By Doug Carroll
Communications Staff
As the father of five girls, Derik Hines says with a laugh that he knows all about drama.
The youngest of those girls, Ashley, has made it a big part of her life. She’s now a sophomore theatre major at GCU and has been in several productions since the University’s revival of the arts program a year ago.
“She’s really serious about it and she works hard at it,” Derik says of Ashley. “She’s pretty intense.”
Ashley — and the rest of GCU — can hear her dad speak at Monday’s Chapel in GCU Arena. Derik, the teaching pastor at Community Church of Joy in Glendale for the past two years, will use Luke 15 as his text.
“In this passage, we see the heart of the Father,” he says. “Jesus gives us three stories and basically says it doesn’t matter how you’re lost — it’s that you’re loved.”
Hines, ordained as a United Methodist pastor, is originally from Ohio and says he loves being at Joy, a large church whose senior pastor, Walt Kallestad, has close ties to GCU.
“Joy has wide-open arms for people,” Hines says. “It’s about loving God and loving people, and it doesn’t get caught up in a lot of theological stuff. It’s a unique place for me.”
The church, located at 75th Avenue and Loop 101, has weekend attendance of about 1,200. A K-12 school with an enrollment of 700 students also occupies the sprawling campus.
“People come (to Joy) who have nothing to do with us, and we just love on them,” says Hines, noting that the church puts on Wednesday evening meals and weekend community sports.
The set to “You Can’t Take It With You,” in which Ashley Hines had a major role, ended up at Joy after its Ethington Theatre run, for use in a Joy school production.
“GCU has given a ton to us,” Hines says. “Brian Mueller and Walt have a good connection, and Brian has been very gracious.”
Chapel is at 10:45 a.m. on Mondays. The speaker for Oct. 24 will be Pastor Don Wilson of Christ’s Church of the Valley.
Reach Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
