Pastor of the Week – Page 3

December 17, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Reverend Jaci McNeil

By: Dezaray Barr

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Reverend Jacqueline (Jaci) D. McNeil is the pastor of Faith Wesleyan Church in Rockford, Illinois. She was ordained in 2002 through IWU’s online adult program. “Being an older student, with small children, IWU offered me the chance to get ordained via the internet,” McNeil said. “It’s a fantastic way for people like me to further their education.”

“I had worked in youth ministry for 20 years and began to feel that I should pursue ordination, but having been raised in a denomination that is against female ordination, I couldn’t believe
that’s what God wanted for me,” McNeil shared. “I fought it for about two years. Finally one night, I prayed that if God wanted me to become ordained that He would make it crystal clear to me. That week, a
total of 5 men came up to me and said things like, ‘You’d made a great pastor,’ or ‘You should get ordained.’ After the 5th man spoke up, I quit fighting and began my journey.”

McNeil has been at Faith Wesleyan Church for 11 years. “The congregation was told by the District Superintendent that they had two choices: 1. Close the church or 2. Accept a pastor of the District’s choosing. At that point there were only seven people left in the church. Those seven people didn’t want to see the church closed, so they accepted the District’s condition,” McNeil said.

Today, the church has over 50 people. “Our church is a multi-generational church, the oldest member being 88 and the youngest member being 5. We believe all generations should worship together on Sunday morning,” McNeil said. “There’s no such thing as ‘Children’s Church’ here. We are so invested in everyone worshiping together that we even have an 11-year-old boy singing and a six-year-old boy playing the guitar with the band.”

Her advice for IWU students is, “Learn to do something PRACTICAL. Yes, we ministers need to
learn to preach and pray and visit the sick, but sometimes we need to step in and fill a void. Maybe learn to do plumbing or woodworking. When we first came to this church there were zero musicians. Zero. We started doing karaoke, but knew if we were going to grow the church, we were going to have to change that. My husband and I gave our 14-year-old son a guitar for Christmas and told him to learn how to play. I bought myself a bass guitar and learned how to play. Later, I learned how to play the acoustic guitar too. Today, 11 years later, we have a fully stocked band, complete with drummer. No more karaoke for us!”

“Pastor Jaci has remained a dear friend over the years. I first met her over 20 years ago, as she served to mentor and equip young people. I have admired her heart for ministry and her love for knowledge, and I believe she makes an excellent pastor today!” Rick Carder, IWU’s Director of Alumni and Church Engagement, said.

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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior Strategic Communication, Journalism and Honors Humanities triple major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU, Dezaray runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.

December 11, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Tim McClellan

By: Dezaray Barr

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Tim McClellan is the Senior Pastor at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion, IN. Pastor Tim was honored as pastor of the week when the series first began, but no article was published about him. He graduated from Milligan College in 1973 with a degree in religion. He also attended Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

Although McClellan never attended Indiana Wesleyan University, Dr. Wilbur Williams is one of his favorite people. “I brought him to our church at Cedar Valley Community Church in Waterloo, IA many years ago to do some presentations for our congregation. In the years following, we went to the Holy Land a couple of times under his leadership. From that church, we also connected IWU with one of our members who later became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at IWU for a number of years and who significantly impacted the World Changers program.”

McClellan’s father was a pastor as well. “I was always proud of his calling and thankful to be his son. He became a role model for me early on, and I wanted to be like him and do what he did just because I respected him so much,” McClellan shared. “As I entered my high school years and began thinking about my future as most young people do during those years, I thought much about how I would serve God. As I prayed and meditated, I was never ever able to find peace in my heart doing anything else than building up the local church as a pastor. I had peace about that decision back then and still do today after beginning to serve local churches since 1970.”

As the pastor of Lakeview, McClellan has spent a lot of time rebuilding the church financially, in their credibility and in the vision. “Thanks be to God we are well underway, but it has been a journey of patience and persistence. God is good and the people courageous,” McClellan said.

The church also hosts Lakeview Christian School, which is Kindergarten through 12th grade. It hosts a Pre-School Childcare ministry which ministers birth through Pre-School and Lakeview Counseling Center which ministers to nearly 1,000 clients each month. “These ministries, along with the church, proper provide tremendous spiritual influence to hundreds and thousands of people in Grant County throughout the year,” McClellan said.

McClellan claims Psalm 126:5-6 as his favorite passage. “It calls me over and over again to work at sharing my faith and encouraging others to do the same,” he said.

McClellan encourages IWU students to, “Pay little attention to the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in your service to Christ. It’s the long view in loving and serving Jesus that you need to keep in view. Never give in to the enemy of your faith and always love and support the local church.”

McClellan is especially grateful for his wife and partner in ministry, Cynthia, who has been with him since 1970. They have four children. Their son, Peter, graduated from IWU and earned his M. Div. at Southern Baptist Seminary. He now lives in Louisville with his wife Karrie and daughter Charlotte. McClellan’s oldest daughter Christians, lives in Champlin, MN with her husband and three children where she serves as a nurse. Their youngest daughter, Liz, graduated from IWU earned her M. Div. at Asbury Seminary. She and her husband Michael, along with their daughter, are serving the Lord in Newberg, OR. Their oldest son, David, went to be with the Lord at age 14 in 2001 after fighting bone cancer for a little over a year.

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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior Strategic Communication and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU, Dezaray runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.

December 5, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Eric Roemer

By: Dezaray Barr

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Eric Roemer is the Lead Pastor of Greentown Wesleyan Church in Greentown, IN. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006 with a degree in youth ministry, and he obtained his M. Div. from Wesley Seminary in 2013.

During his time at IWU, Roemer served in the local church and learned alongside his professors. “The things I learned in the classroom I used immediately. That process allowed me to learn how to self-educate faster and helped me create a network of resourcing,” Roemer said.

As an undergrad, Bud Bence was one of Roemer’s favorite professors. “Chris Bounds, Steve Lennox and David Smith were also very important in my early education and ministry preparation,” Roemer said. “Although I was never enrolled in any of Ivan Pongracic’s classes, I loved to sit in and listen to his lectures every chance I got. At the seminary, Lenny Luchetti, Collen Derr and John Drury had a huge impact on my formation and ministry.”

Roemer and his church are passionate about caring for the community they live in physically, spiritually and emotionally. They believe that as the church, that is their responsibility.

“Greentown Wesleyan is doing everything it can to give the people in our community the best opportunity to meet, follow and serve Jesus Christ. We believe that it’s God’s plan that all people would be His people and He would be their God,” Roemer said. “Everything is about relationships. We have amazing compassionate outreach ministries: a food pantry that serves dozens of families a month in our zip code and a clothing ministry that provides quality clothing for our community. Annually, we help make Christmas a reality for 30-50 families on our community. Monthly, we load a trailer and do a pop-up dinner somewhere in town to show people that they are important and to build stronger relationships with our neighbors.”

2 Timothy 2:2 has been Roemer’s life verse. “This verse has guided me, because we are just one step in a much bigger story. Its important that we take our role seriously, because the generations that follow are counting on us,” he said.

If Roemer could tell all IWU students one thing, he’d say, “Its not about you. Its not about what you have to offer. Its about what you actually do.”

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November 21, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Bill Richardson

By: Dezaray Barr

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Bill Richardson is the senior Pastor of Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church in Goshen, Indiana. He graduated from Asbury University in 1974 with a Bible Major, and he received his M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1977.

“Being at the Asbury institutions were incredibly formative to my life and to the future of my ministry,” Richardson said. “I enrolled just after the Asbury Revival broke out in Hughes Auditorium (Feb. 3, 1970) that spread all over the world. Many of the professors at both schools highly impacted my life, not just in the classroom, but in seeing them model the life of Christ in their own lives.”

Richardson first felt called to preach when he was 16 years-old at Epworth Camp in South Carolina. “I think anyone who knew me then would have never pictured me preaching, as I was pretty shy. I’m still an introvert. My wife likes to tell the story of the first time she heard me preach in her home church in Cincinnati before we were married. She said she sat there and wondered as I got up to preach, ‘What if he isn’t any good?’ After the sermon, she was able to affirm God’s calling on my life,” Richardson shared.

Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church has been a part of the Goshen community since 1878. It was named after one of the founders of the Missionary Church—Daniel Brenneman. “We currently run an average of 500 in attendance. We are currently ‘raising the bar’ when it comes to discipleship. As our culture continues to decline, God is calling us to become influencers in our culture by becoming fully devoted followers of Christ,” Richardson shared.

If Richardson could share with IWU, he’d say, “Be sure of your calling. There will be many times in ministry when it will seem easy to just walk away. After 41 years, I’m glad I never took the easy way, and it was the conviction of God’s call on my life that held me steady in the rough times.”

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November 16, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Larry & Dale Salway

By: Kendra Housel

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Larry & Dale Salway with their son, Eric. Photo obtained from Facebook

Reverend Larry Salway and Reverend Dale Salway are husband-wife co-pastors at He Sapa New Life, where Larry serves as Teaching Pastor and Dale as the congregation’s Executive Pastor. This church is the main campus for the He Sapa New Life Native Ministries network and is located in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The other church sites that are a result of the He Sapa church planting initiative are located in Pierre, South Dakota and on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe reservations. Apart of the ministerial network is a series of native home churches across 11 states; this ministry is sustained by a DVD ministry that allows native people from over 50 zip codes to connect to each other and to the Lord.

Larry was raised in central South Dakota as a member of the Lakota tribe, and Dale likewise celebrates her Mohawk roots. She was raised in the northern part of New York. They have been committed to Native American ministry for the entirety of their lives. Though they spent many years functioning as bi-vocational, they are currently both in full-time ministry. Together they have worked to plant churches in South Dakota, Arizona and New Mexico.

Eleven years ago, the Salways returned to South Dakota to focus on Wesleyan native ministry. The Salways call He Sapa New Life a “church without walls.” Their church body consists of those who attend weekly service and those whom they interact with through weekly outreach programs. These events include Kids Club, Sports Camps, Community Carnival, School Supplies Distribution and Christmas Celebration.

Larry attended Brainerd Indian School and the University of South Dakota, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He then went on to Arizona State University and got his masters in Social Work. He also has license to practice Clinical Social Work and Independent Addictions Counseling. Dale earned her Bachelor of Arts in Ministry from Hobe Sound Bible College and has an AA in Nursing from State University of New York in Syracuse.

Dale is currently finishing up her Masters of Arts in Ministry Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University’s Wesley Seminary. She plans to graduate May of 2018. The Salways feel that Dale’s time at Wesley Seminary has helped to expand their perspective and “clarify [their] vision to reach multi-ethnic, marginalized and disenfranchised people groups in [their] area.”

Dr. Eby and Dr. Whitesel have been particularly influential as they have grown in their understanding of the effectiveness of Native ministry, while also learning about ways to reach other ethnic cultures who are starting to move into the area. They have said that they have “greatly enjoyed and benefited from each course and professor at Wesley Seminary.” They appreciate the evident and genuine care that each professor has for the students and ministries they are affecting; the material of each class has been applicable and broadening.

As He Sapa New Life has expanded and become a multi-ethnic church, the Salways sent their son Eric to IWU where he is a current freshman Christian Ministries major. They are excited for all he is gleaning from his time at school, but he is greatly missed in South Dakota as he is an integral member of the leadership in youth ministry, technology, DVD ministry and volunteer coordination. They said that “it has been our greatest challenge to release him to prepare academically for the ministry, and [we] anxiously wait for his return.”

The Salways claim Matthew 28:18 as their life verse: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . I am with you always to the end of the age” (ESV). In this specific season of life, they have found themselves clinging to verses three and nine from the first chapter of Joshua: “Every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon I have given you, just as I have promised to Moses . . . Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ” (ESV).

The advice they had to share with current IWU students is to “study hard, pray hard, walk close to God and enjoy the IWU experience for there is no better educational and spiritual formation opportunity than IWU!”

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Written by Kendra Housel, a writer for the Alumni Center. Kendra is a sophomore Education and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. She is also a member of the University Chorale. She is passionate about serving Christ through writing, singing and caring for others.

November 10, 2017

Global Partners: Amber Livermore

By: Dezaray Barr

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Livermore preaching at a youth camp in New Zealand

Amber Livermore graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Youth Ministries/Biblical Literature in 2007.

Livermore served as a long-term Global Partners missionary in New Zealand for four years. She returned to the states in February of 2016 to become the lead pastor of Grace Fellowship (Wesleyan) Church in Princeton, IN, and to continue serving with Global Partners part-time as a Youth Mobilizer. “It’s my privilege to not only to shepherd a local flock which has a huge heart for global missions, but I also get to promote the call to global mission and the incredible ministries of Global Partners among junior high and high school students as well as their leaders,” Livermore shared.

“My time at IWU as a student was one of the most formative, challenging and enjoyable seasons of my life,” Livermore said. “God used the faculty at IWU to help me become rooted and established in Christian faith, discern God’s general direction for my life and prepare me for a lifetime of vocational ministry. He brought godly mentors across my path who continue to speak powerfully over me to this day. Finally, He placed me in a tight circle of trusted Christian friends who significantly shaped my character and story; we continue to intentionally walk with Christ together, even across geographic distance.”

Livermore remembers the first time she yelled at God during her freshman year at IWU in the Williams Prayer Chapel. “I was desperate for His direction and frustrated by what seemed to be His silence. After I finished yelling in His general direction, I heard a quiet stirring urging me to walk out of the chapel. As I did, I was prompted again to walk toward the statue which stands in front of the Noggle Christian Ministries Center. I had never paid much attention to the statue, and as I drew closer, I recognized that it depicted Jesus standing between two students who were reading with His hands resting their heads. I read the plaque, ‘For you I am praying.’ I was overwhelmed with the reality that while I lashed out at what I perceived to be the negligent silence of Jesus, this glimpse into reality showed His loving intercession for me. The tears flowed that night in front of a statue which has become a memorial in my walk with Christ. Any time I can’t sense or hear His direction, I’m reminded He has not forgotten me.”

Livermore baptizing individuals this summer

Livermore choose to attend IWU after attending a youth conference at Indiana Wesleyan while she was a high school student. “We had barely parked the van as we arrived on campus for the first time when I called my parents and told them God had called me to attend IWU. Actually, my exact words when my mom answered the phone were, ‘We are here; it’s snowing; and this is where I’m going to college.'”

Livermore encourages IWU student, “Don’t settle for anything less than a group of friends at IWU who will challenge and encourage you in your walk with Christ. You will never be in a life circumstance when it will be easier to find that kind of community, and it will be a community that continues to shape you long after graduation.”

Livermore will be speaking at IWU Chapel in Marion on Friday, November 17 for Global Awareness Week.

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November 2, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Phil Count

By: Dezaray Barr

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Phil Count is the Senior Pastor at Croswell Wesleyan Church in Croswell, Michigan. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1992 with a degree in Christian Ministries.

While at IWU, Count was in the University Chorale. “University Chorale and Prof. Todd Guy taught me the pride of excellence in what you do,” he shared. “The memories of chorale are some of the best of my life.” He was also in His Instrument. “Being in His Instrument allowed me to travel all over the country and experience all kinds of churches and worship experiences,” Count shared. “I grew up in a very small Wesleyan Church, so these experiences were invaluable in broadening my understanding of what ministry looks like. It helped me so much when I launched out in ministry on my own.”

Count said that despite being told by others not to pursue ministry because it’s too hard, he’s never second guessed his call to be a pastor. “I can’t imagine doing anything else, and I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else,” Count said.

Count and his wife, Amy, have three children. One is currently a student at IWU and another is hoping to join her at IWU next year. “Our youngest, Owen, is autistic,” Count shared. “He is 15 now, and he is tons of fun. He has a great sense of humor! He was diagnosed at 3 years old, although we knew earlier that there was something wrong. He didn’t say his first words until he was 5, and he wasn’t potty trained until he was 7. We were devastated at first, but he has been such a blessing to our family. He is fun, intelligent and God has used him to make our two daughters more compassionate to people with special needs. Our oldest daughter, Bailey, is a junior at IWU studying special needs education because of him.”

Croswell Wesleyan Church is a rural congregation of 350. “Our people are very generous and very outreach-minded. God recently gave us a vision for the next five years to reach the mostly unreached demographic of 20-40 year-old individuals with families in our area. We will be updating our facilities and starting new ministries to minister to them, and we believe this new focus will cause us to grow bigger and be more effective than we have ever been! We are already sensing momentum, and we are excited to get moving,” Count shared.

If Count could share one piece of advice with IWU students, he would tell them, “Work as hard as you can, but remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who empowers you to make an eternal difference in people’s lives. Seek Him first! Talent only goes so far.”

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October 17, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Ryan Budde

By: Dezaray Barr

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Ryan Budde and his wife, obtained from church staff page

Rev. Ryan Budde is the Senior Pastor of Westview Wesleyan Church. He graduated Indiana Wesleyan University in 1991 with a degree in Christian Ministries and a minor in Music.

“It was while I was attending IWU that God called me into the ministry,” Budde said. “It was also at Indiana Wesleyan that I met my beautiful wife, Rachel. These were two of the biggest life-impacting decisions I have made, after following Jesus, so my experience at IWU was most definitely pivotal to my life.”

Budde was involved in University Chorale and the traveling group, His Instrument, and these were defining experiences in shaping his future. “Dr. Todd Guy, Terry Munday, Chuck McCallum and so many other staff and leaders were influential in my life. I can see God’s hand at work in each challenge and victory along the way,” he said.

“I knew I had chosen the right path in changing my major and becoming a pastor in my spirit, first,” Budde explained. “The peace that I had after making that change, and the passion to know The Bible and truly grasp what was written there affirmed inside of me that I made the right choice. God has confirmed that for me over and over again in many experiences of life-transformation in others and seeing the church grow and prosper.”

Budde said that difficulties show up as a pastor when his humanity shows. “Impatience, misunderstandings, poor planning and other human error on my part have almost always been the reason for the seasons of frustration,” he said. “I tend to want the people to experience the joy of leading someone else into the Kingdom that I overlook the struggles they are facing, themselves.”

Budde’s church is currently in a campaign called On the Move, focusing on the call on all believers to minister in the place God has positioned them. “We are studying Nehemiah, cup-bearer to the King,” he said about the movement. “It has been a great challenge for us all, and people are considering and even seeking what God might have prepared them to do at such a time as this. It is exciting to be at Westview!”

Westview is also involved in IWU church matching scholarships. “The church matching scholarship has been promoted heavily by Mr. Tom Sloan,” Budde said, “who has a great team of people committed to helping college students benefit as I did from a Christian Education at IWU. I have two kids in school right now who are blessed by this ministry. We have helped more than 75 students over thirty years to complete their education and graduate from IWU. Knowing the difference IWU made in the trajectory of my own life, it is clear to me that assisting students in this manner is a potential eternity-changer, and a ministry well-worth the effort and sacrifice!”

Budde would encourage IWU student to start being intentional about the ministry God has for you, now. “If you don’t start while surrounded by support like IWU provides you, there will never be a circumstance where you feel more willing and ready. Choose to seek Him now,” he said.

Take a look at the 30-year Church Matching celebration event and the University Chorale concert that Budde hosted at his church at Westview on October 15. Link: https://youtu.be/x4EGEIu_TeM

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September 28, 2017September 28, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Garrett Howell at Awaken Ministries

By: Dezaray Barr

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Garrett Howell is the Founder of Awaken Ministries. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries and in 2016 with a graduate degree in Practical Theology.

“Being an IWU student taught me the importance of seeking God’s presence in my everyday life,” Howell said. “I vividly remember spending hours in my hall chapel as a freshman, praying and seeking God for a fresh movement of His Spirit in my life. I was surrounded by students and professors who encouraged this pursuit of the Lord, and they added wisdom and insight into my walk with the Lord.”

One of Howell’s favorite professors was Dr. Chris Bounds. “He taught our Theology 1 course and our Theology 2 courses. These classes were powerful and pushed us as students to seek the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives,” Howell shared. “I remember having tears in my eyes during many class periods as we studied about the work of God in our lives, because I was so needy and hungry for the reality of God’s transforming work in my own life. These courses taught us the reality of God’s work in our lives and that we can and should expect and seek that work today. Bounds was a pastor to us all, and still is a pastor to me.” Bounds also currently serves on the board of directors for Awaken.

When Awaken began at Indiana Wesleyan, 10 students were selected to be part of the first discipleship group on campus. “These 10 became a close-knit, deeply passionate team that often resembled a spiritual family: they cared for one another and urged one another on toward Christ,” Howell said. “I will never forget a retreat we took as a team one Spring semester. We went to one of the student’s homes for a weekend of fun. We played Frisbee and soccer, ate great food and laughed a lot. But most of all, we spent time praying over one another and speaking into each other’s lives. The authenticity and vulnerability of that community was the most powerful thing I had ever felt in my life. I knew, at that moment, that this was the right thing for me to be focusing on in life. It was an undeniable reminder that my life should be spent seeing young believers wake up in their faith and become fully sold out to the Gospel.”

Howell has seen many incredible moments at the hands of God through Awaken. “I remember a night when our weekly Awaken service was about to begin at Indiana Wesleyan University. Just before the service, our student interns walked through the student center to invite additional students to join the event. During this walk, one of our interns encountered an IWU student who was less than enthusiastic about joining the service; in fact, this student was very much opposed to joining our worship event. For reasons we still don’t know, this student decided to take the interns’ advice and attend Awaken anyway. As the service began, the presence of God was overwhelmingly present in an undeniable way. People began to come forward to the altar and receive prayer, in spite of the fact that no altar call had been made. The student who didn’t want to come was watching this, clearly surprised at what was going on. As the service continued, this student began to feel a sense of conviction, and the Spirit moving in his own life. Crying hard, he walked forward and knelt down to the ground, where one of his friends came and prayed with him. Needless to say, God was moving powerfully that evening!” Howell explained.

Howell encourages IWU students to be strong in their faith now, “Don’t wait,” he said. “The way you live life now is creating your lifestyle for the future. You are becoming the husband, wife, father, mother, businessman, pastor, coworker and Christ-follower that you’ll be the rest of your life by how you’re living today.”

Indiana Wesleyan University’s Homecoming schedule this year includes the Awaken Night of Worship on Thursday, October 5th. This event will be a worship service that gathers alumni and current students together to seek a fresh movement of God’s Spirit in our lives and in our community. Worship band Alanna Story will be leading worship. and Garrett Howell will be preaching. Doors open at 9 pm, and the service begins at 9:30 pm. We would love to see you there!

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September 21, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Logan Patriquin

By: Dezaray Barr

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Logan Patriquin graduated from Southern Wesleyan University in 2012 with B.A. in Religion and from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2016 with an M.A. in Theological Studies.

“I originally enrolled at Southern Wesleyan University as a Biology major,” Patriquin explained. “I had colorful dreams of working in the field of Chondrichthyology—the study of cartilaginous fishes that includes sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras. I was particularly interested in the engineering and field-testing of shark repellent technologies. As a freshman Biology student at SWU, your first semester includes Biology 101 for majors. This course was taught by one amazing lady name Dr. Susan Rouse. In 2014, Dr. Rouse passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer, but not before making a lasting impact in the lives of hundreds of students. I walked into Dr. Rouse’s classroom a puffed-up, arrogant young man who didn’t expect a fair or in-depth presentation of Biology from a conservative Christian school. I was wrong. Dr. Rouse was many things, but arrogant or naïve she was not. I owe so much of my faith to this woman. She taught me through her unwavering kindness, sharp whit, and obvious deep devotion to Christ that one can be a Christian without sacrificing the life of the mind. She even took me on as her lab assistant. I remember feeling awestruck by the way she instructed in the fields of biology, physiology of behavior and scientific literacy. I grew closer to God because of her faithful dedication to her discipline. She sparked in me the desire to read and write in the area of science and theology in order to help others encounter the glory of God in the sciences.

“Fortunately for me, as a Biology major I still had to take Basic Christian Doctrine as a core general education course. Thank God for fine arts educational institutions!” Patriquin said. “In this class, I met the wisdom and humility of Dr. Bob Black. Over the course of a semester, I heard the gospel proclaimed plainly and persuasively. Bob Black was able to color all the way to the edges in the beautiful, full-bodied story of the Christian faith. Honestly, I grew up serving God but never really loved God until someone had the presence of mind to help me work through some challenging theological questions. I owe a debt to him for stirring up in me a genuine love for God.”

It was because of this professor that Patriquin discovered two of his passions: helping people reconcile their Christian faith with the sciences and diving deeper into the mysteries of God. These passions led Patriquin to marry his lovely wife, Shaina, serve briefly as an assistant pastor in Belton, SC and eventually to enroll at Asbury Theological Seminary.

“Asbury was a full dose of humility. I always maintained high grades, but I had to work for them– more than having to, I wanted to,” Patriquin said. “I devoured reading texts and relished the opportunity to ask world-class faculty every question I could. I even audited extra classes every semester because I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to learn into my course schedule or budget. One thing I loved about Asbury was how with rare exception, every professor poured into me and every other student.”

When asked if he could illustrate a time when he knew he had chosen the right path in becoming a pastor, Patriquin said, “I reluctantly changed my major and my career ambitions when over the course of two full months God just wouldn’t be quiet. After I encountered the love of God in a real way at SWU, he started working on me. He asked me to care more about helping people see him then helping people stay away from sharks. After much counsel and internal struggle, I gave in to a call to ministry. This call has been confirmed every step of the way: in my first pastoral position, finishing my religious studies and SWU and Asbury, and now in my role as Lead Pastor at Schuyler Avenue Wesleyan Church. I feel God’s presence in my life and know I am walking in his will.”

Patriquin has been at Schuyler in Lafayette, Indiana since June of 2016. “Schuyler Avenue Wesleyan Church is a community that exists for the 116,000,” Patriquin explained. “During the 2010 United States Census, 116,000 people in Tippecanoe County self-identified as “religiously non-affiliated” or were affiliates of obscure religious groups. Obviously this number is constantly changing, but the 116,000 is a symbol; a symbol that reminds us, ‘the harvest is great but the laborers are few’ (Matt 9:32). The 116,000 serves as a call to action. While the gospel message is supposed to go to the ends of the earth, we know that God has uniquely placed us in this community to be a lighthouse in this darkness. Even in this past year, we have seen a shift take place in our church. While we are still learning how to come together in practical ways to accomplish this mission, it has been amazing to witness the mental shift in our congregation. When we are making decisions, planning events, crafting our worship services or group meeting, people are motivated by the 116,000—thinking practically about how even our internal ministries can have an outreach angle. It is organically beginning to take root in our hearts and beginning to branch out into our community.”

Patriquin encourages IWU students to “allow your time spent in college to transform you. Drink deeply of the well of knowledge and wisdom of your professors. Learn as much as you can as you learn to think for yourselves. Above all, ministry students– seek out local church experience during your education.”

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