Dr. Gregg and Tammy Chenoweth hosted the annual event in Chalfant Hall on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University on Thursday evening, August 24.
Current Olivet Nazarene University faculty, staff, and administrators joined retirees and noted guests for a celebration of accomplishments, fellowship, and a time of renewal. Esther Tueck, Director of the Shalom Project at ONU served as emcee for the evening’s activities, and Tom Ascher, Director of Human Resources, presented the evening’s accomplishments to long-serving employees.
Dr. Lance Kilpatrick ’02 Ed.D., Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Education, was recognized as the faculty member of the year.
“My continued hope for the School of Education is to have a program that is strong enough that future educators are interested in coming to learn, but that they also grow as Christian educators,” Lance says of his call to integrate faith and learning. “The classroom can be a dark place, so shining the light of Christ can be hugely impactful on the lives of students.”
Staff member of the year was awarded to Stacey Moore ‘09/’18 MBA, Associate Dean of Academic Systems and Communication.
“The best part of my job is when I can help make other people’s lives easier,” Stacey says. “I love when I find a duplication in a process that wouldn’t have been found without the merger. I hope we’ve decreased silos in the organization and increased efficiency, but everything I do is based on the relationships I get to build with wonderful people. Relationships should always come before the changes, and I really try to prioritize that.”
In the President’s address, Dr. Chenoweth called on the community to be a “Sent and Scented people.” Referencing the Apostle Paul’s address to the church at Corinth as the “pleasing aroma of Christ.” He called for faculty and staff to embrace the student body “sent” to Olivet, while recognizing the “scented aroma” of the Holy Spirit at work among us.
We are to God the pleasing Aroma of Christ among those being saved and perishing.
To one we are an aroma that brings death; to another, an aroma that brings life. …
We speak with sincerity, as those sent from God. (II Cor. 2:15-17)
“We are a gathering and sending institution,” stated Chenoweth. “Students come under our care, get equipped for careers and ideally are also stamped with God’s call upon their lives. Then, they scatter into every imaginable community – professional, residential, hobby, neighborhood, and church communities. If the Spirit of God is in them, they become a remedy to the needs of the world. They join 50,000 alumni sent from this place to do every imaginable good. And wherever the Spirit of God is, distorted things get set right again.”
Dr. Chenoweth went on to highlight some of the unique ways the university continues to create and care for a vibrant campus community.
“My prayer for our university is that we really would be a community of the Sent and Scented. My prayer for us is – out of a poverty of spirit – without confidence in our own judgment or style, but in what comes of being prompted to righteousness by the Spirit. Oh Lord, if we are your Sent and Scented People, help us bear an aroma pleasing to you, no matter the reaction.” Dr Chenoweth concluded his address with, “I believe He is helping us fulfill this purpose.”
The special President’s Dinner Program Book (including achievements and recognitions) can be found HERE.
