Winter 2006-2007 a Publication for Alumni & Friends of JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY Brown Bulletin Letter from the Winter 2006-2007 Editor Andrea Phillips
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Brown Bulletin Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Cement and Stone Form Life-Changing Structures JBU Homecoming 2006 Winter 2006-2007 a publication for alumni & friends of JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY Brown Bulletin letter from the Winter 2006-2007 Editor Andrea Phillips JBU Staff Writers Holly Byars SIFE stoves change lives 10 A day in the life 16 Animals open doors to ministry 23 president Emily Kalka Lindsay Larsen Lead Designer Andrea Phillips When your children ask you, “What do these stones mean?” tell them. Design Assistance Trevor Collinson Joshua 4:6,7 Allen Dempsey Laura Ravenscroft features Dear Alumni and Friends of JBU, Production Assistance Christine Mescher 10 Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: JBU SIFE Builds Cinder Block It was a common practice of God’s people in the Old Testament to set up memorial Stoves to Change Lives stones to mark the occasions when God did a great work. For example, Joshua sets up by Andrea Phillips twelve stones to memorialize how the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan River on 16 Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: A Day in the Life of a dry land. Samuel also establishes a stone marker, what he called an Ebenezer, to give The Brown Bulletin is the official publication of John Campus Icon witness to how God rescued the people of Israel from the Philistines. Brown University. It is published at 2000 West by Heather Crain In this Brown Bulletin, you will learn more about two of JBU’s “piles of stones,” University Street, Siloam Springs, Arkansas 72761. two projects that mark how God is still at work among us. First, Dr. Joe Walenciak and his Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team have joined with people in rural communities in Guatemala to set up over 400 stone stoves To submit story ideas, photos, feedback: in homes. These stoves replace dangerous open cooking fires and vastly improve the Andrea Phillips quality of life for families in numerous ways. Director of University Communications departments “What do these stones mean?” These stone stoves reflect how God is at work [email protected] in bringing together JBU students and Guatemalan citizens to minister to each other 5 JBU in Focus spiritually, economically, and practically. This stove project is a wonderful example of Alumni information: JBU’s continued commitment to educate head, heart, and hand. 8 Chaplain’s Corner by Stan McKinnon Jerry Rollene Closer to home, JBU has another “pile of stones” that it is seeking to preserve as Director of Alumni and Parent Relations a witness of God’s work at the university. We recently announced plans to renovate the 20 Homecoming 2006 Photo Gallery [email protected] three historic buildings on campus: the Cathedral of the Ozarks, the Art building, and 22 JBU Athletics: Champions of Character the Engineering building. by Simeon Hinsey These buildings never received the stone facing that was originally intended Admissions information: (888) 528-4636 and necessary to preserve them, so the exposed cinder blocks have suffered serious 23 World View “Alumna’s Love for Animals Bridges Cultures for Ministry” crumbling and deterioration. This renovation project will address this and a host of [email protected] by Andrea Phillips other urgent needs in the buildings. www.jbu.edu/admissions “What do these stones mean?” These facilities have served JBU students for 50 24 Perspectives On ... “The Winter of Our Lives” years, and they remain the spiritual, academic, and architectural center of campus. To submit alumni news and photos: by Donald Balla They are the places in which God has met students and changed their lives through [email protected] 25 Stories from the Road by James Elliott chapel services, class lectures, laboratory discoveries, and conversations with professors. www.jbualumni.com This renovation project will preserve these buildings, not only as memory of how God 26 JBU Advancement “Think Your Money’s Trapped in Your IRA?’” has worked at the university in the past, but also as a witness of hope for how God will For information about giving to JBU: by Paul Eldridge work at JBU in the future. www.jbu.edu/giving I deeply appreciate your support of the university as we seek to continue to “tell (800) 446-2450 27 Alumni News our children” how God is at work. 39 Flashback JBU Homecoming 2006 Reunions Godspeed, John Brown University provides Christ-centered educa- tion that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and O N T HE C OVER : professional lives. The materials in the cover photo include the unassembled pieces of an ONIL stove. See page 10 for the assembled version. Dr. Charles W. Pollard Cinder blocks are also the building blocks of the Cathedral of the Ozarks, which will finally be clad with stones similar to the stone samples shown in the cover photo. See pages 6 and 16 for the story. (Photo by Andrea Phillips) jbu in focus Students Dig Jordan Summer Studies Missile strikes and countries in conflict didn’t stop a group Letters of JBU students from digging into a unique and different culture this summer. Nineteen students spent seven weeks in July and August in northern Jordan on a new study trip led by Dr. Dave Vila and Dr. Jim Blankenship, both associ- “Student Journal” Earns Mixed Reviews ate professors of Bible, religion, and philosophy. The trip involved working on an archeological dig site in the ancient Hello, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, city of Abila, which flourished in the time of Christ. JBU’s record-setting freshman class posed for a picture during orientation. I wanted to write you to tell you how much the story of Norma in Thank you so very much for publishing in the Brown Bulletin the Each day students worked eight long hours on the dig the Brown Bulletin, Summer 2006, moved me, but not in the way you “Student Journal” excerpt. I was Norma at JBU. I sat alone at site, which is located about fifteen miles from Israel’s West over last year. might expect. I am very concerned for the training and hearts of lunch many times, had self-esteem and image problems, and had Bank. They dug up artifacts that the students at JBU if Jill’s journal is truly a reflection of both. The a hard time making friends. Thankfully, I also had Jills in my life were thousands of years old. JBU also experienced another all-time high with its pride, self-importance, worldly attitude, and lack of understanding at JBU. Also, due to my deep love for Christ, I was a Jill to many They also had the opportunity new traditional undergraduate enrollment at 439 (includ- of a true biblical servant in her journal is shocking. and still continue to be. My time at JBU was so very hard for to interact with Jordanians at ing freshmen and transfer students), a 19.9 percent increase I realize that some, if not much, of these things could be a result me, but God has strengthened me as a result of that time in my the dig and in the community. from last year. of her lack of maturity. I realize that I too had immaturity as a new life. Thank you for all those at JBU who were Jills to me. Thanks “Out of all the cultures I’ve This fall JBU enrolled 1,191 traditional undergraduate for crying, encouraging, listening, and praying with me. Thanks believer at JBU. However, I thought it was extremely bad judgment been to, I’ve never met a group students, 507 adult students in the Advance Program, and on the part of your editorial staff to include this immaturity as again to Jill, to Norma, and to JBU for publishing this article. It that was so welcoming and lov- 383 graduate students. an example of the heart of your current students. The girl Jill in deeply touched me and brought back memories of my time at Graduate Studies saw a dramatic enrollment increase, the journal entry seems to have no realization of the depth of her JBU. May the joy of the Lord be your strength (Neh. 8:10). ing and absolutely generous as gaining 138 more graduate students than were enrolled sin. The last paragraph seems to highlight her self-absorption and the Jordanian people,” said JBU lack of focus on Christ. “A wave of excitement must have surged In Christian love, senior Rachel Kopsa. “We were last year. This rapid growth in Graduate Studies is due in part to the addition of JBU’s newest master’s program, the through her body.” And why? Because she, Jill, sat down across Hannah (Beatty) Keepes ’00 often invited into the homes of from Norma. It was as if she was saying, “Norma should be so Belton, MO people we lived near, even if Master of Arts in Youth and Family Ministries that is of- happy that I, one of the better off (wealthier), more popular girls sat they had never met us before. fered through a unique partnership with Kanakuk Institute down with her. What a privilege for Norma.” It made my stomach These people made people a pri- in Branson, Missouri. The addition of that program alone turn to see how blatantly self-important Jill thinks she is even in her ority in their lives in a way that brought 68 new graduate students to JBU. journal when talking with the God of the universe. To top it off, the is unheard of in the States.” The increased number of new traditional students is girl approached, Norma, seemed to have no more focus on Christ largely credited to JBU’s new marketing initiatives, includ- or eternity than Jill did, if the conversation went as recorded.