Point Magazine Summer 2011

Summer 2011

M A G A Z I N E

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Creating a Family The untold story of the Point University baseball team’s success.

Believe in Miracles

Born nearly four months early and weighing less than two pounds, Eli Aldridge is a living testament to the power of prayer.

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Meet the Class of 2011

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Life Reinterpreted

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On Living and Dying

Get to know a few of the graduates from our latest record-breaking class.

billy howard photography

Glenn Burton nearly died from a gunshot wound at age 14, but he turned a life filled with violence and drugs into a life that honors and serves God and others.

Jim Street ’74 tells the powerful story of Tom Swift ’81 and his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

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From the President Campus News Class Notes

CONTENTS

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Kevin Cox ’13 took a big risk when working on his college applications – he only applied to one school. “I felt that the Lord led me here,” he explains. “It was the only school I applied to because it’s the only place I wanted to go!”

Now a junior majoring in biblical studies and preaching ministry, Cox says his favorite thing about Point University is the atmosphere. “Everyone pretty much knows

everyone,” he says, “and I love just seeing the moments where students will be praying together and mentoring each other, just during normal school days.”

“My life has changed drastically since before I came here,” says Cox, a native of Stockbridge, Ga. “The relationships with professors and students, the spiritual journey, the love and compassion – it all equals an experience that won’t be forgotten.”

–Sarah Huxford

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FROM THE PRESIDENT POIN T M AG AZ I NE Volume 50, Number 1 Summer 2011 EDITOR Sarah G. Huxford

“I

came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” These wonderful words of Jesus run through my mind regularly. God’s desire for everyone is that we experience his amazing love and live in the fullness of his life. That is the point of God’s story revealed in Scripture. It is also the point and centerpiece of what Point University is all about. Yes, we are an academic institution, but we are more than that – and have always been more than that. The institution’s founders knew Jesus and desired that others know him; therefore, teaching students in the ways of Christ was central in our founding and is still central in our education process today.

When you read the pages of Scripture, God’s plan for getting his word out is rather simple: those who know and follow Christ share Christ with others. There are no exceptions. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a group of Christians who are the keepers and protectors of God’s message, and nowhere is there a group of Christians exempt from sharing God’s love.

Here at Point University, it is our goal to train the whole student. We desire that all students in every major come to know Christ, to deepen their walk with him, and to leave their alma mater committed to living out the abundant life in such a way that others would see Christ and be drawn to him.

In this issue, I hope you’ll enjoy reading stories of how current and former students are experiencing the life of Christ. I also hope you’ll see their commitment to sharing his abundant life.

As God points us toward a new location, to additional off-site campuses, and to expanded programs, he also points us back to our roots in him, reminding us – all of us – to preach with our lives and our words the abundant life of Christ.

Dean C. Collins ’79 President

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Point Magazine exists to tell Point University’s stories. It is intended to serve as a vehicle for connecting the University’s alumni and friends. For the first 49 volumes of its existence, Point Magazine was known as The Gold & Blue.

The magazine is published by the Communications Office, which retains the right to determine the editorial content and presentation of information contained herein.

Articles or opinion pieces contributed by guest writers do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of Point University and its board of trustees. Point Magazine welcomes reader responses to its content.

Contact Point Magazine: Point University Attn: Point Magazine 2605 Ben Hill Road East Point, GA 30344 404-761-8861 sarah.huxford@point.edu ©2011 Point University

On the cover: Glenn Burton ’12 (Photo by Billy Howard) Point University’s mission is to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. Point University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate and baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Point.

billy howard photography

“We desire that all students in every major come to know Christ, to deepen their walk with him, and to leave their alma mater committed to living out the abundant life in such a way that others would see Christ and be drawn to him.”

CONTRIBUTORS Storey Brown ’11 Jessie Carroll ’14 Morgan Harper Nichols ’10 Elizabeth Reid ’13 Jim Street ’74

CAMPUS NEWS

roger cannon photography

Realize your T he graduates walking across the stage at commencement on May 14 held a unique distinction: they were the last class to graduate under the Atlanta Christian College name. It was also another record-breaking class, with 104 students earning degrees.

The commencement speaker was Rhys Stenner, senior pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., where graduation was held.

Stenner proved to be a nontraditional commencement speaker, frequently walking amongst the graduates as he spoke, rather than addressing them from behind the pulpit. He even began his address by taking a photo of the graduates to post – live – to his Twitter account (pictured above).

Stenner based his message on the biblical story of Joseph, reminding graduates to follow God’s plan for their lives rather than their own. “Sometimes your dream is so small because you think that’s all you’re capable of,” he said. “Don’t follow your dream; rather, realize your destiny.”

“Graduating class, God has great things in store for you,” Stenner added.

“He can use the frustrations, and the

disappointments, and the failures, and the years of delay to bring you to realize your destiny.”

This spring’s graduating class included a large number of Access students who may have graduated, but won’t be leaving Point anytime soon – they earned associate Above left: Dr. Eddie Groover ’67 with President Dean Collins degrees and plan ’79; above right: married graduates Doug and Jameia Johnto continue on son crossed the stage and received their diplomas together. to the bachelor’s earned a degree with a dual major in degree program. humanities and biblical studies. The The 2011 Hathcock Award winners 2011 recipient from the Access prowere also announced during the cergram was Don Pollard, of Conyers, Ga., emony. The award, named for founder who earned a degree in organizational Judge T. O. Hathcock, is the highest honor the University awards to a gradu- leadership.

Also during commencement, former ating senior. It is given based on the college president and current chancelqualities of scholarship, character and lor Dr. Eddie Groover ’67 was recogservant leadership. This year’s recipinized for his 40 years of service to the ent from the traditional program was institution.

Kalyn Reeves, of Buchanan, Ga. Reeves

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In the Classroom COURSE NAME MUS 103: Music Theory INSTRUCTOR Katie L. Cartwright, Ph.D., Professor of Music COURSE SUMMARY “My doctoral emphasis was in music theory pedagogy and learning styles,” says Cartwright. “My students come to me from all different types of backgrounds with one common thread: they love music. I want them to be able to ‘talk the talk’ with musicians trained in both classical and contemporary styles. Music theory is difficult for many people, yet very important to learn if they are going to take their skills to the next level.”

SUGGESTED READING Cartwright’s textbook, Essential Skills for the 21st Century Musician, was written as part of her doctoral work (search the title on Facebook to find out more).

She also suggests Music Theory Made Easy with Paul Baloche and Band; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, by Michael Miller; and The Nashville Number System, 6th Edition, by Chas Williams.

Shortly after the end of the 2011 Women of Faith Revolve Tour, speaker and singer Jamie Grace took the stage for Revolve fans once again: this time in her home state, Georgia, and at her very own college, Point University. Just as the early summer heat began to cool down, Jamie Grace, a rising senior at Point, took the stage on the campus’ Old Main Plaza for an acoustic performance for “Girls’ Night Out.” Singing songs she has been playing on tour this year around the country, she also entertained the girls with her number one Christian Hits Radio (CHR) Single “Hold Me,” which audiences had grown to love at the Revolve Tour in February.

Following the music, Jamie Grace took some time to get to know the girls, moms, and chaperones personally over s’mores, picture taking, and autograph signings. As the sun began to set over campus, it seemed as though the crowd was enjoying the intimate setting of Jamie Grace’s performance.

“We had a blast spending some time with Jamie Grace!” said Trisha Harville, a youth leader from McDonough, Ga., and mother of Point soccer player Levi Harville ’13.

Jamie Grace, the newest member of Grammy-award winner Toby Mac’s Gotee Records, is currently working on a full-length album that is expected to release this fall. Meanwhile, her CHR hit single has held a number one place on the charts for three consecutive weeks. Jamie Grace is looking forward to being a part of the Point community this fall.

“I’m excited about living on campus and being at Point this fall,” Jamie Grace said. “I love it here and I can’t wait to continue being involved with campus life when I’m not on tour.

Hopefully I’ll be able to be a part of more events like ‘Girls’ Night Out.’ That was fun!”

–Morgan Harper Nichols ’10

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Hughes Visits Point Campus On Wednesday, April 13, Point University hosted Dr. and Mrs. Richard Hughes as campus guests. Dr. Hughes spoke in chapel, then hosted a question-and-answer session as a follow-up to his lecture.

Hughes, a well-known and respected professor, lecturer and writer, has received degrees from Harding University, Abilene Christian University and the University of Iowa. He has taught at Pepperdine University, Southwest Missouri State University and Abilene Christian University, and currently serves as a distinguished professor of religion at Messiah College in Pennsylvania.

With a Ph.D. in the history of Christianity since the 1500s, Hughes specializes in the intersection of religion and culture. At Point, he focused this wide area of interest on issues of racial and gender diversity. The effort to make the church a representation of the kingdom is difficult; issues of racial diversity still prompt strong emotions for many. But in his speech, Hughes complimented Point University on its diverse student body – recognized as one of the most diverse among American baccalaureate institutions by U.S. News & World Report.

Hughes’ question-and-answer session was well attended and prompted discussion between students and faculty about a diversity of topics, including racism within Christianity, women in ministry, public school systems, and the ever-present struggle of remaining in the world without being of it. While diversity can be challenging, Hughes points out, the church on earth is meant to reflect the kingdom of God – and we know that will include members from every “tongue, tribe and nation” (Rev. 5:9).

–Elizabeth Reid ’13

morgan harper nichols ’10

Jamie Grace takes the stage at “Girls’ Night Out”

photo courtesy of kevin porter

ACC/Point Joins NAIA and Appalachian Athletic Conference The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced at its annual convention that Point University is one of its four newest members.

“On behalf of the NAIA, our member institutions and conferences, I welcome these four institutions and look forward to a long partnership to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. “These institutions are committed to providing meaningfully unique experiences for student-athletes.”

“The NAIA is a great fit for our university,” said Dean Collins, president of Point University. “I’m confident that the culture of the NAIA and the level of competitive play are perfect for our student-athletes.”

This fall, Point University’s baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, and softball teams will compete at the NAIA level. Other teams will move to the NAIA level in fall 2012, when the university also plans to add five new sports.

Point University has also been invited to join the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), which includes eight other NAIA-member institutions.

“We are delighted to welcome Point University to the AAC! Our presidents were impressed with the college’s plans for expansion on their new campus in West Point, Ga., next year,” said John Sullivan, commissioner of the AAC. “We believe they bring a very compatible culture to the Conference, and that their teams will compete well. We are focused on developing character through intercollegiate athletics and we see that same focus at Point. We look forward to a long and productive relationship.”

“This is an exciting time for students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters of Point University athletics,” said Kevin Porter, athletic director and head football coach. “The NAIA and AAC’s missions of focusing on character-driven colleges and universities are a perfect fit academically and athletically, and we

Porter Named First Head Football Coach Point University has appointed Kevin Porter its first-ever head football coach.

Porter, who comes to Point from a position as head coach at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo., will also serve as athletic director.

Porter comes to Point University with extensive experience as both a player and a coach. At Auburn University, he was a four-year starter at cornerback.

He was a two-time All-SEC selection at defensive back, and was honored as Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the 1984 Liberty Bowl.

A third-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1988, Porter spent six years in the NFL, ending his career in 1993 with the New York Jets.

Porter’s coaching experience includes stints with the Arena Football League and af2. He began his head coaching career with the Pensacola Barracudas in 2000, followed by several seasons as head coach of the Macon Knights. He took his af2 teams to the playoffs all four seasons and had won the most games in af2 history (45-27 record) before moving on to serve as defensive coordinator for the AFL’s New Orleans VooDoo, and then head coach of the Kansas City Command. He has also served as defensive coordinator for Mid America Nazarene University, where his unit ranked as one of the best in the Heart of America Conference.

Porter brings administrative experience with him to Point University as well, having also served as general manager of the AFL’s Kansas City Command.

Porter is a graduate of Avila with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and is completing a master’s degree

in organizational development.

He and his wife, Annjela, have two sons, Jacob (12) and Kellen (8).

“This is a great opportunity for me to get back to my home state and back to the Southeast, where I have lots of good relationships, friends and family,” said Porter. “I’m excited to be part of the transition to Point University and to build not only our athletic program, but also the university as a whole.”

Point University will field a club football team during the 2011-12 academic year, coordinated by Erasmus Harvey.

Porter will spend the year building a strong program for intercollegiate play beginning in fall 2012.

“Point University is extremely fortunate to have a man with Kevin Porter’s background to head not only our football program, but our athletic department as well. Kevin will be able to lead our sports teams to new levels as we continue to expand and improve,” said Alan Wilson, who will continue to serve the university as head men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director. “I’m looking forward to working side by side with him as we see what the Lord has in store for our university.”

Dean Collins, president of Point University, said, “Kevin’s combination of talent and experience, particularly his years coaching in the NAIA, makes him the perfect fit for our new football program and our athletic department. We’re excited to welcome him to our team.”

are very proud to have been accepted to both.”

A leader in the development of student-athletes, the NAIA is committed to changing the culture of sport through Champions of Character. Founded in 1937, the NAIA continues to be a pioneer in implementing exceptional

standards for academics, diversity and character. Today, the NAIA sponsors 23 collegiate championships in 13 sports for its nearly 300 member institutions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more about the NAIA, visit www.NAIA.org.

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On a warm, sunny August morning, the 2010 baseball team of what was then Atlanta Christian College was honored at a ring ceremony, where each member of the team was presented with his World Championship Ring. For the most part, the ring was typical of any type of championship ring – big and sparkly, with the player’s name and number on the side. But on the right side under the player’s name and number, the word “family” is engraved. According to these student-athletes, it was the family-like atmosphere of the baseball program that contributed to the success of the team.

Also atypical for a national championship is the Scripture reference engraved inside, Mark 11:23, which reads: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” Right before the championship game in May 2010, senior pitcher and team captain Trent Shoemake ’10 shared this verse with his teammates, saying, “We have to believe what we say. We say we are national champions; let’s believe it and believe the Lord will bless us.” Six and a half innings later, they were winning the final game by a score of 12-1. Shoemake was on the mound and his best friend, Adam Simons ’10, was behind the plate.

It was a situation seen in movies or read about in books, but Shoemake and Simons were living it. They had been a part of this team when the feeling of family wasn’t there, and neither was the success.

However, they believed in what this team was capable of. The last batter was in the box; the count was 1-2, and after several foul balls, the final pitch – a slider – was hurled toward the plate… strike out, and the championship was won. Without the creation of the family within this team off the field, success would have never been possible on the field.

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However, those seniors weren’t the only ones on the roster who could testify to the power of this baseball family. In February 2010, a freshman named Chris Scott was enjoying his first collegiate baseball season when his father died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Scott’s biggest fan – his oldest, most important coach – was gone. Scott’s dedication and passion for the sport his father loved so much is what kept him going, and he never missed a game. In fact, in his first game after the funeral, Scott hit a home run in his first trip to the batter’s box. While rounding the bases, he just couldn’t contain his emotions; by the time he was at third, neither could his teammates. By the end of the 2010 season, Scott had hit 20 home runs, breaking the school record. He was named Player of the Year for 2010, and during the 2011 regular season, he hit 11 home runs, was named to the All-Conference Team, and was named an All-American.

Devastating as this loss was, it brought the team together, creating the feeling of family upperclassmen like Shoemake and Simons had been longing to see in the team. Things changed off the field, too – the players became closer, referring to each other as “brothers,” not “teammates.” KC Lorow ’12, who was 2010’s NCCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year and was named to the 2011 AllConference Team, explained, “Like every family, we have our struggles, but we put things behind us and we face the trials together.”

Lorow, who is both a pitcher and midinfielder, also pitches to his best friend and roommate, catcher Sean Finn ’12.

Finn has had his own fair share of success on the field; he hit 15 home runs in 2010 and 12 in 2011, the most on the team for the season. He was named Player of the Year for the South Region and was also named to the All-American Team.

“Having baseball in common is great, but it’s good to be brothers off the field,” Lorow says. “Pitchers and catchers have to have good chemistry, and if we weren’t so close off the field, that chemistry on the field wouldn’t be so strong.”

Many players on the team talk about this sense of family, but it’s especially real for Jacob Moore ’11, whose younger brother, Kelsey Moore ’14, just played his first season on the team. Jacob, who was named MVP of the World Series in 2010 and named an All-American in 2011, believes that the family aspect is stronger and the team is closer than ever.

“In previous years, the team had different groups of friends, but this year we all hang out together a lot more,” he says.

Both Jacob and Kelsey are pitchers, and there were several games in which Jacob started the game and Kelsey finished it, resulting in a win. When asked how it made him feel to have his brother backing him up like that, Jacob simply replied, “It was a cool feeling – my mom liked seeing it a lot.” He also says that brotherly influence is actually a two-way street. Kelsey goes to his brother when he needs pitching or relationship advice, but since Kelsey is a biblical studies major, Jacob looks up to him when it comes to biblical knowledge. Because Jacob believed in his baseball family so much, he wanted Kelsey here playing with him.

Next year will be a similar story for Lorow, whose younger brother has signed a letter of intent to play at Point.

It has been said that you can’t choose your family, but the Point baseball program proves otherwise. Most sports teams have a word or phrase they shout at the end of a team huddle – often a team name or something similar. But for the Point baseball team, the routine is a little different. When this team comes together for a huddle, at the end, they chant in unison, “Family!”

– Storey Brown ’11

alan wilson

Creating a

BELIEVE IN

BY JESSIE CARROLL ’14

ELI ALDRIDGE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE BORN FOR ALMOST FOUR MORE MONTHS. AT LESS THAN TWO POUNDS, HE SEEMED IMPOSSIBLY SMALL, AND HIS FAMILY KNEW HE FACED INCREDIBLE ODDS.

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“Get dressed, Daddy, follow the doctor.”

It took TJ Aldridge a moment to realize this was directed at him. He’d been at work, completely unaware of what was going on at the hospital with his wife. He simply thought she was lying peacefully in her bed, waiting for ten weeks of bed rest to end. But in a moment’s time, his world had changed with one confusing and frantic phone call. When he arrived at the hospital three hours later and was addressed as “Daddy,” TJ looked around for the nearest father before realizing the hospital staff was talking to him.

He simply couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t time yet. And he began to worry.

“Linda, el bébe va a estar bien.”

Eli’s preemie diaper, which fit into his father’s palm.

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Amidst all the hurrying and scurrying, suddenly a godsend appeared, saying, “Linda, el bébe va a estar bien.” Venezuelan native Ale felt a wave of peace wash over her when Puerto Rican native Dr. Francisco Vélez, a neonatologist spoke to her in Spanish with words meaning, “Precious, the baby will be fine.” Though Ale was groggy and unable to fully comprehend the commotion going on around her, these words pierced through the chaos and stuck with her as she headed to the operating room.

The baby, Eli, was at only 25 weeks’ gestation and had not moved

into delivery position yet. Rather, he was in the breech position, requiring a Caesarean section.

Eli Alexander Aldridge was born at 7:54 p.m. on Wednesday, September 22, weighing a whopping one pound and 14 ounces, and just 13.5 inches long. His preemie diaper filled the palm of his father’s hand, and the cuff used to measure his heart rate wrapped around his mother’s thumb.

But there was no movie-quality moment for Ale to hold her baby. She just barely heard a small squeak come from her newborn son while he was rushed off to be tended to in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

At this point, TJ and Ale realized everything following that moment was a matter of survival for their child. Though Eli was behind in many ways, the doctors had already known he would come early and had given Ale two preventative steroidal shots while the baby was still in the womb. These shots were aimed at speeding the growth of Eli’s lungs – the last organ to develop and often a concern for preemies. Interestingly, although Eli was premature, he was considered big for a 25-week baby. And from the very beginning, Eli started beating the odds.

“One hour, one day, one week at a time.”

From this point on, Southern Regional’s birthing center stuck to their motto: one hour, one day, one week at a time. The first and most important task was feeding. For his first two days, Eli was fed through his umbilical cord, but when that was no longer viable, doctors had to switch to a peripherally inserted central catheter, or PICC line, inserted into a vein. Inserting a central line may be routine for most doctors, but nothing is routine when it comes to an infant not much bigger than a human hand.

Many of these procedures had to be done at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, where Eli spent a month before returning to his original NICU at Southern Regional. Though each procedure was conducted with great caution, TJ and Ale knew they just had to trust the doctors and the God over it all.

In cases of premature births, most advances are seen as two steps forward and one step back.

From the day of Eli’s birth, he was confronted with many challenges and many intricate means to the solutions. He was born with retinopathy of prematurity, common in premature births where the retinas develop as scar tissue. Though this regressed and went away, he also faced surgery to repair an open valve from his heart to his lungs, called the ductus arteriosus. Eli had a perforation

all photos courtesy of the aldridge family

It all started in a frenzy last September, when Eli’s mother, Alegria “Ale” Montoya-Aldridge, said these words to her father-in-law, who sat at her bedside at Southern Regional Hospital.

Ale and Jim grew alarmed as they observed that the feet of the doctors and nurses were now suddenly in sprint mode. All Ale had time to do was briefly call her husband, TJ, at work and say that she just needed help.

Just five days earlier, Ale had experienced early contractions and been confined to hospital bed rest. Doctors had planned for Ale to stay on bed rest for ten weeks, but it seemed Eli had different plans. That day in the hospital, the contractions had begun anew. Ale tried to explain this to the nurse, who responded that the monitor showed no contractions. But the best technology isn’t always correct, and when Ale complained of pain in her back, the nurse’s countenance changed. The nurse asked Jim to leave the room, and he could only watch with concern as a mob of medical staff flooded into Ale’s room.

in his stomach that allowed air to escape into his abdomen, which healed on its own; he had a brain bleed that was absorbed by his body; and he has a cyst on his brain that doctors have scanned and believe will have no major impact on his development. Statistically, Eli faced daunting odds for survival. But doctors reassured the family that every baby is unique.

“He has special things for him.”

With Eli’s continued growth, TJ has returned back to work, while Ale stays home with Eli. Initially, they had to learn to administer oxygen to their son through a machine they brought home, but now he is breathing fresh air all on his own. Though they have many years ahead of them to be anxious about, and daunting finances before them, TJ states calmly, “We’ll get to it. I can’t imagine God would “Let’s just try it.” bring us this far to change His Ale, still healing from her Cmind.” Ale agrees, saying, “God put section, felt inadequate and fearhim in my hands because he wanted ful to make major decisions for me to raise him and he has special Eli, so she handed them over to things for him. I will do my best TJ. He shares that this put a lot for him.” of pressure on him, but that he TJ and Ale have left this knew he and Ale were on the circumstance and life-changing same page. So whatever methods moment with their arms full of the doctors suggested, he respondexperience, faith and a bounced, “Let’s just try it.” ing baby boy. Ale shares a It was this mindset that led to revolutionary realization she administering the method called had during this time: “I can’t kangaroo care. Because of Eli’s early do anything. Doctors can’t do appearance in the world, the outer anything. I can’t fix it; nobody layer of his skin had not even decan. It’s in God’s hands. He’s veloped; right after he was born, his going to take care of it.” TJ parents could not even touch his bare backs up his wife, stating, “Evskin. But after giving him some time erything is a faith-builder.” to heal, the parents each took Top photo: Eli and his mother, Ale, with Today, Eli is perfectly turns holding Eli to up to their Eli. “He doesn’t have any bare chests. Doctors believe this Dr. Velez; bottom photo: Eli visits the problems, he is just a preeto be one of the strongest survival Point campus with his grandfather, Jim. mie,” his parents say. The methods the parents can use in entire Point University community was kept up complicated birth scenarios, because physical to date on Eli’s progress through emails from his touch forges an emotional bond between the baby grandfather, Jim – and in recent months, faculty, and its parents. Thanks to his recovery thus far, staff and students alike have been delighted to get Eli would now experience this contact as a soothto meet the little boy for whom so many prayers ing touch of compassion.

As time went on, Dr. Vélez reinforced his belief were offered.

Though Eli is thriving today, it has not been a in Eli by encouraging TJ and Ale to start savshort journey for the Aldridge family. But they’ve ing for college tuition, proclaiming that all of his emerged with stronger faith and a healthy son. babies go to Harvard. TJ and Ale tried to keep the Their experiences give new and personal meansame mindset, saying to each other, “He is learning to the Scripture: “Give your entire attention to ing to be a baby. Everything else is a bonus.” what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked Eli surpassed all expectations with his rapid up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. growth and development, and after several God will help you deal with whatever hard things months, he moved from the hospital to being come up when the time comes.” –Matthew 6:34 home with his parents. Though his chronological (The Message) age (time since delivery) is now ten months, he is developing perfectly well by keeping up with his Jessie Carroll ’14, of Tyrone, Ga., is a adjusted age (based on due date) of seven months counseling and human services major old. While his parents confront each day with expectation, they also continue to dream. Ale shared and family friend of the Aldridges. one of these dreams by stating that they hope to go see the Great Pyramids in Egypt as a family, and have Eli go back to his school classroom and be able to write a report about his adventures.

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They come from all different walks of life, but together, they will change the world for Christ.

PROFILES BY ELIZABETH REID ’13 | PHOTOS BY MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS ’10

CAR M EN C A M ACHO Marietta, Ga. | A.A. in Human Relations Carmen Camacho is driven – absolutely dedicated to achieving her goals. She dropped out of school in the eighth grade to take care of her sick father, but always intended to go back. The time just never seemed right. “I took care of my mother, my father and my mother-in-law – now I’m free to do what I’ve always wanted to do,” she says. She earned her GED at age 30, and in 2008, while working as a dentist’s assistant, decided the time was right for her to go back to school. “I Googled ‘Christian college,’ and this was the first school I saw.“ “I feel like I’ve never left school,” she reflects. “It’s been a tough course – the classes are not easy, of course, and I’ve had to study.” But the benefits have been great.

“I’m more articulate and more comfortable with my surroundings,” she says. “My education here has made me more confident in my abilities.”

Camacho has a bright and promising future in front of her. Shortly after graduation, she plans to start her bachelor’s degree at Point University. Ultimately, she wants to change careers to begin working in her field – human relations. “I want to work with homeless women and children,” she explains. “I’m starting to volunteer at the counseling center at Trinity Chapel – I just want to help as many people as I can.”

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Johnstown, N.Y. | B.S. in Business Administration

JOSH GOEBEL

His name is Josh Goebel, but everyone calls him Gumby. Like the green clay animation thing? He laughs, “Yeah, like that. My freshman year, I went out to eat with some of the upperclassmen on the soccer team. They’d nicknamed everyone else and said they’d picked one for me: I could either be Gumby or Pokey. I chose Gumby, and it stuck. Lots of people on campus don’t even know my name is Josh.”

Originally from New York state, Goebel says he came south to Atlanta “for the weather” and stayed to play soccer for Point University. “We had a bad soccer season that first year, and I almost transferred,” he recalls. “But I saw the school was changing and growing, and I wanted to stay and be a part of that.”

Goebel is serious about being a part of the future of Point University. As the summer turns to fall, Goebel shifts his position on campus from student to staff; he was recently offered and accepted the position of campus ministry intern in the Student Development Office. He’ll also take on the role of assistant coach for Point’s new cross country team.

“Ultimately? I’d like to teach history and coach soccer, he says.

“But for now, I’m satisfied with smaller plans.” Goebel plans to spend time with his family over the summer as well as take some trips with close friends.

JOHA N N I C E COX Powder Springs, Ga. | B.S. in Christian Ministries Johannice Cox is anything but an ordinary student. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to Gainesville, Fla., where studied botany at the University of Florida. How did she get from botany to Christian ministries? “Only by the grace of God,” Cox says. She dropped out of college, became addicted to drugs and had several children. She wandered, out of touch with her family and with God for years.

“I felt trapped,” she says. “I couldn’t get past my addictions.” At that point, she was arrested and sent to jail for a year. “And in jail, I found Christ,” she explains. Cox got involved in a Bible study program and earned a certificate while in jail. After being released, she started working for a prison ministry, reaching out to women who were in the same position she was. Twelve years later, she relates, while reading her Bible at lunch, God spoke to her. “It was time for me to go back to school. ‘Me, Lord?’ I asked him. ‘It’s been twenty years!’” she explains. “But it was time.”

As a new college graduate, Cox has plans to start her master’s degree at Liberty University, start volunteering at a local nursing home, and continue enjoying her relationship with her husband, whom she married in 2010.

“Some people are ashamed of what they’ve done, but I’ve been anointed,” Cox says, reflecting on her life. “I’m not ashamed for that. I’m just so grateful.”

East Point, Ga. | B.S. in Biblical Studies & Preaching Ministry

TE R R E Z JO HNSON

“When I was in high school, one of my teachers told me, ‘You’ll never graduate college,’ and I believed her. I didn’t have a strong intellect,” recent graduate Terrez Johnson says, smiling. “Graduation was very emotional for me.”

“With God, I did things I never thought I could,” Johnson explains. “I’m shocked at my life – I’ve been married for three years, I’m starting a church, I have a good job, and I’m going to graduate school.” Johnson started working for Wells Fargo shortly after graduation, and starts his master’s degree in leadership at Shorter University this fall. For some time now, he has been leading a Bible study in East Point and has plans to expand that outreach into a church.

Despite this promising future, Johnson’s feelings on leaving are understandably bittersweet. “This place has been my home for the last four years; I don’t know what I’ll do without it. This place has history for me,” he says. Johnson began his married life on campus, and has found mentors and friends within the faculty and staff. “They taught me how to be a leader and to seek out diversity, and they gave me a strong theological foundation. I’m a different person now than I was when I came,” he adds.

“I wanted to quit. It was hard! But sometimes I would get up at night and just look at my wife and I knew I couldn’t quit,” Johnson says. “I love this school. Coming here has totally changed me. It’s taken the pride out of me and it’s given me direction for my life. I’ve become someone I never thought I would be.”

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E LL E N WA R D I N G L E Y Covington, Ga. | B.S. in Counseling & Human Services Ellen Wardingley home schooled her three children and had taught at her church preschool for years. She had a license to teach, and when she heard the advertisement for Point University on the radio, she made plans to come back to school for a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. It only made sense, she thought; but one day, she woke up. “I said to myself, ‘Wait a minute. I can be anything I want to be,’” she explains.

“So I switched my major to counseling.”

Since that moment, Wardingley has never looked back. In August, she’ll begin her master’s in social work at the University of Georgia and will continue an internship she started at the beginning of her Access program. “I work with girls from low-income families. We do anger management programs and work on their self-esteem. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad day at work,” Wardingley says, smiling.

While part of that can be accounted to Wardingley finding and following her calling, another part must be attributed to her family’s patience with her continuing education.

“God gave me balance, and my family gave me support,” she says. Married to her high school sweetheart, Wardingley says she wasn’t sure how she could fit everything in, teaching her children and going to school herself.

“But my youngest came up to me and said, ‘Mom, God wants me in public school,’” she explains. “Everything’s come together to make this possible. God gave me balance and he gave my family balance.”

DO N P O LLARD

Don Pollard was working at the Olde Town Art Gallery and Studio in Conyers when he heard about the Access program at Point University from a cousin. “I had an associate’s degree in political science from Georgia Perimeter College, but coming back to school at Point just made sense,” he says. Pollard not only earned his bachelor’s degree this May, he was also named the Access program’s recipient of the Hathcock Award, the highest award given to graduating seniors by the University. Currently employed as the head of information technology for the gallery, Pollard anticipates using his degree in a variety of ways, ranging from entrepreneurship to full-time ministry. “I’m the associate pastor for New Awakening Church in Buford, and I feel in the future, I might be led to pursue that full time,” he adds.

Point University has surely helped Pollard on that path. “The thing about my degree program is that it provides a broad base for business,” he explains. “The professors didn’t concentrate on any one area; they gave us a broad aspect of business as a whole.” Pollard says the most helpful aspect of the Access program was the opportunity to collaborate and network with his fellow classmates. “Business today is all about networking,” he says. “And Point gave me the opportunity to do that, as well as receive a good education from good professors.”

CAR OL ER I C A PITTS

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Union City, Ga. | B.A. in Music

“We always thought it’d be one way, but it’s not—if we’re obedient, God will reveal himself to us. That’s the mercy of God, you know, that he reveals to us,” asserts Carol Erica Pitts. After graduating, she will use her talents as a campus ministry intern in the Student Development Office while raising support to join the Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) Globalscope campus ministry team in Puebla, Mexico. “One of the things I’ll be doing in Mexico is leading worship, so I’ll put my degree to use,” she explains.

“Both my parents and my aunt came to school at Point University, which was one of the reasons I didn’t want to come,” Pitts says. “I planned to transfer. But I stayed because I loved it, and the longer I was here, the better it was.”

“Point has prepared me to be a better learner,” she adds. “I know more about myself; the classes I’ve taken have challenged me.” Pitts says her music degree taught her lessons beyond performance – her program built confidence, taught humility and encouraged high standards for herself both on and off the stage. This, she says, is because Point cares. “There’s a different standard,” she points out. “We do care if you go to chapel, we do care how you interact with members of the opposite sex. We’re going to hold you to a higher standard, and this attitude has helped me become a more disciplined person.”

roger cannon photography

Conyers, Ga. | B.S. in Organizational Leadership

Buchanan, Ga. | B.S. in Humanities & Biblical Studies

KA LY N R E EVES

At the end of the school year, the administration of Point University expects its students to pack up their belongings and move home. But in several months, Kalyn Reeves is contemplating a different sort of move. “Yeah, I’ll be back in England this fall,” she says.

Back in England? “Fall semester of my junior year, I made plans to go to Birmingham, England, with CMF’s Globalscope. I was supposed to stay for one semester and come back that January.” She went, and ended up staying for a second semester. “Staying was hard,” she says, “but look: that single decision has influenced the next five years of my life.” Reeves found her passion working with students at the University of Birmingham, but really, she points out, she had been doing campus ministry long before going to England.

“I was a campus life minister for three years at Point, and it’s really the same thing –helping people get closer to each other and to God.” Since making the decision to affiliate with CMF, Reeves has been raising support for her trip and preparing for her term. Reading books, talking with mentors, even writing term papers: “I’ve tried to be intentional about everything I’ve been doing,” she says.

“Being at Point has taught me lots,” Reeves adds. “Not just about the Bible, although that’s important for sure. I’ve learned about community, and how to defend my faith and keep my faith in a culture with morals radically different than what I value. Moving to England is really the logical next step.”

GHETAUN M C NAUGHTON McDonough, Ga. | A.A. in Counseling & Human Services “I keep a Bible verse in my purse,” Ghetaun McNaughton confides, digging through it and pulling out a slip of paper. On it is written Luke 1:37: “Nothing is impossible with God.” McNaughton lives by this verse, and her life shows how deeply she believes it.

McNaughton was diagnosed with a learning disability – dyslexia – at an early age.

School was challenging for her. “I never saw an A until I came to college,” she says.

Teachers told her she would never go to college and be successful, and she believed them. Working as a flight attendant, McNaughton met and married her husband, who moved their family to Atlanta. Although now divorced, McNaughton has a son, Justin, who is eight.

“I truly believe God brought me to Atlanta so I could attend Point. I met a lot of angels at this school,” McNaughton explains. With help from faculty and staff, she found academic success, and praises God for that: “I’ve been shown examples from so many wonderful people who have encouraged me both in the classroom and in my walk with Christ.” While not planning specifics for the future, McNaughton hopes to be a role model, whatever path her career takes.

“I don’t know where I’ll be in the future. You have to be flexible with God. In my prior life, I never saw myself here. But now that I’m here, it’s amazing.”

Woodstock, Ga. | B.S. in Biblical Studies

M IC HE A L SI MS

Micheal Sims came to Point University for the same reason as many other students and alumni: after hearing about the school from a summer camp team. “I knew I wanted to be a youth minister,” he says. He left Antioch Christian Church four years ago, eager to fulfill his call to ministry. “They made a big deal about sending me off to school – they spoke about how this would help me fulfill God’s calling for my life.” Several months ago, the church that sent him off welcomed him back with open arms, this time to ordain Sims to the ministry in time for him to officiate a friend’s wedding.

This was not the first wedding Sims had participated in, however. In a required course for biblical studies majors, Practical Ministries, Professor Jim Donovan ’74 officiated a “marriage” between Sims and one of his classmates. “The class really made me aware of the nuances of ministry: Donovan had us practice baptizing each other, and we went on a tour of a funeral home and discussed how to interact with a family who’d just lost someone.”

After graduation, Sims plans to continue interning with the youth ministry at Mount Carmel Christian Church and, with his minor in youth ministry and a heart for youth, he hopes to pursue full-time work within the church. “I’m leaving a different person than I was when I came in. I wouldn’t change my decision to come to Point for anything.

It’s prepared me for ministry in so many practical ways, but also socially, academically… it’s made me a better human being.”

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16 | POIN T M AG A ZI NE billy howard photography

by Elizabeth Reid ’13

Glenn Burton

would be the first to tell you: It’s not about where you’re coming from; it’s about where you’re going that matters. “I’m going forward. With God in control, it’s hard to make plans, but I have a vision. But,” he adds, careful to be truthful, “that vision is for a specific season. Right now, I’m trusting in God and I’m going forward.”

To understand Glenn Burton’s story, we have to go backward about 25 years. Burton is eight, wearing latex gloves and a mask, bagging crack cocaine off his dining room table at the bequest of his mother’s boyfriend. His mother and her boyfriend both deal and abuse drugs. He and his three brothers are involved in gangs and drugs. “I grew up in poverty,” Burton acknowledges. “We were on welfare.

Looking out my bedroom window, I watched drug deals go down, shootings, everything.

This was the ’80s, and cocaine had just started to affect the black community.”

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urton was born and raised in St. tors began debating over who had to tell back into his old gang and started selling Paul, Minnesota. “I was not raised Burton’s mother that he was dead. Inexdrugs. “My plan was to get out and get ‘in the church’ the way some plicably – miraculously – Burton’s heart money,” Burton says. “We were careful people were, you know? But I always started beating again. Despite this miraabout it, as careful as you can be selling knew there was a God, and somehow I cle, doctors warned Burton and his famdrugs, but I was living a dual lifestyle, always believed he was going to use me ily that he would never walk again and and it wasn’t honoring God.” He recounts to save the world,” he says. As time went should expect his legs to be paralyzed times when he would attend church on on, the little boy’s dream of saving the for the rest of his life. “This is my second Sunday morning while his car sat in the world was buried under a pile of violence, miracle,” Burton says with a grin. Waking parking lot with a gun in the trunk and drugs and poverty. It would be many up in the middle of the night with sharp drugs under the seat. years before he would remember and act pain in his legs, Burton went back to the It was at this point that Burton first upon that dream. hospital, afraid something was wrong. felt God calling him to ministry. “He The father figure in Burton’s life Doctors were shocked. “When you’re told me to go to the ends of the earth abused him, his brothers and and preach the Gospel and his mother, all while under to not be scared,” Burton the influence of alcohol. The remembers. “At that point? stories he tells are horrifyI ran. I knew the Bible – I ing, but throughout the knew what happened to the interview, Burton smiles. prophets in the Old Testa“I’m not saying that I think ment, and I said to myself, ‘I I was dealt a bad hand,” he don’t want no part of that.’” is quick to say. “That’s not Again, God urged him to it at all. I’m grateful God remember his dream of savallowed me to experience ing the world. “‘Don’t you this because it’s made me a know I use people to save better minister. It’s easier for the world?’ he asked me,” me to speak to people when Burton says. “But I didn’t they know I have firsthand listen.” experience.”

Burton began attending Burton began smoka local community coling marijuana at the age of lege, majoring in business twelve and began running administration, and he got a with gangs and drug dealers. THEN: Burton as a fourteen-year-old, recovering from a gunshot wound. job as an investment banker.

“We weren’t color flashers, “Whatever else I was, I was we were in it for the money,” he explains, paralyzed, any feeling is good feeling, smart. I made straight As in high school, “and there was never enough money.” even pain,” he explains. “I regained all and worked hard. I was still living this motion in my legs and today, I praise God dual lifestyle, though. I would do my because I am healthy – healthier than homework and then go clubbing.” most people who have both kidneys and rust was – and still is – a huge deal haven’t experienced what I have.” for Burton and his relationships.

Burton spent months in and out of the Rather than be involved in the hen, the unthinkable. Burton was hospital and says that this first gunshot gang at large, he spent most of his time arrested, tried on false charges, wound was a pivotal point in his life. “It with a smaller inner circle ranging from convicted, and sentenced to over did several things for me long term. five to ten people who were either relaeight years in prison. A lifetime. Trying Before the shooting, I was shy,” he says, tives or childhood friends. This degree to work within a system that seemed “but afterwards, I was bold, more outgoof closeness was set up to protect them bent against him, Burton nearly deing and open. I also started carrying guns spaired. His life up to that point seemed from betrayal, so it was a shock when a more. I wasn’t going to let something like to be nothing but a series of betrayals friend and a member of the inner circle this happen to me again. The guns gave shot him in the back. “I was lying on my and unfairness. Despite all this, Burton me a false sense of security.” bed, minding my own business,” Burton never gave up. Today, he is grateful for recalls. “My brother’s girlfriend was in those years spent in prison. “How can I the room; my mother and a friend of hers minister effectively to those who have were talking in the living room. He came year after his recovery, Burton was been falsely incarcerated unless I have in and shot me in the back.” arrested for robbery and spent been falsely incarcerated?” he asks.

Burton was rushed to the hospital, two and a half years in a juvenile “What the Enemy meant for evil, God where despite doctors’ frantic efforts, he detention center. “While I was there, I has used for good.” lost a kidney, his pancreas and part of his started reading the Bible. I read it, and This is a common theme in Burton’s spleen. Then he flat lined. Doctors tried I knew it was true,” he says. But the life, he explains: “Anything Satan does, to resuscitate him, but failed. After giving lifestyle was too tempting, and after his God allows him to do. Nothing happens up hope, Burton was told later, the docrelease from juvenile detention, he fell that God does not allow. The Enemy does

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photos courtesy of glenn burton

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bad things to us, and God uses those one day and his world flipped once again. things to build us up and to glorify him.

Ambushed by two men. Betrayed by his You know the Bible says that all things girlfriend. “My immediate reaction was work together for the good of those who to retaliate,” he says, “but God told me, love him, who have been called accord‘No. You’re done. You can’t go back to ing to his purpose. All things. Everythat life. All that stuff you’ve been talking thing works together for good. And that about? Now’s the time to put it into acincludes my gunshot wounds, being para- tion. Leave this. Go. Trust me.’” lyzed, my time in prison, the drugs, the During the hottest days of summer, alcohol. God looks at these things and Burton took his daughter and left, living says to Satan, ‘I’m going to get even more in his car with no money, no gas and glory out of this.’” no air conditioning. Through all of this, Leaving jail on parole after five years, he was attending classes at Point and Burton recounts the end of his drug deal- remaining on the dean’s list. Burton was ing... and the beginning of his pimping finally connected with Shannon Jones, prostitutes. Visibly ashamed, he speaks of traveling the country in luxury with several women in tow. “I was in a beautiful town house in Kansas City, surrounded by women,” he remembers, “when God spoke to me again.

He said, ‘I did not save your life for you to live like this.

Get up and go to Atlanta.’

And so I did.”

Burton sold everything he had and took his infant daughter, Glemaria, and his girlfriend and moved 800 miles to Atlanta. “I was still hesitant,” he says. “I didn’t want to minister, and I couldn’t help but think of those Old a member at Ebenezer Baptist Church Testament prophets. I didn’t want to go – famous for its association with Martin to Nineveh. But I did it anyway.”

Luther King, Jr. Jones met with him and, after hearing his story, said, “Don’t worry about it. We’re going to take care of you.”

The church provided a room for ife had started to look up for BurBurton and his daughter to live in, and ton and his small family. He began continues to support him spiritually and attending classes through the emotionally to this day. “I’ve been to a Access program at Point, was living in lot of churches in Atlanta and around the an apartment, and was attending church country, and Ebenezer has discovered regularly. He came back to his apartment

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what it truly means to be the kingdom of God on earth,” Burton says. He began working again and saved up enough money to eventually move into an apartment complex. “It was difficult, and there were times when I thought how much easier it would be if I were to go back to drugs and pimping, but in Galatians 6:9, God says, ‘At the proper time, you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.’ In the end, it just wasn’t an option.”

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oday, by all standards, Burton is reaping his harvest. He is scheduled to graduate from Point University next summer with an associate degree in Christian ministries. He speaks at churches and schools about his story, is writing a book in tandem with a fellow member of Ebenezer, and is working with another friend on a screenplay. Burton also works in several ministries at Ebenezer, and married Jessica Phipps in a ceremony there in April.

When asked about these blessings, he smiles and quotes the Bible. “‘Beauty for ashes’ (Isaiah 61:3). God says he will give those who mourn beauty for ashes.

If you suffer with Christ, then you will rejoice with him.”

“I have a vision for the future,” Burton says. “God has shown me what he wants me to do. All he requires of us is that we never give up. Never give up.

Never give up.”

5 Ways to Help a Loved One Caught up in Addiction or Violence

1.

Wait until he has hit rock bottom.

You cannot help him if he doesn’t want help. You have to be willing to give him tough love and wait until he realizes he is out of control.

2.

Pray. You need to have faith that she will eventually hit bottom and be in a place where she is willing to work toward recovery. G o d w i l l a n s w e r your prayers.

3.

Let him know you are available for support – love him.

Don’t just tell him you love him; show him your love by not abandoning him.

4.

Realize you cannot help her by yourself. Chances are you’re not a professional counselor. Find a recovery support group and get involved. He needs to be in a place where he can get help.

5.

Don’t give up.

This is a process that will take patience and time. Don’t abandon your loved one during or after a relapse. Keep praying.

COMPILED WITH ASSISTANCE FROM GLENN BURTON AND BERRY CROWE ’76, PROGRAM MANAGER OF THE FISH HOUSE RECOVERY RESIDENCE, A MINISTRY OF JESUS PLACE INNER CITY MISSION IN ATLANTA. SUMMER 2 011 | 19

by Jim Street ’74

The fundamental moral question is not so ing to the ALS Association, are muscle weakness, much “what shall I do?” as it is “how shall I live?” twitching or cramping; “thick speech” or difficulty The former question suggests that matters of projecting one’s voice; and in later stages, shortmorality do not arise for us until we are put into ness of breath or difficulty breathing or swallowsome kind of dilemma where we are forced to ing. The disease leads to complete paralysis, but think about our moral choices. The latter quesno loss of sensation and no mental impairment. tion reminds us that morality is about embracing An incurable disease, those who are diagnosed a way of life that will shape us into being whole with ALS have an average life expectancy of three people, no matter the situation of our lives. to five years following diagnosis.

Over the past several months, I have been conducting an interview with alumnus Tom Swift Swift was no stranger to ALS before his own ’81, who was diagnosed in 2007 with amyotrophic diagnosis. As a hospice chaplain in North Carolateral sclerosis, or ALS; it’s more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. All but completely lina, he had ministered to an ALS patient; he was paralyzed and unable to speak or to swallow, Swift with him when he died,and spoke at his funeral. A student at Emmanuel School of Religion – where communicates with me via Facebook email using he was completing work on his doctor of ministry a laser eye mouse and visually activated typing degree and writing a project on helping the dying program called Dasher. find peace – at the time of his diagnosis, Tom adHe has helped me to see more clearly the dismits to feeling stunned by the news of his illness. tinction between asking “what shall I do?” in the “The same afternoon that I was diagnosed, I face of a moral challenge and asking “how shall drove to the seminary to meet with my advisor I live?” as a way to understand and embrace life, to talk about my final doctoral project,” he wrote. regardless of the circumstances.

“As I sat talking to my advisor, I realized that I ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain had become one of those dying people in search and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle of peace.” movement. Among its early symptoms, accord20 | P OI N T M AG A ZI NE

sarah huxford

ALS patient Tom Swift ’81 faces his future with grace

Swift has not approached the matter of his illness from that “what shall I do?” position as much as he has embraced it with the question “how shall I live?” foremost on his mind. As he wrote to me: “The ultimate question is: what way of my living and dying is of most value to God?” “I have learned to enjoy what I have rather than spend time dwelling on what I do not have or have lost. I have learned to be as fully appreciative of the present moment as I can,” he wrote. “All of the lessons I have learned through this illness have been gifts from God.” “I’ve had to let go of many things. I had to let go of hiking and sea kayaking. I had to give up walking normally when I started using a cane. I had to give up any sense of feeling healthy when I started using a walker. I had to give up walking entirely when I started using a wheel chair,” he wrote. “It’s been hard to ‘embrace the new me’ because the ‘new me’ keeps changing.”

photos courtesy of tom swift

Guided by the question of how to live, and even how to die, rather than by the question of what to do, Tom believes God is present with him in his journey through ALS. “God is chipping away at my character defects,” he wrote. “My self-centeredness is being replaced by love, peace, patience and self-control.”

He sees his illness as giving him a unique platform for ministry for Christ.

“One of the gifts I have received from God is to make a difference in the lives of people. I have been writing a monthly column for the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper for the last four years about living with ALS. The response from my readers has been gratifying and heartwarming.”

Swift has published a book of his columns titled Better to Have Loved, and uses the power of the Internet to raise awareness about ALS and to advocate on behalf of others who suffer with it.

“It turns out that my trust in God is not based on what I want, but what God wants for me. God wants me to grow up, to mature into the fullness of Christ,” he wrote. “God is trustworthy in his desire to help me grow. God has not abandoned me. God knows what is best for me and I trust that he will do it.”

While preparing an Easter sermon, I wrote to Tom and asked him what the resurrection of Jesus means to him, both for the life he is now living and the life to come.

“For this life,” he wrote, “the resurrection of Jesus means that my coming death is not the end of my story. Jesus has traveled the path and made it safe. Even though I feel sadness and fear about

my dying, I have the hope for peace when the event occurs. I can admit to myself and others that I will die because the real power of death has been overcome.”

“For the next life,” he continued, “the resurrection of Jesus means I look forward to the healing of what ails me physically and otherwise. The ‘new heaven and the new earth’ intrigues me because I like this earth and this life. I have hope that the next life will be full of hiking, good music, good friends and good wine.

I will finally be able to love and be loved as I have always wanted. “ “I am in awe of Jesus,” he concluded. “I am able to handle the losses of my disease with some degree of peace because I believe the promise of God that at the end all will be well.”

Above, Swift in preALS days; at left, a more recent photo.

The question “how shall I live?” enables us to reflect upon the kind of life we embrace, come what may. Swift’s answers to that question not only prepare him to live and to die; they shape how he sees.

“ALS is a terrible disease, but there are worse things,” he wrote on his blog. “It would be horrible not to love or be loved, to have faith only in myself, to be unable to enjoy beauty, to have no hope and to be indifferent to truth. Compared to these things, ALS is minor.”

Tom Swift’s book “Better to Have Loved” is available at www. lulu.com. He blogs at http://livingwithalsbytomswift. blogspot.com.

Jim Street ’74 teaches in Point University’s Access program and ministers with the North River Church in Lawrenceville, Ga.

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CLASS NOTES

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Neal Puckett ’49 was honored this spring for 15 years of service as a volunteer chaplain at Christian City.

65

Dr. Walter Zorn ’65 is writing a book titled The Faithfulness of Jesus: a Gospel Emphasis.

69

Ronald Moeckel ’69 retired from a 44-year career with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Ronald began working with the Boys and Girls Club while he was a college student.

Phil Walter ’69 recently published a book titled 100 God-Blogs. It is a collection of devotional thoughts in which he points out glimpses of God’s Word in daily life. It is available through local Christian bookstores, as well as Amazon. com and BarnesandNoble.com.

72

Lynnell Sizemore Goacher ’72 has become an advocate for Rapha House, a Christian church mission which provides after-care for young girls who have been rescued from human trafficking. The mission’s major facilities are in Cambodia and Thailand. Lynnell was a part of a survey team to Cambodia in October 2010. She is available for presentations on the mission, and can be contacted at lsgoacher@yahoo.com. Lynnell and her husband, Bill, live in Asheville, N.C.

74

David ’74 and Lynn Stinson Poling ’74 have served as missionaries to Hong Kong, China, since 1979.

77

Dwight ’77 and Candy Banks Haymon (’75-’77) proudly announce the birth of their grandson, Elias, on April 5.

78

Billy Rowe ’78 retired in January after 37 years of ministry to First Christian Church of Tyrone, Ga. He and his wife, Marcella, live in Tyrone.

Judy Hartless Smith ’78 is retiring after 15 years at Robinson, Whaley, Hammonds and Allison, PC.

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Sandra Farmer Maloney ’88 and her husband, Tom, welcomed Neli Leann Maloney on October 12.

89

Pete Hall ’89 served for 12 years as director of church relations at the Christian Children’s Home of Ohio. In June 2010, he was called by the New Life Christian Church in Waynesburg, Ohio, as their senior minister. Pete writes, “This is a fairly new congregation, and it is exciting to witness God at work in this small community.” Pete and his wife, Sally, are pictured above during a ministry trip to Colorado.

92

Eric Frazier ’92 serves as the assistant principal of Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School in Clarke County, Ga. He and his wife, April Sims Frazier ’96, have three daughters.

Congratulations to Kris (’92-’94) and Christa Groover Weldon ’00, who welcomed son Micah into their family on January 22.

98

Jimmy Sledge ’98 and his wife, Courtney, welcomed their first child on November 5.

Colin weighed six pounds, eight ounces, and was 20½ inches long. The family lives in Edgewater, Fla., where Jimmy is minister at Coastline Christian Church of New Smyrna Beach.

Congratulations to Jason (’97-’98) Westbrook and his wife, Sarah, on the birth of their son, John Landon, on June 22. He was welcomed by his big brother, Jackson. Jason is currently enrolled at Point University in the Access program.

Gregory Wright ’98 is pursuing a master’s degree in religion and pastoral counseling at Liberty University.

99

Dee and Paula Murphy Hicks ’99 were married September 11 in Winder, Ga. They reside in Pompano Beach, Fla. Janet Holmes ’99 recently received a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resources.

96

01

97

04

Andy and Mary Beth Goss Metzger ’96 welcomed a son, Jeremiah Daniel, into their family on December 27.

Zack (‘94’97) and Jennifer Chase Dove (‘94-’97) write, “We are pleased to announce that,

by God’s grace and through the miracle of adoption, we have once again grown our family. Daniel Aaron Dove was born in Makyivka, Donetsk (Ukraine) on January 28, 2005, and joined our family on July 10, 2010. Proud big brother William joined us during our 31-day adoption trip to Ukraine. In addition to the excitement of a little brother, he also enjoyed visting his birth country.”

Congratulations to Chris ’01 and Cindy Brown Conner ’00 on the birth of their son, Christopher, who joined the family on February 2.

Shane Collins ’04 and his wife, Kimberly, announce the birth of their daughter, Callen, on May 1. Callen was welcomed by her siblings, Cadence and Cuyler.

05

Shawn ’05 and Melissa Vazquez Cartwright ’03 ended a five-year ministry at McDonough Christian Church in McDonough, Ga., and have moved to Newport News, Va., to serve at Northside Christian Church.

Nathan ’05 and Alicia Johnson Phillips ’05 now live in Illinois, where Nathan is the middle school and student worship pastor at Westbrook Christian Church in Bolingbrook, Ill.

Bonnie Winfrey ’05 has graduated from Strayer University with a master of education degree.

06

Wesley ’06 and Kimberly Stewart Bolden ’08 have moved to Princeton, N.J., where Wesley will be attending Princeton Theological Seminary and Kim will be working as a women’s ministry fellow for Princeton Faith in Action/Legacy Ministries at Princeton University. Princeton Faith in Action and Legacy Ministries are under the umbrella of its parent organization, Christian Union. Christian Union is a leadership development organization which specializes in developing Christian leaders to transform culture.

Harrison ’06 and Lindsay Raynor Huxford ’06 welcomed their first son, James Harrison, on October 28. The family lives in Savannah, Ga., where Harrison is serving as the future regional campus pastor and evangelism pastor at Savannah Christian Church.

Jordan Weldon ’06, his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Emersyn, welcomed two new additions to the family on October 30: Caz and Jax.

07

Joel Eynon ’07 and his wife, Jessie, announce the birth of their first child, daughter Ella Charis, on May 28.

Nathan Jones ’07 married Jennifer Sigg on July 9 in Newport News, Va. The couple will return in September from England, where they have spent several years serving with the CMF-Globalscope campus ministry team at the University of Birmingham. They will relocate to Chicago, Ill., where Nathan will serve as senior high minister at Parkview Christian Church.

IN MEMORIAM The Point family grieves with and prays for the families of those members of our community who have recently passed away.

Doris Eloise Camp ’57, of Bremen, Ga., died March 10.

his wife, Peggy; one daughter; a grandson; and many other family members.

Eunice Megorden Campbell died March 2. She and her husband, Bob, moved to East Point after World War II for Bob to take a position on campus, and they raised their family here. She is survived by their three children, seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

John Lovelady (’41), of Carrollton, Ga., died December 8. He was preceded in death by his wife, Reba Rooks Lovelady ’46, and is survived by his daughter and son-in-law; son and daughterin-law, Dale ’69 and Linda Wallace Lovelady (’68-’69); five grandchildren, including Shannon Lovelady ’96 and Brandon Lovelady (’94-’97); and six great-grandchildren.

Hoke Patrick Galloway (’71) died January 17. He is survived by his wife, Ellen Galloway, four children, six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Norma Hardman Grubbs (’80-’85) died December 4. She is survived by her husband, Jimmy, and two daughters.

Barbara Redmon Miller ’86, of Sarasota, Fla., died April 16. She is survived by her brothers, Jim Redmon ’61 and Bill Redmon ’62; three children; and nine grandchildren.

Scott Leslie (’65-’70), of Piney Flats, Tenn., died June 4. He is survived by

James Everett “Ed” Pannell ’61 died November 11.

Stephen begins a doctoral program at Marquette University this fall.

Zachary Welch ’07 has graduated from John Marshall Law School.

10

Nic ’10 and Candice Brown Campbell (’06-’08) welcomed their first child, Judah, into their family on November 9.

TJ ’10 and Dana Barber Stone ’10 were married December 18 at Mt. Carmel Christian Church in Stone Mountain, Ga. The couple lives in South Carolina, where TJ is the youth minister at Macedonia Christian Church in Bonneau.

11

Andrew Henson ’11 married Tessa Hanner ’12 on May 30 in Newnan, Ga.

WE WA N T TO HE A R FR OM YOU ! Let us know when you get

married, have a baby, take a new job, move to another state... you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures, send us those, too – we’ll include them when possible (JPEG format, please). If you’re engaged or expecting, we share your excitement! However, Point Magazine’s policy is to wait until these anticipated events have become reality to print them in Class Notes. Send us a message when the event occurs, and we’ll gladly share your news with your fellow alumni. Class Notes and other alumni information may also be submitted online at http://alumni.point.edu, the Alumni Online Community. If you know of alumni who are not receiving Point Magazine, but would like to, please send us their correct contact information; we’ll make sure they’re added to the mailing list.

ALUMNI ADDRESS CHANGES AND CLASS NOTES ITEMS MAY BE SUBMITTED ONLINE AT ALUMNI.POINT.EDU OR VIA EMAIL TO ALUMNI@POINT.EDU.

Stephen Waers ’07 and his wife, Katie, are moving to Madison, Wisc., where SUMMER 2 011 | 23

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Join us in October for our last Homecoming on the East Point campus!

Our name may be different, but we’re still your alma mater – and we’re still educating students for Christ-centered service and leadership around the world, just like when you were a student here. Join us for worship, fellowship, and more information on our transition to Point University!

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