Feature: It’s the people
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
For the Slushers, it’s the people at Olivet that kept a steady flow of family members attending here. All six members of the Slusher family received a degree from Olivet, and for them, the relationships forged were reason enough to keep coming back.
Rev. Gary A. Slusher, ’01 M.A., and his wife Cheryl D. (Thayer) Slusher ’69 both attended Olivet. Each of their four children followed suit. Joshua’02, Diane’03, Gideon’05 and Sally (Slusher) Wood ’05 also chose Olivet for their undergraduate education, majoring in engineering, elementary education and religion, respectively.
Currently, Gary is the pastor of Southwest Church of the Nazarene in Gregory, Mich. and the integrity he sees within the leadership of the school impresses him.
“The personnel, from President John Bowling to the office personnel — everyone at ONU is interested in providing An Education with a Christian Purpose,” he shares.
“I am convinced that ONU is the best, the premier university in the Church of the Nazarene because of the quality of its product, godly women and men who serve the Lord as pastors, educators, business persons and leaders in society.”
His daughter, Diane, currently teaches third grad in Sunrise, Fla. Along with being prepared professionally at Olivet, the impact of the relationships Diane formed, while a student, continue to linger.
“Olivet was the place where I made friends for life … we were bonded by our Williams Hall experiences! It was also the place where I found the most caring professors — not only caring, but very equipped in their fields and always willing to help,” remembers Diane.
Diane’s brother, Joshua attributes his days at Olivet with forming friendships he will hold onto for life.
“[I] developed close friendships with guys on second floor [Chapman]. As the years progressed, we developed and strengthened our bonds,” remembers Joshua of his Olivet days.
“We would go to Denny's late at night and spend hours talking over coffee about anything and everything. Those were some of the most memorable times, discussing our lives, problems, Christ or movie quotes. Life has changed over the last five years, but my best friends remain the same,” he says.
Beyond the real friendships, a surprise twist that occurred at Olivet for the Slushers was the strengthened familial bonds they formed while students.
“I really enjoyed being at Olivet with my siblings,” shares Joshua. “I never expected the closeness we developed by going to school together, hanging out at lunch and dinner or school events. I'm amazed at the change I was able to witness as my brother and sisters grew and matured through their experiences. Most folks go to college trying to get away from their family. I can't imagine Olivet without mine.”
Sally (Wood) Slusher, currently the primary grade children’s pastor at Valparaiso Nazarene Church in Indiana, felt that Olivet created an environment where her relationship with God could flourish.
“Olivet gave me a safe place to grow spiritually and discover who I was in Christ before entering the ‘real’ world,” she remembers. “It gave me a place to find a faith that was my own and not something that my parents had passed down to me. Olivet allowed me to stretch and strengthen my beliefs and it challenged me to live a life of integrity and purpose.”