SUMMER 2022 A PUBLICATION OF REGENT UNIVERSITY FALL 2026
PA RT N E R I N G TO C H A N G E T H E W O R L D FO R G O D ’ S G LO R Y
Equipping Through Missions INSIDE: YOUR SUPPORT IS MOBILIZING A NEW GENERATION TO FINISH WHAT CHRIST BEGAN
YOUR GENEROSITY IS CHANGING LIVES
“
‘Christian Leadership to Change the World’ is not just a mission statement; it’s a prophetic declaration that is destined to come to pass when believed and acted upon. Pastor James Earl Ward Jr. (SOD ’13)
”
STANDING BESIDE AMERICA’S HEROES
Because of you, chaplains like Andrew Lloyd stand ready to serve when the families of America’s heroes face their hardest moments. When Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Andrew Lloyd stands beside a grieving family at Arlington National Cemetery, he’s fulfilling a calling that donors like you helped make possible. Years ago, Andrew served as an enlisted airman in the Honor Guard at Arlington, rendering military honors for the fallen. Today, he returns to those same hallowed grounds daily as a chaplain, offering hope to families in what is often the most difficult moment of their lives. “Recently, during a burial service for a fallen airman, I knelt before his widow to present the flag,” Andrew recalls. “The words of that presentation are so rich: ‘On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Air Force, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.’ She was trying desperately to hold it together. But, in that
moment, she broke down. So, while I said those words, I placed my hand on hers. Just a human touch, in a moment she’ll carry the rest of her days.” That kind of compassionate ministry didn’t happen by accident. It took root years earlier in Washington, D.C., where Andrew connected with Regent alumni planting a church. He enrolled in Regent’s online undergraduate program while on active duty, then returned for his Master of Divinity to become an Air Force chaplain. Friends like you had already paved the way for him and others answering that same call. “Probably half of my undergraduate degree and my seminary degree was paid for through donors’ funds,” Andrew says, “because they matched what the military would pay per credit hour.” That gift didn’t just cover tuition. It shaped a calling. “I don’t want to sound like I’m exaggerating,” Andrew says, “but I would not be where I am today without Regent University.” Because of that generosity, Andrew learned to carry the light of Christ into the most sacred moments imaginable. A few years ago, that training met him graveside as he prepared to bury a beloved grandmother of 15 grandchildren. “All the grandkids, some as young as 4, came running toward me and sat right where the family usually sits,”
Andrew recalls. “My remarks are normally written for adults. But everyone had told me how much this woman loved the Lord and wanted her grandkids to love Him, too. So, I shifted, turning our traditional graveside reading of the 23rd Psalm into a Sunday school lesson about how their grandmother had lived out David’s words.” The parents cried. The kids stayed fully engaged. Afterward, the family told Andrew he made the children feel like they were part of honoring their grandmother, too. Andrew is quick to credit the donors behind it. “They directly contributed to something that has made my life and my ministry possible,” he says. When you invest in Regent, you’re investing in Christian leaders like Andrew — leaders who will serve in churches, courtrooms, classrooms, and even at Arlington National Cemetery. “If not us, then who?” Andrew asks. “The mission’s a big one, and it’s not getting smaller.” To the donors who already helped Andrew answer God’s call to serve — thank you. But so many other bright, deserving students need the same bridge: one that equips them to follow God’s call and change the world for God’s glory.
Will you help build it today? 2
FULFILLING CHRIST’S COMMAND Your support is mobilizing a new generation to finish what Christ began. The Great Commission is more than a calling; it’s a command. In Matthew 28:19–20, the resurrected Christ told His apostles: “Go … and make disciples of all the nations” (NKJV). Jesus also instructed them to baptize new believers and teach them “to obey all that I have commanded you.” Your generous support for Regent University is helping carry out that biblical mandate through the School of Divinity’s Center for the Great Commission (CGC). This new Holy Spirit-led initiative is built on one core conviction: every believer is called to share the gospel around the world. “The Center for the Great Commission is a place born from a command that has never changed and a calling that has never diminished,” Regent Chancellor Gordon Robertson explains. “The CGC will serve as a hub for training, collaboration, and global engagement. It will bring together scholars, practitioners, and students from around the world in the shared task of proclaiming the gospel.”
3
Robertson adds that the Center has the potential to catalyze new research, foster global church partnerships, and equip leaders with practical tools for missions in a rapidly changing world. “In many ways,” he says, “the Center embodies Regent’s commitment to not only teach about the Great Commission, but to actively participate in its fulfillment. I see it as a vital instrument for the university to mobilize this generation to carry the gospel to the ends of the Earth.” Formally dedicated on June 13, 2026, and launched on July 1, the CGC addresses five areas of need: research, faculty development, staff formation, student discipleship, and church resourcing. Founding Executive Director Dr. Joseph Umidi says now is the time to point others to Christ through our testimony and worship. “On June 13, we committed to cancel the ‘cancel culture’ of our day — the mindset that says the Great Commission is optional,” he recalls. “The Holy Spirit wants a laser focus on Jesus’ command to share the gospel in this hour, more than ever before.”
The Center’s Success Depends on Friends Like You Your generosity is helping the CGC to focus initially on students in the School of Divinity’s Master of Arts in Church Planting and Master of Arts in Evangelism & Mission degree programs — with plans to expand to all Regent students and, eventually, people outside the university. Dr. Corné Bekker, Dean of Regent’s School of Divinity, says the CGC closes a critical gap by providing rigorous research on evangelism, missions, and church planting. “The School of Divinity has trained pastors and scholars with excellence,” Bekker shares. “But that excellence has not always been joined to sustained, fieldtested research aimed at specific nations and specific harvests. Congregations and pastors on the ground need more than encouragement from afar.”
Lee Leleux, a recent School of Divinity graduate, puts it this way: “We are to make disciples in every nation, people, and culture,” she states. “God is already at work in many ways we can’t see. My recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania strengthened that conviction. He can multiply the efforts of just one person to change a nation.”
How Your Support Advances the Great Commission Because of you, Regent University equips and sends Kingdom ambassadors in ministry, law, business, education, media, healthcare, and many other disciplines with wisdom, excellence, innovation, and integrity. Your faithful prayers and generous financial support are crucial to the CGC helping fulfill Matthew 28:19-20 in our lifetimes. “If the Lord is calling you to give,” Leleux says, “the donor’s earthly eyes will not see the impact their every dollar had on The Great Commission, but they will surely hear the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 5:21).”
“We are to make With your prayers and support, the disciples in every nation, CGC can become the fullest “What donors may not yet realize is people, and culture.” expression of its mission to equip that we stand at a moment unlike Lee Leleux (SOD ’26) Christian leaders to change the any before it,” Bekker insists. “For world for God’s glory — training the first time in the history of the Church, technology has students to live out The Great Commission through every placed the possibility of reaching every person on earth vocation and sphere of influence. with the gospel not as a distant hope but as an achievable task for this generation. That possibility is also Umidi sees the CGC becoming a resource hub for a responsibility, and the center exists to help the Church pastors, churches, and ministries far beyond campus. meet it, rather than merely admire it.” Plans for student engagement through the Center include “boots on the ground” training, course work in Robertson also acknowledges the importance of this church-planting, short-term missions trips, and other moment: “I want this center to be a place where we outreach opportunities. expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.” “I call it accelerated mobilization of all students,” he says. “There are significant opportunities for them to do The task is great, but so is the opportunity. Thank ministry. Hopefully, donors can help with seed money — you for helping fulfill Christ’s command — for the I know alumni who have a heart for specific people sake of the nations, and for God’s glory. groups that would love to help us reach them.” 4
Equipping Through Missions Your giving opens the door between the classroom and the mission field. For Regent University’s School of Divinity (SOD), preparing Christian leaders means more than filling their minds with knowledge — it means forming men and women ready to put what they’ve learned into practice, wherever God calls them.
That conviction is exactly why one of the central goals of the new Center for the Great Commission (CGC) is expanding real, hands-on opportunities for students to serve on the mission field.
In Mark 16:15, Jesus told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (NKJV). Donors like you help make it possible for Regent students to answer that call through your faithful prayers and generous support.
“... learning from and
“The Center for the Great Commission seeks to train and equip Regent students and faculty for the missional calling God has placed on the church,” says Dr. Melissa Davis, a School of Divinity adjunct professor and post-doctoral fellow. “The center will give that Great Commission ‘legs’ as it helps students recognize their place in God’s mission.”
Dr. Corné Bekker, Dean of the serving one another, we School of Divinity, emphasizes that all become stronger.” answering Christ’s call requires both For Davis, pursuing that goal starts in Dr. Melissa Davis sound preparation and a willingness her own classroom. “Seminary is a to go: “A degree program forms a formational process,” she explains. student’s mind and ministry competence. But a student “Through our educational journey, the Lord is shaping us should leave having been sent, not merely having to become the people we need to be to accomplish His studied what sending means.” calling in our lives. What I teach should help students become disciple-making disciples.” 5
It also means opening doors beyond the classroom. Outside her work at Regent, Davis is the founder of Equipping Ministries Global (EMG), a ministry that equips and trains men and women for the work God has called them to in East Africa — Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. As a Regent School of Divinity alumna herself, Davis shapes these trips with intention rather than providing a generic missions experience. “I can offer Regent students the opportunity to get their hands dirty doing ministry alongside my East African ministry partners,” she shares. “As we come together as brothers and sisters in the global body of Christ, learning from and serving one another, we all become stronger.” Recent SOD graduate Lee Leleux knows firsthand how such experiences can shape a student. During her Regent journey, she traveled to Tanzania and Kenya with Davis. “My experience there was one of the most meaningful parts of my Regent journey,” she recalls. “I went expecting to serve in a limited capacity but came home realizing how much God had to teach me through the people I encountered.” She adds, “Mission trips aren’t just about what we bring to others; they are about what God does in us when we step outside our familiar environment and encounter the global Church.” With the help of friends like you, the CGC is preparing for its first official mobilization trip, with training this fall, ahead of a planned April outreach to Kenya. Led by Dr. Davis, the experience is expected to give students opportunities to spend time with local ministry leaders, participate in church worship, assist with ministry
Dr. Davis preaching at African Word Christian Center in Kayieye, Kenya
conferences and workshops, and serve children and youth in an orphanage and school setting. The CGC is also building relationships with other established ministries. Bekker says the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and Operation Blessing International (OBI) are already the center’s first strategic partners — CBN brings broadcast reach to target nations, such as Brazil and Japan, while OBI provides an on-theground presence and local trust in those same countries. Looking ahead, the CGC hopes to form more partnerships like these, opening doors for students to pursue both research and hands-on ministry. In Brazil and Japan, for example, the center plans to build sustained research on evangelism, missions, and church planting. “The Missio Dei, the mission of God, began in the Father’s own love for the world long before it ever reached the School of Divinity,” Bekker insists. “We simply want to be found faithful stewards of it in our generation, and we want our students to leave here having heard and understanding that what they heard was never meant to end with them.” That is the heart of your partnership with the School of Divinity: You help empower faithful servants who are prepared to go, serve, and make disciples. Through your giving — and through the doors the Center for the Great Commission is now opening — Regent is turning theological education into mission-ready formation, sending leaders into a world that needs the gospel. Thank you for helping make that possible.
Dr. Davis with the vice principals of Ng’iya National Senior Girls’ School in Kenya 6
FROM VISION TO REALITY What’s rising on campus is proof of what your generosity can do.
Something extraordinary is rising at Regent University. Because of generous friends like you, a growing sense of anticipation is sweeping across campus. That anticipation is, literally, rising out of the ground, as construction of the university’s new Athletic & Fitness Center (AFC) heads toward the finish line.
Associate Professor, who’s been working on Regent building projects for decades. “You’re also investing to change the world. You’re making an impact.”
The 31-acre sports complex’s main structure — a 2,000seat NCAA championship arena with a weight room and fitness center, a café and student lounge, and a sportsmedicine clinic — is taking shape, as work also progresses on the outdoor athletic facilities. With a targeted completion date of Fall 2027, enthusiasm has been building through every phase of construction.
Ganthner says approximately 90% of the underground work has been completed. The main building and athletic stadiums are “going vertical” with most of the structural steel complete and the exterior walls rising to fully enclose the buildings. The baseball and softball stadiums also have started construction.
“The excitement across campus is ramping up,” says Michael Allen, Regent’s Executive Director of Athletics. “With the arena coming out of the ground, the progress has generated anticipation that these much-needed facilities will be a reality in less than a year from now.” Behind the steel and concrete is something far more significant: your generosity is shaping this project one wall, foundation, and beam at a time. “You truly are investing in the students,” says Dr. Jeffrey Ganthner, the university’s Architect-in-Residence and an 7
Visually, that impact is already taking shape.
A Vision Rising From the Ground
“By mid-December,” he explains, “you’ll be able to see an enclosed athletic building, along with the stadium.” Next will come other architectural details to give the entire complex its distinctive Regent character. Facilities Specialist Sam Brownell has been working with Virginia Beach officials on the detailed permitting process and with construction teams building the main complex and stadium. He says key plumbing, electrical, and other underground infrastructure have been in place for months.
“The AFC is a pivotal change for the university,” Brownell insists. “This complex provides more than athletics. It gives the entire student body a place to hang out, work out, eat, and commune together.”
Much More Than Sports The AFC will profoundly impact the Regent Royals athletic program, paving the way for new sports teams. Also, the complex will increase fitness opportunities and meaningful fellowship for everyone at the university. Gabrielle Butler, who competes in women’s cross country and track & field says the complex will be a “gamechanger” for Royals student-athletes: “Having these new facilities will definitely help eliminate long travel to off-campus practice sites and save valuable time for our academics.” Thomas Slingluff, a member of the men’s cross country and track & field teams, sees an even broader effect: “Having these facilities on campus will give us more time to focus on training, academics, and building relationships with our teammates and the rest of the Regent community. I also think the AFC will bring greater unity between athletes and the student body by making
it much easier for students to attend games and support our teams.” Your generosity empowers much more than a collegiate athletic program. Your support creates an environment where every student’s God-given gifts can be developed alongside their faith and character. “Most significantly,” Slingluff insists, “I believe the AFC will be an avenue for Regent to reach more and more people with the gospel and to share the love of Christ with our community.” “Any gift you contribute, please know you are making an eternal impact,” Allen says. “By having these facilities, it will attract even more prospective students and athletes who choose to partner with Regent to ultimately go out into the world and be a light for Jesus Christ and to live out the mission of this extraordinary university.” Thank you for being one of the heroes making this possible. Because of you, Regent is rising — one mission, one student, one education, and one future Christian leader at a time.
8
The Scholarship That Shaped a Governor A scholarship gift, decades ago, shaped a future governor — and continues to equip Christian leaders for God’s glory. This past spring, Ellie Dooner sat at the head table of a wedding-rehearsal dinner, watching Bob McDonnell, a man she’d known for nearly 40 years, prepare to say, “I do.” It was the perfect moment to reflect on a story that began decades earlier — with a scholarship her husband created to answer a friend’s call for help. In the early 1980s, Regent’s late founder, Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson, called longtime friend and philanthropist William “Bill” Dooner with a simple request. According to Bill’s wife, Eleanor (“Ellie”), he asked: “I would like more Catholics to come to Regent University. Can you think of a way we could introduce them to us?” Several days later, inspiration came. “I will be happy to fund a scholarship that can only be awarded to students if they are Roman Catholic,” Bill told Robertson. “That will introduce them to one of the finest universities in America.”
59
Neither man could have imagined how profoundly that gift would shape one student’s life — or inspire the many donors who would follow. That first recipient was a young husband, father, Army Reserve officer, and aspiring attorney named Bob McDonnell. Today, the former governor of Virginia still remembers the scholarship — and the friend behind it — with deep gratitude.
More Than Financial Assistance When McDonnell arrived at Regent in 1986, he was raising a growing family, serving in the Army Reserve, and working three jobs to pursue the calling God had placed on his heart. Donors like you closed the gap those jobs couldn’t. “I had the GI Bill to pay for some of it,” McDonnell admits. “Bill and Ellie’s scholarship was a significant help to me and my family.”
Selected for the William J. Dooner Scholarship, McDonnell was invited to speak at donor events about the gift — and that is how he met Bill. “We became friends,” he recalls. Their friendship lasted until Bill passed away in 2017 at age 86.
A Shared Mission McDonnell’s path to Regent began with prayer. Watching the 700 Club while discerning God’s direction, he heard Dr. Robertson describe a school where faith and learning were intentionally integrated. “The words Christian Leadership, to Change the World really resonated with me,” McDonnell says. “The Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me go.” As one of relatively few Roman Catholic students on campus, he immediately felt welcomed. “Dr. Robertson set a clear culture,” McDonnell explains, “that it took all the different flavors of the body of Christ to make things successful.”
teaches and mentors Regent students as a Distinguished Professor in the Schools of Law and Government. “So many people did that for me,” he says. “It was a small lift for them, but it was game-changing for me.” Now McDonnell gives back the same way, establishing scholarships that offer today’s students the same encouragement that once transformed his life.
The Next Story Begins Today Each year, Ellie Dooner receives letters from scholarship recipients. “Each story is different, but their words are the same,” she says. “‘I couldn’t have done this without you.’”
“A gift of any amount would be their answer to continue their life’s dream.” Ellie Dooner
That vision still shapes Regent today. “I’ve been so pleased with Regent’s fidelity to the mission,” McDonnell shares, “now enhanced with equipping leaders ‘for God’s glory.’”
The Ripple Effect of Generosity Because faithful donors invested in a calling, McDonnell went on to serve as a Member of the House of Delegates, Attorney General, and Governor of Virginia — and today
She hopes more donors will answer the call she and Bill answered decades ago. “So many young students are struggling financially. A gift of any amount would be their answer to continue their life’s dream.”
McDonnell agrees. “You have to look at it as a spiritual investment in the kingdom of God,” he insists. “I want to support people who dream big, work hard, and watch God do marvelous things.” Fifty years ago, Bill and Ellie Dooner had no idea their scholarship’s first recipient would one day become governor. They simply responded faithfully to a need. Will you help answer that need? As Ellie says, “a gift of any amount” could be someone’s answer to a life’s dream.
Bill & Ellie Dooner 10
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Finish the Task Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) is unmistakably clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” The Great Commission is more than a command for the Church to obey someday. I believe this generation has a unique opportunity — and responsibility — to fulfill this task in our lifetime.
Christian leaders to change the world for God’s glory is already bearing fruit. We are preparing graduates who are both academically excellent and spiritually grounded. Whether they are called to ministry, law, business, education, media, or another sphere of influence, our alumni become ambassadors for His kingdom, carrying the gospel with wisdom, integrity, and purpose.
Never before has the gospel had such immediate access to the nations through technology, When I share this goal with Regent global mobility, and unprecedented students, I speak from a deep Go therefore connectivity. What previous conviction that their generation and make disciples generations could only imagine, this stands at a unique convergence of one can finish. But the possibility opportunity and urgency. And I of all the nations. alone is not enough. It will take a remind them that friends like you Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) generation marked by spiritual depth, have already answered that call as theological clarity, and unwavering obedience to Christ. essential partners in this mission. Your faithful prayers and generous financial gifts are an investment in men and Regent University has an important role to play in fulfilling women who will carry the light of Jesus to the nations. the Great Commission. Completing Jesus’ command will require not only innovation, but people willing to go, to Yes, indeed, we can fulfill the Great Commission in our suffer, and to serve with humility, courage, and excellence. lifetime. The opportunity is before us. The technology is I believe this generation has that capacity if we remain in our hands. The message has not changed. Now, it’s up anchored in truth and empowered by the Holy Spirit. to us to partner together as Christ’s witnesses and finish Because of your faithfulness, our mission to equip the task.
Giving Strategically, Giving Generously A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) lets you donate appreciated stock without capital gains tax, take the deduction immediately, and direct gifts to Regent on your schedule. A DAF is also a great way to multiply your impact while staying in complete control. Request your FREE DAF Giving Guide by emailing us at legacy@regent.edu.
regent.edu/impact | alumni.regent.edu | @regentalumni | Regent University’s Impact is published quarterly by the university’s Office of Advancement, free of charge, for alumni and friends of the university. To review Regent’s nondiscrimination statement, visit www.regent.edu/nondiscrim. Opinions expressed in Impact are those of individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of Regent University’s board, faculty, administration or staff. Regent University accepts news submissions from readers but reserves the right to edit based upon clarity, length and content. The university may decline to print material at its discretion. ADV261044
C H R I S T I A N
L E A D E R S H I P
T O
C H A N G E
T H E
W O R L D