Alumni Blog

If you Google the word Thanksgiving you get 251,000,000 results. It is interesting to scan this web search to see the kinds of things that surface. You see of course the Wikipedia history as well as many news feeds and events that describe the activities of this Holiday but I noticed perhaps with lessor search engine results that if you search thankfulness (with only 4,330,000 results) you find inspiring expressions and even quotes. One is filled with history and current newsfeeds that informs but does not stir the heart. Thankfulness however yields results that inspire and even point to a spiritual meaning of the word. Even the word gratitude appears as part of the Wikipedia and Dictionary definitions. Today I want to surrender my thoughts about Thanksgiving and focus on thankfulness. Let me explain what I mean this way.

Every year on Thanksgiving Day and during the Dallas Cowboy Football game I would tune in to especially see the successful launching of the The Red Kettle program with the Salvation Army. Major George Hood ’87 who was then Salvation Army’s National Community Relations and Development Secretary was at the game promoting the new initiative. I would often spot him in the crowd of football fans and send him a text message. My message was always similar, “Thanks for what you do! Oh, by the way, I am envious of you!” with a wink.  Major Hood is now retired from the Salvation Army and serving as a consultant with The Timothy Group.

As Director of Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) Alumni Relation it is always a joy to maintain a connection with grads of IWU. I am excited when I can tell their story about being a student at Indiana Wesleyan University. For me, telling Major George Hood’s story is exciting because of his many years serving special families in need within communities across the country. The Salvation Army is one of those special causes that we are reminded of at the kick-off of not only a football game but also the opportunity to share thankfulness in a tangible way!

Today’s blog entry is for the purpose of sharing briefly the story of alumni that serve to make life a little easier for families by collecting tangible resources that demonstrate our thankfulness and sharing with people in my own community who have need.
Demonstrating thankfulness is a part of the ministry of IWU. IWU partners with the local Marion community Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. They do this by helping to advertise the program over local radio and encourage people to buy gifts for children in need within our community. Lieutenants Jason Bigelow and his wife Dana are leading these efforts in our community. Jason is currently a student at IWU – soon to be alum! Their ministry is one of dedication and service. For the past several years their work has served many needs.

Another example of thankfulness is in the life of a recent grad, Major Clay Gardner ’14. His dedicated work over the years has also served as a beacon of hope for countless families. His role includes serving as instructor at the College for Officer Training with the Salvation Army, Los Angeles, CA. In a recent interview with Major Clay Gardner he said about his education with IWU.

“When I was first ordained after a two year training program that got me an undergraduate degree in Ministry (over 25 years ago) I have longed to go on and get my Master’s Degree but it never happened. When I was near a program, I lacked the support necessary and when I had the support, there wasn’t a program nearby. Thanks to the online program (through Wesley Seminary at IWU), I have finally been able to realize my dream/goal. I have learned things that I didn’t even know that I didn’t know. Through instructors like Dr. Bob Whitesel and Dr. Lenny Luchetti who pushed me to do my best, I have done just that. It was by far my best educational experience. And now, I get to take that education and pass it along as an instructor in the same college where I got my initial degree. Thanks for helping my dream come true.”

Another inspiriting story that reminds me of thankfulness is in the life of one of my own classmates. Captains Mike and Kathy Wolfe ‘89/’91 have dedicated their work for nearly ten years. They recently transferred from Salina, KS where they served for seven years to Battle Creek, MI. I remember them in college. It was evident even then that their service to people was that of love and compassionate ministry. Every time I see them at Homecoming or when they are visiting family in the area I hear and see a couple who are optimistic and seemingly always smiling even though there are challenges that confront them and their ministry. It is a tireless effort that requires such an incredible effort that can only be carried out through passion and a love that is unconditional. This is who they are.
Lives that are lived with thankfulness seem to yield results of people who are generous. Their lives are not lived for themselves but for the sake of others. People who serve like several IWU alumni demonstrate the mission of IWU by being World Changers. They are people who are compassionate and giving. So today I say thank you for those who are living a life of thankfulness. May we count our blessings and examine our heart to remove those selfish characteristics that cause us to never be satisfied and is often deceptive when we think of our needs, turning instead to our wants. May this Thanksgiving be filled with thankfulness so that we can live out one of those inspiring sayings from my Google search on thankfulness.

“Joy is thankfulness, and when we are joyful, that is the best expression of thanks we can offer the Lord, Who delivers us from sorrow and sin.” ― Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

The Community of Indiana Wesleyan University shows support and care through prayer and contributions. The call for support has been championed by The Wesleyan Church, names Dr. JoAnne Lyon, General Superintendent. At IWU the call was echoed by Dr. Jim “Umfundisi” Lo, Dean, Office of the Dean of the Chapel. The students and faculty are responding. Now it is our turn, the alumni. We are part of the IWU community!

This post encourages all of us to respond in an effort to be part of the solution. So much news has been centered on this tragedy. It is our turn to provide hope through the combined response of our community. The following is an open letter from Dr. Lo. Please respond to this need. Let’s show that the IWU community cares!

GIVE NOW!

A cry for help – an open letter from Dr. Jim “Umfundisi” Lo:

Dr. JoAnne Lyon, General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church contacted me to see if I would consider asking our academic community to donate funds to help Kamakwie Hospital in Sierra Leone purchase an ambulance. A major reason for her request stems from the spread of Ebola in this western African country. The number of individuals needing to get to the hospital for medical care has been immense. But Kamakwie only has two ambulances which are not able to keep up with the demand of going out and bringing to the hospital all those who need to get there. From what I am told, these two ambulances are getting old and soon will need to be replaced. The need for a reliable ambulance is URGENT- and the Ebola crisis has made it imperative that they get one as soon as possible.

Dr. JoAnne shared that the ambulance they would like to purchase costs in the neighborhood of $30,000 US. She shared, “Jim, the reason I am contacting you is because of the desperation of the situation. I am hoping the generosity of IWU will once again surface

As I listened to Dr. JoAnne share, I thought to myself, “I am too busy to get involved in this.” But the Lord checked my spirit very quickly. There are people dying each day due to Ebola. I hear the crisis is severe. It would be easy to say I am too busy with other things that are on my calendar for me to give much attention to this project… but the Lord impressed upon me the urgency of this need for an ambulance… it could mean life or death for someone… do I care enough?

At first I was thinking about only asking our residential students to give, but I sense God would be pleased to throw the net even further, to include asking faculty, staff, administrators and even IWU alumni. I sense God is calling our academic community to respond to this critical need during this time of crisis. It is for this reason I am approaching you with two “calls”

Call one: I am calling us to prayer. When asked what is the number one thing American Christians can do to help, those in Sierra Leone quickly answer, “Please remember us in prayer.

Call two: I am approaching you, asking if you would pray about donating to the purchase of an ambulance.  $30,000 seems like a lot. But if we all commit to giving something, I sense we can meet this goal. I was thinking, if 3,000 gave $10 we could easily meet this urgent need. Will you join me in giving to this project?

Will join me in praying and giving to this needy cause?

Rev. Dr. Jim “Umfundisi” Lo+
Dean of the chapel- professor of Religion
Indiana Wesleyan University

GIVE NOW!

Indiana Wesleyan University Alumni has created an e-newsletter that brings all the social media applications into one location. This weekly newsletter provides news, stories, updates about IWU as well as information about world affairs.

To sign up is easy. Go to the newsletter and enter your email address in the box provide on the site.

Send us updated information and stories to alumni@indwes.edu.

Here at the Alumni House, we have been blessed to have some amazing student workers. They work behind the scenes to help us put on events, such as homecoming, and to keep the office running day-to-day. Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring the stories of each of our student workers. To start, Junior Kaileigh McCann will share her experiences at IWU and in the Alumni House.

Over 800 miles traveled, and 7 college visits in 3 days, I was finally ready to make one of the most important decisions about my future.

I could say that it was the beauty of the campus, or how impactful the chapel service was on my personal faith that made me choose to come to Indiana Wesleyan University. Those things probably added to my experience at IWU that led to my ultimate decision, but there was no way that IWU could have marketed itself to me any better that would have affected my decision. I chose to attend IWU because I had an overwhelming sense of peace and belonging as soon as I arrived on campus. (Later, I found out that my parents were also experiencing the same feeling.) It could seem cheesy to say, but I believe that God led me to come to IWU. Many of the other schools I visited seemed to be only Christian in name rather than practice. At IWU, the authentic spirit of Christian community can be felt by everyone on campus. This authentic feeling and God’s presence helped me both feel at home and at peace about my decision to come to IWU.

Fast-forward three years and one major change later, my name is Kaileigh and I am a junior Business Administration and Marketing double major at IWU. I love being a part of the Business division. There is a fantastic group of professors that genuinely care about their students and their future at IWU and in the job field.

I have worked in the Alumni/Church Relations office since freshman year. It was daunting as a freshman to be over 6 hours from home with no friends or contacts already at IWU. Thankfully, I applied for a job and met the wonderful people who work in the Church Relations and Alumni Office. Not just because I have made a lot of friends, I enjoy being a part of the Alumni Office because it is so important to connect IWU’s present to its past in order to have future success.

At the beginning of October, I had the pleasure of being able to participate in Homecoming as both a part of the Alumni Office and the Student Alumni Association (SAA). Each alumna has a unique and important story to tell not only about their time at IWU, but how IWU continues to affect them. Through the Alumni Office and SAA, I have the ability hear those stories and share them with other current students. Being able to interact with alumni and learn how they have shaped the school’s legacy inspires me to continue to pursue excellence in the hope that one day I could also affect the school and the surrounding world like they have.

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

If you missed Homecoming 2014, here are some highlights.

This year, we combining homecoming with the annual Society of World Changers Convocation, so our special guest for homecoming chapel was senator Elizabeth Dole. We enjoyed the traditional Homecoming Banquet, reunions with the McConn staff, young alumni and class reunions. Also the Hodson Science Colloquium as well as athletic events and tours of the campus at their finest. There was a concert by Shawn McDonald joined with alumni, Josh Lavender ’12 and Jordan Brown ’12. The events ended with a rousing conclusion with our own IWU Chorale opening the concert with Michael W. Smith!

The Homecoming events kicked off on Thursday with the Ott Hall of Science and Nursing – IWU Chorale. See the Ott Hall of Sciences and Nursing Building.

This year the Society of World Changers was part of Homecoming Chapel. The induction of Mrs. Elizabeth Dole was a special tribute. View the induction of Mrs. Elizabeth Dole.

Class reunions began on Friday with members of the classes of 1964, 1959, 1954 as well as others from 1948). Sharing stories and singing Marion College anthem – “Cheer, Cheer for Marion College”. Also joined by several members of the classes who formed a quartet reunion of 1964-1966. View their songs here:
Quartet song one.
Quartet song two.

The Homecoming Banquet was filled with many wonderful surprises. Welcoming back many former Chorale members and current students we enjoyed a the combined choir. Homecoming Banquet with Chorale and Alumni

Students and Young Alumni were able to attend a concert on Friday night by Shawn McDonald joined with alumni, Josh Lavender ’12 and Jordan Brown ’12.

Saturday was filled with many other class and affinity reunions like our decade classes and McConn reunion with Young Alumni events. Of course our sports teams were also carrying on our school spirit. Here are some highlights;

Men’s Soccer Recap
Women’s Soccer Recap
Women’s Volleyball – Friday Recap
Women’s Volleyball Saturday Recap
Even though our cross country was on the road – Cross Country Recap

The weekend concluded with a concert by Michael W Smith – Joining Michael W. Smith, IWU Chorale and former member (alumni) sang together.

Be sure to check your schedules and plan to attend Homecoming 2015 – Oct. 2 and 3. We will celebrate the following reunions and affinity groups –
1955, 1960, 1965 as a cluster as well as the decades of 1975, 1985, 1995 and a cluster reunion of the classes of 1989, 1990, 1991. We will enjoy the gathering of the former staff and young alumni reception events. We welcome alumni and friends back to campus for yet again another induction of the Society of World Changers chapel, concerts, homecoming banquet, and much more.

Watch for more details in the upcoming Triangle magazine.

Guest author: Alumnae Dr. Melissa “Missi” Khosla

Two of four days of IWU Homecoming have passed, I am overwhelmed …overcome. During this four-day flash of time, the foundation and history of IWU, the men and women on whose shoulders we now stand, visit campus, in person and in the telling. As a student, I knew that the buildings had names; as an alumnus, I now realize those buildings are the standing legacies of persons who were touched by an academic community, and who desired to give to the future students who will be touched by the community that is IWU.

Those of you who were present for the Scholarship luncheon will recall the telling of Rev. Killian’s journey to IWU – his story – we all have one. “How did you find IWU?” “What made you choose IWU?” …often the answer is: “I just knew.” “It was just right.” “I was led here.” On Wednesday afternoon, Reverend Killian stood before us and drew us into his story. Mr. Noggle, Mr. Shatford, Mr. Huffman… the men who influenced his coming. Mr. Baldwin, Mr. McConn, the men who influenced his staying, which led him to influence innumerable more. Reverend Killian, thank you for sharing your story.

On Thursday an intimate crowd gathered, awed by the IWU chorale led by Dr. Todd Guy – Dr. Guy – a man passionate about music and an expert in orchestrating the God-given talents of his students. On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Ott shared his experiences as God brought him through IWU – meeting here, marrying there, grieving over yonder…and then the scaffold: Mr. Philippe, Mr. Maxwell, and now the Ott legacy.

In a time when it is too easy to see only here, only now and ‘what if’ and ‘when’, we are reminded that the founders went before us, building the foundation of the house where we nowdwell. At Indiana Wesleyan, that foundation is made of a material that doesn’t wear, doesn’t erode, isn’t easily swayed – a foundation of Biblical principles and promises. IWU is what it is today because the founders built slowly, wisely, and purposefully – baby steps.

In discussion with a past mentor, I was able to compare the IWU of my time to the IWU of today: shorts in chapel, dress and media no longer regulated by the governing bodies, but by discernment, clubs and meetings that speak to issues never uttered in my time.

As a student, I remember thinking that the university would never move quickly enough to be relevant. It needed to change, and change fast. Fast is progress, right? Fast is successful. I graduated, married my IWU sweetheart, and moved away, ready to take on the world – quickly and gracefully.

But another theme during this Homecoming week is submission – the process of submitting oneself to the sovereignty of our Loving Lord to seek and walk the path down which He guides. Dr. Kellie Haworth reminded us that the path down which the Lord leads may not be the path initially envisioned. Those of us who have walked the path long enough to be able to look back are thankful that the journey is sometimes slow, which has allowed us to grow in wisdom and purpose as we follow our Lord. I now understand that IWU is the Christ-centered institution that it is today because the founders knew that to move slowly, and with the Lord’s guidance is wise, and will result in purpose.

Melissa Khosla, OTD, OTR/L
Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Occupational Therapy
School of Health Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University

The all-student Convocation is held during the first week of a new Academic year. This year the all Convocation was held on Wednesday, September 3. As part of the presenters, Lydia Flynn who is a student in the John Wesley Honors College at IWU shared a message in response to the message Dr. Dawson shared with the student body.

Lydia is a member of the Class of 2016. She has been a guest author of the John Wesley Honors College blog.

This is what was shared. Take time to pause and reflect on the message that is embedded in this article.

From Lydia Flynn:
Dr. Dawson has reminded us that learning is beneficial, both for individuals and for society as a whole. As we dedicate ourselves to our learning, we should reflect on our approach to this vocation. Our student body will accomplish impressive things during this school year. We will study theological doctrines and economic concepts, the relationship between color theory and emotion. We’ll describe biological processes and solve differential equations. Some of us will complete research projects, and others will become published authors. These are great successes to aspire to and to celebrate. But it is in the midst of this performance environment—within the mentality of achievements and grades, of personal competencies and professional development—that we may place too much focus on ourselves. We may easily forget the reality that true learning, indeed, the best kind of learning, cannot occur removed from God and from each other.

If we are honest about our accomplishments, we will recognize that nothing we achieve this year can be credited entirely to ourselves. To quote writer C.J. Mahaney, “every time I claim to be the ‘author’… of that which is actually God’s gift, I’m committing cosmic plagiarism.” When we take sole credit for an accomplishment, whether before others or within the privacy of our own minds, we effectively ignore the role of the God of the universe. Perhaps we would not behave so proudly if we truly understood our dependence on God – for we could not even exist without God’s loving creation of each one of us. This pride contests God’s supremacy; we deny our dependence on God and seek to elevate ourselves to His position as the Creator of all good things.

This year, whether we create visual art, musical performances, poetry, lesson outlines, foreign-language compositions, or care plans, we should keep in mind that everything we produce utilizes the resources which God has already given us. No matter what our task, we always start with something: physical materials, our minds, our creativity, or the input of others. As Bruce Ellis Benson describes in his book Liturgy as a Way of Life, we are simply unable to create “out of nothing” as God can. We never truly create anything, but find ourselves merely improvising on the material and immaterial gifts which God has provided. This knowledge reminds us of who deserves ultimate praise in all the wonderful things this campus will accomplish.

In addition to our dependence on God, humility requires us to accept our reliance on other people. We owe credit to other people for successes we consider to be our own. By incorporating skills, knowledge, and experiences that have been developed and shared with us by others, we use gifts they have passed on to us.

As we remember that we are not truly independent in our work, I hope that we can improve some of the tendencies we bring to learning. We may think of our courses as venues for competition between individual students, and many of us pride ourselves on having the best ideas, the highest grades, or the busiest schedules. But we can choose a different way of learning together. Rather than competing, we can create an edifying experience of supporting and encouraging one another. Indiana Wesleyan holds opportunities to continue learning from others within our academics as well as beyond our coursework. Being surrounded by a community of Christians offers us a unique environment to learn something together that is far more difficult than anything else we will attempt this year: how to more fully love God and our neighbors. Of course, we will take different paths to carry out our Christian calling, but sharing one goal, we can explore this mission together.

Anyone who has experienced life outside of a thriving Christian community, as some of us here today have, can appreciate what a blessing it is to live among practicing Christians. This type of environment provides us the opportunity to study specific disciplines within the context of our faith. As we pursue our education together, we should be able to recognizing more fully how little we understand. Yet even those of us who have been isolated from fellow believers probably do not give thanks often enough for this community. Yes, we should seek outside perspectives, and yes, we must engage in the world beyond this university, but that does not mean we ought to reject the blessing of the faithful examples around us. I myself constantly struggle with pride, but I have learned from fellow Christians, especially on this campus, how to combat it, and I am thankful for their influence on my life.

While our student body is largely Christian, that fact does not excuse us to alienate those who believe differently. Actually, it demands the opposite. We are called to welcome those with differences from us, for God loves in the midst of all our differences. If we love others as God loves them, we do redemptive work in the relationships we develop and build God’s Kingdom on Earth. This calling is not an easy one. We know we should reflect Christ’s all-encompassing love, yet we struggle with loving people we would rather marginalize or even hate. Here, too, humility should impact our hearts and minds. If our perfect God loves these people, who are we to reject them? Thus humility calls us to reconcile our relationships with others.

This mission, loving God and neighbor while living humbly beside those in our community, is the most difficult challenge we will face this year. It has a great deal to do with our minds—our intellect can serve as a foundation for love toward God and other people. By working to better understand God and the reality surrounding us, we lay the groundwork for the devotion that follows in our hearts. As we contemplate God’s omnipotence and astonishing love for humanity, we will not only find ourselves humbled in the face of God’s holiness, but our love can also grow deeper. For those of us who are new to Christian fellowship and for those of us who grew up among Christians, let us rely on the community of this campus as we share our experiences, skills, and love of God and humanity with all those we encounter.

Finally, as we begin this academic year, let us commit ourselves to humility. May this attitude lead us to glorify Christ, acknowledge those who support us, and love God and our neighbors. Thank you.