Winter 2005 Rapport: Alumni News & Notes

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Class of 1976

Dexter Higgins is a marriage and family therapist in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

Eaton Ward pastors New Covenant Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Class of 1977

Everett and Evelyn McKinney are missionaries based in Singapore.

Puthiyava Rajamoni is the general superintendent of the South India A/G and superintendent of the Tamil District Council. In the last few years, the district has planted 1,200 churches and trained 2,500 church planters.

Class of 1978

Roger Cotton is a professor of Old Testament at AGTS. He wrote a chapter, “God Reveals Himself to His People,” on the laws of Exodus and Leviticus in They Spoke From God (Logion Press: 2004).

Bill and Peggy Lasley are missionaries serving Global University. Bill is a faculty member, writer and editor for the University Material Development Department. Peggy teaches and coordinates the French translation of undergraduate materials.

Class of 1979

Eldon Tracy, with wife Twyla, is a missionary evangelist and founder/president of Abundant Life Association and Feeding Children Worldwide. They are leading an effort to build a school for 3,000 children in Angola.

Class of 1980

Shelley (Armstrong) and James Ashdown have been serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1990 in Thailand, Malaysia and Kenya. Shelley earned her D.Miss. from Biola University in 2001 and is now associate professor of ethnology at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, Texas.

Mark and Patricia Kinney minister via children’s crusades throughout Argentina.

Richard Maffeo is on active duty with the Navy Nurse Corps. He moved to the Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Wash., in October 2004. He is also a freelance writer.

Class of 1982

John and Yvonne Wagner are the founders and directors of Open Bible Ministries, Inc., a Pentecostal ministry to the military in Virginia Beach, Va. John is studying for his D.Min. at Regent University and teaching at Tidewater Bible College.

Class of 1983

Willard Mihuc has retired as chaplain and director of pastoral care at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla., after eight years of service.

Alver and Linda Rance are missionaries in Honduras. He is a missionary field moderator, and they both teach at the Bible Institute in San Pedro Sula.

Norma and Alton Smith retired from missionary service in August 2002 and moved to Lakeland, Fla. They serve their district, section and local church (Lakeland New Life A/G) in the area of senior adult ministries. They are also directing the development of a Christian education program for the country of Kosovo through the Michigan District Council of the A/G.

Class of 1984

Scott McChrystal (right) with AGTS chaplaincy candidates at West Point and a brigadier general (left). Scott McChrystal is lead chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Class of 1985

David Balasingh is involved in peace studies in Sri Lanka.

George Carson is the chair of the Division of Arts and Sciences at Central Bible College, Springfield, Mo. He also serves as a Springfield police chaplain.

Joanne Oftedahl, missionary, teaches at Bible colleges across the Philippines.

Class of 1986

Galen Pearcy is vice president of the Full Gospel Evangelistic Association. His portfolio includes overseeing missions agencies in seven countries. Galen also pastors Radiant Life Church, Bentonville, Ark.

Glen and Karen Smith are missionaries to Senegal, West Africa.

Class of 1987

Dave and Debbie Johnson are intinerating missionaries planning to return to the Philippines in May 2005.								Craig Keener’s commentary, The Gospel of John, won second place in the 2004 Christianity Today biblical studies book awards.

Scott Miller has been appointed as a candidate missionary to Eurasia to pioneer university ministries. Previously, he spent eight years at Boston University where he had pioneered a Chi Alpha ministry.

Randy Rich is vice president of Convoy of Hope, Springfield, Mo.

Roy and Vicki Smeya have been A/G missionaries to Latin America since 1974. Roy coordinates the Spanish Christian Education Service for Latin America, which covers undergraduate and graduate level education and publications. Vicki is a counseling student at AGTS.

Class of 1988

Edith and Robert (class of 1987) Lafon, former missionaries to El Salvador, are working to help A/G missionaries reach the world through technology.

James Meadows is an evangelist holding revivals and leadership seminars throughout the Midwest. He is also a chaplain with the Civil Air Patrol, a quality analyst with AT&T and a freelance corporate writer.

Peter Wittstock has published a book entitled Hear Him! The One Hundred Twenty-Five Commands of Jesus (Xulon Press: 2004).

Class of 1989

Nancy and Bob Schaefer are translation consultants with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Ghana. They are currently involved in translating the Bible into Farefare, Buli and Birifor.

Class of 1991

Lane Stockeland is an army chaplain recruiter for 15 western states and the Pacific Rim. He is stationed in Las Vegas.

Class of 1992

Sam and Shellie Bowdoin are A/G missionaries to Thailand conducting medical clinics.

Linda Ligate is associate professor of music at Evangel University. This summer, she was awarded the Adena Seguine Holsinger Chair of Music.

Class of 1994

Trudy Ruehmann is a missionary to Micronesia.

Class of 1995

Denis Cox, a navy chaplain, is deployed to Iraq for seven months. He spent eight months in Iraq last year. His wife Karen (class of 1990) is leading a Bible study for the battalion wives and preparing for the birth of their second child, due January 2005.

Garry Menke will become the president of Evangel Theological Seminary, Ukraine, in May 2005.

Class of 1997

Richard Brown is an army chaplain currently deployed to Iraq.

Connie Webb is a licensed professional counselor volunteering at the Springfield Pregnancy Center. She also counsels at Lutheran Family Services (an organization that gives assistance to pregnant women and their families) on a part-time basis.

Class of 1998

Albert Appiah, with wife Angela, is planting a church in Mitchelville, Md. Albert is pursuing a D.Min. at AGTS.								Paul Ebisch is an independent investment manager with his own company, Blaicol Management. Lisa is the promotions manager for A/G U.S. Missions. They live in Mt. Vernon, Mo.

Steve Eutsler is pursuing his D.Min. at AGTS and teaching part time at Central Bible College, Springfield, Mo. He received his certification as a Dale Carnegie instructor and has co-authored a book on Romans with Dr. Richard Dresselhaus to be published soon through Global University.

David L. Nelson, with wife Carolyn, has specialized service appointment with A/G World Missions and is currently the president of Evangel Theological Seminary, Ukraine.

Class of 1999

Tom Ragsdell, missionary to Ukraine, assists Kiev Bible Institute by teaching, assisting students with church planting projects and aiding the administration. He and wife Jeni are developing a Master’s Commission program and are leading Kiev International Christian Center church.

Travis and Benita Wagner welcomed Lukas Benjamin Dale in June 2004. He joins his two-year-old sister, Danielle.

Class of 2000

Angela Reid received a doctor of psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in August 2004. She is an adjunct faculty member in the counseling program at AGTS and works in private practice at Dr. Bradford and Associates, Springfield, Mo.

Class of 2001

Michael and Pamela Berkowitz, newly appointed Chi Alpha missionaries, plan to pioneer a campus ministry in Madison, Wis.

John Jacobsen accepted a position as assistant professor of history at Williams Baptist College, Walnut Ridge, Ark., August 2004.

Randy, with wife Heidi, Jumper is the young adults pastor at First Assembly of God, North Little Rock, Ark.

Class of 2002

Eusebia Rios, an air force chaplain, ministers to military teams in New Horizons, Guyana, who are building a school, medical clinic and rehabilitation clinic and providing medical treatment and veterinary services.

Erik and Bethany Scottberg welcomed their first child, Parker Elton, March 2004. Erik is the youth pastor at First A/G, Joliet, Ill.

Renae and Colt Utley own Master’s Touch General Contracting in Spokane, Wash.

Class of 2003

Moon Chai married Dennis Thong in April 2004. Moon teaches at Asia Theological Centre for Evangelism and Missions in Singapore.

Cindy Irwin is working to be licensed as a marriage and family therapist. She was recently named administrator of the Springfield, Mo., branch of the Relationship Center of the Ozarks. She is also traveling with the live talk show, Chick Chat, a cutting-edge ladies ministry.

Ron Gavin earned a doctorate at AGTS and started Christ Chapel Ministries Institute in Woodbridge, Va., in 2003.

Rosemarie Kowalski is director of alumni services at Northwest University, Kirkland, Wash.

Gabriel Lett is working with Life Transformation Center in Carthage, Mo., and ROCMND Youth Services in Miami, Okla.

Patrice Robichaux is an associate pastor at Parkway Christian Center A/G in Grants Pass, Ore. She has started a singles ministry there and has written a reference manual for pastoral counseling at the church.

Katherine Sobey is program director for the Ozarks Literacy Council, Springfield,Mo.

Class of 2004

Shannon Buckner is a missionary to Europe, serving at Continental Theological Seminary in Brussels, Belgium. She is currently on furlough.

David (class of 1980) and Kay Gross pastor Radiant Life Church (formerly Northwest A/G) in Dublin, Ohio. David is an A/G general presbyter. Kay serves as the women’s ministries director for the Ohio District Council of the A/G. She received a D.Min. from AGTS in 2004 and is on the AGTS Board of Directors.

Howard Kruize is the world missions director for the Wisconsin/Northern Michigan District Council of the A/G as well as a retreat leader for Cleansing Stream Ministries.

Chris McGough is a resident director at Evangel University ministering to 195 college men.

Mark and Robin Opperman welcomed Zoe Catherine into the world in April 2004. Mark is currently on faculty at Global University, Springfield, Mo. Robin is working in the Christian Higher Education department at the General Council of the A/G.

Michael Tenneson (left, class of 1991), associate professor of biology; and Steve Badger (right, class of 1995), professor of science, teach at Evangel University, Springfield, Mo. Along with Eric Steinkamp (class of 1998), professor of life sciences, Northwest College, Kirkland, Wash., they spoke at the A/G Commission on Christian Higher Education Symposium, July 2004. Each holds a Ph.D. in natural sciences.

Updated: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 9:34 AM