Alumni Profiles
A mission-minded marriage
Encouraging believers in Brazil
Coming home to a "new" AU
Keeping skies friendly
Council honors alumni
Council welcomes new members
A mission-minded marriage
By Joy May
Missionary service often sounds daunting: foreign countries, unknown languages, hostile governments. And several preconceived notions about missionary work have helped to increase the mystery of missions. But for those who serve in the mission field — at home and abroad — the journey is more fulfilling than frightening.
Take Paula and Johnny Snyder MDiv ’87, MARel ’91, Church of God regional directors for Latin America, currently living in Quito, Ecuador. On any given day, several cars may be stolen and sold for drug money. Leaving the house after 10 p.m. isn’t really an option. But these things seem minor in comparison to all the good work taking place in Latin American countries.
The Snyders both felt a call to service at relatively young ages, though they didn’t sense that call would take them out of the country. Instead, they recognized that, at all times, God calls people to cross cultural boundaries.
“Living cross-culturally — and that doesn’t always require crossing an international border — can be achieved within any given society,” Johnny says, “but to live outside your home culture always brings a bit more tension. Even though you learn the language and the rules for most things, there’s always an underlying, subtle tension because it’s not what you’re accustomed to.”
However, the couple agrees that serving together eases the tension. “It has been a unique experience serving in missions, both when our children were younger and now that we’re empty nesters,” says Paula. “Most all the traveling we have to do is together, and it gives us more opportunities to witness as a couple to other couples, as well as individuals. Mostly it’s nice to have each other.”
As regional directors, they are responsible for budgeting between home office (in Anderson) and the missionaries in the field as well as national assemblies. They serve as personnel liaisons — long distance human resource representatives — for families and individuals working throughout Latin America, and they promote those ministries. In addition, Johnny and Paula often work with national leaders to assist them in their evangelistic efforts.
All told, they have a very full plate, but they understand it’s the ministry they’re called to — for now. “The Lord has given us the opportunities to do different things at different times,” Paula says, “and I think we’d be amiss if we weren’t open to something He called us to.” Whether that means continued work abroad or doing specific work with missionary kids (MKs) back in the United States, the couple believes God will equip them.
Johnny admits that between studying for two degrees in seminary, serving as an associate pastor at North Anderson Church of God and completing five years of work in Mexico with the then-Missionary Board of the Church of God — all this before leaving for Ecuador in August 1996 — the Lord prepared him and Paula for every leg of the journey.
“I don’t think we felt that we were going to do this every moment of every year of our ministry,” Johnny admits. “But at points where it seemed right to do so, we wanted to be able to serve overseas, and we were ready for each step as it came.”
But they couldn’t prepare for homesickness. Their assignment as regional directors obligates them to a five-year term, with trips to the United States twice a year, for campmeeting and business/staff meetings. They cram in as much “quality time” with their children — LeAnn, 28; Adrian, 26; and Brian, 24 — as they can, but family ties are strained overseas.
“I thought when our children were younger that it would be harder, but I don’t find it makes a bit of difference whether they’re in their twenties or teens or toddlers. Family is important to us, so we try to stay close and in contact with them and be encouraging as much as we can,” says Paula.
However, the Snyders have found comfort with other missionary families facing the same issues. “This is our first time to live in a setting where there are many missionary families,” Johnny says thankfully, “and because of them, we’ve gone to events where their children are involved. We’ve witnessed the importance and complexity of the missionary children that come from many backgrounds. The challenges MKs face continues to touch our lives, and that may someday evolve into another opportunity for ministry.”
Until then, the Snyders will continue to live faithfully and enjoy each new turn in the road. They’ll both admit life is never dull as missionaries, but they’d also admit they wouldn’t change a thing.
Encouraging believers in Brazil
For four years, Cayla Dyer BA ’95 served on behalf of the Church of God as a Special Assignment Missionary to the northeast Brazilian town of Maretas. Arriving home in June 2000, Cayla spent her summer months sharing how God has been transforming lives in Maretas. What follows is a portion of that story. —Joy May
Many people associate Brazil with bugs, snakes and rain forests. But northeast Brazil has a notorious reputation for being dry. The dry season lasts more than half of the year, and water is always an issue in sometimes desert-like conditions. Most people load their ox carts with barrels to search for water. In the small town of Maretas, where I served beginning in September 1996, the townspeople were lucky to have a water tower, though not everyone had pipes running to their homes. I soon learned, however, that the draught these Brazilians were experiencing came from something much greater than their need for drinking water; they were thirsting for a Living Water.
When I arrived in Maretas, I found a small farming community of about 700 people. As I watched the agrarian community at work, I saw an educational system struggling due to lack of interest in paying teachers and to students of all ages leaving school to work in the fields at harvest time. Economically, the town was in the midst of newfound prosperity when the monetary unit changed to the real in 1994, but even that fortune found a dry-spell when the unit’s worth plunged to less than half an American dollar in the middle of my term of service.
Initially, my role was to serve as a community leader — building relationships with the people, learning the language and assessing community needs for future service. However, the Church of God in Maretas, established in 1991, dwindled in attendance from its original number of more than 100 to only five members. The local leaders were worn out from the loss, and my role quickly changed from community liaison to pastor of the church. The next four years of my life were devoted to healing broken ties and offering hope to those who didn’t have any. Visitation and learning the language were essential in making this happen, and the fact that I was the only American — the Big White American Girl, to be exact — probably helped peak curiosity and open doors for conversation with the townspeople.
Ultimately, all of the draught conditions — economically, educationally and spiritually — were catalysts to urge people to find a way to satisfy their thirst. Many people accepted Jesus as their Savior; some people stayed to pursue the life-changing challenge, and others, who may have expected an instant transformation, did not. What mattered most to the people was understanding how to be a Christian by watching someone else’s example. Though the people of Maretas heard the message before, few people lived the message. As their faith grew, they began to pass the message along, continually transforming lives.
There are now 35 believers in the church at Maretas, eight of whom serve in leadership capacities. The numbers will continue to grow as the message of Christ is shared among the townspeople, and they find that even in the midst of their draught, there is an oasis.
Coming home to a "new" AU
By Deborah Lilly
In 1938, Mildred (Meyer) Satenstein ’45 spent two weeks with her aunt and uncle on the Anderson University campus. Her aunt Sadie and her uncle Walter Evans lived in Old Main, and Walter was head of buildings and grounds. “I just loved the whole place,” Satenstein remembers.
Satenstein wanted to go away to college. Here parents wanted her to stay home and attend the University of Louisville. “My daddy kept saying, ‘I don’t see why you have to go there when we have a perfectly good university at home,’” says Satenstein.
To help pay her way through school, Satenstein worked at a local dress shop in Anderson. She earned minimum wage — 29 cents an hour. In the fall of 1939, she decided to focus on work and leave school until she could afford the tuition again. After two years at the dress shop, she moved to New York City and worked as a model, a job she thought would be glamorous. Instead she says, “It was boring — very, very boring.”
Satenstein married, and while her husband was overseas during World War II, she returned to AU. Reunited with her husband at the end of the war, she left the university to focus on family. She raised a son and a daughter and then began a career as a “professional grandma.” She has 10 grandchildren — six of them growing up only a block away from her San Diego home. “I’ve really liked being a grandmother,” she says, “because I think I’ve had a lot of influence.”
A few years ago, Dorothy (Morrison) Blevins-Dicus BA ’43 reconnected with Satenstein, her good friend and former classmate. “She kept begging me to come [back to Anderson] — preferably to homecoming,” says Satenstein. “I always wanted to, but it’s an ordeal to travel when you get older. Finally I decided if I was going to come, I’d better hurry.”
Hosted by Blevins-Dicus, Satenstein saw a different campus from what she remembered. “I love the way the university has developed,” she says. “It doesn’t look the same, but it feels the same. The college has grown into a university, but it hasn’t lost its grounding.”
After the weekend visit to her alma mater, Satenstein says, “I’m going to be more homesick for Anderson now.”
Keeping skies friendly
By Joy May
Imagine being at the airport, waiting to pass through the security checkpoint. An alarm sounds, law enforcement officers are summoned and the woman in front of you is questioned about her carry-on bag. Next time that happens, look closely at the woman’s face — it could be Nancy Shaffer Jeffers BA ’78.
A Civil Aviation Security Inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Jeffers has worked for the Detroit Civil Aviation Security Field Unit since July 1997. Tasked with helping to ensure the safety of the traveling public, she fulfills part of her responsibilities in regulating the airports and the air carriers through “surprise” inspections, at times posing as a passenger and carrying prohibited articles (actually FAA-approved test objects) through security.
Because the nature of her position is highly sensitive, Jeffers cannot elaborate regarding the “tools” of her trade, including strict testing protocol. “We are the people who monitor and put in place additional protective measures related to security of air travel,” Jeffers says. “We obviously can’t release the specifics, but some of the emerging technology is truly state of the art.”
If it sounds intense, it is. Jeffers admits it can be demanding as well as fascinating, bringing both prestige and pressure. The job is challenging, although Jeffers states her greatest satisfaction arises from knowing that she is “working for the common goal assessing and testing security compliance to minimize vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the air travel system.” Although she admits she didn’t specifically train for a job like this while at AU getting her sociology degree, Jeffers’ 22 years as a civil servant (including her part-time college job with the Social Security Administration) afforded this career advancement.
Jeffers credits family support as her encouragement to work hard. Married for 13 years, she and husband Gary met during a blind date arranged by one of his dental school classmates. “We are so fortunate to have each other,” she says; “there’s nothing like someone waiting for the sound of your footsteps, signaling your arrival home.” The attraction to service careers seems to run in the family; Gary, an oral/maxillofacial surgeon teaching at the local dental school, is a member of Michigan’s “Go-Team,” the group responsible for dental forensic identification after airline crashes. They live in Northville, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, and attend Farmington Hills Church of God.
Council honors alumni
The Anderson University Alumni Association recognized 11 university alumni, faculty and staff for their achievements on and off campus. The awards ceremony was held Oct. 7, homecoming weekend.
Dr. Guy Perry Jr. BA ’66 received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Perry is the medical director of the Occupational Health Center with Community Hospitals in Indianapolis. His articles have been published in several medical journals. He is a past member of the AU Board of Trustees and Alumni Council.
John Zerkle BA ‘77 was honored with the John Kane Loyalty Award. Zerkle is an attorney with Leagre Chandler & Millard LLP. He is the past president of the AU Alumni Council.
Dr. Darlene Miller BS ‘62 and the Rev. Theodore Baker BA ‘72 MMin ‘76 were honored with Alumni Service Awards. Miller began working at AU in 1965 as the director of the Instructional Materials Center. She has served as a professor of education, chair of the Department of Education, dean of the School of Social and Professional Studies, and is currently the dean of the College of the Arts.
Baker has worked for AU for 29 years in the roles of business officer, development officer and part-time faculty member. He is the director of church scholarships and annual programs.
Four former athletes and coaches were inducted into the AU Athletic Hall of Fame: Brian Williams BA ‘86, Michael Burton BA ‘81, Henry Wilk BA ‘74 and Richard Young.
Williams earned four letters in track and four letters in cross country while a student at AU. He was a four-year National Christian College All-American in cross country and held the Raven record in the 8000-meter run. He was the Little State Champion three times and the National Christian College winner twice. In track, Williams was the National Christian College All-American twice and the NAIA National Champion in the indoor mile run. He held the AU record for the 800-meter and 1500-meter runs.
Williams lives in Frankton, Ind., with his wife, Valerie Williams BA ’92, and their three children. He is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Burton played basketball and track while a student at AU. He still holds the javelin record. He lettered fours years in track and was named All-District and All-Conference four times. He also lettered four years in basketball and was named MVP his senior year. He was an All-Conference and an All-NAIA District 21 player for two years. He was a National Christian College All-American.
After graduation, Burton started a trucking and delivery company in Columbus, Ohio. His business was recognized as the number one fastest growing firm in the city. He has since retired andlives in Celebration, Fla., with his wife, Paula, and three children. Burton is an active volunteer in youth programs in his community.
Wilk was a four-time national qualifier in wrestling while a student at AU. He was NAIA All-American two years, Little State Champion three times, Little State and Conference MVP, and Conference Champion twice.
After graduation, he began a career in teaching and coaching. He also continued wrestling and has won 16 championship awards. He is in the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame as a coach. He coaches a high school team in Mishawaka, Ind.
Young came to AU in 1963. Over the years, he coached football, tennis, golf and wrestling. He also taught physical education classes. He served as the athletic director at the university for five years and as chairman of the Department of Physical Education. Young retired in May. He and his wife, Wilda, now enjoy traveling together.
Council welcomes new members
The Anderson University Alumni Association welcomed seven new members to its council. These new members represent alumni from the undergraduate school and the seminary, with graduation dates ranging from 1961 to 1999. The new council members are as follows:
Bob Asel BS ’61 earned his degree in music education at AU. He later earned his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Bowling Green State University. He is retired from secondary education. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Findlay and an advisor at Owens Community College. He and Berneice (Still) Asel BA ’62 live in Findlay, Ohio.
Barbara Berry MDiv ’99 is an ordained minister in the Church of God. She serves as the associate pastor for pastoral care at North Anderson Church of God in Anderson, Ind. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University and began her career in business and human resources. She worked for the federal government for 15 years as a management analyst. She is a widow and has two sons.
Denny Huebner BA ’79 continued his education at Asbury Theological Seminary after earning his bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He is an ordained minister in the Church of God. He began his pastoral ministry in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has also served pastorates in Wisconsin and Ohio. He is the senior pastor at Oak Grove Church of God in Tampa, Fla. He and his wife, Mary, have three sons.
Rudolph R. Pyle III BA ’92 earned a master’s degree in public policy at the College of William and Mary and a doctor of jurisprudence from Indiana University. He recently passed the bar. He has been honored as a Fellow for the Indiana Conference on Legal Educational Opportunity. He has served as clerk in the Court of Appeals in Indiana, assistant to the chief of police in the Wilmington Police Department, a trooper for the Indiana State Police and a fellow for Indiana Senator Dan Coats.
Paula Stone Quinn BA ’76 is president and owner of Cornerstone Properties Inc. in Indianapolis. She founded the company in 1984. She is a general partner of numerous real estate partnerships. She provides consulting services to small development companies, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities. At the request of the Indianapolis mayor, she serves on the Indianapolis private industry council and chairs the Indianapolis Welfare Planning Council.
Rick Webb BA ’78 returned to his hometown of Oklahoma City after graduating from AU. He developed the family insurance agency of Webb, Young and Webb. In 1997 he joined another AU alum to start Fidelity Resources Corporation, an employee leasing company. Employee Solutions is a national employee leasing company out of Phoenix. Rick is an active member of Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City. He and wife Cindy Carey BA ’79 have two children.
Steve Wimmer MDiv ’86 is the senior pastor at First Church of God in Alma, Mich. He has also ministered in Arizona and Wyoming. He earned his undergraduate degree from Warner Pacific College. He and wife Dawn Brady BA ’83 have three children.
These new members join returning council members Joyce Winner BA ’77, Scott Palmer BA ’78, Mary McDaniel BA ’77, Rebekah Baker BA ’87, Bart Caylor BA ’92, Tina Cox BA ’90, MRE ’93, Stephanie Eridon BA ’98, Carole Greenwalt BA ’72, Diana Hatchel BA ’66, Janis Katsu BA ’76, Richard Leach BS ’62, Pamela Lockhart BA ’78, J. David Reames BA ’73, MDiv ’79 and Pamela Shoot BA ’75.
