Sharing
Our
Stories

Questions
about Alumni Events
can be directed to:
Aubrie Stent, Northwest Regional Administrator
aubriewoods@multnomah.edu

Sharing Our Stories

Anne Witherspoon from Yamhill, OR
Middlebury College, Class 1976

I attended a secular school in New England, took a year off between my Sophmore and Jr. years during which time I became a Christian. When i returned to college, Intervarsity became a welcoming support and encouraging influence to me as my life was now turned around 180 degrees. I attended workshops, Friday night gatherings and made a host of new friends on campus. My husband and I now help support the work of a staff member in New England who became a believer through the IV fellowship at Middlebury College. Her growth and commitment continues to encourage us in our faith.

I now live an hour from Portland OR outside of the rural community of Yamhill. My husband and I have raise four daughters and countless animals, taken in a bunch of medically needy foreign foster children, and run a mixed animal veterinary hospital. We've had the opportunity to do a short term veterinary project in Peru with the Quaker church and lost a couple of clinic employees to the overseas mission field. We attend a spiritually alive, eclectic Quaker church in the West Hills of Portland where we are continually amazed at how God lovingly guides and directs despite our feet of clay.

Steve Halliday from Portland, OR
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Class 1979

I got involved with IV through some friends who already were active. I started attending the large group meetings and soon got involved in Bible studies. By my sophomore year I was doing some presentations in the large group meeting and became president of our IV chapter my junior year. Most of my best friends in college came through my participation in IV.

Today I'm an editor/writer in the Christian book publishing field. After eight years with Multnomah Press in Portland, I went freelance in 1992 and continue to work with various publishers around the country. Currently I'm working on "The Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible" with Thomas Nelson and am the writer for a book with Warner Faith on the childhood obesity crisis, tentative title "SuperSized Kids." I also served as the collaborator/writer for Gary Smalley's just-released book with Tyndale, "The DNA of Relationships." I'm a member at Sunset Presbyterian Church and serve in various capacities there, including on the preaching team (along with three staff people).

Betty (Adams) Grissett from Hillsboro, OR
George Fox University and OHSU Nursing School, Class 1954

My first IV conference in 1948 made me aware that those from other denominations were also a part of God's Fellowship of Believers.  This opened doors and challenged me to be involved with other believers at my college during my years as a student. Several of us  in the Portland area formed a Grad Group and stayed involved mostly with International [students], and also helped out at the local area IV conferences. I was actively involved thru 1968. I have been and still am a prayer and financial supporter of IVCF, because of the influence in my life and that in the lives of students during these formative years.

Since 1968, I have had several opportunities to go on short term missions volunteer ventures--to Borneo (Kalimantan), New Zealand, ('69-72). I hosted Vietnamese refugees from 1974 into the late 1980's. In the 90's hopped down to Jamaica and Haiti. In 2000 an opportunity to volunteer to hold babies in an orphanage in Albania came my way, then again in '03. Now (2004) God has given me a husband to share life with, to love and serve. We will be volunteering (1 to 3 months each year) together in a Christian agricultural concern (ECHO) in Florida. When in Oregon, we will resume involvement in our church.

Laurie Jo (Tichenor) Porter from Vancouver, WA
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, Class 1982

God used INTER-VARSITY to really introduce me to what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Inter-Varsity gave me wonderful training in the basics: developing a prayer life, learning how to study the Bible, and showing me the importance of fellowshipping with other Christians. I also believe that IV helped me to develop leadership skills by allowing me to be a part of our local chapter's exec leadership team. I am greatly thankful to God for using IV in my life in such a powerful way. Thank you!

Ted & Eleanor Watkins from Portland, OR
Oregon State University, Class of 1950

IV helped me establish a quiet time, gave me assurance of my salvation and gave me a desire to reach others for Jesus Christ.

I've been retired for 19 years, have served as an elder at Easgate Bible Chapel for over 20 years and keep physically active by playing tennis several times a week. I have three children and seven grandchildren. Four of my grandchildren live five blocks away, and I and my wife enjoy seeing them almost every day. My son teaches psychology at Eastern Washington University, my oldest daughter homeschools her four children and my youngest daughter is a flight attendant and enjoys her nieces and nephews very much.

Claire (Crizer) Floyd from Beaverton, OR
Oregon State University, Class of 1970
InterVarsity was/is a wonderful organization on college campus that helped me grow in my realionship with Jesus Christ and reach out to share that relationship with others. Going to Campus by the Sea for leadership training and returning to campus to lead small group Bible Studies was excellent training for me to dig into the Bible and learn to apply it to my own life. My involvement helped me to build a firm foundation with God that in turn has helped me weather the up and downs of life over the years.

I teach Family & Consumer Studies at Westview High School in Beaverton, Oregon. My sons, Aaron is 26 and lives in Eugene and works at Cummins and Graham is 23 and is a student at University of Oregon.

Rande Bruhne from Portland, OR
University of Oregon, Class of 1978
My four years with IVCF at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, in the mid-1970's, had an immeasurable impact on my overall college experience, and on my life in general (and, as well, for my wife, whom I met during this time). These years were some of the best in my Christian life and, in retrospect, represented the most influential period in my formative years as a young Christian. I owe my involvement with IVCF to an older woman in my home church at that time who suggested that I pursue IVCF as a new freshman at the U of O (and who also gave me a copy of "HIS guide to Life on Campus", a book I still have today); in my mid-40's now, I'm so thankful for her suggestion. With 26 years of hindsight, I can say today that IVCF, and my years on the chapter's leadership team, changed my life in Christ forever, and the lives of many who have since been impacted by my own life. I am eternally grateful for the service of the IVCF staff at the U of O, including! Fred Wagner, Becky Pippert, Steve Simon and Tom Cook.

I will also say that my attendance at URBANA 76 was a life changing event for me. I could not have fathomed then, however, what God's timing would be with respect to my commitment at URBANA to "be open to God's leading" in the area of missions. Then, I would not have guessed that, following a successful 23 years in business, God would call in my earlier commitment and lead me to (door-to-door) evangelistic and business related mission work in Russia. I can only stand in awe at the God I serve, knowing how He planted a seed of desire in me 23 years ago, grew that desire in His own time, and then fulfilled that desire in such an interesting way (I'm an Accountant by training, a personality type not typically drawn to door-to-door evangelism in a foreign country in which one doesn't speak or read the language!). Thanks, too, for URBANA.

I'm pleased to say that my wife, Ann (whom I met in IVCF), and I have been married for over 24 years and have two children, 19 and 7. Following graduation from the University of Oregon in 1978 we both moved to Portland, Oregon and later married. Ann, became an elementary teacher and I pursued a career in business. Since our first child arrived in 1985, Ann has been a full-time homemaker and cheerleader for my career. We have been members of Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Oregon for nearly 18 years where Ann has been involved with women's ministries and where I currently serve as chairman of our Stewardship Committee and lead a men's discipleship group. I have also served in the church choir and help in the children's ministry. Currently, apart from our church, I'm also involved in leading and speaking at northwest regional retreats based on the book "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. Additionally, I have recently been involved with door-to-door evangelism and also in teaching basic Christian business principles, both in Russia. Following 23 years in business, I recently sold my business and have enjoyed more free time to pursue Kingdom related goals.

Tamie (Mislivecek) McCune from Beaverton, OR
University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Class 1994
I met many wonderful people that I am still close friends with today, including my husband, while I was a part of InterVarsity. I also grew as a leader and came to respect the gifts of others. I really appreciated being involved in an inter-denominational ministry.

I live in Oregon and am part of a church community that is trying to make an impact on our community, much like InterVarsity sought to make an impact on my college campus. I am also involved in an inter-denominational Bible Study called CBS. Tim and I have 2 children and are busy with soccer and school.

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