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Authors Posts by Danielle Stotlz

Danielle Stotlz

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    A 16-5 run stretching more than five minutes in the second half was all the breathing room the Oral Roberts University men’s basketball team needed as the Golden Eagles topped crosstown rival Tulsa 77-68 in the PSO Mayor’s Cup game at the Mabee Center, Nov. 15.

    In front of a homecoming crowd of 6,534, ORU led for more than 33 minutes of the game and pulled away thanks to 14-second half points from sophomore Bobby Word, who scored eight straight as part of a 12-4 ORU run. ORU also got a game-high 26 points from Obi Emegano and 18 points, 11 rebounds from Korey Billbury.

    The duo of Emegano and Billbury combined to shoot 35 free throws, with Emegano connecting on 14 of his 16 attempts. Adrion Webber also caught fire and added 10 points.

    Tulsa had four double-digit scorers, led by D’Andre Wright’s 17 points. James Woodard added 16, Rashad Smith had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Marquel Curtis chipped in 12 points.

    About a week later, the ORU women’s basketball team followed suit and rallied to claim their PSO Mayor’s Cup with a 73-71 win over Tulsa.

    The Golden Eagles saw an early second half lead slip away as Tulsa led by as many as 11 points in the second half. However, ORU picked up the defensive pressure, and Dorottya Balla found open space on the wing to knock down a three-pointer with two minutes, 13 seconds left in the game, giving the Golden Eagles a lead after trailing for more than eight minutes.

    Bernadette Balla led ORU with 19 points while Vicky McIntyre nearly missed a triple-double, finishing with 15 rebounds, eight points and nine blocks.

      From the Desk of … Dr. George Gillen

      From Where I Sit

      Dr. George Gillen, a professor in the College of Business and one of the founding faculty members, has served Oral Roberts University for nearly 50 years.

      Statue of Moses. Gillen is a great fan of Moses because he was a great lawgiver. “The Ten Commandments were the basic code for morality and the basic code for law. The basic tenants of our Christian faith and concepts, along with law and ethics, all come from Moses. He was simply a messenger from God of those absolute concepts.”

      Gifts from students. Souvenirs from Nigeria, Israel and a number of other countries sit on Gillen’s desk. Gifts given to Gillen from various students throughout the years can be seen all around his office. Gillen remembers where each item is from and which student gave them to him.

      Outstanding Faculty awards. During his 50 years of service to the university, Gillen has been voted “Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year” more than any other professor.

      In all 50 years of working at ORU, Gillen has never had a window in his office. His grandmother once lived in the Ozarks and gave this painting to him because she knew he wanted to have a window to look out of as he worked. With the Oklahoma weather constantly changing, Gillen said that he never knows what to expect when he leaves work each day.

      Tennis trophies. Gillen has played tennis all of his life including playing on the varsity team all four years of high school. He has always preferred to play doubles rather than playing singles. That love for the sport only continued when he began working at ORU. The faculty started tennis tournaments that were held each year. Gillen, along with former ORU provost Dr. Ralph Fagin, won the ORU faculty tournament multiple times. Today, Gillen has traded in his tennis racket for a deck of cards and plays games with close friends each week.

      Ignorance Bumper Sticker. Anyone who has sat in Gillen’s class knows his famous statement, “Ignorance is everywhere, and we must stamp it out!” There are a few ignorance quotes that he displays around his office as a friendly reminder of this strong belief.

        An interview with international evangelist Joyce Rodgers

        Evangelist Joyce Rodgers, CEO and founder of Primary Purpose Ministries, Inc. in Carrolton, Texas, spoke in chapel Nov. 19. Through her ministry, Rodgers has reached people of all beliefs, ethnicities, religious persuasions and cultural restrictions.

        How did you come to know the Lord?

        I was raised in a Christian family. Both my mother and grandmother were phenomenal women of God. I observed them as they triumphantly hurled through difficult times with calmness and peace. I would often question their method of survival, and they would graciously respond, “To God be the Glory.” I wanted to know the God of my mother and grandma.

        When did you first know you wanted to go into ministry?

        During my elementary years, I was a cheerleader and enjoyed cheering teams to victory on the court or field. One day, I undoubtedly heard the voice of the Lord say, “You will always lead people to victory—victory in Christ Jesus.”

        When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

        Apart from a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, I wanted to be a social worker. Social workers are popular in our culture, yet are in high demand. I knew they helped people find personal success, whether socially, economically or physically. I desired to be a part of the transformation and growth of others.

        What is your favorite verse/passage of Scripture? Why?

        John 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe In God; believe also in me.” To believe in God speaks to the idea that nothing is impossible.

        Who are the people who have inspired you?

        Beyond my God-fearing grandma (Big Mama), there are a myriad of people. Throughout the journey of faith, many have inspired and challenged me to grow greater and greater.

        What accomplishments are you proud of?

        The fact that I have been given unthinkable opportunities to talk about Jesus.

        Do you have any publications or books you have written?

        I have two books: ReJoyce and Again I Say Rejoice!, a 31-day devotional, and Fatal Distractions: Uncover the Roadblocks That Keep You from Fulfilling Your Destiny. Fatal Distractions talks about how the enemy uses things, situations and people and dictates in your mind to fatally distract us from being the Jeremiah 29:11 person God has called us to be. This is why we have to strive to maintain focus.

        What do you want to leave with the people you minister to?

        WOW, our God is greater than any other! If I’ve gained any glory, let it go back to Calvary, for to God be the glory for the things He has done! My heart is overwhelmed with gratefulness to have been counted worthy to serve in the ministry.

        View archived chapel services at oru.edu/video/chapel. Learn more about Rodgers at joycerodgers.org.

        November 9, Oral Roberts University graduate Dr. Myles Munroe (’78) went home to be with the Lord.

        Munroe, founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, was killed in a tragic plane crash, along with eight others in Grand Bahama, Bahamas.

        “His work in extending Christ’s Kingdom in our generation was exemplary and world changing,” said ORU president Dr. William M. Wilson. “He was a servant to the university as both a member of the Board of Regents and, most recently, on the Board of Reference. Over the years, Myles was a much beloved chapel speaker and contributor to our university community.”

        Munroe also served as co-chair of the Empowered21 Caribbean cabinet and a member of the Empowered21 Global Council.

        Also aboard the plane was Munroe’s wife Ruth, who attended ORU from 1979 to 1980, and 1978 ORU graduate Richard Pinder, senior vice president and pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries Fellowship Church.

        A week after the crash, ORU alumnus Gary McIntosh (’75), a close friend of Dr. Myles and Ruth Munroe, shared memories of his friendship before his congregation at Transformation Church Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

        “They were with (my wife and I) in almost every arena and every transition of our life,” McIntosh said.

        He and Dr. Munroe met as students at ORU and remained friends over the last 42 years.

        “He loved life more than almost anyone I’d ever known,” McIntosh said. “He stood tall with confidence. He had faith in God’s Word that gave him conviction that stood the test of time.”

        Munroe began his ministry in a small rented building that sat only a few hundred people. Today those humble beginnings have evolved into BFMI and Myles Munroe International.

        “He would always say he was going back to Bahamas to change his nation… and he did it,” McIntosh recalled. “He spoke to princes, presidents and prime ministers. He was influencing their decision-making process.

        “Dr. Munroe spoke into Fortune 500 companies and poured into them and did training session all over the world. How many spheres of influence did this man have? You talk about a big impact. He left massive deposits everywhere he went.”

        Over his lifetime, Munroe wrote 59 books, including Becoming a Leader, God’s Big Idea and Kingdom Principles. Munroe traveled as a preacher and motivational speaker training leaders in government, business and ministry for more than 30 years.

        “He was obedient to what God said to him, and there was a releasing of what God said to him—through books and through the Internet,” McIntosh said.

        In an interview, less than two weeks before his death, Munroe spoke on how on believers should live and die.

        “I want you to die empty. I want you to die with nothing else left to do,” he said. “I want you to die because you poured out all of your dreams, ideas, visions, books, music, publications … that you died empty. That’s the goal of life. One of the most beautiful statements I have ever heard about dying is this: ‘It is finished.’”

        McIntosh looks back at Munroe’s life and ministry and says he believes his dear friend truly did “die empty.”

        “He had incredible dedication,” McIntosh said. “He has changed our lives. He emptied himself fully. He gave so much of himself. He leaves a legacy.”

        Dr. Myles and Ruth Munroe are survived by his daughter Charisa Munroe (’05) and his son Myles (Chairo) Munroe (’06).

         

          Moving Homecoming from winter to fall was an idea whose time had come. The question was how to avoid a large gap between the February 2014 Homecoming and the 2015 event. The answer: hold a second Homecoming in the fall of 2014.

          Nov. 13-15, hundreds of alumni welcomed the opportunity to return to campus for the weekend.

          One of the highlights was the Friday night worship service. Former campus pastor Dr. Robert “Brother Bob” Stamps spoke on God’s plans for the university and alumni, and said that being called to come to ORU in 1968 “was the most wonderful invitation I ever had in my life.” David Stearman (1969-74, ’75-’76) and Ross and Aimee Duncan Parsley, who are both 1992 graduates, led worship with music from their eras. President William M. Wilson presented alumni and faculty who were at ORU between 1965 and 1974 with special certificates while students from ORU’s 50th freshman class gave each of the honorees a unique medallion.

          Stamps’s wife, Ellen, was the guest speaker at the Women’s Luncheon.

          “There’s nothing better than to go back to a place you have loved and where you have been loved,” she told alumni.

          TulsaTalks, a daylong business strategies conference, was one of the new Homecoming events. It drew more than 170 registrants—alumni and students as well as members of the Tulsa community—who learned ways to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

          “I am very proud of our 11-member alumni board who planned and hosted the event, along with several alumni who served as workshop presenters and speakers,” said Cristi Eschler-Freudenrich, assistant professor in Communication, Arts and Media. “Their willingness to commit the time and energy to this project was validating to me as a faculty member.”

          For the third straight Homecoming, the Innovate@50 Expo brought in organizations that coordinator Blake Fite ’98 said “are committed to the global expansion of the gospel.” With 26 groups setting up booths on LRC 3, alumni and students had a chance to talk business and ministry and explore career options as well.

          “It is a thrill to be back,” said Amick Byram ’77, recipient of a new Alumnus of the Year award. He received a standing ovation in chapel when students learned that he sang the role of Moses in The Prince of Egypt. His performance of “Into the Fire” was also met with thunderous applause.

          If alumni were wondering what’s been happening at ORU in the past few months, they found answers at the Presidential Update. Dr. Wilson and members of his cabinet gave updates on campus improvements, student leadership development taking place in Student Life and Spiritual Formation, ORU’s return to the Summit League and student-athletes’ involvement in outreach and international missions, student recruitment in other nations, cash-saving initiatives in the finance department, expansion of online enrollment, plans for the 50th anniversary celebration, and the University Planning Council’s five-year adaptive plan to keep ORU in a proactive, forward-thinking mode.

          The capstone of the weekend was the banquet, where the president shared details on ORU’s 50th Anniversary Campaign, “To the Uttermost Bounds of the Earth.” He described how Baby Mabee, where the banquet was being held, would be transformed into a Global Learning Center to make whole-person education more accessible to students around the world.

          Richard McCutchen ’70 won the trip for two to the Jerusalem 2015 Experience, being held May 20-25.

          After the banquet, alumni made the short walk from Baby Mabee to the Mabee Center for the men’s Homecoming basketball game. It was a perfect ending to the weekend. The Golden Eagles defeated the University of Tulsa’s Golden Hurricane, 77-68, and captured the PSO Mayor’s Cup for the second year in a row.

            The ORU men’s soccer team closed the 2014 campaign with a 8-8-2  record, marking the first time since the 2005 season in which the Golden Eagles have won eight games.

            ORU clinched the Summit League regular season championship with a 5-0 blowout victory over Eastern Illinois. The championship was the first regular season title for ORU since 2004.

            “The guys have worked exceptionally hard,” said head coach Ryan Bush. “… I’m proud of the guys. All the hard work and effort that they put in, and everything that they’ve overcome along the way.”

            Forward redshirt senior Johnny Chavez, who finished with a league-high 10 goals, was named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Summit League. Joining Chavez with all-league awards was Gerardo Salas, who also was named to the first team.

            Tarik Salkicic was named to the All-Newcomer team after drilling three goals, third-most on the squad, following Matthew Rogers with four. Defender Kaspars Kokis was also named to the All-Newcomer squad.

            Women's Soccer - MartinThe ORU women’s soccer team finished its first season back in the Summit League with a 4-10-3  overall record. Highlighting the season was a 2-1 result at SMU, the first ever victory for the Golden Eagles in Dallas, and a 0-0 draw against regionally-ranked Baylor.

            Leading the Golden Eagles in goals scored was junior midfielder Ashley Martin, who netted three goals. Sophomore Maria Stordahl was named Second Team All-Summit League, and freshman Lexi Jones was named to the league’s All-Freshman Team.

            Senior forward Megan Giles finished her career eighth all-time at ORU with 16 career assists. Senior goalkeeper Helen Erb was a part of two shutouts this season, including the shutout against Baylor, giving her 12.5 for her career.

              ORU volleyball was able to find its stride at the end of the season, posting a 9-7 Summit League mark and going 15-15 overall.

              The Golden Eagles won six of their final nine matches before falling in the first round of the Summit League Tournament to North Dakota State.

              Senior Sara Pope was one of three Golden Eagles to earn Summit League honors at season’s end. The Jenks, Oklahoma native finished her career with over 700 kills and a .283 hitting percentage in just two seasons at ORU.

              Freshmen Laura Milos and Lucija Bojanjac also earned honors for the Golden Eagles, highlighted by Milos being named Summit League Freshman of the Year. The duo was able to parlay that success into being named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team as well.

              The 2015 season looks extremely bright for the Golden Eagles as they will return 13 letter winners and four starters.

                This fall, ORU admitted international students from more than 80 countries. In order to help these students acclimate to campus, the International Center was established.

                November 14, ORU opened the doors of the new center, which was designed to increase global culture on campus and to accommodate the influx of international students attending ORU from globalization efforts.

                “We are a very diverse campus. I am really glad that ORU has created this special place, where students can come fellowship, learn about the globe and find help,” said David Grabovenko, a senior from Perm City, Russia. “I truly believe that the International Center can serve as the link between American students and internationals. I really hope that this center will become a place that will unite students with the globe.”

                Dr. Marcela Chaván was named as the director of the new International Center this fall.

                ORU alumni serve in over 150 nations around the world. The university continues efforts to increase its presence to include every inhabited continent and to fulfill the global mandate of ORU.

                  Instead of trick-or-treating, ORU students spent Halloween night gathering canned goods for the homeless in Tulsa. A total of 773 students traveled with their missions teams or residence halls to more than 3,000 houses in the Tulsa area for ORU’s annual Fall Outreach.

                  “On a night when our students could have been doing so many other things, it was incredible to see them come together to help those in need,” said ORU Missions and Outreach director Bobby Parks. “Our prayer this year was that our students would have a heart to see the homeless and hurting in Tulsa.”

                  But ORU students were not only collecting; they were also prepared to give. At each home, students offered to pray with residents that God would meet their needs.

                  “On a night when our students could have been doing so many other things, it was incredible to see them come together to help those in need.”

                  Bobby Parks, ORU Missions and Outreach director

                  “My team had the opportunity to come to the people of Tulsa and offer to pray with them,” said junior education major Gabe Stark. “It greatly impacted our team seeing the Holy Spirit minister to the people we met, just on their doorstep.”

                  To kick off the evening, students heard from Steve Whitaker, the CEO of John 3:16 Mission. The Tulsa area ministry exists to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of Tulsa’s hungry, homeless and at-risk.

                  With the holidays approaching, John 3:16 was in need of additional resources to provide Thanksgiving meals for over 3,000 families in need. ORU was able to donate 11,887 pounds of food to John 3:16, along with 118 turkeys donated by local business T.D. Williamson, Inc.

                  A further 2,600 pounds of canned goods were donated to other area food banks.

                  Additionally, students raised $2,610 for World Compassion to aid Iraqi refugees who have fled their homes due to the violence.

                    How a global movement to emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit began at ORU

                    “Build Me a University. Build it on My authority and on the Holy Spirit.”

                    These are the words God spoke to Oral Roberts as he envisioned ORU. Fifty years later, the university continues to hold true to its founder’s mission—the foundation of Oral Roberts University is the Holy Spirit.

                    “We take that revelation seriously at ORU, even in the 21st century,” said ORU and Empowered21 president William M. Wilson. “We are still passionate about being a university built on the Holy Spirit. Empowered21 is just one small way that we are demonstrating our commitment to the Holy Spirit’s work in the 21st Century.”

                    In 2006, more than 50,000 believers from more than 100 countries convened in Los Angeles for the Azusa Street Centennial, a celebration of the Pentecostal charismatic movement. At the helm was Wilson, who at that time served as the executive director for the International Center Spiritual Renewal.

                    Wilson was appointed to the newly formed ORU Board of Trustees in 2008, where board members were working to clarify the mission of the university in the 21st Century.

                    “Ultimately this process and conversation would turn into what has become known as Empowered21,” Wilson, who also serves as a global co-chair for Empowered21 said. “In many ways the Azusa Street Centennial was a reflection on 100 years and looking back, and then we started a process of looking forward. What would it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the 21st Century? What would that look like, what should it look like and what vocabulary would we use to describe that experience?”

                    Those questions were answered through a series of 17 conversations among more than 500 people on five different continents. Three groups were the focus of these conversations: ministry leaders and senior pastors, young leaders and scholars.

                    In April 2010, ORU hosted “Empowered21: The Global Congress on Holy Spirit Empowerment in the 21st Century” to present the findings of those conversations. Empowered21 drew more than 10,000 people from 95 nations to focus on the future of the Spirit-empowered movement around the world in the coming generations.

                    As the conference came together, Empowered21 leadership quickly saw this was becoming much more than just an event.

                    “We thought that the event here at ORU would be the end of the process,” Wilson recalled. “We found that about three or four months before the event, a huge amount of interest started happening around the world to do things like this in different regions.”

                    Regional leadership teams, or cabinets, began forming globally, and Empowered21 took off across six continents. In July of this year, the 13th Empowered21 cabinet was established in India.

                    “Empowered21 has grown to be larger than any one individual or even any one group of people. And it’s become the largest relational network in the Charismatic-Pentecostal movement,” Wilson said. “It has become quite a large network of believers, all focused on the future, the Holy Spirit, the next generation and unity.

                    “We are serving the entire Spirit-empowered movement from charismatic Catholics to non-denominational Christians to historic Pentecostals, uniting them together for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit in our generation.”

                    Caleb Wehrli, a 2000 ORU graduate and member of the Empowered21 cabinet in Asia, has seen firsthand the excitement and impact the movement is making on the body of Christ.

                    “It’s amazing to see not only the emphasis of the Holy Spirit, but also the unity it is bringing within churches around the world,” Wehrli said. “It’s great to see people grabbing hold of this vision and running with it. And it is not just impacting one nation; it is impacting the world.”

                    Last year, when Wilson was named the fourth president of Oral Roberts University, Empowered21 returned to Tulsa, Okla.

                    “The university serves the Empowered21 network; E21 does not own the university,” Wilson said. “Empowered21 is a service initiative where we are sowing into the kingdom, the work of the Holy Spirit and our generation.”

                    Empowered21 now gives ORU students exposure to ministries and leaders of the faith around the world.

                    “ORU is very much part of helping this generation connect with their spiritual fathers and mothers, and vice versa,” Wilson said. “As a student there should be some excitement that the student’s perspective of the work of the Holy Spirit is being brought to leaders globally on a regular basis.”
                    “We celebrate our academic excellence and our academic progress. But we are also committed that the academic excellence is in an environment that is filled with the Holy Spirit, and that the real dynamic of ORU with whole person education includes the power of the Holy Spirit in our students’ lives.

                    “For an alumnus, I think that it’s an exciting fact that after 50 years, we’re still committed to the mission of ORU. We’re very clear on this, and we’re not ashamed of it.”

                    For more information, visit Empowered21.com

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