CELEBRATING DR. JOHN MACARTHUR’S 40TH YEAR AT TMU AND HIS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CHRIST AND SCRIPTURE.
A brief look at major milestones at the University under MacArthur’s leadership.
Meet the MacArthur Trust
The Trust supports a family of ministries in their service to the church.
SO MUCH OF THE PHYSICAL CAMPUS AND SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE OF TMU IS TRACEABLE TO THE LEADERSHIP OF DR. MACARTHUR OVER HIS 40 YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT AT THE INSTITUTION, FIRST AS PRESIDENT AND NOW AS CHANCELLOR. IN THIS EDITION OF TMU MAGAZINE, WE EXPLORE THAT IMPACT.
The John MacArthur Charitable Trust was formed in 2018 to support the family of ministries associated with Dr. John MacArthur — from The Master’s University and Seminary to The Master’s Academy International and Grace Advance, among others. The goal is to serve these ministries as they, in turn, serve the church through various channels.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Ifirst encountered Dr. John MacArthur through the radio.
Every morning, 7:30 a.m. on KSIV AM 1320, my mother listened to Grace to You without fail as she took me to school, and I grew up hearing Pastor John preach on books like Daniel and 1 Corinthians. Later on, my mom gave me a MacArthur Study Bible to pour over for my daily devotions, and I began to read books like “Charismatic Chaos,” “Ashamed of the Gospel,” and “The Gospel According to Jesus.” I also used Dr. MacArthur’s work on “Our Awesome God,” and “Alone with God” to lead high school Bible studies. Though I was far away from Southern California, the Lord used Dr. MacArthur’s radio and print ministry to affect my life.
All of this accelerated when I went to The Master’s College. Seeing my desire to go into the ministry, my mother told me this was the only place to go. I enrolled, and for three years my life was daily transformed by the work of the faculty and staff Dr. MacArthur had labored to raise up. Some of the best years of my life were in the depths of study and life as a student at TMC. This continued into my time at The Master’s Seminary, where the most driving convictions about God, His Word, life, and ministry were formed. I even met my wife at TMC, and my family has been abundantly blessed by the teaching and ministry at Grace Community Church.
Dr. MacArthur’s influence not only had an impact on me personally, but professionally. After graduating from TMC, I was privileged to serve at TMUS as a faculty member, truly a dream job. In talking with many colleagues at other schools, teaching Scripture in a place where everyone shares the same convictions and a central affection around Christ and Scripture cannot be taken for granted.
But perhaps the biggest privilege is to be mentored by Pastor John personally. Just as Timothy witnessed the life of Paul (2 Tim. 3:10-11), so I have seen that Dr. MacArthur’s public and private life are one and the same. And his clarity of conviction, from writing and editing books, to making decisions about Bible translation, to dealing with leadership challenges with endurance, humility, clarity, discernment, care, and boldness, have etched many lifelong lessons upon my heart.
So when asked, “How has the Lord used Dr. MacArthur to shape your life?” — my simple reply is, “All of it.” Because that is the truth.
May 2025 marks Dr. MacArthur’s 40th graduation at The Master’s University. On behalf of all of our graduates, and particularly myself, thank you for your life of faithfulness to Christ and Scripture.
In His grace,
Dr. Abner Chou PRESIDENT, THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
TMU's Alumni Association provides opportunities for alumni to connect with their alma mater — and each other.
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This photo was taken in 1987, two years after Dr. MacArthur became president. His first years at the school saw rapid growth in the student body, and TMC quickly built Dixon and Sweazy halls to house these new students. Dr. MacArthur, his wife Patricia (to his right), and the student body are pictured here standing in front of the newly finished residences.
TMU works tirelessly to make a Christ-centered education accessible to every qualified student who desires it. The University seeks to accomplish this goal through generous financial aid and a broad spectrum of program offerings. This helps to ensure that students can pursue their academic and spiritual growth at TMU, where all things are done for Christ and Scripture.
$30M
The amount of financial aid available at TMU each year.
The percentage of traditional undergraduate students who receive financial assistance. 97%
The number of programs offered in traditional, online, and dual-enrollment formats.
2,800+ SPRING 2025
The number of students enrolled in programs at The Master’s University and Seminary.
Katherine Dyer’s accomplishments highlight another amazing spring semester for TMU.
BY TMU STAFF
This spring, The Master’s University continued its remarkable run of collecting NAIA national championships. The school had won five such titles before 2023, but as of TMU Magazine’s March 2025 press deadline, the school had added 13 more.
Two of those came when freshman Katherine Dyer won the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys at the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships in Elkhart, Indiana, in March. Dyer set new NAIA meet records in both races. She was also the national runner-up in the 100
freestyle, one of two second-place finishes for the Mustangs. The other came from junior Kylee Sears in the 200 freestyle.
“I've been training the entire year for this,” Dyer said of the 200 individual medley. “To have it happen — to be here, and to win, and to break the record, is all so unreal.”
Earlier in the semester, TMU also added three more national titles in Gainesville, Florida, at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.
The women's Distance Medley Relay team of Ellen Palmgren, Olivia Nantz, Suzie Johnson, and Hannah Fredericks broke a 15-year-old NAIA record in their victory, while the women's 4x800-meter relay (Fredericks, Rebekah Niednagel, Johnson, and Palmgren) secured TMU’s first-ever national title in that event. Hunter Angove claimed the national title in pole vault.
Says Fredericks, “Our theme verse for this trip has been 2 Corinthians
5:9, which says, ‘So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.’ This trip has been a sweet blessing from the Lord, and we know that this victory came from Him. The value of the podium is in the message that we proclaim from it, and Christ deserves all the glory!”
TMU Men’s Volleyball went to Palo Alto on Feb. 15 and beat a Stanford University team that was ranked No. 8 in the NCAA at the time. The match went five sets, with the Mustangs pulling out one of the most impressive wins of the season and possibly in school history. TMU spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the NAIA and, as of TMU Magazine’s print deadline, was poised for another deep run in the postseason. The NAIA national tournament was scheduled for April 28 through May 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Check gomustangs.com for the latest results.
Students spent their spring break filming TMU’s third feature-length film, “The Descent Part II.”
BY ANDIE VALDES
TMU’s president encouraged students to meditate on their identity in Christ.
BY KAELYN PEAY
Dr. Abner Chou preached in chapel at The Master’s University on Feb. 3, charging students out of Ephesians 4:17-24 to “know who you are in Christ” as the irreplaceable start of sanctification in the Christian life.
“If some of you here have said, ‘Ah, I’m really struggling with sanctification. I want to be like Christ. I want to make my life count. I want to participate in this plan. I want to be holy unto the Lord. I just can’t make it work.’ Maybe you’ve skipped the first step,” Chou said.
During spring break, the Cinema & Digital Arts program at The Master’s University shot its third feature film, “The Descent Part II.” The project is a sequel to the program’s second feature film, a thriller based on the events of Revelation 9.
Over a condensed period of time — eight 10-hour-long days — 50 CDA majors shot the film alongside industry professionals. Only 10% of the project was filmed on campus, with the rest at various locations, including Universal Studios Backlot and Capital Arts, a well-known standing-sets studio in the San Fernando Valley.
“While other schools have created full-length features, it is usually a one and done, because it requires so much work,” says CDA Director Matt Green. “We’re still doing it because we value the environment it creates, and nothing else can replicate that experience.”
The film is expected to be released in 2026.
Chou impressed on students that the pursuit of holiness begins not with action, but with deeply pondering what the Lord has already accomplished in them through Christ.
“Brothers and sisters, here’s a problem in your life and my life: We convince ourselves that ‘this sin is too big for me to kill.’ You say that enough, and you become ingrained in the habit. No wonder that when you try, you fail,” Chou said. “Here’s the genius of God.
He says, ‘Let me tell you the first step: It’s to never get in the situation (of telling yourself that) to begin with.’ This is why you have to know who you are in Christ.”
TMU livestreams chapel every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at masters. edu/live. Previous chapel messages can be viewed on TMU’s YouTube channel
Graduates of TMU are eligible for an exclusive scholarship in one of our online graduate degree programs starting in the Fall 2025 semester.
ELIGIBLE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Master of Arts, Biblical Studies
Master of Business Administration
Master of Healthcare Administration
Master of Education in Teaching
FIND OUT MORE AT ONLINE.MASTERS.EDU/ALUMNI-SCHOLARSHIP
18-19
Learn more at careofsoulsconference.org
23-29
2
For a full calendar, visit masters.edu/events
RESOURCES
The Care of Souls Conference partners with TMU to uphold Scripture as the final and sufficient authority in counseling. This conference is intended for pastors, elders, and lay people.
This marks the start of a new academic year at TMU. We are always grateful to the Lord for another opportunity to serve the students He brings our way.
Dr. Greg Gifford’s latest book, “Lies My Therapist Told Me: Why Christians Should Aim for More Than Just Treating Symptoms,” is scheduled for release in late May. Published by Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, the book is designed to be “the definitive Christian critique of secular psychiatry and psychology,”
TMU’s 98th annual Commencement Ceremony will be held on the University’s campus. More details are available at masters.edu/commencement All are welcome to join via livestream at masters.edu/live
On Aug. 23, we will welcome our incoming class for fall 2025. New students will spend the Week of Welcome getting to know the campus, each other, TMU faculty and staff, and the opportunities available to them in the years ahead.
according to its publisher’s description.
Gifford, who serves as the chair of the biblical studies department and a biblical counseling professor at The Master’s University, says, “While the mental health enterprise fails, perpetuating faulty ideas and faulty solutions, the Bible shines bright.
God’s Word tells us what the mind is and how it can be transformed. Some of us, as Christians, have settled for inferior solutions in mental health, and God’s Word is superior.”
The book is available for preorder on the HarperCollins website
Dr. Greg Gifford provides biblical perspective on the world’s view of mental health.
BY KAELYN PEAY
PHOTOS BY ANDREW TRUONG
“This is a gift from my son — my LEGO tractor. I love tractors, and I’ll never outgrow LEGO.”
“Those are gifts from two students who are married now. He took English Literature II from me, and she was an English major. And those were two favorite works that we studied together.”
“My wife and I fell in love with that lamp. Then she fell out of love with it and said she wanted it out of the house. But I still liked it, so as soon as I got my office here, I said, ‘I know a place for that.’”
“I grew up with that clock; it’s from my mom and dad. I got a little Shakespeare bookmark and I put it in the face there, because the clock doesn’t work anymore.”
This fall, a new special education emphasis will be introduced to the liberal studies degree at The Master’s University. The emphasis will explore several topics within special education, including disability categories, communication disorders, and assistive technology.
The liberal studies degree at TMU will now be split into three tracks: general emphasis, elementary education, and special education.
Dr. Jordan Morton, the dean of TMU’s
Pearl C. Schaffer School of Education, says that the goal is to better serve those students interested in pursuing special education as a career.
“There’s a great demand for people to work with students with special needs, and that’s something that we felt called upon to help with,” Morton said.
This decision is about more than preparing students for a career in special education. Morton says it is fundamentally hinged on TMU’s
New emphasis expands options for TMU’s liberal studies students.
BY ANDIE VALDES
understanding of the biblical calling to service and discipleship.
“It’s about being able to serve a family and provide them with help when they may not know what to do,” she said. “To be able to step in and serve a student and a family is a high calling. As Christian, biblically based teachers, we want to provide that help.”
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TMU’S LIBERAL STUDIES DEGREE, SEE MASTERS.EDU/LIBERAL
Freshman international student from England. Kinesiology major with an emphasis in pre-nursing. Lord willing, she hopes to become a pediatric nurse or go into medical missions after she graduates.
“Being an international student, I have been blessed with godly friends who have become like family to me. Though far from home, at TMU God has provided me with a community of brothers and sisters in Christ where we can support, encourage, and grow alongside each other. God has taught me that whoever He brings into my life that day is who He wants me to serve and love, and He will give me the capacity to do so.”
“This semester, I changed my major from business administration to kinesiology with a pre-nursing emphasis. While both subjects can be used to glorify God, I believe that I can serve the Lord best as a nurse. Coming from a secular high school, I love discovering how each part of our body was created by God and intricately designed to function together, and more importantly, how I can use this knowledge to help my fellow image-bearers as a nurse.”
“The Lord calls every believer to be a witness for Christ. This semester, I have learned what this means in my daily life — that wherever the Lord places me is my mission field. Joining TMU’s evangelism club has been the greatest blessing to me. Not only do I get to see how God works in people’s hearts, I also get to reflect on His plan of redemption, which reminds me to have an eternal perspective on life!”
Dr. Greg Gifford teaches students the fundamentals of biblical family life.
BY ANDIE VALDES
Marriage and Family is one of the most popular biblical counseling courses at The Master’s University, to the point that the majority of students who take the class aren’t biblical counseling majors.
Dr. Greg Gifford, chair of TMU’s biblical studies department, says the class provides a theology of marriage and family while applying Scripture to the problems that can arise in those contexts. Over the course of the semester, students learn about family roles, inlaws, parenting, conflict resolution,
communication, and financial unity.
Gifford believes the reason why so many students choose the course as an elective is because it deals with issues the students are already thinking about.
“Marriage and Family is highly relevant to students,” he says. “A lot of them deal with relational questions. They are curious about understanding roles — knowing what to expect of a person based on how you relate to them.”
Gifford’s goal with the course is to give his students a distinctively biblical perspective on marriage and family, rather than letting secular psychology or pop culture shape their thinking.
“God’s Word has answers that make your relationships better,” he says. “The content hits students right where they are at, and right where they are going.”
FOR MORE WAYS TMU IS DISTINCT, VISIT MASTERS.EDU/WHY-TMU
ON CAMPUS
The annual event encourages STEM professionals in their fidelity to Christ.
BY TMU STAFF
The third annual Math3ma Symposium, happening June 6-7 at The Master’s University, invites Christians in the scientific and technological workforce — across academia, industry, and government — for a time of fellowship and encouragement as they pursue fidelity to Christ and Scripture in their vocations.
The goal is to connect believers in STEM through networking and fellowship, encourage them through the preaching of God’s Word and the sharing of testimonies, and strengthen them by helping to solidify their convictions about living for God’s glory, particularly in the workplace.
Scheduled speakers include Drs. Abner Chou, Tai-Danae Bradley, and Mike Riccardi from TMUS; Jim Tan and Howard Kim from The Master’s Academy International; Barry Wilmore (astronaut); and David Beaman (engineer at SpaceX).
Learn more and register at math3ma.institute/symposium
Entrepreneurship major shares her experience of life at TMU.
BY MICHAEL ROURKE
BY
Hannah Chou is an entrepreneurship major at TMU, combining her love of small businesses and creativity with a desire to serve the Lord. She started her journey at TMU in fall 2023 and, Lord willing, plans to graduate in fall 2025.
After completing her studies, Chou hopes to work in marketing for a small business — and, if possible, have a flexible and stable career that allows her to return home to Hawaii. When asked why she chose TMU, Chou shared:
“Growing up in and around the TMU community, I’ve always said I wanted to go to school here. However, it was hearing Dr. Chou (no relation) articulate the mission and aim at TMU,
‘For Christ and Scripture,’ that convinced me this is what I want my life to be aimed at. At that point, it became clear that TMU was the right school.”
Chou’s favorite part of TMU is the community: “I love the fellowship that is cultivated in and out of the classroom. Seriously, there is so much to be said for student life here, whether in chapel, the dorms, or all throughout campus.”
Spiritually, Chou says she has experienced remarkable growth: “God has been really kind. He has done far more abundantly than all that I could have asked or thought (Eph. 3), and all I can say is that I love the Lord more deeply than I ever have before. He has given me a greater desire to do His will because it is only in His will that I’ll find my greatest joy.”
Academically, Chou has gained confidence: “As I
continue to learn not only about the world around me, but also myself and my strengths and weaknesses, I become better able to not only see needs around me, but also the ways in which I can contribute and be useful for the sake of others and the gospel.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A STUDENT AT TMU AT MASTERS.EDU/LIFE-AT-TMU
With Brianna Harris, Dean of Women and Resident Director
As the dean of women and a resident director at The Master’s University, Brianna Harris is passionate about mentoring and encouraging students in their walk with Christ. She graduated from Wayne State University in 2017 with a degree in graphic design, and from TMU with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling in 2021.
When asked what she enjoys about working at TMU, she said this:
“Working in Student Life is a dream! It’s a gift to have a job where the focus is building relationships and pointing people to Christ alongside your close friends. It humbles you and brings you to the end of yourself, leaving you exactly where God wants you, entirely dependent on Him. In Student Life, we have the privilege of being used by God to help students think biblically, build convictions, and listen when they share something they’ve never told anyone. It is a joy to do life with the students during such a unique and formative time in their lives. I am very thankful the Lord has placed me here at TMU!”
how well do you know
In what year did Dr. John MacArthur officially take over from Dr. John Dunkin as president?
A. 1984
B. 1986
C. 1987
D. 1985
Which year did The Master's College become The Master's University?
A. 2010
B. 2012
C. 2016
D. 2015
What is the name of TMU’s on-campus coffee shop?
A. THE MUSTANG CORRAL
B. TROPHY COFFEE
C. THE UNIVERSITY EXCHANGE
D. HEBREWS
Which dorm was built most recently?
A. C.W. SMITH
B. SLIGHT
C. WALDOCK
D. DIXON
answers on page 83
When all the faculty and staff here say, ‘for Christ and Scripture,’ they really do mean, ‘for Christ and Scripture.’”
TMU STUDENT
Article, “Louis Merred Came to TMU to Pursue Christ”
The world is falling apart, and we have answers. I just love that Scripture is sufficient and beautiful and wise for all the most complex problems that humans have, and the world is desperate for answers. … The way I like to say it is, ‘The darker the night, the brighter the light of God’s Word shines.’”
CHAIR OF TMU’S ONLINE BIBLICAL COUNSELING PROGRAM
Article, “Dr. Ernie Baker Writes Book on ‘Psychologies’ for Biblical Counseling Series”
OUTSIDE THE CANYON
TMU Chorale kicks off summer by singing for TMUaffiliated churches as far north as British Columbia.
BY ANDIE VALDES
This summer, The Master’s University Chorale will be performing along the West Coast at various churches affiliated with TMU and The Master’s Seminary, singing a Creation-themed program inspired by Psalms 8, 148, and 150.
The group will begin the trip in British Columbia, Canada, and conclude back in Southern California, making
You are never more like Christ than when you forgive. … Be gracious in your forgiveness, without restrictions, without qualifications, extending and lavishing grace on those who have wronged you, just like Christ did for us.”
The professors at TMU are so passionate about what they teach that it’s hard not to fall in love with learning. It has been sweet to see how passionate professors are about the Lord, even when they are not teaching a Bible class.”
TMU STUDENT
Article, “What’s Life Like at TMU?”
stops along the way in major cities like Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
Dr. Marius Bahnean, professor of music and director of choral activities at TMU, says the trip is intended as both a gift to the churches they visit and to the students.
“It’s an opportunity to perform and sing with each other as a group outside of the academic setting. We work hard all year so that we can build connections within the group and encourage the churches that we visit,” he says. “We want to really showcase that we are for Christ and Scripture, and to do that in a way that honors Him and builds the church up.”
Essentials of Philosophy
Prof. Jo Suzuki
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ENGLISH
“Essentials of Philosophy is a class that examines major Western philosophies from a biblical perspective. I show my students how the Word of God permeates every aspect of our learning and understanding of the world in which we live. They gain a firsthand knowledge of the philosophers’ works and learn to evaluate them through the lens of the Scriptures. They exercise the mind of Christ to “appraise all things” (1 Cor. 2:15-16), train their faculty of discernment, and become strong in their faith (Heb. 5:14).”
In The Western: Myth, Ideology, & Genre
Prof. Peter Schickle
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COMMUNICATION
“In this class, we watch a curated selection of Western films that explore America’s historical and social contexts through the lens of the American myth. We enjoy the films but also look past the entertainment aspect and train ourselves to think critically about the worldview of the film using biblical, rhetorical, social, and filmmaking perspectives. Or, as most students will tell you, we watch good films and write about them.”
Elementary Greek
Dr. Tom Halstead
PROFESSOR, NEW TESTAMENT & GREEK
“The students are currently going through a textbook on the different aspects of Greek grammar for the purpose of translating 1 John in Greek. The purpose of learning Greek is to become more transformed by the renewing of their minds to love the Word of God so they might do the will of God (Rom. 12:2).”
Human Physiology
Prof. Dawn Okonowski
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, KINESIOLOGY
“God designed our bodies to selfregulate. Students learn how their bodies have been designed with systems that interact together to respond to ever-changing internal and external demands imposed on them. Irreducible complexity is noted, attesting to the incredible creativity of our Creator.”
Dr. Neil McLeod has built a new emphasis for TMU students interested in dentistry.
New professor shares compelling, Christ-centered vision for pre-dental program.
BY ANDIE VALDES
A new faculty member has a compelling, Christcentered vision for the pre-dentistry program at The Master’s University.
Dr. Neil McLeod is the dentist and owner of a private dental practice in West Hollywood. He is also an adjunct professor at TMU, and he’s thrilled to continue developing the school’s predental program, which includes job shadowing opportunities and a new course.
The shadowing program, McLeod says, is essential for those interested in dentistry. Not only does dental school require 100 hours of shadowing, but the experience gained is vital to understanding what clinical dentistry is all about.
McLeod connected with several dentists in the Santa Clarita area and has organized the opportunity for students to explore various specialties, including children’s dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, endodontists, and prosthodontics.
Along with the shadowing program, McLeod is offering a new class called “Special Topics: Dental Studies.” The course will cover a range of topics: the realities of dental school, the history of dentistry, inventions that made dentistry possible, and the importance of dental care.
“I want students to have an understanding about the profession, how it developed, and what it requires to be a good dentist. Then when they go in for an interview, they will be prepared,” McLeod says. “I want to excite students about being in the profession of dentistry.”
But most importantly, he sees the field as an opportunity to glorify Christ.
“We want to represent Christian ethics as a part of their treatment,” McLeod says. “It’s important for Christians to be in every profession, and all aspects of medical care are a part of the way we can help each other and understand the miraculous way our bodies work.”
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT TMU’S PRE-DENTISTRY PROGRAM, SEE MASTERS.EDU/DENTISTRY
Dr. Jason Beals (biblical studies) recently wrote an article for the The Master’s Seminary Journal for the fall titled, “The Second Adam and the Necessity for Eschatological Earthly Dominion.” The TMSJ is available online at tms.edu/ journal
Dr. Don Hedges (music) is currently serving as the Secretary for Region 1 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah) of the National Association of Schools of Music (TMU’s specialized accreditor), and Dr. Paul Plew and Hedges are both serving on the Church Leaders Advisory Group for Getty Music’s Sing! Hymnal Project.
Dr. Matthew McLain (science) led a group of Santa Clarita Christian School seniors to the Grand Canyon as part of a missions trip to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. He also spoke at the Smoky Mountain Creation Retreat run by Core Academy of Science and at Liberty University on paleontology topics.
Dr. Jordan Morton (education) presented two connected breakout sessions at the 2025 Think Biblically Conference at TMU, titled: “Teaching From a Biblical Worldview: Expressing God’s Sovereignty in the Classroom.”
Dr. William Varner (biblical studies) continues to teach weekly in the Bereans Fellowship at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita. He and Pastor David Hegg recently submitted to the publisher their commentary titled, “Matthew’s Messiah: His Jewish Life and Ministry.” Varner and TMU grad Cliff Kvidahl are also jointly writing a commentary on Hebrews.
Kellie Cunningham (music) recently returned from working on her dissertation, studying music, teaching, and learning in a community Bible church in Uganda. She also presented on creative composition in piano and voice studios at the International Society on Music Education in Helsinki, Finland, and contributed a co-authored chapter titled, “Teaching Music in the Global Church,” to a publication of The Master’s Academy International.
Ryan Foglesong (music) spoke at three conferences in 2024: Hymns of Grace (Santa Clarita), the Biblical Worship Conference (Mill Valley, California), and Worship God (Louisville, Kentucky). Two of his songs, “The Steadfast Love of Christ” and “Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer,” were featured on a recently released Sovereign Grace Music album. He also toured with Keith and Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa as the bass player for the Hymns Tour 2024.
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ALUMNI FOCUS
Josh Bretz (’24) earns his dream design job in Denmark.
BY ANDIE VALDES
Josh Bretz’s lifelong dream turned into reality last semester when he received news that he had been hired for a highly competitive product design position at LEGO.
Originally, Bretz (’24) chose to study marketing media at The Master’s University with the intention of working in business. But ever since childhood, when he first developed a love for creatively stacking LEGO bricks, his hope was to become a designer for the Denmark-based company.
Throughout his time at the University, Bretz continued to learn about the system and culture of LEGO, perfect his LEGO design craft, and prepare his portfolio for the day he would apply. When the opportunity arrived, he was ready.
In the spring of last year, Bretz saw a job posting for a product designer, where he would be in
charge of taking concepts and turning them into marketable brick form. He applied, and after a series of interviews that Bretz describes as intense, he was invited in October to Denmark for a trial run of hands-on building and engagement with the LEGO team. Eventually, he received the good news through a phone call that he’d been hired: “It was really early in the morning — I jumped out of bed, because I recognized the area code,” Bretz said. “I was just really nervous. But it was a happy call. A ‘congratulations’ call. I didn’t quite believe it at first.”
Now a graduate of TMU, Bretz credits several people with helping prepare him for his dream position.
It was in Dr. John Beck’s Business Communications class where he learned several foundational skills of business, including proper email etiquette and how to deliver a compelling presentation.
From Prof. Mike Nesheim, he received personal mentorship. “He was a guiding hand and offered me a lot of advice,” Bretz says. “I was even able to go to him for questions about non-academic
things, like how to think about life critically with a biblical lens and how it can glorify God.”
But the most important inspiration to Bretz was his girlfriend and now wife, Layah (’24). “She was there for me through all this and was on board to come with me to Denmark,” he says. “She really was the support I needed.”
Bretz can’t predict what challenges will arise from moving to a foreign country to work for a global company, but he knows who he strives to be. “I just want to be known as a hard worker, someone who people like to be around, and someone who gets things done on time,” he says.
Along with academic preparation for his professional endeavours, Bretz says the University was instrumental in his spiritual walk. In fact, one of the biggest things Bretz realized at TMU was that faith isn’t just for Sundays. Rather, his walk with Christ needs to be the driving force throughout his entire week — and now specifically his new job working at LEGO, which he started in March.
“I’ve learned a lot about actually incorporating things that I’m reading in my studies into how I respond to things at work,” he says. “There were many people who were trying to get this spot, so I feel very blessed and it’s very clear that the Lord has brought this into my life at this time.”
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Olympic gold-medalist and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband, former NFL wide receiver Andre Levrone, visited TMU this semester. Sydney shared her inspiring journey, both in athletics and her faith, during a Q&A in chapel and at a meeting of the Mustang Athletic Club.
February.
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
TMU’s School of Music put on a production of "You're a Good
this
This spring, TMU Campus Life organized a skiing and snowboarding trip for students at Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, California.
In February, TMU put on its annual spring Chorale concert, captivating the audience with a powerful Creation-themed performance to the glory of the Creator.
TMU’s Kaleb Lowery was named the 2024-25 Great Southwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year, marking the third time Lowery, a senior, has won the award. He was also named an NAIA FirstTeam All-American and the 2025 Trevor Hudgins Award winner, given to the player who has had the finest overall career within small college basketball.
During chapel this semester, TMU celebrated Dr. Tom Halstead’s 40th year as a faculty member and honored his ongoing legacy at TMU as the dean of the School of Biblical Studies. Since becoming a Bible professor in 1985—the same year Dr. John MacArthur became president—Dr. Halstead has been instrumental in keeping TMU rooted in a love for Scripture. We are thankful for his continued impact on our students and the University.
In February, Amy Johnson and other members of TMU’s student body and staff delivered captivating performances at The Monty’s, one of the most highly anticipated campus events of the year.
This semester in chapel, TMU continued to unpack what it means to be “in Christ.” Full messages from Dr. Paul Twiss, pictured, and many others are available on the University’s YouTube channel.
Dr. John Stead, TMU’s executive vice president, celebrated his 85th birthday in February. He joined the faculty of what was then Los Angeles Baptist College in 1970 and has faithfully served the institution ever since. The school is deeply grateful to the Lord for Stead’s unwavering Christian character, integrity, and selfless leadership throughout the years.
BY
Left to right, John Gilbertson (’13), Zach and Amie Schroeder, and Karis (Frankian) Crichton (’16) were inducted into TMU’s Athletics Hall of Honor in February. Gilbertson and Crichton (cross country and track & field athletes) won NAIA individual national championships during their time as Mustangs, while the Schroeders coached dominant cross country and track & field teams that were focused on honoring Christ.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
The Master’s University (previously Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary, Los Angeles Baptist College, and The Master’s College) is nearing its 100th year as an institution. As we approach the milestone in 2027, this is the sixth in a series of stories about men and women used mightily by the Lord in our history.
IN HONOR OF JOHN MACARTHUR’S 40 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP, FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY REFLECT ON HIS PROVIDENTIAL ARRIVAL IN 1985.
For years, the school had made steady, hard-won progress. It moved from a quarter of an acre in Los Angeles to a sprawling campus in Newhall, added new academic programs, and saw enrollment grow from 50 to nearly 400. Regional accreditation, long desired, was achieved.
Then a recession in the early 1980s crushed the institution’s finances, and LABC’s longtime president, Dr. John Dunkin, felt exhausted and sensed it was time to retire. By 1984, the prospect of the school’s closing became very real.
Of course, this was not the first time the institution’s existence had been threatened. And once again, the Lord saw fit to sustain it, delivering a new president who shared Dunkin’s unwavering commitment to Christ and Scripture but whose global ministry could broaden the school’s constituency and impact.
The Master’s University’s commencement ceremony on May 9 will mark Dr. John MacArthur’s 40th graduation at the institution. And in celebration of the occasion, friends of the University graciously agreed to reflect on his providential arrival.
For 34 years, John MacArthur served as president of The Master’s
HAD REACHED A CROSSROADS.
College and then The Master’s University, transitioning to his current role as chancellor in 2019. The Lord has blessed the school in spectacular ways during this time.
Under MacArthur’s leadership, traditional undergraduate enrollment has reached an all-time high of 1,200 students (with over 1,000 more in graduate, online, and other programs). Thanks to generous support, TMU’s endowment has eclipsed $100 million. A campus that once covered 43 acres now spans more than 120, with exciting plans underway for further expansion. TMU offers 150-plus programs, and The Master’s Seminary, opened in 1986, has trained thousands of men to faithfully exposit Scripture across the globe.
Almost everything in the preceding paragraph would have seemed unimaginable in 1984.
For decades, Dunkin and those under his leadership had faithfully poured their lives into LABC. They served students at great personal cost, toiling for meager pay and juggling multiple roles. Some professors worked summer jobs to make ends meet.
“I worked with a painting contractor,” says Dr. John Hotchkiss, an English professor from 1969 to 2013. “I also worked at Newhall
Electric and two summers at Magic Mountain in the merchandise warehouse.” Others taught summer school and filled pulpits so they could go on serving a college they dearly loved. It was always an uphill battle.
During the 70s, LABC saw steady enrollment growth, peaking at nearly 400 students in 1979. The upswing reversed, however, when a severe recession in the early 80s left LABC hurting for students and funding. Few solutions were readily available, even from the school’s sponsoring body, the General Association of Regular Baptists (GARB).
LABC and the GARB had both been products of a major schism over modernism in the Northern Baptist Convention in the early 20th century, each landing firmly on the fundamentalist side. This made them natural allies. But despite sound theological convictions and good intentions, the GARB could provide only limited support to LABC.
This was partly due to geography. Churches in the GARB were mostly located in the Midwest, leaving LABC out of sight and out of mind on the West Coast. While many congregations gave to the college, it wasn’t in large sums, and by the 1980s most of LABC’s students came from outside the GARB.
So when hard times came, some at LABC saw the need for a change. Dr. John Stead, the vice president for academic affairs in ’84, said he believed the school needed to get into a “whole different league” to avoid closing its doors.
“I believed in my own heart that it would only be a short period of time after Dr. Dunkin resigned that the college would continue to struggle and struggle and eventually go out of business,” Stead said during a 1986 chapel message.
Dunkin felt it too. In October 1984, he submitted his resignation to the board, effective July 1985. He emphasized that his decision hadn’t arisen out of dissent.
“It was our conviction that twentysix years as president had exhausted a great deal of our strength and creativity,” he wrote in a history for TMC. “The college had been such a major part of our lives and such a central factor in the interests of our children that we could hardly conceive of another role. However,
we were convinced that the decision should be made.”
LABC’s search committee consisted of seven board members, a professor, and Stead. One early candidate was John MacArthur, but the idea was quickly dismissed. MacArthur already had a job as the pastor of Grace Community Church and wasn’t likely to leave his pulpit. And besides, he wasn’t a Baptist — a seeming non-starter for a GARBaffiliated school.
THE SCHOOL’S NEW NAME SIGNIFIED THAT IT BELONGED TO THE MASTER,
But Stead wasn’t ready to move on. He saw MacArthur’s doctrinal convictions, national prominence, and vision as strong selling points. What’s more, MacArthur was wellknown at LABC. He had taught classes there, spoken in chapel, and even played on staff intramural teams.
Stead and MacArthur had also been friends since high school and remained close over the years. So in late 1984, Stead invited MacArthur to breakfast at the Horseless Carriage, a diner inside the Galpin Ford dealership on Roscoe Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley. Stead had a question: Would MacArthur consider becoming LABC’s next president?
As Stead recalls, MacArthur said he would “not be disinterested.”
Of course, there was a lot to consider. MacArthur, 45 at the time, pastored a church that drew close to 7,000 people every Sunday morning. He had recently published commentaries on Hebrews and 1 Corinthians, with 25 New Testament books left to cover. And his radio and cassette ministry reached thousands globally. He did not need another job, and this one presented significant challenges.
“I sought counsel from people in Christian education, and they said, ‘You would be a fool to do that,’” MacArthur said during a Q&A at Grace Church last year. “Digging the school out of a hole of financial difficulties and all of that.”
But as MacArthur considered the opportunity, he couldn’t help seeing the Lord’s hand. The school was doctrinally sound and
staffed by faithful people, and he was thrilled by the opportunity to equip generations of young men and women for service to Christ. “I couldn’t shake it,” he said.
“I think if I understood at that time what it would mean to do this, I probably would have walked the other way,” MacArthur said. “Although now, looking back, I’m glad the Lord kept me ignorant so I would step in and see His hand the way I have.”
Says MacArthur’s eldest son, Matt, “It became apparent he was the man for the job.”
In early 1985, MacArthur met with LABC’s search committee at the Ranch House Inn in Valencia. The gathering proved unforgettable. “I tell people it was a two-hour interview, which wasn’t true,” says Jim Rickard Sr., a board member at the time. “MacArthur talked for two hours. It was a two-hour graduate course in theology and what he would do with the school. It was a slam dunk.”
Next came a vote by the full board of directors. Despite obvious momentum, Stead worried that the board’s ties to the GARB might impede MacArthur’s candidacy. Stead wasn’t in attendance at the meeting, but he participated nonetheless. “I just got down on my knees beside my bed and I began to pray as I’ve never prayed before,” he recounted during a TMC chapel. “I knew God’s will would be done. But I just wanted to make sure that I was where God wanted me to be.”
In the end, despite reservations from a few voters out of loyalty to the GARB, LABC’s board
moved decisively to call MacArthur as president. Rickard Sr. credits the harmonious vote to Dunkin’s unwavering support of MacArthur, which the longtime president offered despite his own deep connections to the GARB. Ultimately, Dunkin admired MacArthur’s love for Scripture and believed he was God’s man for the job.
“I did not have a greater friend or a more loyal ally at the college than Dr. Dunkin,” MacArthur says.
On May 12, 1985, John F. MacArthur officially became the institution’s eighth president, safeguarding its Christ-centered mission and forever changing its trajectory.
people are discipled by the Master.”
One thing was immediately obvious: Los Angeles Baptist College needed a new name.
After all, the school no longer called L.A. home, and it wasn’t primarily for Baptists anymore. But what to call it?
MacArthur says the breakthrough came one day at home in a conversation with his wife, Patricia.
“I said, ‘We have to think of a new name for this school,’” MacArthur recalls. “And she said, ‘Why don’t you call it The Master’s College?’ It was sheer genius.”
The name was indeed fitting. It signified that the college belonged to the Master, Jesus Christ, which MacArthur further explained in a letter to supporters.
“It reflects a desire on the part of everyone to be distinctively Christcentered — to be a place where young
Many heard of TMC for the first time on MacArthur’s “Grace to You” radio program, which helped stir up excitement and interest across the country. Thousands of listeners instantly trusted TMC because they knew and trusted the school’s president. By the fall of 1985, enrollment had nearly doubled from 285 to 447. The following year, it rose to 571.
“It was, ‘Fasten your seatbelt. Here we go,’” Rickard Sr. says.
On campus, MacArthur’s arrival buoyed the spirits of faculty and staff. “On behalf of the faculty, it is with great anticipation and enthusiasm that we affirm you as president,” Stead said at MacArthur’s inauguration on Sept. 8, 1985. “You bring to us the best of our past. But through God’s provision and grace, you also call us to an expanded vision of the future.”
What Stead meant by “the best of the past” was clear. MacArthur shared the school’s doctrinal convictions, chief among them a commitment to the supremacy of Christ and the inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture. The goal at TMC, MacArthur wrote in a letter, was that every student “not just get a Christian education, but live a holy life to the glory of God.”
It wasn’t long before MacArthur’s “expanded vision of the future” also came into focus.
In 1985, TMC respectfully stopped applying for approval from the GARB. The school lost support from numerous churches, but the Lord soon brought new donors with greater resources.
According to Dr. R.W. Mackey, a TMU business professor who wrote his dissertation on the transition from LABC to TMC, charitable contributions for the 1984-85 fiscal
year totaled roughly $500,000. A year later that number jumped to $3.5 million.
One donor gave a million dollars for the construction of Dixon and Sweazy dorms. TMC also acquired two lots adjacent to Bross Gym and Reese Field, land that now houses three academic buildings, the fitness center, and baseball and soccer locker rooms. Sixty-one acres of undeveloped land southwest of campus, over the hill, were also purchased, as were two houses between campus and Placerita Bible Church (then Placerita Baptist).
TMC made other significant capital improvements. It performed major remodels of Hotchkiss, Vider, and King halls. The second floor of Rutherford Hall, previously a cafeteria, was refashioned into executive offices, with space for admissions, development, and finance installed on the first floor.
The library added 80,000 volumes to its collection. The Hotchkiss pool was resurfaced. Almost no facility remained untouched, Mackey wrote.
Athletics was another area of emphasis — which comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with
MacArthur’s passion for sports and his belief in their value for Christian growth. For the first time, according to Mackey, the athletics department branched off from the physical education department, and the school made greater investments into facilities, scholarships, and coaching salaries.
The Signal newspaper highlighted MacArthur’s impact on TMC athletics in a 1994 article, including him among the top 75 “sports legends” in Santa Clarita Valley history. It states that MacArthur, No. 30 on the list, “came to the school in 1985 with the goal of building a strong athletic program.”
It didn’t take long for MacArthur, a regular attendee at TMC athletic events, to make progress. One sport that saw almost immediate
improvement was men’s soccer, which won National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championships in 1987 and 1989.
TMC faculty and staff also received new levels of support. Mackey wrote that in TMC’s first two years, staff members experienced an average pay increase of 26.6%, with faculty receiving a 43.6% bump.
During this time, the school also expanded its staff — especially in the area of student life — and hired cornerstone faculty members, including Patricia Ennis, Taylor Jones, Kim Jones, Ken Mays, Benjamin Powell, and others.
MacArthur was especially involved in the hiring of Bible faculty, bringing Tom Halstead with him from Grace Church and later adding Greg Behle,
C.W. Smith, and Doug Bookman.
Chapel was extended to 75 minutes, and according to Mackey, greater emphasis was placed on drawing faithful, dynamic preachers from outside the campus.
This all fit with TMC’s driving ethos: Everything was an offering to the Lord, and as such, needed to be excellent. “We are committed to a standard of excellence in all that we undertake,” states a TMC document chronicling 1985-1989. “We believe that if God is in it, He wants us to do everything in a way that truly glorifies Him.”
MacArthur hired two men to oversee this pursuit of excellence in key areas: Bob Provost as executive vice president and Russell Moir as assistant to the president and director of student life.
Provost, a pastor in Akron, Ohio, had been considering a move to China for missionary work before MacArthur convinced him to oversee TMC’s day-to-day operations and help equip a generation of missionaries.
Moir was leading Grace Church’s junior high ministry when MacArthur asked him to spearhead student life at TMC. With infectious energy, Moir emphasized heart transformation and Spiritempowered living, elements quickly embraced by the student body.
Both men had long-lasting impacts. Under their direction, TMC built a robust summer missions program for students, faculty, and staff (later called Global Outreach, or GO); began setting aside three days for service and evangelism in the greater L.A. area (Outreach Week); and
established a rambunctious, Christcentered intro to TMC for incoming students (the Week of Welcome, or WOW).
Dr. Harry Walls, who served as the dean of men under Moir, refers to the early years of TMC as a “golden era” in school history. “There was a pioneering spirit,” he says, “and a joyful enthusiasm.” ***
On the morning of Nov. 5, 1990, readers of the Los Angeles Times opened their papers to find an article titled, “Amazing Growth: Sleepy Baptist College Takes Off Under New Leader.”
It reads in part, “The school is one of the fastest-growing Christian liberal arts colleges in the nation, known for an energetic student body devoted to evangelizing in Southern California and throughout the world.”
By then, enrollment had hit 845.
How was this college expanding at a time when institutions across the
MACARTHUR HAD A LOT TO CONSIDER WHEN HE WAS ASKED TO BE LABC’S NEXT PRESIDENT. BUT AS HE PRAYED AND SOUGHT COUNSEL, HE SAW THE LORD’S HAND IN IT ALL.
country were shrinking? “Some might call the change a miracle,” the story states. “Others call it a testimony to the appeal and influence of the Rev. John MacArthur.”
In reality, both sentiments were true.
Says Harry Walls, “Obviously, John stood on the shoulders of others, and he needed help from others. But we are where we are, from a human vantage point, because of his life and leadership. That’s undeniable.”
Russell Moir agrees. “I don’t know of any other great Christian leader at that time who could have come here and accomplished what John has.”
In a letter he wrote to supporters in 1989, MacArthur weighed in on the subject: “If I sound like a salesman, I guess I am. I have never been more enthused about a ministry than I am about the college and seminary. And I have never seen anything that is more clearly the powerful work of God than what is happening here. We are all spectators seeing God at work building lives to the glory of His name.”
When you tell a high school student, “You should go to TMU,” that phrase is powerful. You’re encouraging them to attend a university where everything they experience is uncompromisingly committed to Christ and Scripture.
THEM TO
1985
1993
Center for Professional Studies was established.
Dr. John MacArthur named president, and the college changed its name to The Master’s College. That fall, the number of enrolled students was 447. 1994
1986
571 students enrolled at TMC for the fall.
The Master’s Seminary was established.
The Israel Bible Extension Program (IBEX) was launched.
2003
C.W. Smith dormitory dedicated.
1987 Sweazy and Dixon dormitories completed. Enrollment for the fall rose to 680 students.
1996
Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program first offered.
2004
Chad Wensel (men’s golf) wins the first individual NAIA national championship in school history.
1988 Waldock dormitory completed.
1999
TMC moved into the North Campus facility it purchased from Grace Baptist Church.
2006
Master of Arts programs in Biblical Studies and Education first offered.
2007
Distance Education Program (DEEP) courses first offered.
TMC received programmatic accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
TMC hit record enrollment, with traditional students in attendance climbing to 1,017.
Welcome Center and Legacy Center remodeling project completed.
Expanded John R. Dunkin Student Center and dining terrace opened.
Major facelift of Bross Gymnasium completed, and entire complex named The MacArthur Center.
TMC Online began offering first bachelor's degrees: Christian ministries and organizational management.
TMC Online added a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and an MBA program.
TMC became The Master’s University.
TMU Online offered B.A. in biblical counseling and an M.A. in biblical studies.
TMU Italy launched.
Marketing Media major announced.
Online Master of Education degree launched.
TMU began offering a trio of new majors: classical liberal arts, geoscience, and audio production and communication. TMU Online added B.S. in business administration. 2019
Dr. MacArthur transitioned to chancellor, and Dr. John Stead became interim president.
New Pearl C. Schaffer School of Education building opened.
Hotchkiss, Sweazy, and Dixon dorms remodeled; School of Business and Communication renovated; sand volleyball courts completed.
TMU welcomed 415 new students to campus in the fall, the biggest incoming class ever, at that point.
TMU added majors in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, entrepreneurial studies, sport management, and interdisciplinary studies.
Dr. Abner Chou affirmed by the board as full-time president.
TMU purchased several Canyon Homes to accommodate record numbers of incoming students.
TMU launched its first-ever doctoral program: a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling.
Dr. MacArthur celebrated 55 years of ministry at Grace Community Church.
TMU’s traditional undergraduate student body grew to a record 1,220.
Women’s cross country won TMU’s first-ever NAIA team national title in any sport.
The Master’s University is committed to educating disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. We equip students with the knowledge, skills, and convictions necessary for their chosen professions, while cultivating their spiritual growth, strengthening their convictions, and developing their abilities as citizens, churchmembers, and Christ-centered leaders.
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CURRENT AND FORMER
FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS OF OUR INSTITUTION SHARE SOMETHING THEY APPRECIATE ABOUT OUR LONGTIME PRESIDENT AND CHANCELLOR.
Through Dr. MacArthur’s faithful preaching and the resources from Grace to You, God has sparked within me a deep love for biblical truth. Dr. MacArthur’s commitment to expository preaching has had a lasting impact on how I approach Scripture. His emphasis on sound doctrine has been crucial in solidifying my commitment to biblical orthodoxy. And most of all, his passion for the Scriptures has stirred in me a deeper love for God’s Word.
DR. SHELBI CULLEN
Assistant Professor, Biblical Counseling and Women’s Ministries
I attended both college and graduate school at a secular university — a time that could have been disastrous. But God faithfully protected me in those years, and He used Pastor John’s sermons and New Testament commentary to cause that environment to be a great time of sanctification. That was also the period of my life when I fell in love with God’s handiwork in creation and, inspired by Pastor John’s book, “The Battle for the Beginning,” I decided to pursue a career in mathematics.
DR. TAI-DANAE BRADLEY
Visiting Research Professor, Mathematics
Dr. MacArthur totally supported my standard of teaching and performing the music of the church at a high level, one that would be a worthy sacrifice to the King of Kings. I have been so blessed by his legacy of faithfulness to God’s Word. He lives it out daily and is a loving, supportive example to each of us on the faculty and staff.
DR. KEN MAYS
Professor Emeritus
When I came back to the school in 2024, I found Dr. MacArthur to be the same person he’s always been. He has the same amazing commitment to the Lord, and it is such a joy to see the extent to which God has blessed John’s faithfulness to Scripture.
RUSSELL MOIR
Vice President of Student Life
I have been blessed to grow up under Dr. MacArthur’s verse-by-verse teaching. He is a gifted teacher and leader whom I deeply respect, but more importantly, he taught me that God’s Word has power. Toward the end of high school, when I began to seriously doubt my claim to be a Christian, I knew I needed to turn to Scripture, and God used that to save me. I’m so thankful for Pastor John’s faithfulness to let the “living and active” Word do its work (Heb. 4:12).
NATHAN DOUGHERTY
Associate Director of Corporate Partnership
I have seen John always display godly living. His faithfulness to the Lord, his family, and his ministry was an example to me that became the theme of my life and eventually the School of Music: God, family, craft. God must be first in all things. That certainly has had an impact on our family and our ministry.
DR. PAUL PLEW
Professor Emeritus
John MacArthur is a man who unapologetically is committed to the authority of God’s Word and the honor of Christ, and he is one of the most gracious men I know. John is a wonderful testimony that those who are really committed to the truth should be loving and gracious at the same time, just as the Lord is.
DR. MARK TATLOCK
Former Executive Vice President and Provost
I began going to Grace Community Church in 1971, and I can attribute much of my spiritual growth over the years to being under Dr. MacArthur’s ministry. He has had such a tremendous influence on me for the past six decades.
DR. THOMAS HALSTEAD Dean, School of Biblical Studies
Being the dean of women for 14 years was one of the hardest things I ever did in my life, and John was so supportive of us in Student Life. There were times when things were really hard, and we had to deal with challenging, complicated situations, and he always had our backs.
BETTY PRICE Former Dean of Women
The thing I’m most thankful for is Dr. MacArthur’s faithfulness to the truth, united with a heart to both live that truth and love people in the advancement of the truth. He is one of the best Bible teachers in the last century, but it’s coupled with his love for people, his love for the Lord, and his generous way of living and giving.
DR. HARRY WALLS
Former Vice President of Student Life and Campus Pastor
THE MACARTHUR TRUST SUPPORTS TMU AND OTHER AFFILIATED MINISTRIES IN THEIR COMPLEMENTARY EFFORTS TO SERVE THE CHURCH.
BY TMU STAFF
The Trust has funded key financial aid opportunities like The Master’s Global Scholarship, jumpstarted new majors such as engineering and entrepreneurship, and funded numerous campus improvements.
So, what is the MacArthur Trust and how does it operate?
The Trust was formed in 2018 to support the family of ministries associated with Dr. John MacArthur — from The Master’s University and Seminary to The Master’s Academy International and Grace Advance, among others. The goal is to serve these ministries as they, in turn, serve the church through various channels.
“The Trust seeks to uphold the legacy of Dr. MacArthur and be an encouragement to those engaged in serving our Lord around the globe,” the Trust’s website says, “including pastors, teachers, lay leaders, missionaries, training centers, church plants, college and seminary students.”
Part of the idea behind the Trust’s creation was to simplify the giving
process. Instead of conversations and transactions with multiple different ministries, a donor could make a single donation to the Trust, which would then process and distribute the gift according to the current needs and projects of the ministries.
While donors may have an affinity for several organizations led by Dr. MacArthur and the work each one of them does, they may not know
which ministries have pressing needs at any given time. The Trust’s board and grant process streamlines this process, providing confidence to donors that their giving is strategic to the advancement of the family of ministries.
“This was an opportunity to be a receptacle for money coming in,” says Matt MacArthur, who serves as vicechairman on the Trust’s board. “We receive grant proposals from various ministries, and we pass it on from there. We don’t retain money. We don’t have an endowment, so to speak. It’s really a board that takes gifts in and donates them as the needs arise.”
The Trust seeks to always use these gifts strategically. Instead of using gifts to cover normal operating expenses, it focuses on giving gifts to organizations in order to fund specific projects that will further ministry goals.
“We meet two or three times a year and find out where the needs are, and then we distribute funds as appropriate,” Matt says. “That’s what we exist to do.”
The Trust has funded a long list of such projects at TMU in recent years.
It has helped start new academic programs, including entrepreneurial studies, interdisciplinary studies, agribusiness, and three engineering tracks. It has contributed toward property acquisitions such as the Canyon Homes and a building in Newhall that offers a sound stage and podcast studio for communication students. It helped renovate several areas of campus, including Oaks Pavilion and the Business Center.
The goal, especially with new program launches, is to kickstart projects that will ultimately be self-sustaining and even profitable.
For example, when TMU launched its mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering programs in 2021, the Trust covered the initial startup costs. But it took only three years for the Department of Engineering & Computer Science to generate a 100% return on investment. The department is now at 120 students, which represents 10% of TMU’s total undergraduate enrollment and nearly five times as many students
as the department had in 2021-22.
One of the Trust’s most pivotal projects with TMU is scholarship funding. The Master’s Global Scholarship, for example, is largely funded by the Trust and gives over $2 million in aid to students every year, impacting over 300 students at any given time.
The Trust’s goal with scholarships is to never let finances be the reason a qualified, eager student doesn’t attend TMU.
Onalee Miller, who graduated last semester, is just one of many students who has been able to attend TMU thanks in part to The Master’s Global Scholarship.
“TMU has been the sweetest gift from the Lord,” Miller says. “I loved that everything I was learning connected back to the truth of God’s Word. I’m studying to be a teacher, and TMU has changed how I think about that. Teaching is a ministry, and it’s another opportunity to serve others and honor the Lord.”
Cedar Collins, now a senior, also credits The Master’s Global Scholarship and
other financial aid opportunities with allowing him to attend TMU and be part of a cross country team that’s committed to Christ.
“I had been looking for a Christian college where I could run,” Collins says. “I talked to a bunch of coaches, but I just saw how secular all of their teams were. It was not at all appealing to me. And as I was walking through that and praying about it, one day the Lord answered my prayers when I found out about TMU.”
And at the end of the day, this — equipping ministries like TMU to serve the people in its spheres of influence — is what the Trust exists to do.
“The MacArthur Trust has always seen the critical value of Christian education,” says Dr. John MacArthur. “For us, that focus is on The Master’s University and Seminary — an institution without equal. Investing in the students who come from all over the world is critical because it is an investment in the future leaders of the church.”
To learn more about the MacArthur Trust, visit jmacarthurtrust.org
$100,000,000 has been awarded from the MacArthur Trust to the family of ministries since inception. Donations to the MacArthur Trust
THE JOHN MACARTHUR CHARITABLE TRUST’S FAMILY OF MINISTRIES
GRACE ACADEMY
The mission of Grace Academy is to serve as an equipping educational partner with Christian families, proclaiming Christ and His Word to support students in their intellectual growth and character formation.
GRACE ADVANCE
Grace Advance exists to support developing churches in areas where biblical churches are needed.
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Grace Community’s mission is to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of the lost and edification of the church.
GRACE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Grace Ministries International focuses its efforts towards leadership training, church strengthening, church planting, and Bible translation work.
GRACE TO YOU
Grace to You uses mass media to expose John’s teaching to as wide an audience as possible “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).
LEGACY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (K-12)
Legacy Christian Academy — a premiere K-12 Christian, independent, private school — educates students in a manner that prepares them to be innovative, thoughtful, serviceoriented, 21st century leaders with strong biblical character.
THE MASTER’S ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL
The Master’s Academy International is committed to fulfilling the Great Commission by training indigenous church leaders to be approved pastorteachers, able to equip their churches to make biblically sound disciples.
THE MASTER’S FELLOWSHIP
The Master’s Fellowship is an association of pastors and churches bound together by love for the living Word as revealed in the written word.
THE MASTER’S SEMINARY
The Master’s Seminary trains men for pastoral ministry — to preach the Word of God, reach the world for Christ, and teach others to do the same.
THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
The Master’s University exists to empower students for a life of enduring commitment to Christ, biblical fidelity, moral integrity, intellectual growth, and lasting contribution to the kingdom of God worldwide.
John MacArthur Charitable Trust
TMU’s accounting program is about more than just career preparation. It’s about empowering students to glorify God in business and every area of life.
BY ANDIE VALDES
Nathan Choy knew he was entering a rigorous accounting program when he came to The Master’s University — its distinguished reputation was one thing that originally drew him to the school.
Even still, he says it felt surreal when he achieved the highest cumulative score in California on the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and was hired at one of the largest accounting firms in the world after graduation.
Excellence is a core part of the design for TMU’s accounting program, and high-scoring CPA students and placements at global firms are certainly part of that. But even more fundamentally, the program’s faculty strives to equip students with deep biblical convictions and a desire to impact the world of business for Christ.
The program’s success in preparing students to excel in accounting is clear by the numbers.
In the last 10 years, TMU earned the No. 1 CPA pass rate in California (2015) and scored in the top 1% out of more than 600 colleges and universities on the accounting section of the Educational Testing Services Major test (2022). In both areas, TMU students have continued to perform at an elite level in recent years. There have also been an estimated 50 graduates in the last decade who were hired by Big Four firms (the four largest accounting firms in the world), with numerous graduates hired by other leading organizations.
Dr. John Stead, executive vice president of TMU, credits Dr. Benjamin Powell with helping kickstart the program’s success. Powell joined the faculty in 1987 and served as a professor of business until he retired in 2013.
“Ben Powell was a tremendous gift for us in business,” Stead says. “He was the foundation of taking the department to the next level.”
Powell was known for his rigorous grading system, awarding only a few A’s every semester. His strict policies challenged students to excel.
Todd Kostjuk, TMU’s vice president of administration and chief financial officer, was a student of Powell’s. “He was one of my favorite professors,” Kostjuk says. “He had high standards, and I appreciated his preparation and the way he was ready to teach the class with excellence.”
Kostjuk said it was this intense undergrad experience that prepared him for his time working at a Big Four firm, where he was hired after graduating. He highlights three main qualities that the University instilled in him: a strong grasp of the course material, a disciplined work ethic, and an understanding of what it means to have integrity and to work unto the Lord.
Now a TMU professor of accounting himself, Kostjuk aims to follow in Powell’s footsteps, challenging his students toward diligence academically and professionally in their service to God. Both Kostjuk and Powell are part of a legacy of faithful accounting professors that for many years included Prof. Mike Forgerson (who now oversees interdisciplinary studies) and currently includes Prof. Geoffrey Branda.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SHINE IN THE WORKFORCE, AND TO PROGRESS IN YOUR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES...
Says Branda, “My goal for my students is always the same: for them to be like Christ.”
Choy, who graduated from TMU in 2020, recalls the strong biblical emphasis in his accounting classes, where every semester began with a slideshow of Bible verses on hard work and trusting in the Lord. “These themes occurred frequently, even daily, throughout the semester, and it was a huge part of forming a biblical mindset and worldview of work,” Choy says.
Like Kostjuk, Choy also started at a Big Four firm, Ernst & Young, after graduating from the University.
As he began his job, Choy was able to apply the principles he learned as an undergrad, knowing his first accountability was to the Lord. He says, “You want to serve your overseers, employers, and the people you’re accountable to as if you’re serving the Lord. And to be a witness to them.”
Dr. Dwight Ham, chair of TMU’s business administration department, says developing this mindset is the primary focus of the University’s business faculty: They want their students to be devoted followers of Christ, and they want that fact to be reflected in the work they do.
“If we can teach character as number one in all aspects of life, especially in business — that’s most essential,” Ham says.
He often hears from firms that what makes TMU accounting students distinct from other hires is their maturity.
“They don’t come into work thinking they know everything,” Ham says. “They realize that they have a good foundation but know they need to build on that foundation. They come with a teachable attitude. They’re willing to work hard, to grow, and to be a good employee. And that is the number one reason why they
love our graduates.”
Ham is thankful for TMU’s accounting professors, as well as “terrific students who have a great attitude and eagerness to learn. That makes it a pleasure for us professors.”
According to students, the pleasure is mutual.
Nathan Canaday, a junior studying accounting and finance at TMU, says that one of the biggest things he’s enjoyed from the program has been getting to know his professors. “I remember one day I got done with Accounting Fundamentals, and then I went up to talk to Professor Kostjuk about joining a small group at our church,” he says. “It’s cool that I can do that all within the same class period.”
Canaday was recently hired as a tax and audit intern for the summer. Similar to Kostjuk and Choy, he believes that the accounting program’s intense workload is equipping him to excel in the workplace.
“The classwork is pretty rigorous,” he says. “But knowing I have to pass a standardized CPA exam, and because it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life, I want to know what I’m doing. And I feel confident with the work that I’m putting in and what I’m learning in the classroom.”
Canaday will be the first to say that his diligence and that of his classmates is about more than achieving career success. It’s about honoring Christ. However, a Christ-honoring pursuit of excellence tends to translate into tangible results. Kostjuk communicates it plainly:
“If you really want to shine in the workforce, and to progress in your job responsibilities, do your work very well as unto the Lord,” he says. “Be a light for Christ, and do your work with excellence and your career advancement and compensation will take care of itself.”
People, and especially young people, are faced with all sorts of questions in life. What school should I go to? What kind of career should I choose? Who should I marry? Which church should I join, and which ministries should I serve in? And beneath all of these questions is one even more foundational: How can I know God’s will for my life?
There are some people who think God’s will is something hidden that must be found. You hear these people say, “Well, I’m searching for God’s will,” as if God is a cosmic Easter Bunny making a game of hiding His will and having us search for it.
There are other people who think finding God’s will is some kind of dramatic, supernatural event. They think they’ll hear a voice out of heaven in the middle of the night, saying, “Go to India.” And they keep waiting for that voice, and the voice never comes.
There are also people who think that the will of God is something to be afraid of. I’ve had young people say to me, “I’m not asking God for His will because I’m not sure I want it.” They are worried that God is a cosmic killjoy who goes around ruining people’s fun by making them spend their lives on things they don’t enjoy.
There are still other people who assume that God’s will is like the brass ring on a merry-go-round. You grab and grab for it, and if you’re really lucky, you might get it and win the prize. But most people will never get it, and they’ll have to settle for something less. So go the theories about God’s will.
I want to present a true, biblical picture of God’s will. But I want to begin by establishing three assumptions.
ASSUMPTION #1
God has a will for your life. He is
not nebulous, vague, undecided, or lacking an opinion with regard to you. He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.
ASSUMPTION #2
God wants you to know what His will for your life is. Why would God have a will for your life and frustrate Himself by not wanting you to know what it is?
ASSUMPTION #3
God has put His will in a place where you can find it. If He has a will for you and He wants you to know it, then it stands to reason that He would make it obvious and accessible to you.
And the most obvious place to find God’s will is in Scripture.
This post is based on a sermon Dr. MacArthur preached in 1980 titled “God’s Will Is Not Secret.” For more posts, visit masters.edu/TB
Trust in Yahweh with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
PROVERBS 3:5-6, LSB
BY KAELYN PEAY
Stephanie Colinco, a 2021 graduate of the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC) program at The Master’s University, was hired in February as an educational content writer at Accountable2You. She says she’s excited to exercise what she learned at TMU by helping the Kentuckybased accountability software company spread a biblical understanding of sanctification.
“I’m very thankful to the Lord,” Colinco says. “It’s everything that I’m interested in: education, writing, and counseling. It’s perfect.”
Hiring for a position like this is one of the things that makes Accountable2You unique. While Accountable2You provides a software tool to help facilitate accountability, the company emphasizes that in order to get to the root
of problems, people must develop a biblical perspective on sin, purity, and community — which explains why it has invested heavily in producing educational resources founded on Scripture.
Today, Colinco is a perfect fit for that mission. But she is a long way from where her educational journey began — in more ways than one.
Raised in the Philippines, she majored in psychology during her undergraduate years.
“I was struggling as a psychology student,” Colinco says. “I grew up in a Christian family, so most of the things that I heard at school were very new to me and made me doubt some of what I learned from the Bible. I couldn’t reconcile what was being taught to me in that university and what I
was taught growing up out of Scripture.”
It was during an exchange program in South Korea that she first heard about biblical counseling — though at the time, it didn’t mean much to her. After she finished her psychology program, she started working in her family’s Christian high school ministry as a counselor.
“Even though I was trained in psychology, I wasn’t seeing any results in the students I was trying to help, and I was frustrated,” she says. “I tried integrating psychology and the Bible for a bit, and it didn’t work.”
Then she remembered the conversation in South Korea about biblical counseling.
“I really wanted to know how to counsel from Scripture,” she says. “I knew Scripture had all the answers, so why
didn’t I know how to deal with people’s problems?”
She prayed and researched, and the Lord led her to TMU’s MABC program, which she finished in 2021. She says the program gave her a deeper understanding of soul problems and hands-on experience in helping people with their sin struggles.
“It was very sanctifying,” she says. “That is my favorite part about it. My time at Master’s played a very big role in my Christian life, and I’m very grateful for everything that I have learned from there.”
After graduating, she moved to Kentucky. This happened to land her a stone’s throw from the headquarters of Accountable2You — something she didn’t realize until she saw a job posting from the company in an alumni email from TMU.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this perfect fit when I saw that posting in the alumni email,” she says. But as it turned out, it really was a perfect fit.
“They were looking for someone with biblical counseling training. I was familiar with what they were doing. And I had been looking for a job where I could practice what I had been learning.”
Plus, she came from a family of writers and worked as
the editor-in-chief for a publication during her undergrad program. This role as an educational content writer would let her use those skills to educate people on accountability and purity through a biblical framework.
Since being hired, she has hit the ground running in helping to build a new education department at Accountable2You.
“We’re wanting to publish more online articles focusing on purity from a biblical
perspective,” she says. “A lot of the content on this topic online comes from human wisdom, but we want to have a biblical approach — not just focusing on pornography, but purity in general.”
Colinco couldn’t be happier with where the Lord has placed her.
“My coworkers are excellent, and I get to do what I love, sharing biblical content with people,” she says. “It gives me a lot of motivation, because I know the Lord worked in my life through all this, and
I know that he is able to help others as well. I’m just happy I get to do this every day. I get to point people to Christ and help them in their walk towards Christlikeness.”
Accountable2You, a program now used by more than 100,000 men, women, and children, is a corporate sponsor of The Master’s University. You can find the company’s free illustrated guide on living with integrity and learn more about the app at accountable2you.com.
Our partners have made full-tuition scholarships available for all qualified students. Apply today.
Highlighting Alumni Serving the Lord in Vocational Ministry.
ALTHOUGH THEY CAME FROM VASTLY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, MARC AND SERENA MET AT THE MASTER’S COLLEGE IN 1996. MARC WAS A BRAND NEW BELIEVER AND SERENA HAD BEEN RAISED BY MISSIONARY PARENTS IN BRAZIL AND ISRAEL. When they got married in 1998, they knew that they wanted to serve the Lord in overseas missions. Many factors kept them from pursuing that call, and it wasn’t until 2015 that God opened the door for them to teach at Pan American Christian Academy
in São Paulo, Brazil. They loved the ministry of teaching and coaching at a fully accredited international Christian school. God allowed them to stay in São Paulo for five very fruitful years before calling them back to the U.S.
In 2022 they heard about a desperate need for teachers at a missionary kid school in Mango, Togo. Within a year, the family had uprooted yet again and moved to Mango, located in West Africa. Marc teaches Bible, math, and science classes to middle schoolers, while Serena teaches all of the core subjects in a first-third grade classroom. Living in a remote area of Togo has its own unique set of challenges, but the Mousers are
loving their new ministry of educating, training, and discipling the children of their ministry partners who serve at The Hospital of Hope and at Hope Radio. They cannot think of a more rewarding way to invest in the lives of the next generation of global missionaries.
Please pray that the Lord would help them gain fluency in French for more effective ministry, and that He would bless their transition from shortterm to long-term status with ABWE, which involves additional training and support-raising. They also ask for prayer regarding their health and safety while serving in a remote area of the world.
John Koh (’89) is the lead teaching pastor of GraceLife Bible Church, a church plant that started in 2019 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. After graduating from TMC, he went on to The Master’s Seminary,
where he received his M.Div. (’92) and D.Min. (’14). John is continually blessed with the privilege of being called to pastoral ministry and is extremely grateful to the Lord for the spiritual and theological foundations he received from both
TMU and TMS. In college, John met his wife, Karna, and they have been happily married for the past 36 years. They have five children, two daughters-in-law, and a grandson. Four of them, as well as a daughterin-law, graduated from TMU.
Stout met at TMU in 2017 and were married two years later. They recently moved to the Nashville area and are enjoying raising their two sweet kids together (and expecting another little one in August!). Aidan works with Haeus Marketing as a fractional CMO to guide businesses to their next
stage of growth, while Janae cares for their children at home. They are so thankful for an amazing church family and are excited to continue to grow together to serve their new community while raising their children to love and serve the Lord. Master’s has been such a blessing in their life in many ways, and they are so grateful for the Lord’s kindness in allowing them to receive an education and experience like they had at TMU.
Lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife (Lauren) and two kids (Wells and Myla). They are committed members of Trinity Baptist Church. Chris has been a financial planner for the past seven years and recently started his own firm to continue his mission of glorifying God by helping others steward well.
East met at TMU in 1990 and, after Russ graduated, God called them to Utah, where they have been planting seeds of the gospel in a spiritual desert. They praise God for how He has used TMU in their lives and the lives of their children, Allie (East) (’17) and Joseph (’15) Haller. For 25 years, Russ has been the director for Utah Partnerships for Christ and together they have been serving the Lord through mission trip work and Christian radio with The Truth Network. By God’s grace, they have experienced the words of Psalm 16:11: “Thou will show me the path of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy, at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” They are grateful for their three grown children who are walking with the Lord and their four grandchildren.
married in May of 2023. Although the couple did not meet at TMU, they are pretty confident that they crossed paths more than once while they were on campus. Erick currently works for Farmers Insurance and volunteers as a biblical counselor at their local church. When Katherine is not on maternity leave, she teaches science and serves as co-director for a private middle school. They recently welcomed their first daughter, Evonna, in January 2025.
met in ’89 at TMC and married in ’92. They have three adult children: Daniel (engaged), Allie (married to a TMU graduate, Jeremiah Farris), and Isaac (the “baby brother” who ended up being the tallest of the herd!). Dan received a call in ’97 to pastor Parkway Community Church in Fairfield, California, where they have been ever since. Dan is in his 28th year as the lead pastor, and Deanna owns her own real estate brokerage. They love investing in their church and their city, spending time with family, exploring the great outdoors, and traveling abroad.
(’24) Flint lives in Spring Lake, Michigan with her husband Bryce, and together are currently navigating the emptynest years and the wonderful world of grandparenting! After a brief term as missionaries in Loiyangalani, Kenya, Bryce and Janis have found missions work on the home front to be equally as challenging (and in some ways, even moreso!). Bryce and Janis count it a blessing to be able to serve periodically in teaching roles (Bryce, congregational Bible study and Christian life skills, and Janis, women’s Bible studies) within the local body of Christ at Calvary Bible Church in Norton Shores.
were married in 2023 and are living in Newhall, California, while Vaughn attends The Master’s Seminary and Elisa works for Gorman Learning Center. The Lipmans love serving the body at Placerita Bible Church and spending time with Elisa’s three brothers (current students at TMU). After graduation, the Lipmans hope to move to Uganda (where Elisa grew up and her family is currently serving) to help train pastors at Shepherds Training Center with SOS Ministries.
Marcy (Stoll) King (’90) relocated from Southern California to Louisville, Kentucky, in 2022. It was a big move and transition, but God has been faithful and good to each family member: Mike (husband), Jade (17), and Josh (16). They joined Southeast Christian Church in Louisville and have enjoyed being a part of small groups, Bible studies, youth group, and volunteering with the kids. Marcy homeschools her son and works at Pottery Barn part-time as a visual merchandiser; she loves to make the store look beautiful! Mike was diagnosed with a serious medical condition in April; however, God has been so good in the midst of this disease, and they are thankful that Mike feels good. The Kings are trusting Him to continue to lead, guide, and provide through this situation and bring good out of it.
son Wayne, live in Ventura, California. They own and operate a smoothie shop called Edenic Smoothies, managing and nurturing a team of seven employees. Zach works full time in the securitized real estate industry. In their free time, Zach, Ashley, and Wayne love surfing, completing home improvement projects, and leading the youth group at Faith Community Church in Oxnard, California.
Enjoy preferred rates at select hotels when visiting The Master’s University.*
Hyatt Regency Valencia
(661) 799-1234 – Call for current rates.
AMENITIES: Swimming pool, on-site restaurant, walking distance to shops and dining.
Fairfield by Marriott
(661) 290-2828 – Room rate: $159
AMENITIES: Swimming pool, fitness center, free breakfast.
Courtyard by Marriott Santa Clarita
(661) 257-3220 – Room rate: $159
AMENITIES: Swimming pool, fitness center, on-site bistro for breakfast and dinner.
Residence Inn
(661) 290-2800 – Room rate: $189
AMENITIES: Swimming pool, free breakfast.
Hampton Inn Santa Clarita
(661) 253-2400 – Room rate: $159
AMENITIES: Swimming pool, fitness center, free breakfast.
*
A PROUD PARTNER OF THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY.
met during their time at TMU, and after graduating in 2024, were married and moved to Westfield, Indiana. Caleb is currently working part time as the middle school director at Cornerstone Bible Church, and also full time as a fractional CFO at SignalCFO. Ami is working in property management at Hoosier Homes Management, and is also in the process of getting her real estate license. They are blessed to be a part of a great church, and to have the opportunity to serve in the middle school group through teaching, discipleship, and building lifelong friendships.
Parsons met during their freshman year at TMU. Dylan studied business management and Emma studied biology, and both were part of the IBEX program during the fall of 2019. They were married in June of 2020 and have enjoyed living in Washington state for the past 4.5 years. You’ll often find them hiking and in awe of God’s incredible creation throughout the Pacific Northwest. Dylan is the owner of North Cascade Billing Partners, providing financial services to private practices, and Emma is grateful to be at home raising their daughter Amber (9 months). They are thankful to be a part of Snohomish Community Church and are looking forward to where the Lord leads in 2025.
were married
August 2021 and balanced sports, classes, and work while completing their bachelor’s degrees at TMU. After graduating, they returned to Lezly's hometown of Ventura, California. Kameron started as a painter with a local contractor, later transitioning to an analyst role at Exchange Right, while Lezly started as a sales representative with Procore Technologies, later transitioning to a sales coach. Through the Lord’s kindness, they are able to live in their favorite part of town, enjoying quick walks to the beach and their favorite spots like Frontside Cafe and Edenic Smoothies. Kameron eventually joined Lezly at Procore, where he started as a sales representative and is now a well-established account manager, and Lezly works as the company’s executive engagement strategist. Active members of Faith Community Church in Oxnard, they are grateful for a strong marriage where they are truly each other’s best friend. While looking forward to having babies someday, they cherish this time for travel and spending time with friends and family.
and her family reside in Boise, Idaho. Since graduating from TMU with a degree in biblical counseling, she has been certified with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and is counseling teens and women. She is grateful for ministries like The Gospel Care Collective that come alongside counselors to further build community, training, and mentorship. Jamie and Ean were married in 2014 and have three children she homeschools with a classical Christian hybrid academy. They started a family business in 2023, and she manages the administrative aspects of the company. Jamie and her family attend Faith Community Bible Church, where, along with her daughter, she serves in children’s ministry. She hosted a True Girl Bible Study for moms and their tween daughters, and continues to be passionate about discipling the next generation.
recently celebrated their 35th anniversary and are actively involved in ministry, serving stateside as missionaries at Cocolalla Lake Bible Camp in Cocolalla, Idaho, where Dirk has been the executive director for 15 years. Michelle assists with the women’s ministry at CLBC. They live in Rathdrum, Idaho, and Dirk serves as an elder at Rathdrum Bible Church. They enjoy ministry at Classical Christian Academy in Coeur d’Alene, where Dirk oversees the athletic department and Michelle coaches girl’s junior high basketball. Both are committed to the faithful advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ and are devoted to ministering to their family and church community. They have nine children and five grandchildren, and God has blessed them with a disabled child who requires daily care. Three of their children have graduated from TMU, with a fourth scheduled to graduate this spring.
Alumni, we hope to include more of you in the next issue’s “Class Notes.” We’d love to share a little bit about your life with the TMU community. Reach out with your update at alumni@masters.edu.
has worked with individuals with disabilities for the last 30 years using her degree from TMC. She currently works at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Education, Partnership for People with Disabilities. Leann and her husband, Clint (married 34 years in May), live just outside Washington D.C., and together they have two children, Brittany (32) and Mark (29). Shortly after giving birth, Leann and Clint learned that both children had disabilities. Over the next 32 years of diagnoses, care, and much prayer, the answer to “why” finally came in October 2024. Both Brittany and Mark have a rare recessive gene variant called KPTN-related disorder. Their lives have been exciting and full of joy as they have watched their children grow in God’s love of who He made them to be. The Nussberger family has recently been named Special Olympics Virginia Global Messengers and Mentors, speaking at events around Virginia. Leann and Clint feel truly “twice” blessed with the children God has given them. The Nussberger family motto is, “Pray without ceasing.”
Martha Ybarra graduated from The Master’s University in 2010 with a degree in liberal studies, which she now utilizes as a home-school teacher. She and her husband, Daniel, have six children: Ava Joy, Judah, Micah, Abner, Talitha, and Simeon. We recently asked Martha to share advice on how to handle the pressure to “do it all” in home-schooling, homemaking, and mothering.
DON’T COMPARE
Your life circumstances are uniquely your own, given to you by God to steward well unto Him. Know that your responsibility is first to the Lord and your own family. Don’t let comparison distract you from that. Glean from others, sure. But we should grow in our own capacity, skills, and grace to manage our home well.
REMEMBER THE BIGGER PICTURE
Our work is shaping our home into a place of peace, love, and discipleship. The atmosphere you create will impact your family for years to come.
RELY ON GOD’S STRENGTH
We aren’t meant to do it all on our own strength. Homemaking feels overwhelming, so lean on God: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor. 12:9). Pray throughout your day, even in small moments, asking for joy, patience, and perseverance.
In 2010, Dr. MacArthur celebrated 25 years as president of TMC. The school hosted a celebratory banquet, during which the plans for the Legacy Room — an expansion to TMC’s existing Rutherford Hall that would highlight the school’s history — were unveiled.
AMOUNT: $14,000 awarded as $3,500/year for up to 4 years.
This scholarship is for students dependent on a parent or parents currently working full-time in law enforcement or fire departments.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/R&B
AMOUNT: $14,000 awarded as $3,500/year for up to 4 years.
This scholarship is for students who are first-generation college students, meaning neither parent completed a bachelor’s degree.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/FIRSTGENERATION
AMOUNT: $14,000 awarded as $3,500/year for up to 4 years.
This scholarship is for new, incoming traditional undergraduate freshmen or transfer students. The student must be a member or regular attendee of a partnered church and provide a pastor’s recommendation from the listed church in their application for admission.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/CHURCH-SCHOLARSHIPS
AMOUNT: $5,000 per year
This scholarship is awarded to new students whose parents hold a degree from The Master’s University (TMU), The Master’s College (TMC), Los Angeles Baptist College (LABC), or The Master’s Seminary.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/ALUMNI
