|
Welcome
to the
Melodyland
School
of Theology
web
page
Updated
1/13/2008
It's
been too many years since our reunion in Orange, California and we
continue to hear from the old gang. We love your emails and
letters and invite you to keep sending them in. Following, in
larger print, are recent letters. Older ones are in the
smaller size font.
Click here
to reach the Melodyland Students
Link
page for information on lots of your old friends.
Latest
report from Dr. Rod and Johanna Williams
Jo
wrote this past week (5/30/2006) to send their love and to say that
Rod's health is not well. She explained that he is not able to
correspond as he would like but while it is a difficult time for him
"his spirit is so sweet and gentle."
She
adds: We are both glad that you are still in contact with many of
the MST students. Although we have regrets that the school did not
continue, yet we know for a certainty that those brief years--so
full of the Spirit's presence and joy and fellowship--were like a
rare taste of heaven.
We
rejoice to hear from you, and may the Lord bless you richly!
Jo
Friends,
Rod and Jo were great blessings to everyone attached to Melodyland
School of Theology and Rod was a giant in the emerging charismatic
movement world wide. I still feel the impact of his work as
I meet spirit filled people in my travels to other
countries. Let us carry these precious people before the
Lord asking Him to grant them comfort and strength while they
continue to run the race. Mark
IN
REMEMBRANCE OF SAM FIELDS (1949-2006).
CLASSMATE
& A FOUNDING INFLUENCE AT MST, GOOD FRIEND, PASTOR, MISSIONARY,
ARTIST AND MAN OF GOD, SAM GRADUATED TO HEAVEN QUIETLY IN HIS SLEEP
ON FEBRUARY 12, 2006. AT THE TIME SAM WAS SERVING HIS CHURCH
IN EAGLE RIVER, ALASKA AND MAKING ANNUAL TRIPS TO MINISTER IN
GERMANY. SAM WAS A WONDERFUL MAN AND A GIFT FROM GOD. HE
WILL BE MISSED. VISIT HIS LINK http://www.geocities.com/samuelkfields
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS LIFE AND HIS WORK.
William Lau
(1977-78) www.TheElijahChallenge.org
is looking for Peter
Tsukahira as
are we. The email address we had apparently is not good now
and we'd like to know if they are still in Israel. (Update: we
have Peter's location. See the MST Students Link above.) By the way,
William's website has some stimulating thoughts on Endtime
evangelism.
It was
great hearing from Bill
Bowlby whose
been around my neighborhood and I didn't even know it. He
wrote " I was
looking up Dane Babboni's address and I
came to the MST home page and was amazed what was there. it
was a blast from the past. We graduated in 1977 and I took my
first Church in Saskatoon, Sas, Canada. Did you know that Dane
Babboni lives in Seattle? Also so does Emit
Glanz and his wife Sarah. They are still ministering
even though he is in his 80's. I run into Don
Macmillin every so often as he is in Tacoma. Did you
know Tom and Paulette
Garmon. They are Wycliff Missionaries in Africa.
They are on their third deployment I think. am retired after
17 years with the Tacoma Police Department and many years as
the FBI Chaplain. In between all that I pastored a Church in
Parkland for 8 years. My wife and I are retiring to the Tampa
area. I am going to be the FBI Chaplain there. The new
address for Leanne and me will be in Ruskin, Florida.
Grady
and Christina Williams are
delighted to announce that they are grandparents AGAIN--their
second!. Ezra Paul Greer was born February 16th at 8:00 p.m.
He weighed 8lbs. 1oz, was 19" long and baby & mother Carina
did fantastic, so did new Dad, Paul.
Steve Crane
wrote after talking
to Alan Winslow for 45 minutes after 15 years of losing touch.
He added, "Your website has really helped in locating
Johnny Story and other old friends. I had to chuckle when I
read, Following, in larger print, are recent letters.
Older ones are in the smaller size font. Are we all
getting old?"
Don
McMillan from near us here
in beautiful Washington state is one busy guy: "We're
living in Tacoma with my wife Pam working here also and our son Ian
in Living Hope Academy just 2 miles from our place. I'm now a
trauma/crisis chaplain for the Franciscans in Pierce County: St.
Joseph in Tacoma, St. Clare in Lakewood, and St. Francis in Federal
way. I'm the Secretary/Treasurer of our Pierce County CISM
(Critical Incident Stress Management) Team as well as a
trainer/instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress
Foundation. I'm also a Captain-Chaplain in the McChord
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. Finally I'm one of the
nationally trained chaplains affiliated with the American Red Cross
and spent more than two weeks in Baton Rouge and New Orleans with
Hurricanes Katrina/Rita. I'm also associated with City Chaplain
an organization that serves a specific city in every aspect of
chaplaincy. So far there are two cities: Redmond and Bothel.
We have put together a seminar entitled Practical and Spiritual
Disaster Preparedness.
David
Wooley (class
of '86) writes "I have just returned from the
Fiji Islands. I've owned a business www.fijilandsales.com
now for 11 years. I love Fiji and love assisting the Churches along
the coast outside Savusavu. Just spent 3 months out there. I am
married and have one son 7 years old. Please let me know if you have
any updates on the ole school gang.I still considered myself
blessed to have studied under guys like Walter
Martin, Mike Esses, Rod
Rosenblatt,
John Montgomery and Hal Lindsey
( although Lindsey only taught Sunday school ). Anyway, good
memories. Thanks again and Best Regards, Dave 4/2006
Ted Freeman
(class of
'77) sent us a word of encouragement about an article entitled
"The Unchurch" found
elsewhere at this site. "I
too have had a vision for the Unchurch that started back in 1978.
The Lord had called me to start Powerhouse Ministries in
Jacksonville, IL, a coffee shop environment that college kids could
come to be discipled without realizing they were being discipled. Dan
and Debbie Erbach, an MST grad family grew out of that
movement and several others became ministers of the gospel
because of that as well. I believed in the power of that vision then
and do now. Many churches later, my wife and I are part of a
group called Simply Church in Arlington, Texas, a cell group
ministry. Ordination is from United Evangelical Churches Healthy
doctrine is still being taught, people are growing and being
discipled without the burden of supporting a mega-center church and
a huge pastoral staff. Leadership is raised up from within and we
will be meeting as a body in a central location once a month in a
rented hall. There are no plans to build a church building, but
instead to grow more cells."
Carl
Thompson
(class of 80-81) sent his
greetings, "I noticed that you head up the Melodyland Student
Links page. I am trying to make contact with the school, if it still
exists. Can you help? I attended Melodyland back in 1980-81. I was
working on my Masters of Divinity degree there. Your name
sounds familiar, as do some of those on the list you provide in the
Melodyland Student Links. (TO ANY
LOOKING FOR MST/ACC TRANSCRIPTS SEE THE COMMENTS IN THIS COLOR BELOW
ON CONTACTING BRIAN & LINDA TROTT!!)
_________________________________________________________________________
Steve Crane
left our little MST family
in 1977 following four years and is now just north of Seattle with
his wife, Barb, and his daughters, aged 9 and 11, who Barb home
schools. Steve says he found his life calling in
"building new homes for the glory of God." He
recalled lots of the old gang like rooming with Johnny
Story and riding to Glen and Carol
Merriman's home group on a Honda 450 with Alan
Winslow. He welcomes old friends giving him a call at
425-357-1171.
Congratulations to John
Strazicich on his new
Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Fuller Seminary. John
matriculated from good ol' MST in 1983 having slaved over the books
under the awesome teaching of Gene Green
and Dave Dorman who he ran into at a
faculty meeting at the home of Dr. Jack Hayford. John and Dave
are both instructors for Dr. Jack's seminary, John part time, while
he also works for Foursquare Missions International. John's
family of 5 attends the Waterbrook Church in Garden Grove, the work
started and pastored by Grady and Christina
Williams.
Joseph and
Peggy Stroman wrote to
leave us their website at www.hlminc.org
and to minister a word of encouragement and strength. They
call our attention to Nahum 2:1 and 2 Chronicles 15:7. You can
reach them at jstroman@juno.com
.
Carolyn
Rudolph also
dropped us a line to let everyone know that you can reach her and
Tom at cdrudolph1@sbcglobal.net
.
David Wentz
(now "Dr. David Wentz") is pastoring at Mount Oak United
Methodist Church (www.mtoak.org) in Maryland. He managed to
pick up his D.Min. at Asbury and, with Paula of course, five
children. The three oldest are headed for
ministry.
Jeff
and Judy Headley said we
can take them off the "missing list" at the bottom of this
page as they are living in South Australia with five kids and
"a busy life." Judy has a counseling practice, is
finishing up a doctorate and earlier, with Jeff, spent time as
missionaries in China where they maintained contact with the Peter
Tsukahiras.
Jim Suthard
was at MST in 1977 to 78,
serving on the student council, and worked with Roy Matthews in the
Development office and with Pastor Ralph on the television programs
before moving on to Fuller Seminary. He later interned with
John Wimber and helped plant a church in Pico Rivera, pastored in
Virginia, and has spent the last 20 years in television. You
can reach Jim at jrsuthard@earthlink.net.
He adds that he has kept in touch with Dave
Lem, Gary Sparks and John Sharnik.
Mark and
Mary Jane Vanderput are
living in Dexter, Michigan and have three sons. At MST they
earned an MDiv in 1983 before moving to Denver and working with Dr.
Fred Stifel, another MST product. After a stop in Albuquerque
they arrived in Michigan and became pastors at a great charismatic
Evangelical Presbyterian church where they still serve. Mark
says they'd love to connect with Margaret
Short, Chuck and Judy Hooker and John
and Debi White if anyone out
there knows how they can.
The former Gwen
Keeney wrote with some sad
news. Bruce passed away in 1992
back in Ohio. Gwen says following their time at MST Bruce
finished up a degree at UC Irvine in philosophy and began work on a
masters separated by a year in Israel. Gwen is married to
"a wonderful, kind man" named Donald Graber and they live
a peaceful and simple life with daughter Jennifer, and attend the
McLean Bible Church in Virginia, just outside of Washington,
DC. Gwen asked about Mark Linebaugh and
Keith Redding and says she is still in touch with David
and Ruth Arthurs who are with YWAM in Hawaii.
I received a notice the
other day that Danny
Lynchard has published a
military devotional/journal entitled Coming Home: For Those Who
Serve and Those Who Wait. The notice reads "If you know of
a family with a son, daughter or relative in the service...pick one
up.... Also good for law enforcement." The book is
available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and ThomasNelson.com.
Danny is pastor of Fisher Baptist Church in Oklahoma and can be
reached at gracetalker@hotmail.com
.
Another name dropped from
the missing list is Stephanie
Foust. She is to be
found in Alhambra and wants her old friends to drop her a line at sfoust@fuller.edu
which would hint that she has some involvement with the
seminary. She says that Bill Jeynes is
teaching at Long Beach State and working in ministry but she wonders
if anyone knows the whereabouts of Randy and
Kristen Decker. She lost track of them after they
returned from Saudi Arabia.
Special
Announcement for those looking for transcripts from MST/ACC!!! (read
the next letter....)
David
Nardone found the website
and reported that he attended MST from 1980 to 81 in the Christian
Studies Diploma program. David
is currently continuing his education and asked a question that I
get alot: "how
do I get copies of my MST transcripts?"
The answer is, write Brian Trott at
MST 5753-G Santa Ana Canyon Road, Suite 149, Anaheim Hills, CA
92807. Brian has all the records. He and wife, Linda,
run a wedding ministry and their phone answering machine won't say
anything about MST but leave a message anyway and they'll get back
to you. The number is 714-970-8839.
Our last alum to write
recently is Dan
Woodworth who graduated in
1979 with his MDiv. Dan lives in my backyard right here in
Portland, Oregon where, after planting three churches, he has
been active in prisons ministry through a local church outreach,
seeing about 1000 men saved and healed. He and his wife are
now looking to pioneer a church through a large Foursquare Church
and intends to pursue a DMin at The King's Seminary. You can
find Dan at danwoodworth@earthlink.net.
We recently
saw Sam
Fields
and
Dennis
Ortmann at
a leadership conference in Redding, CA. Dennis is the pastor
of Chapel in the Pines, in Twain Harte, CA. (209-586-3284) and Sam
is an associate pastor near Anchorage, AK. At the moment Sam
is making one of his annual preaching visits to Germany and
Switzerland. His e-reports from his travels are always filled
with encouraging news.
And many of
you know that Grady
and Christina Williams
have begun a new work in the Orange-Anaheim area. It's with
Foursquare and is off to a great start.
Lou
and Bev Sheldon are with them.
Joe
Zeyak has
an active ministry in Brazil where he visits frequently.
Joe also is
active with a group that ministers to the underground church in
Southeast Asia. Joe and Paul
DeGagne of
Abbotsford, British Columbia have made a couple trips to
Thailand and other spots to build up local pastors.
Roger Grist of
Amherst, NY, writes: I just came across your website and, wow, what
a blast from the past! I am currently serving as an Episcopal
priest at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Buffalo, NY
(st-michaels-buffalo.org). I am married and have two children
still at home. I am still involved in seeking to bring people
into an experience with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Roger mentions
fellow MSTers Steve
and Jan Brown, who
he lost track of after they lived in Chehalis, WA. He also
reminded us of another Episcopal priest from MST, Steve
Powers and
his wife, Mary, located in Oceanside, CA. Lastly, he sends his
greetings to Glen
and Carol Merriman.
Merrimans are pastoring a Foursquare Church in Pacifica, CA. and
just like in Garden Grove, they have a house full living with
them. Carol says they love the work in Pacifica and thanks God
for "saving the best for last." Glen and Carol have
recently purchase a home in Arizona and are preparing for a well
deserved retirement. (Update: the Merriman's have moved to
enjoy retirement and now live in Sun City, AZ but they still sound
pretty busy. 1/13/08)
Dan Fritschle
of Moreno Valley, CA, attended MST from 77 to 82, and said he found
the website while surfing for anything on MST. When he left
MST with his BA "there was not much left of the
school." Since then he's been pretty much out of touch
and would love to be added to any list of alums. So contact
Dan at
peagleca@aol.com.
Our old
friend, Larry Pesta, now Dr.
Larry Pesta,
would like you to know that he's in Peoria, AZ serving as the Senior
Minister at Spiritual Enrichment Center. Reach Larry at 602-210-2100
or at lpesta@yahoo.com .
Ruth and Dave
Dorman
wrote to say that Dave is still at Jack Hayford's King's
Seminary. "LOVES the teaching and (Ruth adds) the
students love him. After being there a year and a half, he's
starting to get new students who say 'I heard this was the best
class to take.' Very gratifying." About herself, Ruth
says that she works at their church and "I absolutely love
it. I've had jobs where I loved the place and jobs where I
loved what I did, but never one that combined the two like this one
does." Ruth is at rdorman@glenkirkchurch.org
and Dave is at drmdorman@earthlink.net
.
Johnny Story sent
his "greetings from all the special children and the entire
staff of Hiromi Children's Recovery Center." He provided
us with a website "in hopes that this update gives you a good
glimpse of all that is happening with the HCRC Family!"
Check them out in Japan and China at www.hiromi-children-recovery-center.com
. A
recent email from Johnny says the website has been updated and
improved. Give it a look!
A few
months back, Greg
and Bev Watson,
wrote saying, "It was exciting to find your website online and
view the MST reunion. You'll have to let us know when you have
another one. I am still acquainted with a few MST graduates
from about 1980 through 1984 who are on the eastern side of the US
and one couple in Colorado Springs. He adds "We just
recently moved back to West Virginia after 20+ years in TX" and
that he is seriously thinking of dusting off his doctoral
dissertation and doing some writing now that retirement is upon
him. If you'd like to reach the Watsons try them at gaw@surfbest.net
Well, that
about wraps it up for now, except to add that, speaking of
writing, Yours Truly has just self-published a spiritual
history of our local area entitled, Culture Chronicles. It
was both a giant task taking over 12 years to compile this 350 page
book, and a genuine pleasure to complete. The response locally
has been very gratifying. I know that due to its northwest US
subject matter it will have a limited audience but should you want a
copy just contact me.
In His Grace,
Mark Pelletier
(Note:
Out of respect for the privacy of our MST classmates we rarely post
email or home addresses and phone numbers. We know that some
solicitors scour websites for this information. However most MST
alums love hearing from you so if you want to reach anyone who is
included in this list contact us & we'll help you find your old
friends.)
Now if this
is your first visit to this site take some time to wander about a
little. There is a note from Dr. Williams, comments from other
teachers and alums, lists of old friends and a handful of pix that
will definitely take you back! And while you will get a kick
out of what you see, what really makes this page work is
correspondence from people like you! So drop me a line and
when I update this page again (which happens whenever the mood
strikes) we'll include your news too. If you know any other
MSTers who haven't found us yet give them a holler and have them
contact us. We would love to have a thorough list directory of
everybody. So if you're looking for someone, ask us. We
may be able to help.
|
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|
Following the reunion we heard from regent university and former mst
librarian bob sivigny who has provided us with a link to a site of
religious resources. we welcome you to visit bob's site for great
connections to lots of information including help with understanding
other religions and cultures. the site address is
http://www.regent.edu/lib/theo/theo.html . |
Well, the 2001 MST reunion was a wonderful experience. Pastors Grady
and Christina Williams and the great people at Zion Christian Center were
gracious hosts and our thanks go out to them for their warm
hospitality.
Out time together was a true blessing. It was great seeing old
friends but even better, it was thrilling to hear the stories of what God
has done in and through the lives of our MST family.
Scroll down to see a few quick comments about the reunion and return
soon (when I have a bit more time to spend at this site) to see photos
and further news from our gathering.
To all who attended: Thank you for a joyous occasion and for inspiring
us with your hearts of servanthood. I ask you to jot down your thoughts
and feelings about the reunion and get them to me for inclusion on this
page. We would love to hear from you all.
Also, for ongoing networking, please let us know about special events
and changes in your life so we can let everyone else know. We want to
utilize this page as a center for MST alum news. Let us share in your
lives. Looking forward to years of deepening friendship and co-laboring
in the service of our King.
| Here's the original reunion
notification:
Greetings Former MST Students and
Teachers!
For some time now we have been talking to
former students about an MST reunion and finally a few of us have
decided to put feet to it. We have secured a location, Zion Christian
Center, 710 South Cambridge St. in Orange (north of Fairhaven),
August 23rd to the 25th, 2001. We thought it would be a good time,
just before the long weekend... and a great location, close to
familiar places, to reconnect with old friends and classmates.
Our heart was to allow an opportunity to
hear from former students and teachers and to rejoice in what God has
done in all our lives.
We will start on Thursday, August 23rd,
with a dessert fellowship to allow any of you who can make it to have
a time to get reacquainted. Friday could be spent hearing from former
students in a workshop forum. Saturday we thought it would be good to
hear from former teachers and conclude with a night of worship
together.
If you have any thoughts about this
format and other ideas for our gathering please feel free to let us
know. Plan on bringing photos past
and present (past especially!) of your lives during and since
Melodyland or any other memorabilia of our times together.
We really hope you can make it and
that this will fit into your summer schedule. Also, if you have
contact with other former students please send us their address and
we will contact them.
We are truly praying that this will be a
truly dynamic time for us all. We really hope you can come!
|
MST Reunion Schedule of events:
On Thursday August 23rd at Grady and Christina Williams'
home. 907 S. Hilda in Anaheim,
CA. 714-956-5433.
7pm. Dessert fellowship. Spend a
great evening with old friends and good munchies.
It was a wonderful
evening of visiting with old friends and meeting some new ones! And you
should hear the story of how God provided this beautiful home for the
Williams'!
On Friday
August 24th at Zion Christian Center 710
S. Cambridge, Orange. 714-997-8881. 9:00am
Registration--Bring: fotos (old & new) to scan for a montage
10am to 4pm: Session:Speakers,
interactive times, prayer & praise!!
Lou and Beverly Sheldon
started us off with a report on his Traditional Values Coalition. See
the September 2001 issue of Charisma magazine for a full page picture of
Lou and an article on him entitled "Washington Watchdog."
We also
heard from Sam Fields,
formerly of Germany and now pastor in Alaska and frequent world
traveler. (He is bound for Ecuador next month.) The German connection
continued with a report from
Martin Wollin,
the music director of an evangelistic ministry to German speaking people.
Ennio
Salucci challenged us
with a call to integrity regardless of the tough times. The Lord lead
him through early ministry and a successful venture into the restaurant
world before bringing him to the Association for Christian Character
Development.
Don
McMillan told us about
his life in the prison chaplaincy in Washington state. Don's story
included a physical crisis and a dawning awareness that the people who
care for the wounded need care too.
Shirley
(Farley) Smith and her
husband Mike made a decision to raise their children in a fellowship that
exalted Christ regardless of the personal inconvenience. When God lead
them to the Smithton Outpouring with Pastor Steve Gray in Missouri, it
meant driving 3 hours one way for church. This commitment has opened
ever increasing doors of ministry for Shirley and Mike. She now leads
their Bible training program in St. Louis.
7:30pm: Evening of
worship & ministry.
We had a rich evening of worship and praise. A special piece was a
report from Bill and
Robin Faris on the
critical car accident that Robin was involved in last year. We rejoice
with them on her recovery and on the success of their new church.
We also
enjoyed a visit with Phyllis Weiss, wife of our dear friend from
Melodyland Christian Center, Pastor Noel Weiss, who passed away recently
after founding Zion Christian Center, our reunion host church.
On Saturday
August
25th at Zion Christian Center
7:30am:
Breakfast w testimonies and prayer
More time to visit with
friends and look through the pictures, catalogues and momentos from the
old days.
9:30 to
4pm: Sessions: We
thrilled at more reports like the one from Dr.
Doyle Book
whose ministry in Japan includes "wedding evangelism." God has been
using him to lay a foundation for an evangelistic harvest by using
Christian weddings as a prophetic teaching tool to a new generation of
Japanese.
Peter Tsukahiras
and his wife are on the front lines, literally, of missions work in Israel. After 7
years in Tokyo building a church, God moved them to Haifa and to a work
that seeks to present a multi-cultural Christian presence in a culture
that is in deep conflict.
Tim
Spiller told us a
wonderful story of how God lead him into a ministry of clowning and made
him a clown for Christ. Tim was also honored as the Civil Air Patrol's
Chaplain of the Year recently.
Cecil and Joan Pumphrey
blessed us with an incredible report of how their church in Mississippi
helps them minister to Japanese people in California as well as in
Japan. During the reunion, Cecil baptized around 20 Japanese saints
living in Orange County.
Lowell
Jones filled our
hearts with joy when he shared how his years at Melodyland School of
Theology were among his best. Called by many an "apostle of love" to us
who knew him, Lowell has kept all of his loving gentleness and seeing him
was a highlight of the reunion.
Joe
Zeyak's story is one
of amazing grace. God lead Joe to 30 nations for over 10 years entirely
by faith. He spent time ministering to the very natives who martyred Jim
Elliot in Ecuador. He traveled to Europe, to southeast Asia and more.
And, according to Joe, on each trip God proved that "He still has your
address." Now Joe and Brenda run a very successful tile business in
Orange County but he still ministers overseas several times each year.
6pm:
Celebration Banquet and service at Zion Christian Center.
Our final meal together was a
classy affair with great food. A special thanks to Zion's superwoman,
Lori, who masterminded the whole evening.
We
received more reports from
Glen Merriman
who, with his wife
Carol are
pastoring in Pacifica, California and seeking the Lord's touch for
Carol's health, Paul
DeGagne, who, when he
isn't conducting reunions for our favorite Bible college, is a distance
educator in British Columbia, and
Greg Newell,
who spoke of toiling for the Kingdom on Catalina Island after MST. Our
hearts went out to Greg. (Sheesh... :-))
Christina Williams
revealed private pain she felt during her schooling and early ministry
years as she certainly spoke for many women about the prejudice she
encountered about being a woman in ministry. We are very glad that she
persevered because she is an incredible minister of the gospel and a
wonderful woman of God.
Time
didn't allow for everyone to share their stories to the group. But
frequent breaks and meals together let us learn about lots of other
former MSTers. After the student sessions,
Dave Dorman
(now the resident theologian at Jack Hayford's new seminary!) read to us
the personal letter from Dr. Rod Williams (letter printed below).
Finally
we were blessed to hear from Dr.
Bob Whitaker.
Bob introduced his new wife,
Carolyn, and told us of how God has shown Himself faithful during years
of difficulty for Bob following the illness and passing of his first
wife. Bob also proclaimed that the Lord is doing a new thing on the
earth and challenged us to not adopt the "elder brother syndrome" which
he said shows up when we reject what is new to us. He told us that, as
wonderful as our days were at MST and during the dawning of the
charismatic movement, the best days of the Church are still ahead! He
described the Apostolic Reformation movement as portrayed in C. Peter
Wagner's book, Church Quake, and presented an exciting picture of
where God appears to taking today's church. We are in for an even
greater visitation of God's glory as we follow Him faithfully day by day.
We
ended the evening with communion and the presence of the Lord was
precious. So, too, was the bond that we enjoyed together.
A final
comment: following each person's time of sharing, the rest of us were
invited to give "affirmations" to the speaker. These were stories of
good times shared, or references to blessings the speaker provided over
the years. Sometimes they were words of appreciation for the person's
character or feelings of inspiration for the way they have served and
sacrificed. The affirmations were then followed by a period of prayer
and prophetic encouragement by all who wished to participate. These
sessions of affirmation and prayer were times of spiritual power. We
anticipate hearing testimonies of God's future blessing that grew from
the words of faith and prayers that were spoken at this MST reunion.
If you
have any specific questions please email
mstreunion@hotmail.com.
Sincerely,
Paul DeGagne
Grady and Christina Williams
Mark
Pelletier Dave and Ruth Dorman
(In the event I
omitted someone from my report above I apologize in advance. I will
eagerly add additional comments if you get them to me. The ol' memory
ain't what it used to be. Mark)
From Mark: Hey, why not drop me a line
so I can pass on info about what's going on in your life to the rest of
our MST family? Also please let me know the whereabouts of other MSTers
so our records will be more complete.
|
A
Personal Message from Dr. Williams to the 2001 MST Reunion
Hearty greetings to all attending the MST Reunion,
Jo and I wish very much that we could be there. Circumstances
prevent our being present for the occasion. How good and refreshing
it would be to see many of the students, faculty, and staff of twenty
plus years ago.
MST was a shining light in its day, and I am sure it continues to
radiate through your individual lights throughout the world. God be
praised!
As you probably know, we have been at Regent University Divinity
School since leaving Melodyland. In fact, Dr. John Rea, Old
Testament professor, and I were part of the original foursome that
began what was then called CBN School of Biblical Studies. Shortly
thereafter, Lyle Story, Greek professor, and Bob Sivigny, librarian,
joined us. We often jokingly called our new school Melodyland East.
In additon to my regular teaching at Regent the past nineteen years,
I have completed writing Renewal Theology, published by Zondervan, in
three volumes: God, the World, and Redemption (1988); Salvation, the
Holy Spirit, and Christian Living (1990); and The Church, the
Kingdom, and Last Things (1992). Since 1996, the three are published
as one volume. If you have used any of these volumes, you doubtless
will recognize much of the material, since they are largely built on
my classroom lectures done at MST. There have been sixteen printings
thus far plus a complete Korean translation and a German one in
process. I rejoice in the way the Lord has been using the volumes in
seminaries, missions, and churches around the world.
I also serve to answer theological questions on the CBN web page (http://www.cbn.com).
Because of the Internet, this is a growing worldwide ministry with
thousands of questions coming in from which I have to choose
carefully which to answer. In addition, my web page (http://www.home.regent.edu/rodmwil)
has a number of my writings on line. Especially do I call your
attention to my extended document entitled "A Theological Pilgrimage"
that contains some autobiography plus articles and essays done over
the years.
Now a further word: I have finally this summer, at age 83, given up
classroom teaching. If a Ph.D. program develops at Regent Divinity
School, as we hope, I may serve as a theological advisor.
At the Reunion, I am sure many of you will be sharing with one
another your own experiences since leaving MST. I wish Jo and I
could be there to hear them. You certainly represent a wide ranging
ministry in many places. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of
you." To God be the glory!
Have a great and blessed time together!
J. Rodman Williams |
|
The following is an excerpt from
former MST instructor Dr. Doyle Book that says it all:
"Your e-mail brings some of the most exciting news I have heard in
a long time! It is doubly exciting because it seems almost certain
that we shall be able to attend.... Never has a date gone into my
date book so quickly! We look forward to hearing more from you, and
I will be checking the Web site to see the list of names grow." Doyle
Book, Japan. |
|
And from
former student Peter Tsukahiras:
"We
looked at the Web page and are truly getting excited. May the Lord
bring many more to share this event with us! Thanks so much for all
the work that you and the committee are doing to make this happen.
'Hi' to everyone, especially Dave and Ruth." The Tsukahiras,
Israel |
|
And another
former student voice from afar:
"Dear MSTers, During the suggested time my whole family will be in
the area. I am really looking forward to seeing you all again in
August!" Martin Wollin, Germany |
| And from our wonderful professor
and dear friend Dick Mills we get the
following "Good Word" for the reunion class: |
| Exodus 14:15 Go
forward! |
Philippians
3:13 Forget the past! |
| Psalms 139:5
His hand is on the past, the present and the future. |
Psalms 138:8
The Lord will perfect that which concerns us! |
Students who came (some home
towns are guesses):
- Grady and Christina (Poleto) Williams, Anaheim,
California
- Dean and Linda Davis,
California
- Paul DeGagne, Abbotsford, British Columbia,
Canada
- Dave & Ruth (Rex) Dorman, Pasadena, California
- Bill and Robin (Austin) Faris, Mission Viejo,
California
- Sam Fields, ministering in Alaska, Germany and
South America
- Paul and Mary (?) Flotho, Vallejo, California
- Chuck and Marge Harmon, Yorba Linda, California
- Lin (Welty) and Paul Hurst, California
- Sophia (Chyzinska) Hyzin, Trabuco Canyon,
California
- Jeff Jones, San Diego, California
- Don McMillan, Monroe, Washington
- Glen and Carol Merriman, Pacifica, California
- Greg Newell, Carlsbad, California
- Mark Pelletier, Vancouver, Washington
- Dan Peters, Laguna Hills, California
- Ennio Salucci, Orange County, California
- Shirley (Farley) and Mike Smith, Raymore,
Missouri
- Laurence and Sharon Stansifer, Trabuco Canyon,
California
- Eric Stovesand, Mammoth Lakes, California
- Peter Tsukahira, Israel
- Martin Wollin, Germany
- Joseph and Brenda Zeyak, Tustin, California
Administration & Faculty
who made it:
- Doyle and Thelma Book, Japan
- Lowell Jones, Yorba Linda, California
- Cecil and Joan Pumphrey, Tupelo, Mississippi
- John Rea, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Lou and Beverly Sheldon, Anaheim, California
- Bob and Carolyn Whitaker, Arroyo Grande,
California
Special Guests:
- Gail Reiter, daughter of former MST professor,
Don Reiter
- Phyllis Weiss, wife of former MCC pastor, Noel
Weiss
Thought you might like to see
some of the people who have declined with regrets:
Bob Fitts, (will be in Africa at the time of the
reunion); Gregory and Rebecca Jacob, Madrid,
Spain; Ian Jagelman, Sydney, Australia;
Dick Mills, San Jacinto, California (on East Coast at
the time); Beth Riddle, Tianjin, Republic of
China; Greg Salazar, Madrid, Spain;
Robert Sivigny, Virginia Beach, Virginia (Regent Univ
librarian); Phil Smith, Hong Kong;
Johnny Story, Okinawa, Japan (YWAM);
Lyle Story, Virginia Beach, Virginia (Regent Univ.);
Dale Thurman, Taiwan, ROC;
Rod and Johanna Williams, Virginia Beach, Virginia (Regent Univ.)
| It's
amazing when you consider how privileged we were to participate in a
school who's history may have been brief, but who's influence
continues to spread the Good News around the world. Add to this
inspiring list of alums the names of those who spent years in France,
Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Greece, Egypt, Singapore, Thailand,
China and many more missions fields all over the world and to
ministries across America that have impacted the world.
|
| Here's a few other names of
the ol' gang. Thought this list might jog the memory and you might
know how to locate some of them. If so, please let us (or them) know
as we're looking for them. (Note:
This is not an exhaustive list of all former MST students but a list
of those we can not locate. Don't be offended if your name is not on
this list since is probably means we have your address. Help us
shrink this list even more by giving us phone numbers, email or snail
mail addresses of our old friends you've stayed in touch with.
Thanks!)
|
| Dave & Nancy
Adams, Moses Aguirra, Anna Ahrens, Jerry & Betty Anderson, Darlene
Anthens, Ed Armendariz, Dane Babboni, Angela Bagley, Mark & Sheila
Baldwin, Bo & Bob Barnett, Dennis Barr, Bill & Barbara Bartholomew,
Randy & Nancy Berdal, Meg Blau, Mike & Rosie
Bonner, Rob & Karen Brown, Steve & Brenda Bryant, Don & Eva Camarata,
Dennis Carnes, Pat Carraway, Kathy Carson, Walter Castle, Michael
Chaddick, Sue Chavenelle, Fred & Lindy Chavez, Dr.
John Cheydleur, Ralph Cirigliano, Kit Collins, Steve & Joy Cook, Ron
& Marcia Corbett, Doug & Belinda Counts, Kathleen Cowan, Bill & Carol Crook, Ron Cuellar, David & Nancy Cullen, Vern & Shirley
Cummings,
Steve & Karen Davis, Jackie DeVries, Jack &
Becky Deardorff, Randy & Chris Decker, Char & Richard Derby, Brent
Detwiler, Douglas & Elizabeth Dewar, Earlyne Dillon, Kevin Dodd, Thom
& Sharon Downey, Steve & Marilyn Dresser, Kurt Drumheller, Tony &
Helen Dzeidzikie, Kathryn & Ries Efford, Dave & Delores Engle,
Lincoln & Joyce Espy, Dan & Debbie Erbach, Steve & Leigh Ann Evans,
Mary Beth Firestone, Mike & Cathy Fondanova, John & Karen Ford,
Leslie Forsyth, Dave & Vicki Fowlkes, Merle Gabers,
Paul & Phyllis Gale, Pam Gallear, Joe & Vicki Garnes, Rick Gastil,
Jim Gosnell, Gary Grappo, Bill & Carol Grady, Steve & Debbie Grant,
Bud Green, Gene & Debbie Green, Jennifer Greyshock, Tom Griner, Leon & Paula Grumbling, Dick Guercio,
Don & Raissa Haas, Neil & Gail Haglund, Jim &
Carol Hain, Tim Halverson, Jim Hamilton, Rory & Dianne Harris, Larry & Ruth Hebert, Ginger Hewitt, Susan Highleyman,
Jackie Hodgkins, Michael Holladay, Glynn Holton, Dave Jackson, Kushi & Eddie Jones,
Bob & Meri Kegerize, Jim & Jacki Kehrli, Butch & Kim Kinsmen,
Al Klaver, Darrel Klink, Iris Knapp, Ray & Becky Knutsen, Robert
Kuehn, Butch & Linda Lambert,
Conrad & Janet Lawrence, Gaylord Lawtum,
Russell Manion, Darryl Mansfield, Roger & Judy
Manning, Ron Manning, Steve Maples, Robert Marquez, Bob & Debbie
Mason, Mike & Stephanie Maynard, Scott Mays, Dr. Ray McMurtry, Kris
McPherson, Jim Merritt, Austin & Judy Miller, Don & Gail Miller,
Peter & Margie Miller, Lew Moore, Alfredo Morales, Shirley Mullen,
Hans & Uschi Muller, Dr. Dirk Nelson, Gene & Dorothy Neill, Frank
Nemetz, Jim Newman, Dr. Larry Nielsen, Gail Nixon,
Rob & Laurie Norton, Bruce Nugent, Norm & Heather Numrich, Ted
O'Brien, Walter Opmeer, Dennis Orr,
Bob & Mary Pamplin, Bill & Dale Pangborn, John &
Waneta Papp, Bill & Charlotte Pardee, Ray & Helen Pedrick, Gordon &
Linn Pennington, Al Peterson, Gene & Julie Pick, Jim Piercy, Dr. Bob
Pipes, Tim & Jackie Pitts, Shirley Porter, Steve & Mary Powers, Sarah
Price, Peter Putnum, Dan Quan, Joanna Quintrell, Harold Ramey, Ron
Read, Dirk & Kathryn Reeck, Mike & Meri Reed, Chris & Susan Reyes,
Peter & Janet Robinson, Carlos & Edda Rodriguez, Dan Russell, Dr.
Dell Sanchez, Bill Sands, John St. Clair, Carl Schuster, Jim &
Melinda Scott, Pete & Betsy Sexton, Richard Shackelford, Dieter &
Keila Sierp, Roberta Silva, Rachel Sims, Warren & Nancy Slemmer,
Cliff & Noreen Smart, Donna Smith, Dr. Allan Snider, Toney & Chris
Snyder, Steve & Sherry Spaid, Bob & Michelle Sparks, Gary Sparks,
Florence Stacy, James & Maria Stewart, John Stewart, Laura Stinson,
Pat & Diane Street, John & Carol Strub, Luke & Mandy Sydo,
Dr. Donald Tarno, Chuck & Mary Temple, Chuck &
Katherine Thode, Sue & Willie Thode, Donn & Vonnie Thomas, Jim &
Gloria Thompson, Wink & Joni Thompson, Norm & Catherine Trezise,
Brian & Linda Trott, Marvin & Glenna Tuomala, Vern Ulery, Jerry Van
Der Veen, Dave Van Lant, Mark & Mary Jane Vanderput, Beth Visbal, Mac
& Ilona Wale, Nelson Walker, Jim Ward, Dave Wardone, Art Waterling,
Don & Chris Watson, Fred & Ruth Waugh, Harlan & Robin Weirick, Jim
Welch, David & Paula Wentz, John & Debbie White, Rachel Wiley,
Franklin & Katy Williamson, Wayne Williamson, Everett & Grace Willis,
Georgiana Willis, Bob & Joy Wilson, Cliff & Elaine Wilson, Larry &
Marta Wilson, Jennifer Winninsky, Alan & Gini Winslow, Fred & Edie
Wiske, Mike Woronecki, Bill & Debbie Wright, Larry & Kathy Wright,
Margaret Yoder, Bruce York, Dick Young, Leonard Young, Art & Michelle Zipple |
Updated: Sunday January 13, 2008.
Contact me with changes.
|
