Coach Regier is “in the middle of a battle”
“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
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.
Heath proud of how CU is using technology
“My working here is more than just a job. It’s a ministry.”
Aaron Heath
Director of Information Technology
Adjunct Faculty, General Studies
Aaron Heath has been working in the Information Technology department at Calvary University for 27 years. Currently, he is the Director of IT and teaches Written Research Practicum multiple times a year. He originally came as a student before working in the IT department. “I met my wife back when I was working factory jobs and realized I needed to find a job that was going to pay more,” Heath said. “I went to school and got my degree in electronics engineering technology and went to work for RCA for five years. In the time that I was working for RCA, I trusted Christ to be my Savior— I was a little later in life doing that. Then Christy, my wife, and I began looking for a Bible college. We just felt like the Lord was calling us to go into full-time ministry.”
Heath and his wife looked at a couple colleges before choosing CU. “At the time, Calvary was advertising that you got more Bible by coming here than at other places. So, I checked it out. I compared Calvary to the other two or three places that we had looked at and it was true. I was going to get more Bible by coming here.”
Once he decided to go to CU, he needed to find a job. “I had been working as an electronic technician at a company, but when I came here I didn’t really have a job. I walked into the business office and said, ‘Hey do you guys have any jobs on campus?’ and they said, ‘What have you been doing?’ and I told them that I had been working in technology and they said that they actually needed a technology guy. So that’s the beginning of my career at Calvary.”
In addition to IT, Heath has taught various classes. “After I finished in the seminary I taught Survey of Theology for years, and I taught Conflict Resolution some, and Evangelism some as well.” Eventually, he began focusing more on IT than teaching. However, he still teaches Written Research Practicum. “I enjoy teaching the one class I teach many times a year: Written Research Practicum. I really enjoy that. I keep teaching that— it pays very little— I actually teach it so that I can have contact with students. I like to get to know students and that’s the one way I get to spend more time with them.”
Heath likes both parts of his job. “Part of what I do even in IT is teaching because I’m showing people how to use the technology that they have here at Calvary as an employee or as a staff or faculty member. It’s hard to pick a favorite. I like teaching, and I’m glad that teaching is a part of my job as a director of IT.”
Heath is proud of the way that CU has utilized technology to improve both student learning and campus life. “I think that the recording of lectures has made a significant impact in students’ ability to learn well, especially online students. Before, the classes for online students and on-campus students were different. But now they’re the same. Now, students who are online and on-campus will be watching the exact same lectures, doing the exact same homework, etc.”
Heath continued, “Canvas (the course management system that supports online learning and teaching) is another thing which I think is really great. I would be surprised if Canvas wasn’t the world’s leading higher education management system, and the fact that we get to use it is exciting! Because of Canvas, online students and on-campus students are able to interact more through discussion posts and such.”
Another CU technology that Heath is excited to talk about is the internet. “We have really good internet — it’s really fast! And it’s about to be doubled in speed. This is great because it allows students to be able to get their homework done in time, and it allows them to stream movies and shows or play video games with friends without lagging.”
“My working here is more than just a job. It’s a ministry. I love working with faculty, staff, and students.” Not only does Heath consider his time at CU a ministry, but he is involved with an online ministry called Got Questions. “Shea Houdmann, the President and Founder of Got Questions — he’s a Calvary graduate. He and I were in classes together, and so when he started that he asked me to be on the board. I answered questions for many years, and I’ve been on the board ever since.”
Get Volume 1 of The Warrior’s Pen
The first volume of The Warrior’s Pen is now available for download.
The editorial board has been hard at work, editing, compiling, and designing this issue. We are incredibly excited to bring you the best writing from Calvary students. This first issue includes essays, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Please visit The Warrior’s Pen page to download a copy and see what our students have been up to.
The Warrior’s Pen, a journal published annually by Calvary University since 2021, is dedicated to providing Biblical worldview-driven articles and works from all fields of discipline for the edification of God’s people with the purpose of glorifying Him. This journal’s contents are provided solely by the students, staff, and faculty of Calvary University. It is our prayer that those who read this journal will share and enjoy the articles and works and be built up in the truth of God. Occasionally a contributor may say some-thing that in content or tone does not reflect the opinions, practices, or positions of Calvary University.
All CU students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to submit work (academic papers and creative writing) for inclusion in The Warrior’s Pen.
Contact Thomas Crank or Mike Dodds for further information.
Special thanks to Mike Dodds, Tim Hange, and Amanda Harman for their hard work on the editorial board. Also a great big thank you to all the students who submitted work for publication.
Rensbergers say Calvary prepared them for missionary life
Currently serving at Ethnos360 in Arizona
Lance and Caitlin Rensberger met during their time at Calvary University. Lance graduated in 2016 and Caitlin in 2015 — both majored in Advanced Biblical Studies. The Rensbergers have been married since 2016 and they have a son named Eli (18 months old) and a baby girl on the way (due in May).
They are serving at the Ethnos360 campus in Arizona. Lance is a Maintenance Specialist for Ethnos360 Aviation. Currently he works on their helicopters and airplanes in Arizona keeping them running, outfitting new aircraft with upgrades for the different fields, and training and learning about the aircraft that Ethnos360 Aviation uses.
“We’re planning to move overseas within the next couple of years to one of four options: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Asia Pacific, or Brazil,” Caitlin said. “Once in country Lance would continue to maintain the mission’s aircraft and help to keep the program running smoothly. That might include keeping records for the in-country government, keeping track of parts and getting parts through customs, or buying supplies for the missionaries in the bush that are planting churches.”
Lance said, “Caitlin doesn’t know for sure what her role will be, but we know that the Lord has her raising our family, and that there will be plenty of opportunities to join in the effort of spreading the gospel to all nations. We’re excited to see how God will line up her talents and abilities with needs on the field.”
While Caitlin has known for most of her life that she wanted to go into missions, Lance didn’t plan on it until college. Missions was something that became more and more of a desire each year at Calvary.
“Initially he had hoped to go for a year or two and then go into engineering. But after a few years he realized he wanted to be involved with some kind of ministry and to use the gifts God had given him to further the kingdom. Maintenance and working with his hands were some of those gifts,” Caitlin said.
The couple agrees that Calvary prepared them well for the missionary life. “We both had a lot of opportunities for leadership while at Calvary,” Lance said. “We grew a ton in our walks with Christ. We grew in our relationships with people and made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot about how to disciple and grow other believers.”
Caitlin added, “Calvary didn’t give Lance aviation specific training, but just about every other aspect of ministry with the mission we were given plenty of opportunity to grow in those areas. For instance, there is a fairly high turnover rate for missionaries in overseas missions. The number one reason for this turnover is personnel conflict. I can’t tell you how many times we both went through training that covered personality differences and working together to use other people’s strengths to compliment others’ weaknesses. Also, a lot of our time there was focused on real life conflict resolution. We don’t claim to have all the answers and don’t want to pretend that we couldn’t end up leaving a field because of a personnel conflict, but we sincerely hope and pray what we learned at Calvary will be things we remember and are able to put those things into practice in what has proven to be so difficult for others.”
