By Doug Carroll
Communications Staff
Christian Studies alumni of GCU gathered Thursday evening for the first of what is hoped will be monthly meetings designed to build relationships and a stronger connection to the University.
Alums met at McKinley Hall in the Student Union to hear from two of their own: Frank Switzer (Class of 1996), now senior pastor of Paradise Valley Community Church, and Saralyn Bristow (Class of 1994), now a chaplain in the Maricopa County correctional system.
Since attending GCU, Bristow has been a street preacher, a missionary to Africa, a church planter and a seminary student. She is in her second stint of ministry with the county’s jail system.
“All along the way, I asked the Lord, ‘What would you have me do?’” Bristow told the group. “God had a wonderful plan for me, but I had to make the choice to follow it.
“The reason I’m here is that the Lord is not finished with me yet.”
Switzer noted the presence of one of his instructors at GCU, Dr. James Helfers, and said he has fond memories of his time on campus. It was at GCU, he said, that he saw his all-time favorite bumper sticker: “I can predict the future — God wins.”
Switzer used that slogan as the theme for his remarks Thursday.
“God always wins,” he said, “but we’re frustrated with how He does it, and we want it to be done on our own timing and not His. We must learn to trust in the slow work of God.
“Even today, do you really think God is not going to win? He’s sovereign, He’s all-powerful and He really does love us — and that’s why He’s going to win.”
The Christian Studies alumni group is organized by Enrollment Specialist Sunee Robinson. Meetings will be held on the third Thursday of every month.
“We can network, have fun and get to know one another on a personal and professional basis,” Robinson says.
For more information, contact her at 639.9699 or [email protected].
Reach Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
