NCAA DIVISION 1 schools in 32 conferences.

Each school is limited to 13 scholarship players per year.

That's just under

4500

scholarship players at the highest collegiate level.

12 Mount Vernon NOW

“DANIL IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYERS I HAVE EVER COACHED,” MOORE ADMITS. “HE IS DRIVEN AND PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS FAITH— DRIVEN AND PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYTHING HE DOES.”

Danil visited MVNU in December 2009 and was offered a scholarship, provided he was able to straighten out his immigration status. Remarkably, he was.

“I walked into the U.S. Consulate’s office, without a valid driver’s license, current student ID, or official paperwork of any kind,” says Danil. “And I managed to walk out again with a valid student visa. To this day, I’m not sure how that happened.

I just trust God. He wanted me to be here, so I am here.”

In the fall of 2010, Danil Zakhlebnyy arrived at Mount Vernon Nazarene University to play basketball and get a college degree. He knew virtually no one on campus. He had no direct connection to MVNU’s sponsoring denomination, the Church of the Nazarene. And he had no time to waste. Due to NAIA regulations, Danil had exactly three semesters of basketball eligibility left.

“As a full-time student, you are eligible to play eight semesters over the course of five years,” explained Moore. “In Danil’s case, he’d already used up most of that time.”

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Danil played the fall semester of his junior season, and then chose to sit out the rest of the year to save his remaining eligibility for a final, full senior year.

Because the clock continues to tick for full-time students, Danil took only a part-time class load that spring semester, which required off-campus housing.

“I knew Tim and Wendi Lahmon, and approached them about housing Danil for the semester,” Moore acknowledges.

“I knew they had had other young men live with them at times, and I thought it might be just the right fit for Danil.”

It seems to have been. Wendi, or “Stalin,” as Danil somehow gets away with affectionately calling her, and “The Russian Concussion,” as Danil somehow gets away with referring to himself, cannot stop teasing one another throughout dinner. Wendi works in the Student Life office at MVNU, and Tim, her husband, in Receiving. Danil lived on campus again as a full-time student during his senior year, but moved back in with the Lahmons shortly after graduation. “Can you believe what I am willing to put up with,” asks Danil, with a mischievous grin and a quick glance at Wendi. Her slowly arched eyebrow is perfectly timed and throws the same question right back at Danil. Tim, smart man that he is, keeps his head down.

season of collegiate basketball this once highly recruited standout would play.

But the year would end with a far more significant celebration—one Danil had never dreamed possible back home.

This past spring, Danil Zakhlebnyy of Almaty, Kazakhstan, graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University with a degree in Business Administration, making the Dean’s List with a 3.775 GPA After five years, thousands of miles, and several seemingly insurmountable challenges, Danil was a college graduate.

As he received his diploma in the R.R. Hodges Chapel Auditorium, his friend from Houston, Steve Fast, was in attendance, cheering him on.

Dinner is winding down. Our server has finally figured out that almost everything Danil has said this evening was facetious.

He’ll be getting a big tip tonight. Wendi is staring at Danil expectantly. “Are you going to tell him or should I?” Apparently the story isn’t over.

“CAN YOU IMAGINE? FROM WHERE I CAME FROM AND WHERE I WAS JUST A FEW YEARS AGO? THAT JUST SHOWS YOU HOW GREAT GOD IS.” “Danil is one of my favorite players I have ever coached,” Moore admits. “He is driven and passionate about his faith— driven and passionate about everything he does. I mean, he’s essentially been on his own in the United States since he was 17 or 18. Sure there have been struggles.

But it’s been a real blessing to work through them with him.”

While the Cougars may have had a tough year on the court (they finished 9-21 in their first season with the Mid-Central Conference, now the Crossroads League), the real numbers that mattered are these: Danil played in 27 of 30 games, averaging 25 minutes per game. It may not have been Space Jam, but for the kid from Kazakhstan who dreamed of flying like Michael Jordan, it was worth celebrating. After everything Danil had been through, it would be the only full

“I just started my new job. I’m a group manager at JELD-WEN,” Danil says of his new position at the Mount Vernon facility for the window and door manufacturer. As he shares, it is apparent that this isn’t your normal “first job out of college.” In fact, just weeks after graduating, Danil seems to have landed a prime mid-level management position with an industry leader. He oversees a team of about 20. He’s also clearly proud of himself, as he should be.

“I interviewed, and I guess I impressed them, because they offered me the job almost right away,” he adds. “Can you imagine? From where I came from and where I was just a few years ago? That just shows you how great God is.”

Wendi adds, “He’s an extremely hard worker, and they’re lucky to have him.” Her own pride in what Danil has managed to accomplish is clearly evident.

Danil doesn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, maybe now I can finally get a place of my own, away from this crazy dictator.”

Shortly after this article was written, Danil took a leave of absence from JELD-WEN to return to Kazakhstan to visit his family, whom he had not seen in six years.

Want your own

SonFest poster?

MVNU is pleased to announce that David Crowder will be headlining the 15th annual SonFest Christian Music Festival on September 29 on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

The new act, simply called Crowder, is a fresh start for the 36-year-old musician.

Named among the “most thoughtful, progressive and exciting acts in contemporary Christian music” by The New York Times, the bestselling David Crowder Band has thrilled audiences for more than a decade and produced some of the most creative and thoughtprovoking worship music in a generation. Earlier this year, the band unveiled their final collection of new music with the release of Give Us Rest or (a requiem mass in c [the happiest of all keys]). The album was the DCB’s highest debut of their career, selling more than 50,000 units in one week and landing them at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200.

Along with the group’s nine GMA Dove Awards and 22 nominations, the band was the first Christian act to be named MSN.com’s Artist of the Year in 2006. David Crowder is part of the Passion movement, participating in university student gatherings in the United States and around the world.

While the David Crowder Band officially called it a career in January, playing their final concert at the Passion Conference in the Georgia Dome, Crowder’s own musical expression and experimentation continues with a great deal of anticipation. The new collective will take the stage at SonFest on September 29 in one of their first live performances ever. Fans attending MVNU’s annual music event can expect more of what they’ve always loved about David Crowder through the years—a passionate performance, authentic lyrics, and innovative musical arrangements.

Want to see David Crowder, Disciple, Abandon Kansas, Wolves At The Gate, and many more great bands all in one place?

Go to www.mvnu.edu/sonfest for ticket information and details!

14 Mount Vernon NOW

David r e d w o r C

Tear out the next page!

ABANDON KANSAS

WOLVES AT THE GATE

DISCIPLE

LET THERE BE MUSIC.

CROWDER

WATCH DAVID CROWDER’S MUSIC VIDEO!

(740) 397-9000, ext. 4550

sonfest.mvnu.edu

Noon-10 p.m., in The Grove Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Saturday, September 29, 2012

DA’ T.R.U.T.H.

SPONSORS:

AND MORE!

rushconcerts.com

Produced by

Available through iTickets.com and at the MVNU Cougar Corner Bookstore,Central Ohio Lifeway Christian Stores, and The Gospel Supply Shop of Mount Vernon.

meet-and-greet opportunities with several of the performing artists. Meet-and-greet will not include David Crowder.)

TICKETS: Groups of 15+: $13 in advance (Group rates not available at the gate!)

General admission: $15 in advance At the gate: $20 VIP ticket: $40 (Includes festival laminate, T-shirt, prime seating, and

WE AS HUMAN

NATE “IN 2011, I ARTICLE ACCEPTED A TOUR MANAGER POSITION WITH CAMPUS MOVIEFEST. EVERY FEW MONTHS, I MOVE TO A NEW CITY IN AMERICA CHALLENGING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MAKE SHORT FILMS, PROVIDING A MACBOOKPRO, HD CAMERA, AND ALL OF THE TRAINING TO MAKE A SHORT FILM IN 7 DAYS.”

Okuley on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, and, below, levitating in front of the Pantheon in Rome.

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CONSTANT MOVEMENT While MVNU doesn’t immediately lead to world travel and extended European vacations for all graduates, it apparently does for some. What can we say? Some guys have all the luck.

We contacted Nathan Okuley, a 2009 MVNU graduate, earlier this year after, frankly, getting sick with envy watching his blog, Twitter and Instagram feeds blow up with all kinds of awesome over the past year. It seemed like every day delivered new and fresh reminders that Nate was in some amazing city, eating some amazing meal, or hanging with some amazing people. Not infrequently, he documented these moments with pictures of dashing tuxedos, brilliant red carpets, and the requisite OSU and MVNU gear just to “keep it real.”

Nate was kind enough to share a few of his thoughts from his recent adventures with us so that we could, in turn, share them with you.

years have passed since my MVNU experience, often recalled as “the days.” As I sat outside a small French café this summer, a simple but fond memory came to mind. In the spring of 2006, I received an invitation to collaborate with an upperclassman who was running for a leadership position in student government.

He had heard of my experience with video production, which started in high school study halls, and wanted me to help tell the story of his campaign in a fun and creative way. I spent hours on the project, which in the end can be best described as a combination of college humor and James Bond swagger. I then spent many more hours trying to time up the last clip of the video with music that cued the legendary opening of the chapel doors, which created a real-time experience that’s been used over and over for years at MVNU. At the time, I had no idea what sort of opportunities might come from this simple video project that was born in the basement of the Thorne Library.

Fast-forward a few years. In 2011, I accepted a Tour Manager position with Campus MovieFest (www.campusmoviefest.com), the world’s largest student film festival. Every few months, I move to a new city in America challenging college students to make short films, providing a MacBookPro, HD camera, and all of the training to make a short film in 7 days. Within 9 months, I have lived in some of America’s finest cities: San Francisco, Portland, Atlanta, New York City, and Philadelphia. But my most exciting adventure had its start this spring, as I sat in my Brooklyn apartment after a long day’s work. Campus MovieFest was heading to the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France, undoubtedly the most prestigious film festival in the world, and I had just received an invitation to attend. A few months later, after a bit of frantic yet careful planning, I was standing on the red carpet in Cannes, chatting up some of my favorite actors, and attending the premieres of films like Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

This experience with CMF has been one of the most unique and cherished opportunities of my life. But I know that beyond the bright lights and red carpet, behind the high-profile events and international travel, there is a God that does everything with purpose. As a student, I was challenged by an alumnus to consider the need for Christians outside the four walls of the church and including the spheres of sports,

music, and entertainment. Imagine what might happen when more and more of us begin to engage and invest our lives and creative energy in these industries with His favor. Might not all things be possible?

It is useful to remember that our identity is not found in what we do, where we live, or the resumé that we build as students and then graduates. Composer Johann Sebastian Bach signed many of his works “S.D.G,” which represented “Soli Deo Gloria,” which is Latin for “Glory to God Alone.” Along this journey, I have frequently caught glimpses of the many unique ways that the Lord is working in and through me, in and through those with whom I’ve had the privilege to work, and even in and through the process of filmmaking and the celebration of that craft. Of course, it is often easier to recognize these signs when we are intentionally looking for them. But His presence is overwhelmingly a part of this experience.

To the MVNU community of the present, past, and future, I encourage you to live out your dreams with vision and purpose. Thankfully, we serve a God that knows our desires and is often willing to use them in His plan for our lives. Keep your eyes open for opportunities, but never expect them to be handed to you on a silver platter. In everything that you do, praise Him. A common misperception in the church is that the Lord doesn’t want us to get attention or become famous. It’s actually quite the opposite. The Lord wants us all to be noticed, from the mailman to the Oscar-winning actor.

The Lord wants to lift us up when He knows we are lifting Him up in what we do. Change the world with the love of Christ, and allow Him to take you where He pleases. Embrace the season in which you find yourself, knowing that there are going to be constant changes and many transitions, but a regular and reassuring rhythm in the Lord. Go and do awesome things. You’ve got an entire community standing behind you. At least, that’s been my experience this year. And I’m thankful for every encouraging one of you who pushed and prodded and supported me on my adventure.

Now, bring on the next one!

NATHAN OKULEY graduated from MVNU’s Jetter School of Business in 2009, and is currently a Tour Manager for Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival.

You can follow Nathan and his many adventures at www.nathanokuley.com.

“IT IS USEFUL TO REMEMBER THAT OUR IDENTITY IS NOT FOUND IN WHAT WE DO, WHERE WE LIVE, OR THE RESUMÉ THAT WE BUILD AS STUDENTS AND THEN GRADUATES. COMPOSER JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH SIGNED MANY OF HIS WORKS ‘S.D.G,’ WHICH REPRESENTED ‘SOLI DEO GLORIA,’ WHICH IS LATIN FOR ‘GLORY TO GOD ALONE.’”

18 Mount Vernon NOW

3

Nathan Okuley (’09)

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Everybody says they want to change the world.

Thanks to you, MVNU students are actually doing it.

MVNU's vision is to change the world with the love of Christ.

Through your generous support, you are making it possible for MVNU students to do just that—as far away as Belize and Swaziland, and as close to home as the Columbia Elementary School in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Thank you for helping MVNU students and graduates change the world!

Meet Ked. He’s helping women find hope.

Meet Stephanie.

She’s providing healthcare in Papua New Guinea.

To help support MVNU’s vision, visit us today at giving.mvnu.edu.

MVNU Development 800 Martinsburg Road Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050

7 QUESTIONS WITH ... Marcy Rinehart Can you tell us a little bit about your role with WNZR and what a typical day (if such a thing exists) in the life of Marcy Rinehart looks like?

I am the Station Manager of WNZR. I wear a lot of different hats in this role including Program Director, morning show co-host, fundraising, promotions/community outreach, marketing, and supervising the WNZR Student Leadership Team. A typical day starts at 6 a.m. when I go on the air for WNZR’s morning show, “The Morning Thing.” I have 2 student co-hosts who work with me. At 9 a.m., my role of Station Manager kicks in as I answer the phone and email while working on programming the station. It is hard to describe a typical day, because every day is a little different. I am the official problem solver, so I spend a lot of my day putting out the most recent fire.

21

How did you get started in radio?

During my senior year of high school, I came to MVNU for a visit. I was interested in the field of Communications, so I took a tour of the radio station and fell in love with WNZR. As a freshman, I had my first on-air shift by October. I have always loved music, talking and people. A career in radio was a perfect choice since I could focus on all three interests.

How has the Christian radio industry (and radio broadcasting in general) changed since you first started?

Technology has changed everything.

Radio stations rely on computers for all operations – music scheduling and storage, programming and operation.

The days of spinning records and being live at all times are gone. We don’t even use CDs anymore, except to train students in how to run a studio if a computer crashes! Christian radio has changed to focus more on the listener’s needs and tastes. Programming has moved from predominant talk formats to more music-intensive formats. Stations across the country are also focused on reaching families through promotions and events.

You and your husband, Joe Rinehart (an MVNU faculty member and host of “The Afternoon Drive” on WNZR), are extremely active in the local community.

What are some of your favorite projects?

We have been involved with Knox County’s Food For The Hungry drive since 1991. We love helping to collect food and funds for the Salvation Army and Interchurch Social Services. Each December, we are able to use our talents to help coordinate a TV/Radio simulcast. We are also connected to Knox County’s Distinguished Young Women of the Year and Care Net Pregnancy Services.

We also enjoy ringing bells for the Salvation Army each holiday season.

WNZR is both listener-supported and almost exclusively student-run, which must set it apart from a lot of other radio stations. What do you like best about the way WNZR works?

I love that students have the opportunity for hands-on learning. We take the lessons from the classroom and put them into practice in a real-life learning laboratory.

The lessons take on an in-depth meaning when students get a chance to interact with our listeners. Student learning really kicks in when they realize that the work they do really makes a difference in someone’s life.

What’s it like, working so closely with your husband?

People ask us this question all the time.

Honestly, some days are better than others. I do love working with someone who is just as passionate as I am about the ministry of radio. My husband is a brilliant teacher, and there are communities all across this country reaping the benefits of his gifts as our former students live out ministry in their daily lives.

How can folks listen to and support WNZR? WNZR can be found on your radio at 90.9FM, online at www.wnzr.fm and coming soon – a WNZR app for iPhones and Android devices. WNZR is a listenersupported broadcast ministry of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and our student leadership team is funded by this listener support. Donations can be made online at www.wnzr.fm by clicking the donate button on the main page. Or checks can be made payable to WNZR and sent to 800 Martinsburg Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. Our annual fundraiser is called Lifeline and takes place early in March each year.

Marcy Rinehart is the WNZR Station Manager and hosts “The Morning Thing” weekdays from 6 – 9 a.m. She also is fairly addicted to crime scene investigation shows (such as NCIS and CSI) and her DVR.

What's On My Shelf?

Book Reviews by

W. Brett Wiley, Assistant Professor of English, Department Chair

Flannery: a Life of Flannery O’Connor

by Brad Gooch

This 2009 biography of the southern, Catholic novelist from Milledgeville, Georgia, is insightful and engaging. It doesn’t hurt that the subject is a fascinating study. Gooch successfully tells the story of a literary life while allowing O’Connor’s own voice to emerge simultaneously, resulting in a book that is equal parts comedy and tragedy.

Train Dreams

by Denis Johnson

DEV AD

Johnson is considered by many to be one of the most important American authors writing today—most people have probably never heard of him. This novella, published in 2011, was on the shortlist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in Literature (an honor that wasn’t awarded to anyone). It is historical fiction set in the Pacific Northwest that contains intriguing characters and incredibly sparse prose, successfully leaving you wanting more detail—so much so that you might find you read the whole book in one sitting.

A Journey Through American Literature

by Kevin J. Hayes

Hayes’ journey through American literature might be described as a sprint— at 171 pages, you hardly think he could say anything of worth more than 200 years of national literary history. Nevertheless, the book is a great introduction to many of the key themes, writers, genres, texts, and characters that have come to define the literature of the United States. Its succinctness is not a limitation but will rather make you want to revisit novels you read in high school, find some new poetry shelved at the public library, or venture out to a community production of a now-famous American play.

Featured School: Theology and Philosophy

From the Salon to the Sanctuary

By Melissa Fraber (’10)

In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would be in ministry as a Children’s Pastor. God definitely had a different plan for me. When I was in middle school, my dream had always been to become a cosmetologist. In high school, I went on to pursue that dream and graduated with my cosmetology license. Right after graduation I started working in a salon; I loved my job but it quickly became a burden instead of a blessing. I knew cosmetology was not the career that God wanted for me so I began to seek what He wanted for my life.

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God guided me in ways I never could have imagined. I started working with the preteen girls at the church I was attending and wound up using my cosmetology skills with those girls. As we all know, the preteen years are the hardest years, especially for young girls. The girls I worked with struggled with the concept of beauty, because the only message they received was that they were not beautiful enough.

Using my talents, I was able to show the girls that their outer beauty was just one part of who they are. As I worked on their hair and makeup, I talked with them about what inner beauty means and how God created them as His beautiful creation. These conversations were a way that I could encourage them to look deeper than just the outside appearances and look inside for the beauty that God has in store for them.

The time spent with the girls was not only a great time to teach them, but also to learn myself. I knew God was calling me into the ministry, but I did not know what that ministry would look like. I knew He was not going to eliminate the dream I had in cosmetology; rather, he would use my dreams in a new way to promote His kingdom.

In order to fulfill this new calling, I began looking into colleges for ministry. I chose MVNU and started out as a youth ministry major.

Soon after starting school, God made it very clear to me that He wanted me working with children.

“As I worked on their hair and makeup, I talked with them about what inner beauty means and how God created them as His beautiful creation.”

Throughout my time at MVNU, I struggled with the concept of being called into ministry. Every time that I would wrestle with my calling, God would assure me that I was in the right place.

Throughout college, I worked at a hair salon and met a lot of people. These people were put in my life to remind me that God was still using cosmetology to help me minister for His glory.

After graduation, I spent the summer interning at the church in which I grew up. While I was there, I took every opportunity to make an impact on the children in our ministry. During the last month of my internship, we did a “back to school bash” and offered free school supplies, food, and other goodies to help the kids start their school year. I gave free haircuts at the event, and it was such a blessing to be able to reach those children in a way that most pastors can only dream of.

I am currently a full-time Children’s Pastor at Westerville Church of the Nazarene, and God is using my ability to connect with people.

My dream is to have a salon for children where they can come and not only get a haircut, but also learn about the love of Christ. God has done amazing things in my life and has helped me conquer my fears of not being beautiful enough. Our society tries to tell us what beauty looks like but God shows us a different kind of beauty. He created us in His image and wants his children to know that they are beautiful, important, and loved.

People come to cosmetologists to be made beautiful, but Christ calls us to Him to be made beautiful in a way this world does not offer. I am blessed to be involved in helping people see their true inner and outer beauty through the love of Christ.

A Mission in Bolivia

By Amy Johnson

This was my introduction to street life in Bolivia four years ago.

It’s difficult to get an accurate number, but we know that there are tens of thousands of kids and teenagers living on the streets in cities all over Bolivia. Most of the bridges and parks around Cochabamba are home to groups of kids from 7-yearsold and up, who’ve escaped or been kicked out of dysfunctional and abusive families.

The streets are the devil’s stronghold, and street life is not easy for the kids. They’ve all turned to drugs in attempt to numb their emotional and physical pain, hunger, and cold. Many of the girls have dabbled in prostitution, been raped by the police, or been taken advantage of by the boys; and the boys have learned to fight and defend themselves in territory wars between bridges that have permanently scarred their faces, maimed their bodies, and left several kids dead. These kids are below the lowest class in society, and nobody really wants to touch them.

All my life, I’ve heard God’s voice calling me to go to the hurting and forgotten people in the world, and so by mid-2008 I began spending each day on the streets with the kids. I would often bring the kids back to my house during the day to do art and crafts, to bake and cook lunch, and to share, pray, and study the Bible together.

Amy Johnson, with a few of the young people to whom she ministers through the work of Casa Koinonia.

When there were fights, I took the kids that got stabbed to the ER. When the kids were sick, I took them to the doctor. When they wanted to visit their families but were afraid to go alone, we went together.

As I spent time with the kids and made connections with all the other projects around the city that work with the streetdwelling population, I quickly saw the spiritual vacuum and lack of Christian ministries. It also became clear that working with the kids in groups brought about little change because the hurt and trauma in each and every kid’s life was so profound. So I began focusing my ministry on a small number of the older teenagers, whom most people considered to be lost causes. I started witnessing to some of the girls, working with their families and younger siblings in prevention, helping the young couples find rooms to rent and jobs, and even moved one of the girls into my house for a few months.

My heart has always been to see these kids and young adults live the lives God has for them, and I believe that total life transformation and healing is possible, but it must start with a work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. With that understanding, and with the years of experience I’ve had on the streets, God gave me the vision to create a holistic, discipleship-based ministry with the purpose of coming alongside the teenagers and young adults as they journey away from street life.

In October 2010, I moved into two large houses on a city lot within walking distance of one of the bridges, and by January 2011, Casa Koinonia became a reality. The ministry consists of a community house for volunteers from around the world where we can come

“My heart has always been to see these kids and young adults live the lives God has for them ...” together to share life and minister to the street-dwelling kids and young adults. We share meals with each other and the kids, meet for house church on Sundays, and work with the teenagers, young adults, and families as they leave street life behind through mentoring, counseling, discipleship, tutoring, arts and crafts, health and hygiene education, housing and job support, and often most simply through the friendships and trust we’ve built.

This year, I will be taking the first steps in the long process of making Casa Koinonia its own non-government foundation in Bolivia. The need is overwhelming, and as the ministry grows, so does the budget and the number of teenagers and young adults in our program. We rely on the work of local and foreign volunteers and the financial support of friends, family, and churches throughout North America.

It’s a long process to leave street life behind, and we are very encouraged by three young couples that are successfully living beyond the streets and seeking the path God has for them. This is just the beginning, and I’m very excited to see where God leads this ministry in the coming years.

You can contact Amy at amyinbolivia@gmail.com. For more information about Casa Koinonia, visit www.casakoinonia.com.

24 Mount Vernon NOW

With a small plastic bottle of clefa, or shoe glue, held firmly to her left nostril, she inhaled deeply and leaned back against her boyfriend as the two teenagers stood up against the concrete wall of the dry canal. He wrapped his arms around her eight-month-pregnant belly, and they both laughed at our poor, squeaky rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” while about a dozen street-dwelling kids and teenagers huddled around us in the filthy canal that reeked of human waste. Less than three months later, little, chubbycheeked, two-month-old baby Giselle died in that canal when her teenage mother was high from sniffing glue and passed out while breastfeeding, smothering the baby.

Campus Highlights SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY Faculty News

Dr. C. Jeanne Serrão (Biblical Literature) traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, in May to present a paper on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Dr. Olive Winchester’s ordination. Winchester was the first clergywoman to be ordained in the United Kingdom. Dr. Serrão’s paper dealt with Dr. Winchester’s contribution as a Greek scholar to Nazarene holiness theology.

Dr. Eric Vail has accepted an offer to become Assistant Professor of Theology in the fall. He received his Ph.D. in Theology from Marquette University. Recently, he has served as a pastor and adjunct professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary.

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES Faculty News

25

Dr. Anderson Rearick (English) spoke at the 8th Biannual Frances White Ewbank Colloquium on C. S. Lewis and Friends held at Taylor University from May 31 to June 2. The topic was “The Narrator of Tolkien’s Hobbit—The Oral Tradition of Telling Truth to Children.”

SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Maradith Noonen (’11), a second-year medical student at The Ohio State University, wrote an article entitled, “Concierge Medicine: Ideal Healthcare …

If you can Afford it,” for the Family Medicine Interest Group Newsletter in June.

A copy of her article can be found online at www.mvnu.edu/news/MVNUNow.

Faculty News

Dr. Bradley Whitaker (Mathematics) has agreed to become the new Director of Academic Support effective July 1. He will lead the effort

to re-think our approach toward Academic Success for our students. More details on this will emerge throughout the 2012-2013 academic year.

JETTER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Faculty News

Dr. David Skinner (Finance) has jointly written an article with Dr. Chungyeol (Michelle) Park, Chair of Owens International College, a part of Korea Nazarene University, which has been accepted by the Korea Journal for a forthcoming issue. It was entitled “Can Differences in Nations’ Rule of Law Be Explained By Religion?”

Dr. Jill Risner (Management) successfully defended her dissertation, “The Economic Impact on Coping Strategies used for Household Financial Management” on April 24, 2012, at Anderson University.

Dr. Chris Neuenschwander successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, “Do Loan Characteristics Considered Predatory in Nature Increase the Risk of Default and Foreclosure?” on March 29, 2012, at Anderson University.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Holly Troyer (’12) was accepted to present at the Ohio College Association of Social Work Educators (OCASWE) Spring 2012 Conference at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. Troyer’s presentation was based on outcomes of a two-year-long honors research project entitled “Meeting the Population Where They Are At: Listening to the Voices of the Hispanic Community in a Small Town in Rural Ohio.” Troyer graduated with a BSW and honors designation this May.

Faculty News

Lena Crouso was the keynote speaker for the 21st Annual Ohio Future Educators of America (FEA) Conference at Muskingum University on Friday, March 9, 2012. Nearly 500 high school students—future educators from all over Ohio—were in attendance. Her message was entitled “Teach to Transform: Seeing Your Students with 20/20 Vision.”

Dr. Damon Osborne has just published a chapter in Best Practices of Online Education: A Guide for Christian Education.

Sharon Metcalfe will become the Chair of the Graduate Education Department, while also retaining the PEL Coordinator position. She will also coordinate the CUI program as needed.

SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES Faculty News

Dr. Carol Dorough has accepted an offer to become the next Dean for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, beginning July 1. She comes from Bethel College where she served as the Dean of Nursing. She also served in the same capacity at Southern Nazarene University.

STAFF UPDATES Jeff Spear has been asked to serve with NACUBO and AGB on a task force to look at how institutional aid is reported. This group will seek to identify other ways in which aid can be quantified and compared amongst institutions. The sense is that a general discount rate is insufficient in identifying how effective private higher education is in achieving goals of affordability, access, and class shaping.

WNZR Powers Through Storm There’s something to be said about living up to one’s name. And following the violent windstorm that blew through Mount Vernon and Knox County on June 29, staff members of WNZR-FM certainly did just that.

Adopting the nickname of The Lifeline many years ago, students and staff of Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s radio station were a saving grace to many of their listeners after electric power was knocked out across the area.

In looking at the events that unfolded following the storm, “This was the most challenging four- to five-day period I’ve had,” said Joe Rinhart, director of broadcasting. When electric power was lost in the area early Friday evening, generators at Founders Hall kicked on immediately, which kept the station up and running. Calls to the station began coming in about electric being out or that poles and trees were down in neighborhoods. Within two hours, it was a steady stream of phone calls with those seeking advice or providing emergency information.

The priority that evening was set at letting people know how widespread the power outage was, where there were downed trees and power lines and keeping the residents safe. Information was coming in from American Electric Power, Knox County Sheriff David Barber as well as numerous listeners.

“Friday evening was all about safety,” said Marcy Rinehart, station manager. “Then on Saturday, and even Sunday, it turned into ‘what has been affected, what is canceled and what is closed.’ Then on

Monday it turned more into ‘what are my necessities and where can I find them.’”

Information was then being shared with county officials and the American Red Cross on what could be done to know if food was safe to eat, where residents could find ice or cold water or even where people could go just to find a place to cool off during the extreme heat. “It was important that we knew how to balance information coming in from officials and that from members of the community,” said Joe. On Saturday morning, a control panel for the Founders Hall generator failed, causing an interruption of broadcasting.

Some creative bypass work allowed for broadcast to resume shortly before noon which worked well until Monday morning when the generator failed once again.

Parts of an old generator were then put on the newer generator, and what Joe calls “MacGyver Radio” was made possible by plugging equipment from the mobile Big Blue unit directly into a processor at the transmitter site. Emergency updates were broadcast from the site, and music was played, in a mono format, from a Kindle media reader while engineers worked on the generator equipment back at Founders Hall.

Five students were working over this period with the Rineharts to offer as much helpful information to the listeners as possible. “We kind of needed to go over the basics and make sure people understand that this was going to be a long-term event,” said Joe. “That’s what people told me that they really appreciated. We’re all in this together; let’s help each other.”

“It was stressful at times, but at the same time manageable,” said student worker D.J. Mills. Renovations were ongoing inside the WNZR studio, so working conditions

“I’ll take this with me forever. You can’t replicate this in any way. There were so many ‘thank yous’ and ‘nobody else is doing this for us.’” were already a little inconvenient, which compounded the problem of not having a full capacity of electric power.

“With the air conditioning out, we were sitting in a 95-degree studio hoping that our computers weren’t going to be fried,” said Mills. “It was hard at times, but we were able to get through it. Now that I have this experience, the next time something like this happens I can run with it.”

“I’ll take this with me forever. You can’t replicate this in any way. There were so many ‘thank yous’ and ‘nobody else is doing this for us,’” said student worker Sonny Panzica about the responses he heard from the WNZR listeners following the storm. “They were just so grateful because they were in a bad place and we were there for them.”

“They did a great job. They were providing information that people really needed to hear,” said Knox County Commissioner Teresa Bemiller. “I was very impressed with their coverage. You got that real hometown feel with them, and they were a good resource for people.”

26 Mount Vernon NOW

By Alan Reed Mount Vernon News (reprinted with permission)

The Grapevine 1970 s Gail Finnie (’73) just released her 4th solo CD, “Heart of a Believer!” gailfinnie@ yahoo.com

Fall 2012 Alumni Travel Schedule: September 14 Dayton Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Red Robin at Fairfield Commons (Beavercreek) 14 Indianapolis Alumni Chapter Event, 6:30 p.m., Buca di Beppo downtown 15 COUGARS ON THE ROAD—Women’s Volleyball and Alumni Rally, 1 p.m. at Marian University in Indianapolis.

26 Newark Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Olive Garden in Heath October 4 Gahanna Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Hickory House 9 Cincinnati Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Red Robin at Union Center 17 Polaris Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Smokey Bones 20 COUGARS ON THE ROAD—Men's Soccer and Alumni Rally, 4 p.m. at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.

25 Mansfield Network Lunch, 12 p.m., O'Charley's 27 Nashville Alumni Chapter Event, 6:30 p.m., Buca di Beppo at Cool Springs (Franklin) November 12 Charleston Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Fifth Quarter 13 Morgantown Network Lunch, 12 p.m., Ruby Tuesdays at Pierpont 30 Kansas City Alumni Chapter Event, 6:30 pm, Zio's in Olathe December 1 Kansas City Alumni Chapter Event, Noon, Jack Stack Barbeque at Overland Park, see www.mvnu.edu/alumni for details January (2013) 11-13 Florida Alumni Chapter Events, see www.mvnu.edu/alumni for details

Editorial Note: In the Grapevine section of the Spring edition of Mount Vernon NOW, we misidentified Ana, Marne, and Kate Wittung in a picture accompanying the article entitled “Just Like That.” We regret the error and made the correction to the online version at www.mvnu.edu/news/MVNUNow.

Rev. Greg Mason (‘76), District Superintendent of the Mississippi and Louisiana Districts received the Charles H. Strickland Leadership Award for his outstanding leadership as a pastor, district superintendent, and loyal alumnus of Nazarene Bible College from President Harold Graves, Jr. (M.Min. '94). The award was presented at the Mississippi assembly on April 20, 2012.

198 0 s Karen (Stewart ’84) and Brian (’88) Summerson are excited that Karen has accepted a full-time position to teach mathematics at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Sanibel@q.com

199 0 s Bekki (Skipworth) and Jay Zornes (’90) are happy to announce that Jay has been elected President of the Ironton City Schools Board of Education.

He is currently serving his third year on the board. Jay and Bekki have two daughters, Lilly (9) and Julia (2).

JayZornes@sbcglobal.net Amy (Anderson ’95) and John (’93) Keyser are pleased to announce that John has been promoted to National Director of Assurance Services for McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. Amy is a stayat-home mom; they reside in Las Vegas, Nevada, with their three children: Alison (6), David (4), and Ashley (2). jdkaak3@yahoo.com

Alumni Council Voting Open Until September 30!

MVNU Alumni are invited to vote for a Clergy Representative to the MVNU Board of Trustees. Voting is online and open until Sept. 30.

Please visit www.mvnu.edu/alumni/alumnivoting/ballot.asp to cast your ballot today!

Charlene (Capela ’97) and Rob Stephens were married in Erie, Penn., on Feb. 12, 2011.

Charlene was offered a position in West Lafayette, Ind., to work with autistic children. They currently reside in Lafayette, Ind. Rob is currently employed with Meijer in the produce department.

2000s Christy (Cramer ’00) and Tom Myers welcomed Ethan James on March 13, 2012. He is joining older brother Andrew (2). Christy is a second-grade teacher at Liberty Center Elementary School; the family resides in Napoleon, Ohio.

Heather (Werling ’00) and Mark Moffett welcomed their first child, Logan Wallace, on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012. Heather is a veterinarian in Denver, Colorado, and Mark is the volunteer coordinator for Dare 2 Share ministries. hdelight@hotmail.com Marcia (Reston ’00) and Sergio Machado now reside in Manaus, Brazil, with their twin daughters, Maria Emilia and Maria Carolina, born October 24, 2011. marciareston@yahoo.com.

Nick (’00) and Ashlie Hershberger welcomed Leah Grace on Feb. 8, 2012. Leah joins sister, Hannah (5), and brother,

Gabe (2). The family currently resides in Sugarcreek, Ohio. nick.hershberger@gmail.com Micah (’01) and Whitney (Severns ’01) Werling announce the birth of their new son, Greyson Andrew, born Feb. 10, 2012. Greyson joins his older brother, Brady (3). Micah is a firefighter/paramedic in Delaware, Ohio, and Whitney is a stayat-home mom. They currently reside in Marion, Ohio. wwerling@hotmail.com Jeremy (’02) and Amanda Slone are moving to Gaborone, Botswana, so Jeremy can serve as the sole Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist at Princess Marina Hospital. Jeremy is currently employed at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Jeremy and Amanda will spend the majority of their time in Botswana and then up to two months in Houston each year. smileymhs@yahoo.com; jeremysethslone@gmail.com

Stacy (Baird ’02) and Mark Smith welcomed a daughter, Aeris Rylynn, in Aug., 2011.

Stacy and Mark were married in July, 2010. sbaird44@yahoo.com Martin (’03) and Heather (Mann ’03) Burns announce the birth of their daughter, Jillian Cherish, on May 31, 2012. She joins her older brothers, Kaden (6) and Elisha (3). Martin is the Youth Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene in Maynesburg, Penn.; Heather is the Worship Leader there and is also a Preschool Music Teacher. mhburns@windstream.net Brooke (Goodenberger ’03) and William Gowan announce the birth of their first child, Daniel William “Dane” Gowan, born Sep. 15, 2011.

William is an engineering manager at Sea Ray boat group and Brooke is a stay-at-home mom. They currently reside in Merritt Island, Florida. brookegowan@aol.com

Please feel free to submit photos of weddings, babies, etc. to

Mount Vernon NOW, 800 Martinsburg Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050, or by email to alumni@mvnu.edu, or online at grapevine.mvnu.edu.

NOTICE: Due to space limitations, we will no longer publish baby weights and measurements.

Thank you for understanding.

28 Mount Vernon NOW

Elizabeth and Andrew (“Andy” ’95) Daniels are pleased to announce Andy has been named to the 2012 Rural Health Champion by the Ohio Health Information Partnership. Andy is the Chief Operating Officer for the Avita Health Care System. andy@daniels.us.com

The Grapevine Patrick (’03) and Stephanie Cornish have recently relocated to North Carolina. Patrick is currently stationed with the Navy at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene. Patrick and Stephanie have recently become independent distributors for ViSalus Body By Vi Challenge.

Patrick will be deployed in the near future, but he knows that his wife and children will be well taken care of back home. The Cornish family looks forward to what God has in store for them this coming year. Navymedic12@ yahoo.com Ryan (’03) and Jecelyn McClintock are pleased to announce the birth of their first daughter, Addilyn Alyxandria, born Jan. 20, 2011. ryanmarkmcclintock@gmail.com Allison Beekman (’04) is now a full-time missionary for Christian Service International in Community Development through Public Health in Highgate, Jamaica. allison.beekman@gmail.com Christina (Miller ’04) and Austin Barker were blessed with a new daughter, Seraphina Hope, born Sept. 15, 2010; Seraphina joins her older brother, Orion Robert. Christina.j.barker@gmail.com Justin (’04) and Amanda Ross announce that Justin has graduated from the Anderson University School of Theology with a Master of Divinity degree. They have accepted the position as Lead Pastor of New Middletown Free Methodist Community Church near Youngstown, Ohio. jaross913@gmail.com Maria (Watkins ’04) and Nick (’05) Brown welcomed their second daughter, Kensington Ryelle Brown, on July 3, 2012; she joins big sister, McKinley. Nick is a branch manager for JPMorganChase and Maria is an occupational therapist for OhioHealth.

Matt (’04) and Jeni (Vanderhoof ’04) Bradley welcomed their new daughter, Jordan Brooke, to the family on Dec. 14, 2011.

Jordan joins two

older sisters, Logan (4) and Payton (2). bradma@wapak.org Christina Ryan Claypool (’05) was the $10,000 first-prize winner of the 2011 Amy Writing Awards with her article, “Finding Forgiveness.”

Myra (Batres ’06) and Andrew (’06) Dempsey welcomed their second child, Esther Lynn, on Feb. 2, 2012. Everyone is excited to have Esther around, especially her older brother, Elijah Manuel (2). andrew.dempsey@yahoo.com Alex (’07) and Holly Connell welcomed their new son, Xavier Edward, into the world on May 7, 2012. pastorconnell@gmail.com Krystina Wilson (’07) received a Master of Science in Forensic Studies with a concentration in Forensic Behavior Analysis from the Florida Gulf Coast University in April, 2012. krystiwilson3@gmail.com Chad (’08) and Wendy (Darling ’07) Yoder are proud to announce the birth of their beautiful daughter, Claire Renee Yoder, born on Feb. 7, 2012. chad@livesarechanging.com Kristina (Jukiewicz ’08) Carver received her Master’s degree in English Language Learning from Western Governors University in 2011.

She is currently working as a substitute teacher and tutor in New Hampshire. kjcarver@live.com Ashley (Davis ’09) and Ben (’10) Kuhn are pleased to announce the birth of their new son, Boaz Andrew Kuhn. He was born April 3, 2012 at Camden Clark Memorial Hospital in Parkersburg, West Virginia. ashleykuhn@broadwaynazarene.com

Jessica (’09) and Paul Dawes announce the birth of their son, Gavin James, born March 22, 2012. Jessica and Paul are thankful for God’s given miracle. jdawes@mvnu.edu Katie (Disharoon ‘09) and Ronnie Shook were married on May 12, 2012. Currently living in Millersville, Maryland, Katie works for the Maryland Department of Housing and Ronnie works for a local computer security company. katielee87@gmail.com

2010 s Holly Porter (’10) is now employed by Arhaus and has been recently asked to go to New York City to help a struggling Arhaus location.

Kimberly (Henderson ’10) and Jason Taylor are expecting their first child, a baby girl, in July, 2012. Kimberly and Jason were married August 6, 2011. khenders@mvnu.edu Hannah (’11) and Micah Kuhn are pleased to announce Hannah’s new position as Administrative Assistant to the Mobilization Officer with Extreme Nazarene Ministries. hkuhn@mail.mvnu.edu James (’12) and Dana (Reamer ’10) Golla were married on Dec. 17, 2011. elizagolla@ gmail.com

In Memorium Juanita Daniel went to be with the Lord quietly and peacefully at 8 p.m., Tuesday evening, March 27, 2012, according to her sons Brian (’87) and Scott (’86).

She worked on campus first as faculty secretary beginning in September of 1973. She then worked for Mr. John Donoho in Student Development from September 1979 until her retirement in July 1998.

Where In the World Are MVNU Alumni?

Send us a picture of yourself “on the road,” whether somewhere significant in the United States, or halfway around the world. Please include: 1. Name(s) including maiden name 2. Class Year 3. Location of picture 4. A one- or two-sentence description of the picture

Kathryn Vasquez (’11) at Weihsien Internment Camp, China.

Please make sure you are wearing an MVNU shirt, hat, jacket, sweater, etc., which is visible in the photo you are submitting. Submit your pictures to alumni@mvnu.edu. Take a look at these recent submissions:

Terri Huff Downin (’80) and Heather H uff (’90) at Ca Mountain melback in Phoenix .

Jason Lewis (’01) at Le Pretre, Haiti.

Congratulations to Jay Decker (’09) for winning the Spring contest.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University 800 Martinsburg Road Mount Vernon, OH 43050 Address Service Requested

Festival of Joy and Grandparents’ Day OCTOBER 23, 2012

Dr. James Diehl

General Superintendent Emeritus Church of the Nazarene

Sue Dodge

Four-time Dove Award-winner

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