Inspire, Fall 2002

Inspire 29 Dave Gehringer ’88 and his wife, Tonya, announce the birth of Johnathan William on April 12, 2002. Dave is a police officer with the Lebanon (Ohio) Police Department, and Tonya is taking a break from teaching to stay at home with Johnathan. They reside in Clarksville, Ohio. Jill Slayton Puett ’88 and her husband, Stephen, serve the Lord in Guyana, South America. They are pleased that many national believers are stepping up and taking opportunities to oversee many ministries. Steve ’88 and Chris Cheek Wood ’87 announce the birth of Kegan Walton. He was born May 14, 2002 and joins Erin (11), Amelia (9), and Caleb (5) at home in Toledo, Ohio. Steve is an assistant manager for Walgreen’s Drug Stores. Brent Lydic ’89 received his master of arts degree in Christian counseling and discipleship from Capital Bible Seminary in May 2002. He and his wife, Leann (Swann) ’92 , live in Highland, Maryland, with their four children, Jared, Micah, Karisa, and Jacob. Paul ’89 and Brenda Sutliff Reid ’88 announce the birth of Emeline Alisse on March 26, 2002. She was welcomed home by Natalie (7) and Tyler (5). Paul is an information t0echnology project leader at Cendant Mortgage in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He is currently leading a tech refresh project for the whole mortgage division. Brenda stays at home with the children and is very involved in a mom’s Bible study. They attend Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia. Rich Smith ’89 has been promoted to assistant vice president of internal audit at American United Life Insurance Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. serving the Lord in Berlin, Germany. They are thankful for the amazing things God did on their evangelistic Sunday in April 2002. DeMaurice Smith ’85 has been elected secretary of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He is a litigation partner with Latham & Watkins, where his practice includes white collar criminal representation, civil litigation, employment discrimination, and computer-related criminal representation. Valerie Holfield Riley ’86 is an assistant professor at Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. She is working with the education department to develop a major teaching field in the area of special education. She and her husband, Wayne, and children, Chad (24) and Beth (21), reside in Jacksonville. Pete Wright ’86 and his wife, Sonya, announce the birth of Megan Dawn on January 10, 2002 in Santiago, Chile. Pete and Sonya have been serving as missionaries with Association of Baptists for World Evangelism in Chile since 1999 and hope to start a radio ministry in the near future. Doug ’87 and Becky Averill Cherry ’87 announce the birth of Hannah Grace. She was born April 16, 2001 and joins Elisa (10), Kyle (8), and Bryan (7) at home in Joliet, Illinois. Doug is a math teacher and cross country and track coach at Joliet Central High School. Becky stays busy at home. Mark Nemitz ’87 was recently awarded the Medal of Valor from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Police Department. Mark was honored with this award because of his exceptional actions when faced with a life-threatening shooting situation in which a suspect had killed two people and then turned on the police. Mark’s bravery and commitment to duty ensured the safety of other officers and civilians. His wife, Dianne (Davis) ’87 , enjoys home-schooling their three children, Amanda (13), Bradley (11), and Clay (9), in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jeff VeStrand ’87 is the pastor of discipleship and worship at Mountain View Community Church in Frederick, Maryland. Jeff oversees the church’s small group and adult education ministries and also provides leadership in the areas of worship planning and direction. He and his wife, Jennifer (Lenhart) ’89 , reside in Mt. Airy, Maryland, where Jennifer enjoys staying home with their children, Brooke (10), Sydney (7), Payton (5), and Sawyer (2). Jill Angel Bollinger ’88 and her husband, John, live in Conneaut, Ohio. Jill home-schools their three children, Ashley (8), Michael (6), and Abigail (2), whom the Bollingers adopted in 2000 after caring for them in a foster parent capacity. 90s Tim Alexander ’91 and his wife, Darlene, announce the birth of Royal Elijah on March 28, 2002. He joins his older brothers, Christian Josiah (6) and Nicolas Micaiah (4), and his sister, Rosamond “Rosie” Faye (2), in Akron, Ohio. Tim recently became the clinical director at Education Alternatives, an alternative school (K-12) for behaviorally and emotionally troubled children. Darlene enjoys staying home with the children and home-schooling Christian and Nicolas. The family is actively involved at Grace Church in Bath, Ohio. Timothy Steiner ’91 was ordained by the Calvary Baptist Church of Mikado, Michigan on May 19, 2002. Lori Lindner French ’92 and her husband, Dave, were excited to see the results of hard work finally come together during the three performances of The Wizard of Oz that the students at Faith Academy in the Philippines performed during May 2002. Craig ’92 and Karen Williams Fuller ’93 announce the birth of Alexis Virginia Grace on November 27, 2001. She joins her sister, Natalie (3), at home in Columbus, Ohio. Karen stays at home with the girls, and Craig is the golf course superintendent at Clover Valley Golf Club in Johnstown, Ohio. They attend Grace Baptist Church in Westerville, Ohio. Timothy ’92 and Susan Shimp Heinrich ’94 announce the birth of Alyssa May on June 9, 2001. She was welcomed home by her sisters, Janae and Samantha, in Perrysville, Ohio, where Tim pastors the Vermillion Baptist Church. Susan enjoys teaching instrumental music lessons in their home and volunteering in the local public school. Karl ’92 and Sandra Rinehart Hofheinz ’94 announce the birth of Sarah Lee on May 11, 2002 in Roanoke, Virginia. Jennifer Boatner Bond ’93 and her husband, Kelvin, announce the birth of Claire Elizabeth on December 1, 2001 in Alta Loma, California. Kelvin is the program director at Hillview Acres Children’s Home in Chino, where Jennifer works part-time in the campus foster home. Hillview is a therapeutic treatment center for abused and neglected children. Lights, Camera, Action! In the Fall 2001 issue, Inspire reported that Donna Payne VanLiere ’89 had written the book The Christmas Shoes based on the chart- topping tune of the same name. The novella was inspired by NewSong’s mainstream adult contemporary radio single, The Christmas Shoes, which hit No. 1 in January 2001 after just three weeks on the chart. Now CBS will air a movie version of Donna’s New York Times best-selling novella as a Movie of the Week in the 2002 holiday season. Starring Rob Lowe (The West Wing) and Kimberly Williams (Father of the Bride), the movie The Christmas Shoes will feature the NewSong hit and cameo appearances by members of the group. Filming is under- way in Nova Scotia.