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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (April 11, 2003) — Milligan College will recognize 10 individuals from the Tri-Cities next week who have been selected as regional “Leaders in Christian Service” for 2003. They will be recognized and introduced during a special 11 a.m. chapel service on Tuesday, April 15, in Seeger Chapel. The service is open to the community.
“These are not awards, but an opportunity to identify and present examples to our campus and community of Christian servant leadership, as exemplified through service and Christian witness in one’s vocation, community and church,” said Milligan President Donald R. Jeanes. “These individuals represent Milligan’s mission of Christian leadership and are excellent examples for our students, alumni and the community.”
The keynote speaker for Tuesday’s chapel service is Dr. Tim Elmore of EQUIP Ministries in Atlanta, Ga. Elmore is the protégé and co-worker of nationally known leadership expert John Maxwell. Maxwell founded EQUIP as a nonprofit organization to provide leadership training and resources “to develop effective Christian leaders to fulfill the Great Commission in every nation.”
Elmore holds masters of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Azusa Pacific University. He has authored several books and travels internationally speaking and teaching on leadership development for the young adult. His ministry to young leaders, called Growing Leaders, provides leadership resources to students and those who work with them. Elmore will speak at Milligan on the topic of servant leadership.
Those being recognized Tuesday include:
• Frank Anderson, Jr., an attorney with Anderson, Fugate and Givens in Johnson City, Tenn. When a colleague was asked to describe Anderson, she said without a second thought, “ethical and honest in all situations.” In his work as an attorney, Anderson exhibits compassion, a strong sense of right and wrong, he is slow to anger, and he stands firm for what is right, fair, and good, according to Lynnis Hornsby, director of volunteer and community resources at Mountain States Health Alliance, who nominated Anderson. Anderson has served more than 20 years with the Johnson City Kiwanis Club, is a former member of the Dawn of Hope Board of Directors, member of the MSHA Foundation Board of Directors, and a permanent volunteer “coach” with the Johnson City youth sports leagues. He is active at First Christian Church, Johnson City, where he has served as an elder, chairman of the board, Sunday School teacher, and youth program teacher.
• Frank Jarrett is retired from management at J. I. Cornett Construction Company in Elizabethton, Tenn. While Jarrett retired from paid work, he did not retire from work. Since his “retirement” he has served as a contractor and foreman for three Habitat for Humanity homes; spent over a year helping to renovate the Taylor-Phillips historic house at Milligan College; has completed numerous service projects at Appalachian Christian Service Camp; remodeled the welcome center, youth center, and children’s center at First Christian Church, Johnson City; and has done numerous construction and repair work for the needy. Grant Trivette of M & M Properties states that Jarrett is a “master craftsman” and “the best builder in town.” A dedicated Christian, Jarrett has served many years as an elder at First Christian Church, Johnson City, is active in the Emmaus Community, and is committed to his family, including caring for a teenaged grandson who suffers from a progressive disease.
• Carolyn Miller is director of Bridge Refugee Service in Bristol, Tenn. For the past seven years she has devoted her life to helping resettle international refugees into the Tri-Cities region. Through Bridge, Miller has coordinated the sponsorship of over 350 refugees through churches and other organizations. Many of the refugee families were persecuted for their faith or ethnicity in their home nations of Soviet Union, Cuba, Haiti, Vietnam, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Pakistan, and seven African nations. Bridge Refugee Service has won honors for its work. Tim Ross, minister of Hopwood Christian Church, who nominated Miller, says of her, “In a time of great world unrest, it is refreshing to know that Carolyn Miller is helping give the church a more biblical model for winning the hearts of the world than can be found through violence, hatred or terrorism.” Miller is active at Piney Flats United Methodist Church in Piney Flats, Tenn.
• John O’Dell, director of Sullivan County Schools. O’Dell has dedicated more than three decades of his life to education in the public school arena, at all times providing effective training, exemplary service, and Christian modeling to the 13,000 school families of Sullivan County Schools. O’Dell was nominated by Jeff Byrd, president of Bristol Motor Speedway, who worked closely with O’Dell this past year when Sullivan East High School experienced a temporary relocation due to harmful black mold within the school. During this time, Byrd and his staff “admired the confidence that Dr. O’Dell displayed in our staff and the student body and staff of Sullivan East. We are honored to have witnessed the professional and caring Christian attitude that Dr. O’Dell expressed at all times.” O’Dell, who was given the First Tennessee District Superintendent’s Study Council Award in 2000, has served on numerous community organizations and boards and is active at Colonial Heights Christian Church in Kingsport.
• Brian Ponder is a mechanic and owner of Ponder’s Auto Repair in Johnson City. A professional mechanic who has received more than 20 awards and honors related to his vocation, Ponder’s auto business has a reputation for quality work and honest and ethical business practice. “People trust Brian Ponder because he lives his life with Christian character,” says Roy Huskins, a retired teacher and coach who nominated Ponder. He is a man of patience and respect in a business not often recognized for those traits. He is a longtime servant at First Christian Church, Johnson City. A sought-after sound and lighting technician, Ponder often does this work at no cost for charitable events. He is active on numerous community organizations, including Interfaith Hospitality Network, Johnson City Jaycees, Johnson City Community Theatre, Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, and the Science Hill High School Choral Boosters Association, to name only a few.
• Ed Robinson is the director of Moody Aviation in Elizabethton, Tenn. Robinson and his family served on the mission field in the Philippines and Indonesia from 1970 to 1982 with Missionary Aviation Fellowship, before he came to Moody Aviation as an instructor. In 1996, he was named director of the aviation school, which was originally created through the vision of his father, Paul Robinson. As an instructor, Robinson has worked one-on-one with men and women preparing to become missionary aviation pilots. All have admired him for his example as a Christian leader, his strive and push for excellence among his students, and for the support he has given those experiencing difficult times. Despite the demands and long hours of his job, Robinson has remained faithful to his church and his family. He teaches Sunday school, sings in the choir, has participated in several short-term mission assignments, and has been active in the community with the Boy Scouts and the local Chamber of Commerce. He was nominated by Joe Smith, media relations coordinator at East Tennessee State University.
• Brian Rosecrance is executive director of the Interfaith Hospitality Network in Johnson City. Rosecrance, who holds a master’s degree in social work, served as a community organizer in southwest Michigan and gained experience in third-world studies while living in Puerto Rico and studying in Jamaica and Cuba. His most recent overseas mission project was in 1996 when he and his wife assisted refugees from Rwanda living in camps in Zaire, Africa. In 1981, his family moved to the Johnson City area, where Rosecrance became director of the Appalachia Service Project, a regional program assisting families in rural Appalachia with building homes. Recognizing a great need in this area, Rosecrance started his own business that assists low-income, first time homebuyers. In recent years, he has taken on his role with IHN, where he works with over 35 local church congregations and community agencies to train volunteers to minister to homeless families in the greater Johnson City area. Currently there are over 1,000 local volunteers who provide more than 350 volunteer hours per week. Rosecrance has raised financial support for this ministry through grants, civic organizations, churches and individuals. He is an active servant at First United Methodist Church. He was nominated by Nancy Ross, director of development studies at Milligan College.
• Carol Transou is a retired American history teacher with the Johnson City Schools. She is not remembered as an “easy” teacher, but one who was fair, compassionate, involved, and who made students think. In 1984, Transou initiated and found funds for a scholarship program at Science Hill High School and made service an integral part of the scholarship process. To date, 109 students have won these scholarships, totaling more than $54,000. Transou was named Tennessee Teacher of the Year in 1987 and two years later was recognized nationally as the National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher-Scholar. This award carried with it a year’s paid-sabbatical, which Transou spent doing research and developing one of the nation’s first high school curriculums for teaching about the Vietnam War, a pioneer effort which resulted in numerous accolades. In the community, Transou has been active in various organizations, and recently spent a year developing PROJECT SMILE, which identifies and provides funding for children whose families can not afford the orthodontic work of which they are in desperate need. Transou served on the first Holston Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women and now serves on the board at Munsey United Methodist Church. She has written and directed three original dramas on Methodist history and is active in her women’s circle.
• Dennis Vonderfecht is the president and CEO of Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City, Tenn. Nominated by Cameron Perry, a retired banker in Johnson City, Vonderfecht is frequently in the public eye for his role with one of the area’s largest health care providers. As president and CEO of MSHA since 1990, Vonderfecht is now responsible for a 1,122-bed seven-hospital integrated healthcare system, and has contributed much to the improvement of health care in Johnson City and the entire region. One of the first innovations Vonderfecht undertook was to partner with community churches and ministerial staff to provide pastoral care at the Johnson City Medical Center. He has actively used the Clinical Ethics Advisory Committee to air issues of administrative concern, and he established a Corporate Audit and Compliance Department to assure that all rules and regulations are followed. “Dennis is a man of principle. He is able to balance his professional and personal life with a commitment to spirit, mind and body. He brings this balance to his team members, the volunteers and others with whom he works,” writes Clem Wilkes, Jr., chairman of MSHA. Vonderfecht has been recognized on several occasions as a Tennessee Hospital Administrator of the Year. Vonderfecht and his family are active members at Central Church of Christ in Johnson City, where he serves as a deacon, a Bible class teacher and worship leader, as well as actively engaged in helping the youth and college programs.
• Doyle Walters is the general manager of the Johnson City Power Board and was nominated by his entire staff. Walters and his staff oversee an electric utility that serves over 65,000 customers. “While many begin the business day with an agenda, Doyle begins with the Upper Room Daily Devotional. He conducts all business with integrity and honesty,” reports his staff. Walters is an advocate for the people and “tender to those down on their luck.” He often reminds his staff to never lose sight that they are dealing with people. Walters has made his faith and family a top priority and is actively involved with his local church, Cherry Grove Baptist, where he serves as deacon, Sunday school teacher, youth director, and often speaks to groups and churches, sharing his testimony with friends and co-workers. He is active in the community with the United Way, the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Board, and the ETSU Pirate Club.
These individuals will be recognized and introduced as part of a special chapel service at Milligan College on Tuesday, April 15, at 11 a.m. in Seeger Memorial Chapel. The service is open to the public.
“Entire books have been written about leadership in all of its ramifications. The model for Christian leadership is found in the example of Jesus Christ. Therefore, serving others is inherent in Christian leadership — it’s really about servant leadership,” said Jeanes. “Our call is both to lead and to serve. It is a call that is rooted in the Great Commission. It is also rooted in our charge to be salt and light, wherever we are and whatever our vocation is.”
For more information, please call 423.461.8719.