Kara Miller, Author at Calvary University

Kathryn Phillips: a music department graduate assistant

by Kara Miller | Jul 14, 2021

Phillips presented a fingerstyle guitar piece in General Recital.

“Seeing students progress is the biggest joy.”

Kathryn Phillips is a 2020 Calvary alumna who has served as a graduate assistant for the music department, teaching multiple students. “I do private guitar lessons. Right now I have four students, and then I do a group guitar lesson and that has three students in it.” Phillips is also working alongside Brittany Hill in teaching an online praise band class. In the past, the online praise band class had been very similar to the in-person praise band. Phillips explained, “Dr. An asked us if we could do something with the class, and involve the students. So they changed it to separate people teaching it— me and Brittany. We can’t play together online, but everyone gets Pro Tools, a recording software, and records songs together and then mixes them together.”

Alongside being a graduate assistant and pursuing her master’s, Phillips has worked at PT’s (a local coffee shop), managed the Warrior Cafe on campus, and played in a band called Safari. Phillips said that after college she would like to pursue “something in the realm of teaching” but if that doesn’t work out “I have my band in Lawrence— Safari.”

Phillips says that her favorite thing about being a graduate assistant has been “teaching the individual lessons. It’s really fun to see students progress. So I really like teaching intermediate students because there’s so much to learn, and seeing them learn new things and play new things really well.”

Phillips says her advice to undergraduate music students is to “pay attention in classes and do your homework really well, because you’re paying a lot for the classes. I just hear about a lot of students who sleep during this class or whatever and are not really paying attention. Especially for music classes— especially with Dr. An— it can be really engaging, and you can learn a lot. To learn in college, you have to apply yourself because you can go through and get a degree without learning very much. But I think it’s important to actually apply yourself, actually learn, and actually do the work well.”

Phillips performed with lux voces for the Belton Rotary Club.

Celebrating the life of Dr. Donald Urey

by Kara Miller | Jul 1, 2021

Dr. Donald Urey served as president at Calvary Bible College from 1991-1994.

Dr. Donald Urey entered the presence of the Lord on June 17, 2021. President Emeritus Urey came to Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary in 1989 as Vice President and Academic Dean. In 1991, he then became the President of Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary. In 1994, he returned to Michigan for a pastoral role.

His vision for Calvary during his tenure was to drive students to do well in their fields as they bring the light of the Gospel. Dr. Urey desired to, not only train students to be professionals, but also to have a strong relationship with the Lord. In his inauguration speech, Dr. Urey said, “Yes, we are professionals, and we are training others to be professionals, but our mission, our purpose, does not stop there.” Urey continued, saying, “We are training God’s people to know Him better, to walk with Him, to know the Word of God and how to communicate it, to know how to relate to a lost and dying world, and to know how to be available to the Holy Spirit who uses God’s people to bring glory to His name.”

The faculty, staff, and students Calvary University sends its condolences to the family during this time. A memorial service is planned for July 11, 2021, at First Baptist Church of Clermont, Florida. You can find more information about Dr. Urey, his life, and ministry by clicking here

God’s provision allows for campus updates

by Kara Miller | Jun 24, 2021

Randy Grimm, COO, recognizes God’s provision for campus updates

The past couple of months have been filled with many different updates to the campus, and the next few months will bring even more. The windows in the Education Building and Madison Hall have been replaced. Randy Grimm, Chief Operating Officer at CU, explained that an insurance settlement allowed for the update. “We’re replacing them because of a severe thunderstorm that came through here on March twenty-seventh, 2019. The windows are being supplied by Pello Windows.” Grimm continued, “The storm caused over a million dollars worth of damage. We not only replaced the windows on those two buildings but replaced the roof on the education building and the conference center building. Those roofs should now last for another twenty to twenty-five years.” Grimm went on to express his gratefulness for God’s providence. “That was money that we didn’t have to raise because our insurance covered it. So within all of that, God just provided in huge ways. Once again it just shows God’s goodness to Calvary.” The dorm lounges’ appliances are also being updated. Grimm said, “I would guess that the lounge ovens are the originals that were there when the building was opened which was in 2011. Some of the refrigerators have been replaced throughout the years, but I think even some of those are original. So, they were desperately in need of being updated.” This need was met by the generosity of the senior class who chose to replace the outdated appliances as a senior gift. The final big update being made this summer is the installment of new flooring in the Student Life Center (SLC). Grimm explained that this will “enhance the look of that building on the inside. This new epoxy covering will have a new long-lasting effect on the floor; plus, it will look awesome! When you walk in and see that, it should be eyepopping!” The flooring will be finished by the last week of July. Grimm recognizes that raising money for these updates has shown the love the community has for Calvary. “With the Phone-a-thon, a lot of alumni gave a lot of money to help replace that floor. And of course, at the Feast ‘N Fund, where we raised the rest of that money, that was just friends of Calvary. Which shows that there’s a real love for Calvary in the community.” Alumni and partners of Calvary are not the only ones Grimm is grateful for. “And when you have the student body, who see needs and are willing to step up — through student senate or other ways — and help meet those needs, that says a lot about the student body.” Grimm also feels that this process has shown how God cares for CU. “Everything that’s being done is to benefit the campus, but the ultimate goal is to benefit the students. The flooring in the SLC, the windows in the buildings, and the new appliances — they all have a direct benefit to the students. God’s been good to provide all those things.”

Coach Regier is “in the middle of a battle”

by Kara Miller | Jun 17, 2021

“I knelt down at center court, and I asked God to use the broken coach that I was and to make something special. And He has.”

Jeanette “Coach” Regier has loved sports her whole life. “When I was in seventh grade,” she said, “I knew I wanted to be a coach. I knew I had a passion for it, but it took quite a few years after that for me to realize that God had given me that passion and if I wanted to use the passion and have it collide with my faith in Jesus that I could be a part of something that I would love coming to every day.”

Regier, who has been the Athletic Director and assistant professor at Calvary University since 1996, said it took quite a while for her to have her heart in the right place. “I really felt like it was all about accomplishments and my identity was wrapped up in what I could accomplish on the court, and that if I worked hard enough, I could get anything I wanted.”

Changing her perspective changed her coaching ethic. She said, “It led me to coaching with the intent for God to make a difference in the people that I served. It means that off-field relationships are not just going to be about volleyball, or basketball, or soccer; it’s going to be about that person and what their relationship with God is like, and perhaps their struggles.”

Regier originally came to CU as a student in 1996. “I was going to become a seminary student,” she said. “I taught at the high school level, and I felt God calling me to get more Bible training because I had been in a Christian school, but never went to a Bible college.”

Two weeks before classes started, she explained, her plans changed. “It just so happened about thirteen days before school started, I was summoned to Kansas City early. Their athletic director, basketball coach, and volleyball coach had just resigned thirteen days before the season was scheduled to start. And they asked me to take over, and so I did. Yeah, that was crazy. It was crazy hard. I had fourteen days to prepare and then I knew the students were coming and I wasn’t anywhere near close to being ready and I knelt down at center court, and I asked God to use the broken coach that I was and to make something special and He has.”

That wasn’t the only challenge Regier has faced since coming to CU. Six years ago, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). “My heart is for the person that struggles,” she said. “The person that’s in the middle of a battle because I’m in the middle of a battle. And I want to talk about things that are relevant to me, and battling every day is something that is relevant to me. Getting up and having the strength to get up and do stuff is important when I battle. The difficulty of being able to battle well is something that I catch and when I see a student that is battling, I go to them because I want to support them because that’s what we’re here for. So, my purpose in life changed when I got MS because now I look for the person that’s in the middle of the battle.”

Another challenge Regier has faced is singleness. She said, “I’m still looking for the man I would like to marry. I want very much for that to happen. It’s one pain that’s very real. I would say that through fighting singleness you realize that God gives you opportunities to do things with students that God brings into your life in a little different capacity. I’m in my fifties now so singleness doesn’t scare me like it used to. You go through times when it scares you, and times when it doesn’t. But the more that you see God provide through the times of fear the more you realize that this is nothing to fear. And if it gives me more opportunity to have more of another family here at Calvary or at my church then I’m pretty much down for that. It doesn’t mean that I don’t wish for a husband still. I think most everybody wants to be chosen.”

Regier is passionate about CU’s athletic program. “We care about the discipleship of a student in our program way more than we care about what happens with the championship or what happens on the scoreboard. It’s not often where you get to go to a college where they don’t care about winning as much as they care about the person.”

Regier reminisced about her favorite memory from her time at CU. “This year the men’s basketball team won the regional tournament and that wasn’t the highlight, although I did cry. But after they were done, I was writing the press release for the story, and I gave each of them a chance to be quoted for the article. Every one of them talked about the impact that God had had on their season, gave Him the glory for that, and lifted Him up. They could’ve lifted themselves up, and they didn’t. They got a platform and they used it to honor Him. That was probably the highlight. I could not have been prouder.”

After a quarter century as a coach and athletic director, Regier has a lot of advice for student athletes. “God gave you your love for sports and you need to have your passion collide with your faith. The two aren’t separate. Until they collide you won’t be where you need to be.”

Regier handing out the Spencer Award to both Tasha Parker (Krahn) and Rilee Walquist in 2019.

Regier speaking in a recentChapel.

Regier with CU Head Basketball Coach, Matt Sanders (left) and Zebulun Green celebrating Green’s induction into the 1,000-point club in 2020.

Bobby Clayton Memorial Golf Tournament a success

by Kara Miller | Jun 9, 2021

This year’s annual golf tournament — the Bobby Clayton Memorial — was a great success. Thanks to the generosity of all those involved, the tournament raised $5,000 more than expected, totaling $19,245. Thank you to all who participated in the tournament by coming out to play, sponsoring holes, and donating prizes.