Inspire, Fall 2005

Dan ’68 and Nancy Norton Brower ’69 have served the Lord for 30 years in Brazil. They praise God for a few recent decisions for Christ and for how the youth group is growing. Dan and a crew are working on constructing a Christian educational unit at Faith Baptist. They are thankful for the progress that has been made so far. 70s Edie Sartor ’70 and her husband, Tom, praise God that Tom was able to get the correct visa even though he had to go through some extra time-consuming and stressful procedures. Tom and Edie look forward to taking on some new responsibilities this school year. They are missionaries in Bangladesh through the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE). Peter Lillback ’74 became the president of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 1, 2005. He will also continue in his preaching ministry at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Jim ’75 and Rachel Mayo Chambers ’78 rejoice in all that God is doing in Zambia. They are training Zambians to do follow-up and compassion outreach. Pray for them and for their effectiveness in passing on the ministry. Jim and Rachel praise God for providing the funds for the transformer for the farm. Rod ’75 and Jeannie Yoder Robison ’76 recently adopted two children, Katelyn (3) and Julia (2). They are also the parents of Jennifer (21), David (17), and Jordan (8) (children shown above). Commenting on the adoption, Rod stated, “It was a challenging decision to adopt at this point in our lives, but we can’t think of a more significant way to impact a couple of children’s lives for eternity than to parent them.” Rod is a vice president with Family Life Radio Network, and Jeannie is a part-time registered nurse and homeschool mom. Marty ’78 and Denise Gawthrop Shaw ’78 are moving to Singapore in October 2005 to be more centrally located with World Venture (formerly known as CBI). After living 20 years in Japan, moving to Singapore will be different, but because there are many Japanese living in Singapore the Shaws hope to find opportunities for involvement with the Japanese. Mark ’79 and Debbie Hall Seymour ’83 praise God for His protection as Debbie suffered a minor stroke in May 2005. They arrived in the States a few days later and are under the care of an excellent doctor. Alumnotes 50s Bob ’59 and Esther Stutesman Howder ’62 are thankful to be working with the Asia Baptist Theological Seminary. They are pleased that the seminary’s 200 students have the opportunity to work towards a master’s degree while fulfilling all of their other church and Bible school responsibilities. 60s Jeannie Lockerbie Stephenson ’61 and her husband, Wally, have enjoyed teaching classes at Mathetes Bible College in Ho, Ghana, West Africa, along with preaching and teaching at Grace Baptist Church in Ho. They are thankful for the strong desire of the nationals to make Christ known. Jan VanHorn Reiner ’66 shares that in February more than 200 people enjoyed a retreat in Brazil. They were able to get away from the worldly festivities of Carnival and enjoy sound preaching and fellowship among believers. Joyce Rudduck ’66 praises the Lord for the wonderful provisions He made as she moved to Waterloo, Iowa in April. She is enjoying ministering to the people where she lives and is working on a translation project. She is also thrilled to be back in her home church. Jon ’67 and Katy Griffin Skillman ’69 work with Voice For Christ Ministries in Bethel, Alaska. In April, the transmitter for their radio station broke. Although this meant no radio broadcasts, several phone calls came in which showed the station that they are hitting their target audience and impacting whole families. The Skillmans praise God for this blessing in a time of struggle. 28 Fall 2005 Because of the Bombings Like so many other Londoners, Dennis Ian Patterson ’84 may never forget where he was on July 7, 2005. That morning, Dennis was teaching in his Canons Technology High School classroom in the Edgware area in northwest London when the secretary came with the news. Terrorists had just set off bombs on a bus and three subway trains; one of the bombs had gone off at Edgware Road Station. The news was enough to shock anyone, but it was doubly upsetting for Dennis and his wife, Joy. The Pattersons’ seven-year-old son, Micah, and his classmates were headed on a field trip by bus that morning and were to disembark outside the very museum where the last explosion had ripped open a bus. Fortunately, the explosions had occurred before the children’s bus had reached Ground Zero. Dennis noted, “Thanks to God’s grace we are all safe in the Patterson household, but you can imagine some anxious hours for us.” To add to the tension, the next day a serious bomb threat resulted in a school evacuation. Two weeks later, another group of terrorists attempted a second round of bombings in London. Dennis learned that one of the suspected bombers was a former student of Canons Technology High School, where Dennis serves as head of performing arts. Amidst the shock and dismay from this one student came a blessing from another. Fifteen-year-old Kalliopi Florides, a student in Dennis’ music class, wrote a song dedicated to the bombing victims. Dennis arranged and recorded the song, titled ’Cause of You. The song was soon getting votes on Nashville’s “Open Mic Hot 100” list at www.songramp.com , the largest independent music site in the U.S. Within days of its posting, the song had reached number one over all categories, where it stayed for the maximum period of two weeks. Encouraged by its success, Dennis approached several well-known international session musicians to assist him in re-recording the backing track. The song is currently in the final stages of production and will soon be released to raise money for families directly affected by the bombings. The Pattersons live in Edgware, an outer suburb of London, England. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at ian@michaelhutchence.org . Reese Named AD of the Year The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has selected CU Athletic Director Pete Reese ’60 as the recipient of the Athletic Director of the Year Award (ADOY) for the NAIA Northeast Division. The award recognizes athletic directors for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities. Criteria for the awardees included service as an athletic director for at least five years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty, and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. All NACDA-member athletic directors in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Pete joined the Yellow Jackets athletics department in 1988. In 2002, he was honored by the Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, and in 2003 he was inducted into the Cedarville University Hall of Fame. Pete lives in Xenia, Ohio with his wife, Joyce. Belleman Named to Hall of Fame Cedarville University Men’s Soccer Coach Ben Belleman ’79 has been elected to the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association (OSSCA) Hall of Fame. A former president of the OSSCA, Ben will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the All-State Banquet in December. Ben posted a 56-30-6 record in four years as head coach at CU. He took one team to the Ohio Division II semifinals and seven squads to the quarterfinals. He was a two-time Ohio Division II Coach of the Year and was accorded the same honor for Division III following the 2000 season. As CU’s head coach, Ben has welcomed regional- and state-level events to Cedarville’s facilities and has served as site manager for those games. Ben came to CU after recording 256 victories during a 21- year high school coaching career. Ben resides in Cedarville with his wife, Amy (Plaggemars) ’82 , and children, Andrew ’06 , Chelsea, and Alexander. Dennis Ian Patterson ’84 with grandson Luca Gandolfi