Beloved Professor Retires DAN RECTOR

Career for the record booksNATE ROEDER

NEW WORSHIP LIVE CD RELEASEDCollege of Fine Arts produces live worship CD of original music

NCU:IT'S THE PEOPLEMeet some of the people who make North Central an amazing community

your life. our mission.

Since 1930

Spring 2013Official Magazine of North Central University

NCU Alum wins $1 Million Grant KATIE MEYLER

NCU forges new partnershipSONSHINE FESTIVAL

2 | NCU Magazine

Dr. Gordon Andersonis the sixth president of North Central University

612.343.4741

president@northcentral.edu

FROM THE PRESIDENT

In recent years, the U.S. has surpassed a population of 300 million and quite possibly, for the first time in history, there are four generations in the workforce. The implications of this for leadership, organizational development, and strategic planning both inside the church and in the marketplace are quite profound.

The leaders of tomorrow will inherit a world with many challenges. Culture and the centers of power in our society have a constant corrosive effect on our churches, families, and students. Recent research shows that the faith of many American Christians is becoming more juvenile, resulting in a skin-deep faith. Watching these events unfold in our times can leave a person asking, “what are we going to do?”

Here at North Central University we are preparing our students for the challenges of these profound implications. Arguably, any answer to this question must include the linking of arms across generations. We are committed to being a place for that linkage to occur with the finest faculty, the most talented staff, and hardest working administration.

Properly passing God culture from one generation to the next cannot be underscored enough. Psalms 145:3-4 gives us a model worth examining: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” Perhaps the best way forward will be by remembering our past in Christ. The school will be dedicating this coming year to the study and presentation of inter-generational leadership. Chapels, forums, special guests and my sermon series will all focus on the inner workings of how the generations are to relate to one another and ensure the passing of wisdom, knowledge, skills and maturity this world desperately needs.

Photo by Jeff Hathaway

Spring 2013 | 3

Katie Meyler 06

Nicole Serrano 05

Mr. Sonshine 08

NCU: IT'S THE PEOPLE 12

NCU Donor Scholarships 18

New Worship Live CD 16

College Updates 20

Nate Roeder 24

Rams Athletics 25

Alumni Updates 28

Dan Rector Retires 14

NCU News 10

NCU grad auditions for NBC's "The Voice"

NCU partners with alum Bob Poe's Sonshine Festival

Meet some of the people that make NCU great

North Central University works to bridge the gap

New live worship album recorded in the NCU Chapel

The latest news from NCU's colleges

NCU Senior's remarkable basketball career surpassed only by his amazing character

Spring Sports Highlights

"Grandfather" of A/G children's ministry and Junior Bible Quiz retiring after 23 years at NCU

The latest news from NCU

$1 Million grant infuses her ministry in Liberia

ON THE COVER: Nate Roeder (2014, Youth Ministries) Photos by Jeff Hathaway

Spring 2013

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your life. our mission.Since 1930

4 | NCU Magazine

NCU MagazineNorth Central University

910 Elliot Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55404

1.800.289.6222 admissions@northcentral.edu

Administrators

President: Dr. Gordon Anderson

V.P., Academic Affairs: Dr. Thomas Burkman

V.P., Advancement: Dr. Paul Freitag

V.P., Business & Finance: Cheryl Book

V.P., Student Development: Mike Nosser

EditorialJeff Hathaway, Editor-In-Chief jshathaw@northcentral.edu

Contributing Editor Carolyn Tennant, Professor emerita

Marketing Interns

Andrew Fischer Jennifer Scott

Websitewww.northcentral.edu

Mark Erickson, Web Coordinator webmaster@northcentral.edu

Contact Alumni Office

alumni@northcentral.eduMain Switchboard 612.343.4400

Marketing 612.343.4153

marketing@northcentral.edu

University Relations 612.343.4743

Additional Contributors:Judy Jones

Mary Murphy Rick Narvaez

Stephanie PalserSarah Burnard Trey Meadows

NCU Magazine is mailed free of charge to alumni, donors and

friends of North Central University. North Central University is a

Christ-centered Pentecostal school with a commitment to academic

excellence that prepares students to fulfill biblical models of leadership and ministry throughout the world.

Ephesians 4:11-12

© 2013 North Central University All rights reserved.

A recurring theme throughout this edition of NCU Magazine, and in fact the basis for our main “NCU – It’s the People” article, is related to thresholds. As the editor, I couldn’t help but ponder how thresholds bring change. Whoever you meet when you open up the door or whatever happens when you cross a threshold, going in or out, it is likely to bring change to your world.

Often in life we find ourselves in a tough situation that doesn’t become clear until we have the benefit of hindsight. Whenever I am confused or don’t understand a situation, I try to stop and think about what God’s perspective might be. I can’t pretend to understand His view, but it always slows me down to think things through. I begin to see more clearly, to note things I had not noticed before.

As a photographer, I have learned over time that in order to capture an image that is dynamic or interesting, I often need to change my angle, my distance to my subject, or some other facet of the frame. This is something that I've had to force myself to do over time and learn the discipline to recognize when I need to modify my comfort level. I crouch down, stand on top of something, shoot through something, change my lens, turn the camera sideways---do something to interrupt the pattern of monotony that reduces a potentially great scene to nothing more than a snapshot.

For example, take our "Parting Shot" image on the back cover of Nate Roeder. After shooting images of Nate over a period of about 30 minutes, I had captured the standard fare: mugging for the camera, holding a basketball, etc. Typical stuff, nothing bad, just nothing special. I crouched down to reach into my bag to change a lens, and that's when I saw the great potential to include the downtown Minneapolis skyline in the image if I shot from the right perspective. Then I asked him if he would be willing to jump through the air with a basketball. Nate was still in the same spot (mostly), but I had changed my perspective---and created a much more interesting image that better reflects the soaring potential of this amazing young man.

Although crossing a threshold can sometimes create anxiety from the anticipated change, that change of perspective can be critical to our creativity, our well-being, and our spirituality. As you enjoy this issue of NCU Magazine, consider what thresholds God is leading you to cross and ask yourself, “Am I trying to see things from His perspective?"

your life. our mission.

FROM THE EDITOR

Jeff Hathaway Editor-In-Chief, NCU Magazine

Office of Marketing & Communications

jeff.hathaway@northcentral.edu

Photo by Jenny Scott

Spring 2013 | 5

Nicole Serrano, '10Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist

THE VOICEAnyone who has heard the great music of

Nicole Serrano (2010, Worship Arts) knows that she is a poignant songwriter and has been blessed with a unique, amazing voice. Although she has enjoyed success selling her music and accumulated a wide fan base through her live shows and YouTube, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world took notice of this native New Yorker and NCU grad. That moment came recently on the season premier of the NBC hit show, “The Voice.” Nicole was picked out of tens of thousands of singers to be one of the few to audition on the nationally televised show in front of a live audience.

Although she didn’t make the cut that night, she treasures the experience and the opportunity she was given. Now based in Nashville, Nicole is more excited than ever about her future. She knows the show wasn’t the end for her, only the beginning - and it’s made her even more confident to trust God’s plan for her life.

Learn more about Nicole and her music at

nicoleserranomusic.com

Photo by Collin Hughes

6 | NCU Magazine

The second annual Chase American Giving Awards, a prime-time television special that aired Saturday, December 8, 2012 on NBC, honors charitable organizations that are making a difference and the heroes behind them.

Many people would have considered Katie Meyler’s ('05) foundation More Than Me as an underdog going into the award show up against larger, more well-established charitable organizations – More Than Me is just a few years old and has less than 10 volunteers. After being chosen as one of the 25 organizations to compete for the grand prize of $1 million, More Than Me began a huge social media campaign for votes using the phrase “I am Abigail”, honoring a young Liberian girl named Abigail who inspired Katie with her story.

The campaign urged people to not only vote online, but also to immediately show their support by writing “I am Abigail” on their foreheads, then post their picture to Facebook and Twitter. Thousands of people voted and shared their own pictures in support of Abigail and other girls like her that More Than Me is working to get off the street and into the classroom in Liberia.

Through purely volunteer support and Katie’s unbridled passion, More Than Me has sent about 100 Liberian girls to school to date. Now that she won the $1 million grant, Katie has even bigger dreams. After receiving the award, Meyler said, “Our goal now is to help 1,000 girls get back into school, and we have a plan to make the school self-sustaining within five years.”

Walking the red carpet of a star-studded award show is a long way from Katie's humble beginnings growing up poor in New Jersey, living on food stamps, donated clothing, and facing a childhood filled with drugs and abuse. After getting connected with a local AG church and a great pastor, Katie enrolled in college and then later transferred to North Central University for the better outreach opportunities NCU offered. Katie graduated from North Central in 2005 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Katie has fond memories of NCU and enjoyed her time here with her fellow students and at Christ Church International in Minneapolis. “My relationship with God has guided me and I believe that what we are all doing together is directly the work of God.” Meyler says. After she won, she also called her mother, who reminded her of who deserved the credit. Meyler said, “My mother reminded me to give the glory to God.”

Katie Meyler '05Founder, More Than Me Foundation

GIRL CHAMPION

Katie in pure joy and disbelief after

winning the $1 million dollar grant at

the Chase Giving Awards on NBC

www.morethanme.org

Spring 2013 | 7

2013 NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY YOUNG

ALUMNUS AWARD

Katie Meyler, '05 (Interdisciplinary Studies) is the recipient of this year’s North Central University “Young Alumnus Award”, which was presented in chapel by NCU President, Dr. Gordon Anderson and Wes Book of the NCU Alumni Relations office.

The “Young Alumnus Award” is a designation that is bestowed on a recent graduate of NCU, generally within the past ten years. The individuals that are the recipients of this award have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership within their area of vocational employment that embodies and promotes the mission, vision and purpose of North Central University.

Students were honored with a very moving chapel message from Katie, where she talked about her time as a student at North Central, the challenges of her childhood, and her experience winning the $1 million grant from the Chase Giving Awards to support her foundation, More Than Me. After her message, she received a standing ovation from students and staff and then later met with students at a luncheon held in her honor. You can hear Katie’s chapel message on our website at: http://www.northcentral.edu/sermons/more-me

PHOTO BY JEFF HATHAWAY

Katie in Chapel receiving the 2013

NCU Young Alumnus Award from

Dr. Gordon Anderson and Wes Book

NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Bob Poe, '75Festival Director, Sonshine Music Festival

MR. SONSHINE

NCU graduate Bob Poe (1975, Bible & Pastoral Studies) has quite a story. After graduating from NCU in 1975, Bob and his wife, Chris, served as youth pastors in Florida and then in Minneapolis and Willmar, Minnesota. In 1981, while serving in Willmar, Bob rallied a group of interested people to discuss a possible summer music event for teenagers. He wanted to give his kids something more to help affirm their belief in Christ and to experience it through music.

Through his efforts, the first Sonshine Festival was held in 1982 on the Willmar Community College campus. Bob had no idea that the 1,800 people in attendance that year would swell to more than 20,000 attendees in recent years. Over the past 31 years, Sonshine has drawn more than 500,000 visitors and has hosted virtually every major artist from the world of Christian music.

Today, Bob and the original steering committee are still organizing and providing leadership for the Sonshine Music Festival.

Although the music and faces have changed over time, the mission of Sonshine remains the same – to call people to be lifelong followers of Jesus, whether they are just starting their journey with Christ or have been faithfully following for years.

8 | NCU Magazine

PHOTO BY JEFF HATHAWAY

Although thousands attend Sonshine Festival every year, many do not know that it was the brainchild (and heartchild) of an NCU graduate, Bob Poe. Now Poe and North Central University are announcing a new partnership.

This year’s festival will feature a number of NCU alumni and students on Sonshine’s main stage and indoor venue. The North Central personalities and artists include speaker Reggie Dabbs (’87 Pastoral Studies), speaker and artist Eric Samuel Timm (‘01 Youth Ministries), NCU’s Worship Live group, and worship artist Jeff Deyo (NCU Faculty and Pure Worship Institute Founder).

In addition, if you attend you’ll see a number of NCU staff, faculty, and students working at our North Central University booth and the Artist Autograph booth. The NCU bus will be parked prominently on-site, and our logo will be displayed on the main stage jumbotron. This year’s event will span four days and will play host to more than 100 bands including some of the hottest names in Christian music – Tobymac, Lecrae, Skillet, Newsboys, David Crowder, and Family Force 5.

NORTH CENTRAL ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH SONSHINE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Sonshine Festival 2013 is July 17-20 at the Willmar Civic Center grounds. For tickets and more information

you can visit sonshinefestival.com.

Spring 2013 | 9

10 | NCU Magazine

North Central University’s 34 Chorale members traveled to sunny Costa Rica for a 10 day trip during winter break to perform and minister to the beautiful country. North Central Alumni Jon Dahlager ('91) and his wife Jennifer ('94) hosted the group at a bible institution located in San Jose.

Jon and Jennifer Dahlager serve as advisors to the Costa Rican National Youth Net-work and coordinate the national Assembly of God ministry to national Pastors' Kids. They have three children Jonathan, Joshua and Julia. The Dahlager’s taught Chorale some survival Spanish and the way of Costa Ricans (called Ticos). Throughout the trip the group was surprised to find that language was not a significant barrier.

The trip included 19 performances in churches, malls, and parks, as well as some spontaneous performances on the airplane, resort, and even a catamaran ride. However, the Chorale’s biggest impact was on stage where they ministered to the people of Costa Rica through music, testimony, and prayer.

Larry Bach, the director of Chorale, also offered a clinic that taught proper vocal technique and choir conducting to a few hundred church and community members. This time served as a major opportunity for the group to minister to the community. “It was amazing to see NCU students living out what we are taught here, to go out to different countries and engage in their cultures, taking the opportunities to pray for people and being willing to serve,” said junior media communications major and chorale member of two years, Sofia Almarza.

CHORALE MINISTERS IN COSTA RICA

ENACTUS (SIFE)WINS REGIONALS

NCUNEWS

North Central University’s Enac-tus (formerly SIFE) team was named a Regional Champion at the Enactus USA Regional Competition held in Minneap-olis, MN, on March 28, 2013. The event was one of 11 Enactus USA Regional Competitions being held across the United States and marks the fourth con-secutive year that an NCU Enactus team has been named regional champion.

NCU Enactus is one of nearly 600 programs in the United States. Partici-pating students apply their education to develop community projects that improve the quality of life for people in need, have a positive impact on the planet, and/or create a profit. Each project must be empowering, sustain-able and measurable.

“I'm incredibly proud of how hard our students worked this year,” said Bill Tibbetts, Enactus adviser, assistant professor of Business Administration and Sam Walton Fellow. “In addition to impacting our world for the Kingdom, Enactus is the perfect opportunity for our students to apply their education in a real and practical way. Consequently, their education is that much stronger.”

Through these various projects, the NCU Enactus team had a direct impact on 2,106 individuals this year. NCU Enactus will continue developing their current projects to increase impact, in addition to new ones that include busi-ness development in Uganda and South Sudan starting the summer of 2013.

DISCOVER

2013 SPRING COMMENCEMENTNorth Central University's most prestigious academic ceremony, the Spring Com-

mencement Ceremony, took place on May 3, 2013, at Cedar Valley Church in Blooming-ton, MN. Students, faculty, and staff along with the families and friends of the graduates gathered to celebrate this important tradition.

165 graduates participated in the Commencement Ceremony that included a perfor-mance from NCU’s own Concert Chorale as well as the senior address from Valedicto-rian, Bethany Bostron. The Commencement Ceremony concluded with President, Dr. Gordon Anderson, awarding each graduate with their own degree and included a time of prayer for each graduate.

   

Spring 2013 | 11

North Central University was excited to host the multi-Grammy award-winning band Audio Adrena-line, along with Group 1 Crew, Sev-enth Day Slumber and Manic Drive at the Trask Worship Center on March 9, 2013.

Audio Adrenaline received inspi-ration to cease their seven-year hiatus after feeling God’s momentum lead them to write a new album. The title track of their new CD, “Kings & Queens”, was inspired by Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss’ orphanage min-istry in Haiti called “Hands and Feet.” The band is excited to use their album

release and tour as a platform to tell the story of orphans. “This was a God-sized dream and a God-sized story,” said bass guitarist and founding band member Will McGinniss. The “Kings & Queens” tour will visit 35 cities through May 5.

The new members of Audio Adrenaline are former dcTalk member Kevin Max with lead vocals, former Superchick member Dave Ghazarian on guitar, Jared Byers on drums, and Jason Walker on keyboard. The new band dynamics have been gelling well according to McGinniss ,“We feel it’s a great mix of old and of pushing things forward.” Audio Adrenaline is excited to reconnect with their audience and share God’s story with them in a new way.

Audio Adrenaline will also be among the headliners at this year's NCU-sponsored Sonshine Festival on July 17-20, 2013 (page 9).

NCU DAYS EVENT DRAWS OVER 400 PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

AUDIO ADRENALINE U.S. TOUR VISITS NCU

NCU THEATRICAL DEPARTMENT PERFORMS THE CRUCIBLE

This spring, the NCU Theatrical Department put on the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible.  This historical drama, set amidst the Salem witchcraft trials, offered a unique opportunity for collaboration between departments.  Enlarging upon the complex themes of the play, NCU literature professor Gary Dop, along with the play’s director, Wayne Matthews hosted a “Question and Answer” session after the play.  The Alumni Department came alongside the Theater Department, to host an “Alumni Night” on opening night, offering an alumni discount on tickets, as well as 30 free tickets to the first who responded to the offer. The Alumni Association also hosted a dessert reception for all who attended opening night.     

North Central welcomed over 400 guests to campus this year for NCU Days. This annual preview day event offers high school students and their families a chance to tour campus, ask questions of faculty, meet their admissions counselor, attend classes, and even join current students in a dodge ball tournament.

Students get to enjoy a variety of other activities throughout the 2-day event as well, including performances by the Slap Happy Comedy team, a concert by record-ing artist Stephone (NCU student Dylan Mckneely), a great message from speaker and NCU alum, Terrance Talley, and amazing worship with professor Jeff Deyo and NCU’s Worship Live.

NCU students always help guests feel at home on campus. Volunteers from each dorm welcomed the visitors and gave tours to guests and their families. Current stu-dents pour into the lives of the high school students and mentor them as they experi-enced the North Central community.

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Jesus said, “Behold, I stand and the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev, 3:20).

Our encounter with Jesus begins at the threshold. He knocks. We come to the door and open it. And there we stand, looking at each other face to face. He waltzes right in, as if He always knew

us….and He has actually. He makes Himself so at home in our lives, expecting to enjoy us, relax with us, work with us, hang out, and eat.

For me during my nearly three decades at North Central, I always thought of the College Life Center main doors as the threshold to NCU. The new freshmen would always walk through there and line up to sign in. Anxious but excited faces gazed at new roommates and met friends in their small groups. You prob-ably remember those days.

If you are a parent, you surely do too. A mixture of emotions were always etched on parents’ faces, and mothers who knew me from days gone by would introduce me to their new student, hoping if their “boy” needed anything he would look me up. Actu-ally, he usually did! Oh, it all happened naturally, because that is what relationships are all about at NCU.

On the threshold we all open up the doors of our lives and invite people in. Students, staff, alumni, parents, administra-tion, faculty, Board of Regents, pastors and lay people, Elliot Park community, and donors. Each group and each person opens up to another over and over again, and that is precisely what makes North Central University extraordinary.

It isn’t the buildings, though surely we need nice facilities in which all of this relationship exchange can occur. It isn’t the pro-gramming, though definitely that orchestrates much of the com-munity-building that happens. It isn’t the paper and the books and the food and the technology, though what would we do without all

As Resident Director of the apartment community at NCU, Jeremy has a very unique position at North Central - working AND living among students. “We are all in the process of being formed into the people that Christ has called us to be. My family and I are blessed to live on campus because it affords us the opportunity to be a small part of the development of people who will shape their world.”

When she is not on the soccer field, Marissa Dean is preparing to lead a trip to South Sudan and Uganda this summer to provide water purification training for women and business breakout sessions for men. “I want to be a full time missionary and the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program has prepared me to teach community health and development programs while sharing the gospel.”

JEREMY WILLIAMSON '09, NCU Resident Director

MARISSA DEAN '15, Intercultural Studies, TEFL Track

NCU: IT'S THE PEOPLE

ON THE THRESHOLDBY DR. CAROLYN TENNANT

PEOPLEAsk any student what they love most about North Cen-

tral and inevitably they will say it’s the community of people on campus - the faculty, the students, the staff. It's the one thing alumni miss the most. It's the one thing prospective students feel the most when they step on campus. Com-munity isn't just a word at NCU, it’s a tangible part of life here and it shows in everyone who is a part of NCU. To say that the people here are special would be an understate-ment. Here are just a few shining examples of the people that make up NCU's amazing community.

PHOTOS BY JEFF HATHAWAY

Spring 2013 | 13

of it? No, it is, after all, the mark people have left on our lives that makes NCU so special.

It is the time that someone notices you are down and stops and prays with you that you remember. Or a prophetic word is given over your life and one day many years later you find yourself living it. Perhaps it is the caring person who gave you some money in an envelope, but you never did find out who it was to thank them.

NCU is about the time a faculty member buys you a cup of coffee and chats for a long time about your future or goes with you on a missions trip to a country that captures your heart. It is their wisdom and those funny little things they do to keep you awake in class. Faculty and staff share their passions and their interests in hobbies and subjects, and it changes your life forever. Even a smile from a staff member in a stress-filled day or that out-of-the-way kindness makes an everlasting impression.

The numerous chapel speakers and local pastors provide input that alters each person at NCU bit by bit. Morally, in your com-mitments and character, and in your passion and spiritual foun-dation, you grow and change. You expand in your thinking and discipline, your wisdom and emotional health. Because of the faculty, you find that you can write better, express yourself more clearly, and understand information that didn’t make sense before. You learn how to care for issues beyond yourself. You develop leadership skills. Other students affect you and encourage you to greater things than you knew possible. You pray together, dream, worship, and prod one another on. That is what NCU is all about!

Over the past year, James Harris developed his inner church-planter by leading the student-led chapel, “Render”. By following the Lord’s vision, he has been able to witness the spiritual growth of the student body and it has been life changing for him. “My dream is to end up in a church where I can develop disciples and be part of a community that brings Jesus to others. I want to be a world changer.”

As an Assistant to the V.P. of Advancement, Mary has needed to demonstrate an ability to work across many departments and provide a wide variety of skills. Mary has a wonderful servant attitude and is well respected as a resourceful problem solver and someone who can always be counted on to get a job done. A great resource to both her own department and others, Mary is a prime example of the dedicated people behind the scenes at NCU.

JAMES HARRIS '15, Pastoral Studies

MARY MURPHY Assistant to the VP of advancement

DR. CAROLYN TENNANT Professor emerita, NCU, and contributing writer to the NCU Magazine.

When it comes time to leave NCU, we all look back and real-ize that when we walked over the threshold earlier, we could not have imagined what things would be like. We all spent time inside doing life together. So many people deposited treasures into our lives. We actually met Christ in other people. We were wonder-fully transformed because of it.

Students graduate and head out to do so many things that are amazing. They translate scripture, teach in public schools, pastor, lead worship, work with youth and children, run Bible Schools overseas, manage businesses and give money to missions, help prevent sex trafficking, work with abused children, help unwed mothers, serve as chaplains in the armed forces and in hospitals, lead prayer groups, and change more lives. That’s because when we are changed, we can’t help but be world changers! God will take us out into the world and use us, hang out with us, work with us.

NCU is that place which germinates a life full of compassion for others. It is really the threshold to the whole world!

People, that’s what it’s all about.

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Spring 2013 | 15

HEAD OF THE CLASS... (CL WNS)

CHRISTOPHER FLETCHER is an adjunct professor in the Communications Arts and English departments at NCU

BELOVED PROFESSOR DAN RECTOR RETIRES AFTER 23 YEARS OF SERVICEBY CHRISTOPHER FLETCHER / PHOTOS BY JEFF HATHAWAY

NCU: IT'S THE PEOPLE

Welcome to Dan Rector’s Children’s Drama Techniques semi-nar. On the table in front of Dan sit three rows of colored bean-bags. Throughout the pre-class chatter, Dan is asking students about the types of clowns they want to be. There’s the serious, authoritative Whiteface (epitomized by Bud Abbott of Abbott and Costello); the gawky, anarchic Auguste (Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy fame); the sensitive Hobo (Charlie Chaplin or Stan Laurel fit the Hobo archetype). It seems that the class has more than its fair share of Augustes and one Hobo, but personalities are in flux.

For Dan, teaching drama means teaching clowning. When he first started teaching drama, Dan realized that he needed to dig into the history of drama, and he came up with clowns. With the help of a PowerPoint slide, Dan describes three historic roles for clowns. Some clowns influenced kings as court jesters. Other clowns reduced the ten-sion between high wire acts and lion tamers in circuses. Still other clowns were employed as “divine interruptions” during mass, elucidating the Latin mass for the common people. Dan believes that the Christian clown performs each of these roles. He’s training young people to be influencers, peace-bring-ers, and gospel-sharers—in face paint. If this seems like a lot of fun and games, it is. After the ten-minute break, Dan will bring in a juggler to teach juggling. The beanbags on the table? They’re Dan’s gift to each student. The catch is that their homework for next week is to learn how to juggle.

Dan was hired as a full-time professor at North Central Uni-versity in 1990, after working as a Children’s Pastor at Blooming-ton Assembly (now Cedar Valley) for 13 years (during which time he taught as an adjunct at NCU). As a child, Dan was “Danny the Drummer” on Children’s Bible Hour in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From the age of three to the age of eleven, Dan worked on the radio show, singing and telling stories. As a teenager, he traveled with his parents doing children’s ministry.

As a student at North Central, Dan trained to be a pastor, and it wasn’t until after graduation that he and his wife Nancy received the vision for evangelistic and pastoral children’s min-istry. In 1977, after serving as a Children’s Pastor in Quincy,

Illinois, Dan took the position in Bloomington partly because of its proximity to North Central. He knew that the vision God had given him involved training Children’s Ministers. The same year he came to Bloomington and started teaching part-time at North Central, Dan helped organize (with John Crabtree, another Children’s Pastor) what may have been the first Junior Bible Quiz (JBQ) meet. From that meet, JBQ grew into a national phenom-enon with Dan coordinating the National Festival until 2007.

Now, after 23 years of full-time service at North Central, Dan is retiring. As is to be expected of those who live a life of minis-try, retirement for Dan and his wife Nancy means more ministry, albeit at a more relaxed pace. They’ll be able to revisit some of the places he’s been to on missions trips with North Cen-tral students. In addition to encour-aging the local body of Christ, he’ll be able to serve in an advisory capacity. In Dan’s estimation, it’s not retire-ment, it’s “a new adventure.”

After describing the concept of the Christian clown and the basics of clown movement, Dan tackles the voice. He explains that the stu-dents will come across those clowns who talk in their normal, everyday

voices. Circus clowns, for example, will not often change their voices. Dan believes that the creation of a new character requires a new voice. He believes “the most important thing is to develop the character that you want to have.” This statement hangs in the air for a moment, gaining its full import. He goes on to say, “I like to see a clown whose personality can come across without talking.” That statement’s similarity with the old, misattributed St. Francis of Assisi quote, “Witness constantly, use words if neces-sary,” is striking. Considering St. Francis never said anything of the kind, perhaps pastors and evangelists ought to take to quoting Dan Rector instead.

16 | NCU Magazine

THE NEW ALBUM OF ORIGINAL CUTTING-EDGEWORSHIP SONGS WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY STUDENTS OF THE NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTSAND RECORDED LIVE IN THE NCU CHAPEL FOR A TRUE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE!

GLORY TO GOD

JOSEPH HARRIER

EVAN JOHN

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF HATHAWAY

TAYLOR HEINZEN

BRITTANY LEPARD

JEFF DEYO

BENJAMIN LEONE

RECORDED LIVE IN THE NCU CHAPEL

Spring 2013 | 17

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18 | NCU Magazine

CHURCH MATCH  Now the local church can partner with North Central to provide up to $1,000 each year for a student that will be matched by the university to become a $2,000 amount toward the cost of their education. The local church sets up an internal account that accepts donations that the board can then allocate to students from their church who plan to attend NCU. It is a great way for churches to invest in their own young people whom they have taught, led and prayed over through the years.

START FUND

Contributions to this fund are used to help new students get their college career started. Many students are called by God to give their lives in service and they do not know where all of the resources will come from to make it possible. This fund helps bridge the gap for students so that they can begin their college journey.

ENDOWMENT FUND

Our current scholarship endowment is $1 million. We have a goal to increase that to $10 million. Earnings from these funds are distributed to returning students as $500 or $1,000 scholarships. Families can endow a fund in their name with a donation of $10,000 or they can give annual gifts of $500 in their name until they reach an endowed fund of $10,000.

LEVITE FUND

Just as the Old Testament gave the people of God the responsibility to care for the clergy, this fund serves as an endowment wherein the earnings are used to offset some of the educational expenses for those who are licensed to preach within a district of the Assemblies of God.

This spring North Central has taken a number of steps to increase the amount of scholarships that are available for new and returning students.  Our students oftentimes are asked to serve as volunteers in the local church and in the communities around them along with taking a full schedule of classes.  Limited resources can make it dif-ficult to get started in their college experience or to get across the finish line. 

In Exodus 17:12, Moses was in the midst of the battle and Aaron and Hur “held his hands up.”  In much the same way, these scholarship programs provide a way for churches, alumni and friends to hold up the hands of the young people who are pursuing the call that God has upon their lives to serve in the church and in the world.  An invest-ment of funds through a scholarship can make a significant difference in the student earning a college degree.  Our students should have a quality education that will prepare them to serve in society with strength and leadership, and North Central is a place where that hap-pens.  We welcome your involvement in personally investing in the next generation of leaders.

NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

INSIGHT

In addition to these unique ways that churches and individuals can personally become involved in schol-arshipping students at North Central, the university has added Chris Fleck to our Advancement team.  Chris has a rich and successful business back-ground.  He understands the value of sowing and reaping, and building part-nerships with people in order to make a difference in the lives of students.

FOUR NEW PROGRAMS OFFER UNIQUE WAYS TO HELP STUDENTS

PHOTOS BY JEFF HATHAWAY

If you would like to visit with Chris about how you can make a difference in the lives of our students and contribute to any of these funds, he can be reached at 612-343-4742. Gifts can be made by cash, stock donations, property and assets, and estate planning.

ADVANCEMENT TEAM ADDS CHRIS FLECK

Spring 2013 | 19

North Central University's College of Arts and Sciences is excited to announce a working partnership with a local community college toward the development of a new degree in Applied Studies. Students will earn simultaneously a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree in an applied vocational area. This partnership will allow North Central to offer opportunities for graduates to work in marketplace trades and vocations that have not been offered before – preparing more types of marketplace ministers. The blended program will allow individuals to be fully NCU students while also sharing resources between institutions.

The student is fully an NCU student - living on campus, attending chapel, completing all general education and Bible/Theology required courses at NCU, participating in commu-nity spiritual life, etc. During their sophomore, junior and senior years, however, students will take courses both at NCU and at the community college. At graduation time they will have earned an NCU degree in Applied Studies featuring one of the following areas for which they will also receive an Asso-ciate’s degree from the other school.

The Board of Regents and Administration of North Central University are proud to announce Jaclyn Anderson as the 2013 Regent’s Scholarship recipient. The Regent’s Scholar-ship is a full-tuition renewable scholarship awarded to a first-time entering freshman each year, based on superior academic performance, references, and a written essay.

Jaclyn, a current senior at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN, is an outstanding student, church leader, and talented musician who uses music to brighten others’ lives. She is the daughter of Andy and Jeanie Anderson, both of whom are North Central alumni. Jaclyn is looking forward to studying Music Education in the fall and knows that “attending NCU will help me to keep my focus on God, and will completely prepare me to be a servant of the Lord, wherever I go, for the rest of my life.”

INSIGHT

NORTH CENTRAL WORKS TO ADD APPLIED STUDIES PROGRAMMINGDEVELOPING PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COLLEGE COULD ADD 15 NEW VOCATIONAL MAJORS (PENDING HLC APPROVAL)

Air Traffic ControlBusiness Office AdministrationChild DevelopmentCinema – ScreenwritingComputer ForensicsComputer Software DevelopmentComputer Support & Network AdministrationCriminal Justice StudiesCulinary ArtsElectroneurodiagnostic TechnologyHeating, Ventilation, Air Condition & RefrigerationLaw EnforcementPolysomnographic TechnologyRestaurant ManagementVisual Arts

This Applied Studies program would likely attract a different kind of student – one who is interested in a technical vocation or trade but who still values a Christian higher education experience. Each of the applied areas leads directly to the work force upon graduation – something that is very appealing to students and their parents. The applied programs offered are not commonly being taught at other Assemblies of God institutions. New faculty members and new facilities are not required since the highly specific, applied areas are taught at the partner institution.

NCU’s President’s Cabinet as well as the local community college have approved formal agreements, with approval from our accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission, still in process. The HLC has allowed NCU to promote this pro-gram, but to present it as “pending HLC approval.” Financial details are being finalized, but students would pay all costs through NCU and would be eligible for financial aid and scholarships.

2013 REGENT'S SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED

North Central University is very pleased to announce that Dr. Gary Denbow will be joining our faculty to serve as the Dean of the College of Missions. Dr. Denbow brings a lifetime of rich ministry experience to this role. He has served as missionary to the Philippines, pastor and church planter, district official, and most recently as college president. His experience in education is vast, having worked in the faculty role as well as an administrator both here and abroad. He also served on the North Central University Board of Regents for many years. Along with experience, he brings a passion to effectively educate, encourage and empower people in the mutual pursuit of Christ. The College of Missions has the mission to “prepare the next generation to be bearers of a holistic Gospel to unreached peoples around the world”. Dr. Denbow, with his experience and passion, will do just that.

Dr. Denbow received a call to ministry while at youth camp at the age of twelve. He was elected to pastor his home church after his dad retired, at the age of sixteen, and has faithfully served in full-time ministry ever since. Dr. Denbow and his lovely wife, Doris, have four grown and married children who all serve the Lord, as well as eight grandchildren.

DR. GARY DENBOW SELECTED AS NEW DEAN OF NCU COLLEGE OF MISSIONS

PHOTO BY JEFF HATHAWAY

20 | NCU Magazine

UPDATESCOLLEGE Keeping you updated on

everything new happening in the Colleges at North Central University.

Spring 2013 | 21

STUDENTS PRESENT AT SCHOLAR'S SYMPOSIUMOn April 13, 2013, students from North Central University,

Crown College, and Rivendell Sanctuary presented scholarly proj-ects and papers from a variety of disciplines. After going through a formal selection process, students were selected by faculty of the various institutions to give a formal 8-10 minute talk on their recent research, such as:

• C.S. Lewis’s faith as reflected in his fiction• Conscious capitalism• I said you are gods: An exegesis of John 10:34• Pneumatology: The Self-Giving, Life-giving,

Community-Loving Spirit• Muslims: Closer to brothers than one would think

The presentations were followed by a formal banquet where Dr. Roger Sorbo presented on the topic of “Attitude and Wellness.” Dr. Sorbo is no stranger to the North Central community, having taught math and science here for over 20 years. Dr. Sorbo holds a doctorate in nuclear chemistry and is also a classically trained pianist.

Symposium presenters: Front row: Victoria Pyron, Meghan Smith, Molly Plautz, Katie Feist. Back Row: Cade Tankersley, Megan Brendza, Renée Jensen, Ahmed Khamassi, Hunter Baugh - Not pictured: Shelby Norman, Brett Sheppard, Lucas Menzies

Six NCU Social & Behavioral Sciences students had their senior projects selected for presentation at the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference. The MUPC occurred on April 20, 2013, at the University of St. Thomas and pro-vided an opportunity for undergraduate social and behav-ioral sciences students from colleges and universities in Min-nesota and neighboring states to present their research. 2013 marks the 48th year in which the MUPC has been held and

SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED AT UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY CONFERENCE

it is the oldest undergrad psychology conference in the U.S. A total of 194 participants from 25 institutions in 4 states pre-sented their research, including the following students from NCU:

• Kaela Andrews – “Relapse Triggers in Male Alcoholics”• Emily Carbone – “Motivating Married Couples in

Recovery”• Jennifer Flugum – “Factors Influencing Marriages at a

Small University”• Melissa Genca – “Faith Development of College Students”• Elisabeth Trickey – “Parental Influences on Adolescent

Anxiety in Sports”• Ben Upham – “Attitudes of Christian College Students

Toward Homosexuals”

North Central has offered an Alcohol & Drug Counseling major for the past several years, but it has just been updated to include the following:

• Bachelor of Arts/Sciences in Alcohol & Drug Counseling (Modified to meet the curricular changes put into place by the MN Board of Behavioral Health & Therapy), which meets all of the requirements for becoming a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor in Minnesota.

• A New minor in Alcohol & Drug Counseling - for students majoring in anything at NCU who would like an emphasis in ADC.  The minor would also meet the educational requirements for becoming a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor in the state of Minnesota.

• Certificate in Alcohol & Drug Counseling - designed for individuals who have already earned a bachelor’s degree but feel called to become a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor in MN.  This could be convenient for an early- or middle-career professional who would like to change to a vocation with greater employment opportunities.

NCU ALCOHOL & DRUG COUNSELING MAJOR IMPROVES TO ADD NEW OFFERINGS

Doxa, the Greek word for "glory," is the annual student docu-mentary film festival at North Central University. The 2013 Festival took place April 19, 2013, and is sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts within the College of Arts and Sciences and the NCU Film Collective, the student film club.

The mission of the festival is to showcase student films that endeavor to document aspects of God's glory within the stories and subjects depicted. The Doxa festival provides a forum for NCU student filmmakers to showcase and be rewarded for documentary filmmaking that features unique narratives demonstrating God’s glory in life and mission. The 2013 DOXA award winners were: - Istoria Award (Best in Show): Sofia Almarza - Costa Rica - Jury Award: Josh Chitwood - The Fabric of Farming - Jury Award: Joshua Gregory - In Due Time - Zontanos Award (audience award): Josh Chitwood

SECOND YEAR OF DOXA FILM FESTIVAL DRAWS MORE ENTRIES AND EVEN BIGGER CROWDS

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22 | NCU Magazine

Pastor Phil Morgan led a special chapel service and lunch with area pastors as part of NCU's ConVerse event on February 25, 2013 at North Central University’s Trask Word & Worship Center.

Phil is the pastor of First Assembly of God in Brookfield, Connecticut, near

Sandy Hook Elementary where the school shooting tragedy took place. Phil's message was about the Prayer of Ismael and can be heard here: www.northcentral.edu/sermons/prayer-ismael

NCU Alum Reggie Dabbs head-lined an awesome night of worship at the Trask Worship Center on Monday, January 28th. The huge crowd of young people were treated to Reggie's amaz-ing humor, great saxophone playing, and powerful message from the world-renowned speaker.

Reggie Dabbs has been speaking to students in public schools for the past 22 years. Major news media have called Reggie the number one public school speaker in America, speaking to mil-lions of teenagers every year. He has committed his life to making a positive difference in the lives of young people and uses his own challenging background to motivate students to make better choices. To learn more about Reggie and his ministry, visit his website here: http://reggiedabbsonline.com

SEATTLE CITY CHURCH PASTOR CHAD VEACH SPEAKS IN CHAPEL

RENOWNED MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER & NCU ALUM REGGIE DABBS HEADLINES YOUTH RALLY

PASTOR PHIL MORGAN SHARES HIS STORY FROM THE SANDY HOOK COMMUNITY

Recorded live over the course of three chapel services and featuring the best and brightest from North Central University's College of Fine Arts, "Glory to God" truly captures the passionate, spirit-filled NCU Chapel experience. A great collection of origi-nal, cutting edge, and singable worship songs that highlight the anointed talent of the NCU College of Fine Arts students.

Featuring the performing groups of the North Central Univer-sity Concert Chorale, One Accord, Worship Live, Jeff Deyo, and an NCU Chapel packed with students, faculty and friends.

"Glory to God" is available today as a physical CD from our College of Fine Arts website or as a digital download from the links below:

Our Fine Arts Website: http://bit.ly/NCU_FAWLiTunes: http://bit.ly/X1A8TRAmazon: http://bit.ly/NCU_FA_WL

NCU WORSHIP LIVE RELEASES "GLORY TO GOD" LIVE WORSHIP RECORDING

FALL PRODUCTION "SEUSSICAL" IS A BIG HIT

Seattle City Church’s pastor and evan-gelist, Chad Veach spoke at North Cen-tral’s chapel April 2, 2013. He spoke to the NCU community about the reasonable response to God’s love.

Veach’s passion for minis-try was ignited at a Promise Keep-ers event during his sophomore

year of high school. Today, Veach travels the nation and helps develop churches, leaders, and ministries. He and his wife are pas-sionate about helping raise up the next generation of leaders. Follow Chad at: chadveach.tumblr.com

This year's fall production of "Seussical", was a musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty based on several works by Dr. Seuss. The play featured characters and scenarios from books including The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham and Oh, The Places You'll Go! The show drew enthusiastic crowds and enjoyed great success, even selling out 7 of its 8 shows.

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Spring 2013 | 23

The Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies was proud to host renowned Pentecostal Historian Dr. Vinson Synan for its annual First Things Last conference February 19-21. Over the course of the three-day series, Dr. Synan gave an overview of the roots of Pentecostalism, the Azusa Street Revival and the Char-ismatic Renewal. Using rare footage and particularly his own research and personal experience of events and leaders, Dr. Synan gave NCU students and faculty a solid foundation for understand-ing the Pentecostal movement and tradition as a whole. In addi-tion to the Chapel series, Dr. Synan spoke in several classes and at a lunch for pastors from various Pentecostal and charismatic churches.

Another highlight for many students was a late night event on

February 19 called “Tongues-on-Fire Pentecostalism” where Dr. Synan answered questions about Spirit baptism and the gift of tongues and told personal stories of his own time of tarrying for months at the altar praying for this anointing. Students were drawn to his depth of experience and genuineness and over 100 students packed Clay Commons for that event. As student Brandon Gilliam put it, “Dr. Synan is the real deal!”

Dr. Vinson Synan speaks to a classroom of students at the First Things Last Conference

NCU HOSTS FIFTH ANNUAL "FIRST THINGS LAST" CONFERENCE

The fifth annual Worldgate Missions Conference took place from February 13-15, 2013 at North Central University. Hosted by the College of Missions and College of Fine Arts along with Student Development, these three days were packed with events for students, faculty, and guests to the University. Wednesday and Thursday morning’s chapel guests were Ray and Cindy Hilsinger. Dressed in full Tibetan traditional wear, Ray shared compelling stories of their work in Tibet. The all-student led fair “Welcome To My World” took place Wednesday evening, sharing music, lan-guage, and food of nations NCU students recently visited.

Other events included an ethnic art sale sponsored by the College of Missions and a CO:MISSION sponsored Thai lunch in Liechty Hall, which provided students a chance to hear faculty and visiting missionaries’ stories.

The highlight of the week was the Worldgate Banquet and Multicultural Chorale Concert Friday evening. During the dinner, students shared personal stories of how God has developed and prepared them for missions while at NCU. Partnering area churches and the MN District sponsored tables to raise scholar-ships for missions students. The College of Fine Arts concluded the evening with a magnificent concert of ethnic music following the banquet.

The Worldgate Missions Conference raised over $4,400 for student missions scholarships. Many thanks go to all who part-nered with the College of Missions in support of our students: College of Fine Arts, Student Development, MN District, Presi-dent Gordon Anderson, Summit Church, Christ Church Inter-national, Maranatha Church, Light The Way Church, Emmanuel Christian Center, and faculty, staff, and alumni of NCU.

WORLDGATE MISSIONS CONFERENCE

The new online Graduate Studies program at North Central University is excited to announce that they have received Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approval to offer a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership starting in the fall of 2013.

"The online certificate program will offer professional development opportunities for career learning and leadership competency. By balancing practical skills with a values-based foundation, the program hopes to develop excellent leaders for organizations, churches, the community, and the world," said Susie Brooks, Dean of Graduate Studies.

Students and working professionals who are preparing themselves for leadership positions will gain increased self-confidence, a willingness to accept the responsibilities of leadership, and the knowledge to apply leadership theories, principles, and skills no matter what their chosen field.

NCU GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM POISED TO OFFER STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE IN FALL

For more information about the upcoming online Graduate Studies program, please visit the

Graduate Studies web page at:gs.northcentral.edu

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24 | NCU Magazine

These are titles that many would correctly associate with senior Nathan Roeder. His four-year Rams basketball career wrapped up in March with his name left indelibly on the North Cen-tral record books. He is the program’s all-time leading scorer and assist man. But if you only know those things about Nathan Roeder then you are missing out on the real reason he is loved by his

peers and respected by his opponents.For those who have never met Nathan, simply reading a list of his career accomplish-

ments might create a lot of assumptions about him as a person. However, meeting him will leave a completely different impression. Nathan Roeder is just a regular guy with a friendly demeanor and a heart to see others come to know Christ intimately.

Chatting with Nathan in the hallways of North Central would probably leave you feeling encouraged, but you would have also met the best basketball player in North Central history and likely never have known it.

He is a rare college student who did not have a twitter account until the end of his senior season. So he did not see when an opposing school posted a message from one of their fans after Nathan scored 51 points in an NCU victory.

It simply said, “That kid is good.”“I have had the privilege of seeing nearly all of Nathan’s accomplishments in person,”

said North Central Sports Information Director Trey Meadows.“But the most vivid memory I have is of Nathan speaking in NCU Athletics Chapel

last spring. He was nervous, yet vulnerable, in a way a less humble person would not have been. And his challenge to live an authentic Christian faith hit home with our entire campus. This is a guy that will lead people to the Cross the rest of his life.”

Even after an event like that chapel ser-vice, Nathan remains content in blending into the NCU campus and living a life that encourages everyone he meets. If you want to talk about his basketball accomplish-ments you will have to ask his friends.

More naturally, Nathan will settle into a conversation about what his dad’s men-torship has meant to his life. Or his great teammates. Or his summer internship at a church plant in Missouri. It is then that you will have truly met the real Nathan Roeder.

NATE ROEDER

NCU All-time

career leader:

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NCCAA Awards:3x - NCCAA 1st team All-American 2011, 2012, 20133x - NCCAA Region MVP 2011, 2012, 20132013 NCCAA Pete Maravich Memorial National Award for Character

NCAA DIII & UMAC Awards:2013 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Player of the Year2013 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-West Region 1st team2013 D3Hoops.com All-West Region 2nd team2013 NCAA Division III Jostens Trophy Finalist

all-americanconference player of the yearnational player of the year

COMPETE

Spring 2013 | 25

UPDATE

SPRINGSPORTS

North Central Men’s Hoops enjoyed a great season that included both team and individual accolades. The team ended the year with a 19-12 over-all record that included a 9-5 mark in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play. It was the Rams first year in the league and their strong per-formance earned them third place, along with their first UMAC post-sea-son tournament berth in school history.

NCU was also able to capture the 2012-13 NCCAA Regional Cham-pionship after remaining unbeaten during the regular season in regional play. NCU earned the third seed at NCCAA Nationals but got upset in the first round. The team showed a lot of character by bouncing back to win their two consolation bracket games to finish fifth in the nation. Nathan Roeder was named the UMAC Conference player of the year and NCCAA National Player of the year along with being named a first team NCCAA All-American. Senior Dylan McKneely, junior Bryce Burkman and soph-omore Jordan Harrell were each named NCCAA All-Region 2nd team.

North Central was privileged to host the 2013 NCCAA Men’s & Wom-en’s Regional Basketball Tournament on February 22-23. The Men’s team held the number one seed going into the tournament and held form by defeating Providence College 90-53 in the opening round before knocking off defending regional champion Trinity Bible College 88-83 in the region championship game.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

REGIONAL CHAMPS

COMPETE

The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Council of Presidents has accepted North Central University's application for full membership in the conference.  North Central will represent the eighth full member in the UMAC and the conference’s first full member addition since 2004. The Rams, who have been competing in the UMAC as associate members in 16 sports throughout the 2012-2013 academic year, will become full members of the conference with the commencement of the 2013-2014 academic year and will compete in 16 of the UMAC's 17 sports, football being the one exclusion. 

"The UMAC is pleased to have North Central join our league as a full member.  Given North Central's history and familiarity with the UMAC, I expect their transition to full membership status will be a smooth integration process and I am delighted that the UMAC can provide opportunities for North Central student-athletes to have a positive experience in intercollegiate athletics,” said UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt.  He added, “I look forward to working with North Central University administrators, including President Dr. Gordon Anderson and Director of Athletics Jon High, in further progressing our conference and their institutional athletics programming."

  A former UMAC full member institution throughout the 1980s and mid-1990s, North Central has rebuilt its athletics department and its sport offerings throughout the past decade, adding more full-time on-campus coaching positions, increasing the number of participating student-athletes, and improving its practice and game day facilities.

UMAC WELCOMES NORTH CENTRAL AS FULL MEMBER

Dr. Anderson is presented with the Regional Championship banners

26 | NCU Magazine

BASEBALL

TRACK & FIELD

SOFTBALL

The Rams baseball team has begun their 2013 campaign with series of double-headers at the Metrodome just a few blocks from the NCU campus. The Rams were swept by St. Olaf College, Macalester College and Bethel University. The team had the start of their first UMAC conference schedule in pro-gram history delayed by winter weather. The first two sched-uled dates for conference play were postponed with make-up dates planned for later in April.

 

North Central Tennis has been able to get matches in without the challenges that many other spring sports faced. The Rams are blessed to have access to the Baseline Tennis Center, the home facility of the University of Minnesota. Baseline is one of the top tennis facilities in the Big Ten and features around a dozen indoor courts that allowed NCU to be the only team in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference to make it through their home schedule in 2013 without a weather cancellation.

The Rams women's team replaced its entire roster in 2013 and is experiencing a season of growth under first year head coach Larry Bach. The team has yet to win a match this season, but features a talented roster that should largely return intact next season. The Rams men's team has made the win column twice in 2013 by completing a season sweep over Bethany Lutheran College. NCU has much of its second set of conference matches still on the way in late April, giving them a chance to avenge several narrow losses in the first round of league play.

TENNIS

NCU began their track & field season with a trip to Duluth, Minnesota and the College of St. Scholastica for the 2013 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Champi-onships. The women’s team was led by sophomore Amanda Schexneider and freshman Sami Olson who placed sixth in the 5k and shot put respectively. Sophomore Jake Guttormson led the men with a sixth place finish in the 5k. The outdoor season is set to begin on April 6 at the Hamline Invitational.

Rams softball began their 2013 schedule by hosting their annual tournament at the Plymouth Creek Dome in Plymouth, Minnesota. NCU was 2-4 in the two day event earning wins over Presentation College and Maranatha Baptist Bible Col-lege. Freshman Megan Myers blasting the first two home runs in her college career highlighted the weekend tournament for the Rams as they look to blend a strong freshman class with great returning talent. Softball also had the start of their first ever UMAC conference schedule delayed by winter weather.

In their first year of UMAC play the Rams experienced a year of growth under first year head coach Jeff Grenell. Grenell, a professor in the Youth Development Department, guided the Rams to 10-20 final record that earned a tie for sixth place in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. NCU was also able to earn a trip to the NCCAA National Championship tournament by upsetting top seed Trinity Bible College in the regional tournament championship game.

The Rams regional title victory gave NCU its sixth regional championship in seven years. North Central finished eighth at the NCCAA National Tournament. Individually, senior Elisabeth Trickey was named to the UMAC All-Defensive team while also earning 1st team NCCAA All-Region and 2nd team All-American accolades for the fourth straight year. Junior Jorie Grenell was named 1st team NCCAA All-Region and honorable mention All-American. Junior Julia Skeesick and freshman Jamie High were each named 2nd team NCCAA All-Region.

The Women’s team came in to the tournament seeded second and was able to defeat Providence College 86-47 in the first round. They then upset top seed and defending region champion Trinity Bible College 68-64 in the region championship game. Junior Jorie Grenell and senior Elisabeth Trickey were each named first team All-Region while junior Julia Skeesick and freshman Jamie High were each named second team All-Region.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

ELISABETHTRICKEY

COMPETE

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Spring 2013 | 27

CROSS COUNTRY SOCCERMEN'S MEN'S

WOMEN'S

WOMEN'S

Men’s Cross Country experienced a year of growth as the pro-gram saw six seniors graduate last year. The Rams finished eighth at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Championship but took home sixth place at NCCAA Nationals. Sophomore Sutton Rehwaldt was the Rams leading runner all season and he finished sixth at the NCCAA National Championship missing an NCCAA All-American spot by one placement. Rehwaldt was also the top NCU runner at the UMAC Championship where he was 15th overall missing an all-conference spot by three places.

The most successful run of team accomplishments in North Central Athletics history continued for Women’s Cross Country. The Rams took home their eighth straight NCCAA National Invi-tational Championship, the most consecutive victories in the his-tory of the event. The Rams also earned a third place team finish at the UMAC Championship, the highest placement in school his-tory at an NCAA Division III conference event.

Freshman Annalise Schroeder began her promising NCU career by winning the individual NCCAA National Invitational Championship and placing fifth at the UMAC Championship. Freshman Jacie Jawaski was 16th at the UMAC Championship and fifth at the NCCAA national meet despite falling in the last 400 meters. Senior Kara Montanez was 17th at the UMAC champion-ship and fourth at the NCCAA Championship. Schroeder, Mon-tanez and Jawaski each earned NCCAA All-American honors. The Rams team average time was the fastest in the history of the NCCAA National Meet and was 30 seconds better than the second place team.

Despite a tough season in the Upper Midwest Athletic Confer-ence, Women’s Soccer continued their streak of unparalleled suc-cess in the 2013 NCCAA Regional tournament by winning their 5th straight region title. The final included two overtime periods and a shootout finale with the Rams defeating Providence College 4-3. NCU went on to finish fifth at the NCCAA National Cham-pionship Tournament.

Senior goalkeeper Noelle Stordock and senior forward Chris-tina Goodman were each named to the NCCAA All-Region team and received an NCCAA 1st team All-American award in their final year of action. Junior Marissa Dean and sophomore Rachel Parsons were chosen as All-Region award winners and were named 2nd team NCCAA All-Americans. Stordock was a 2nd team All-UMAC award winner while Parsons was named an hon-orable mention team member.

Men’s Soccer battled through their first year in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, earning sixth place and tallying an 8-12-1 mark overall. The Rams ended strong, winning 5 of their last 8 matches to reach the highest win total in 10 years.

North Central was defeated by NCCAA national power Provi-dence College in the regional final, but had four players on the All-Region team. Sophomore Christian Stepaniak was named the Region MVP while senior Andy Manley, junior Stephen Johnson and sophomore Joey Dvorscak were also named to the All-Region team. Junior goalkeeper Nathan Kraines was named 2nd team All-UMAC, while Manley and Stepaniak earned a UMAC honorable mention. Stepaniak was also an NCCAA 1st team All-American with Manley earning second team All-American honors.

COMPETE

The Rams baseball team gets ready for action at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis.

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28 | NCU Magazine

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1969Lynette (Kurtz) Mincks (Bible and Missions) moved to Arkansas in 2011 after ministering in South Dakota among the Native Americans for 32 years. Prior to that, she started churches in Minneapolis, MN, Denver, CO, and re-opened a church in Sisseton, SD. After pastoring there for 11 years, she married Owen Mincks and they became the South Dakota Coordinators for Native American Ministries. After Owen became ill in 2011, they moved to Arkansas to be close to family. They love it there and are currently doing online counseling with the Native people in the area.

1971MonaRe’ (Grams) Shields (Bible/Christian Education) and her husband, Mike, ’73, (Bible/Pastoral Studies) are now the directors of LAAST (Latin American Advanced School of Theology) which has ministered to and trained over 6000 pastors and leaders from Mexico to Argentina and the Caribbean. They also continue as Missionary Evangelists,

preaching hope to the next generation. Their daughters, Kristi Northup (’00) and Elizabeth Farina (’02) are also NCU alumni.

1987Kent Boyum (Missions) and his wife Becky (Swelland) ’88, (Sacred Music) will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this summer. Following graduation, Kent accepted a missions assignment in Israel for a year, and then worked for the Center for Ministry to Muslims in Minneapolis for a year. They then moved to Hudson, WI to pastor a small church plant and served there for more than nine years. Following their ministry in Hudson, they felt God calling them to El Salvador, where they spent 14 months working with King’s Castle Ministries. In 2001 Kent & Becky accepted the position as Pastor of Christian Life Church in Farmington, MN. The Boyums have two children, Matthew (18) and Karley (7).

Chris Castilleja (Pastoral Studies). After four years of working as both an associate pastor and Christian School administrator, as well as finishing grad school at Bethel University, in 2008 Chris

and his wife, Jen, accepted the call as Senior Pastors at the A/G Lighthouse Church in Litchfield, MN. “While this revitalization work is challenging, it has been very fulfilling. Living in a small town has its challenges, especially for this city slicker, but Jen and the girls (Macy-9 and Maya-6) have adjusted quite well and it allows “Daddy” the ability to spend copious amounts of time with his girls, who have already started saving money for college, and can hardly wait to go to North Central!”

1989Mike Roeder (Pastoral Studies) and his wife, Vicki, have been privileged to pastor Christ Center Assembly of God in Hudson, WI since 1998. Their motto is to be a spirit-driven and gospel-centered church that provides a positive Pentecostal voice in the St. Croix valley. They have three kids, all of them currently attending NCU (Nathan, Allison, and Alyce Johnson).

1990John Hubert (Pastoral Studies) returned home to Bemidji, MN in 2001 to pastor Crossroads Church after serving at Minnesota Teen Challenge for five years. Prior to this position, John served as an adjunct professor of History and Ethics at NCU. John received a Master’s degree in Theology and History from Bethel Seminary in 1993 and a Master of Education/Initial Licensure in Social Studies Education from the University of Minnesota in 1997. John has also served as an adjunct professor of History at Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, and is presently serving as Presbyter of the NW Section of the Minnesota District. John enjoys coaching youth sports, fishing, travelling, and spending time with his family most of all. He and his wife Erica (Pinkerman), ’90, have two sons, Allen (16) and William (10) and a daughter, Eva (12).

1993Daniel Epperson (Mass Communication) has served as the Senior Pastor at King’s View A/G since 2002. He was elected to the Ione, CA city council in 2012 and is

1972Thurman Faison (Bible/Pastoral Studies) is the author of two books available on Amazon.com. The latest is “Be Spiritually Bold” and the first work was “To the Spiritually Inclined” He is enjoying retirement and will not forget the opportunity given to him to study at North Central Bible College.

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the current mayor of Ione. Dan volunteers for the California Department of Fish Game as a hunter education instructor. His wife, Colleen (Mulshine), ’93, leads worship and is an Assist Nurse Manager at Sutter General Hospital in Sacramento. They have four kids: Canaan (14), Annelise (12), Zadok (7) and Asher (5).

1994Doug Vagle Doug Vagle (Christian Studies) and his wife, Peggy, (Fisher), ’95, (Behavioral Science) live in Sartell, MN, with their three

children, Abby, Nathaniel, and Sophie. They currently pastor The Waters Church, which they started five years ago. The Waters Church has helped start Northstar Community Church in Coon Rapids, Watermark Church in Stillwater, and Relevant Church in Plymouth - coming this fall!

1995Chad Wheeler (Pastoral Studies) and his wife Jenny (Nelms), ’94, moved to Charlotte, NC to plant a church after 15 amazing years of youth ministry. Launched in November, 2011 with a core team of seventeen, REACH Church is steadily growing. In March 2012 God unexpectedly and miraculously blessed REACH with 16 acres of land and two buildings. Besides pastoring, the Wheelers continue to lead worship and are working on the completion

of Jenny’s latest album to be released this year. They have a 13-year old son, Chase, and two awesome dogs.

James Biffert (Pastoral Studies) is currently the pastor of Bethel’s Rock Church in Richfield, MN. He has been married to his wife, Heather, for 18 years and they have three girls: Mckenzie (14), and twins, Bailey and Bianca (12). He pastored in St. Joseph, MI for 15 years before moving to Minnesota in 2010.

2001Ryan Sieh (Vocal Performance) is the Creative Arts Pastor at Evangel in Kansas City, MO, and just wrote, produced and recorded his first album with the group “The Collaborative” available on iTunes and Amazon. Ryan is married to Kristina (Fulks), ’00, and they have two boys, Ashton (8) and Adrien (5).

2002Seth Zielicke (Interdisciplinary Studies) has written a chapter for a book titled "Global Pentecostal Movements" published by Brill last fall.

2003Simon Trautmann (TEFL and International Language) has joined the firm of Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd, a Maple Grove, MN law firm, as an associate attorney. Trautmann represents businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations in matters involving business law, real estate, employment law, and as creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. Simon received his J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Simon also serves as a member of the North Central University Alumni Board and a board member of the Christian Chamber of Commerce. Simon is married to Jennifer (Melendez) ’03 (Psychology) and they have a 3-year old son, Justice.

Rachel (Gifford) Schwenke (Business Administration/minor in Urban Ministries) led the National Student Leadership Intensive at the Christian Community Development Association conference in Minneapolis in September 2012, training teens from across the country in leadership, social justice, and reconciliation. She also co-chaired the Reload Minneapolis conference for training urban youth and children’s ministers, partnering with the Urban Youth Worker’s Institute. Rachel is currently

1995Nate Ruch (Pastoral Studies) As a student, Nate was involved in the co-curricular emphasis at the university which included both the classroom and service in a local church.  During those years he began to take on greater roles of leadership and entered mentoring relationships with both faculty and the staff at Emmanuel.  Before graduation he continued attending Emmanuel and was asked to serve as the Youth Pastor.  The youth group thrived with over 800 in weekly attendance.  In 2003, Nate returned to North Central to serve on the faculty in the area of youth ministry.  He later served as the Vice President of University Relations and his leadership experiences expanded during these years.  One could say he has been prepared a second time for a unique role of leadership at Emmanuel Christian Center in Spring Lake Park.  In March, 2013 he began his role as Senior Pastor of the church.  We are proud of God’s hand on his life and the part that North Central has played in this life journey.

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30 | NCU Magazine

The NCU community lost a bright and loving student on Jan 31, 2013. Nick Reed, a 20-year-old pastoral studies major, passed away peacefully in Akron, OH after a six-year battle with cancer.

Reed was first diagnosed with cancer in his knee when he was 14 years old. A few years later, he was healed on a mission’s trip. Then in Novem-ber 2011, Reed’s knee pain

In MemoriamPastor G. Mark Denyes entered

Heaven’s gates on March 11, 2013. Pastor Denyes dedicated over 60 years to loving Jesus. Fifty of those years were spent preaching at Fridley Assembly of God, which became Emmanuel Chris-tian Center. His passion was for souls and he led many to Christ. He ran with endurance the race God set before him. He is loved and will be missed by many.

working at Luther Seminary in the Children, Youth and Family Ministry Department. She and her husband, James, ’09, (Pastoral Studies) are doing adult foster care with two men with developmental disabilities living in their home. They have two daughters, ages 2 and 4.

2004Kristen (Andersen) Browns (Evangelism) began doing internet evangelism for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in June 2012. She is an e-counselor and a discipleship coach. Kristen says it is very rewarding, and would appreciate your prayers.

2006Marissa (Baker) Paulsen (Urban Ministries) and her husband Jon, ’06, (Intercultural Studies) are serving as Family Ministries Pastors at Burlington Assembly of God in Burlington, WI. They have two boys, Owen (2) and Parker, (2 months).

2007

Jessica (Szczepaniak) Dembinski (Music-Vocal Performance) was married on November 10, 2012, to her best friend, Nicholas Dembinski. They reside downtown Minneapolis and love the city life. Jessica is currently employed as the General

Manager of JJ’s Coffee and Wine Bistro, a local restaurant chain, and can be found at one of their three Twin Cities locations on any given day.

Jodi (Freberg) Krause (Journalism) and her husband, Zach, ’07, (Youth Ministries) recently accepted the position of Student Ministries Pastor at The People Church in Princeton, IL. They have two children, Ellie (2) and Carson (8 months).

2008Reed Carlson (Pastoral Studies) was accepted into a Ph.D. program at Harvard Divinity School. He was also awarded a Fulbright scholarship and is now studying at the University of Göttingen (Georg-August-Universitat Göttingen).

Hilary (Knight) Korynta (Youth Ministry) has started a new journey as youth pastor at Wells A/G in Wells, MN, as of January 2013. She is thankful to be serving alongside the interim pastor who planted the church where she got saved as a child.

2012Kelsey Bjorkman (Deaf Culture Studies/TEFL) is teaching English and Math to two classes of deaf adults, the majority of whom are immigrants. It is incredibly challenging, but even more rewarding. She has also begun tutoring a deaf-blind man in English as well. She has discovered a love for teaching and a heart for the Deaf community.

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returned, which limited his activities at NCU. Reed began walking with a cane and then eventually he required a wheelchair. During the summer of 2012, Reed went in for a knee replacement and the doctors found that the cancer had returned and now was throughout his body. Although he continued his treatment, in September of 2012 he had to have his right leg amputated. As the cancer got more aggres-sive, Reed’s spirit only got more passionate. He started writ-ing a blog called, “The Pilgrim Man.”

“God called him to ministry, and this was the only place he was going to reach people at the time,” said his girlfriend, sophomore worship arts major, Jessica Short.

Reed’s strong faith and hope in the Lord was evident through the words of his blog. The verse that stands as the tag line on his blog is Psalm 118:17: “I will not die but live and proclaim what the Lord has done.

“Nick’s legacy at NCU is significant,” said Chris Woelfle, resident director of Carlson Hall. “[He] embodied honor-able character, academic faithfulness, and a willingness to serve others.”

Nick was so well loved and respected in fact, that several students and staff members traveled hundreds of miles to be with his family in Ohio for the funeral. North Central was able to fund the entire trip through a benevolence fund that was set up through the giving of A/G District Youth Directors. His blog web address is: thepilgrimman.wordpress.com

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Come one. Come all. Join the Revolution.

DEYOJEFF

PARSLEYROSS

CHRISTYNOCKELSTORWALT

BRYAN & KATIE

For details and info on registration, please visit:

www.PureWorshipInstitute.com

JUNE 17-21, 2013Minneapolis, MNNorth Central University

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COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES ALUMNI CONTINUE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AFTER GRADUATION

2007 Bree Williamson (Psychology) was in Boston to compete in the Boston Marathon and experienced the tragic bombings first-hand. After completing the marathon, Bree received her medal and was taken to the medic tent located a few blocks from the finish line. After a short time there, she heard what sounded like a cannon being set off. "It didn't seem like a big deal until I heard how much blood there was." Bree was able to find her friend after the race, but with the city in chaos, she had to walk three miles to her friend's hotel. She is thankful that she was not harmed in the bombings and is still praying for the victims and their families.

Bree crosses the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon

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