Issue 23
July 2, 2019
 HC Alumni News - Being Courageous!
Houston Christian celebrates the leadership and courage our students and alumni display as they discover and pursue their greatest promise. This month we are highlighting a few of our alumni who are following their different callings. These alumni prove that there are many ways to be a spiritual leader in a community.

Houston Christian alumni are spread across the globe and serve their communities in a myriad of ways. Be sure to tell us about what you and your classmates are doing to follow your own call each and every day!
Special Announcement
Houston Christian has hired a new Athletics Director! We are excited to have David Kinard  join the Houston Christian family and look forward to another great athletic year.
Following Your Call
Elaine Hock '10
Zookeeper
Panama City Beach, Florida

"Throughout high school, I dreamed about and worked toward a career with animals. I am happy to say that I am living that dream in Panama City Beach, Florida! I started my career working with marine mammals and have transitioned to becoming a zookeeper at a small zoo working with a huge variety of species. I love being able to form relationships with these incredible animals and educate our guests about conservation! 

While at Houston Christian, I had the pleasure of learning from some wonderful teachers. Mr. Kelley was one in particular! He consistently pushed me to achieve my goals, and his Environmental Systems class gave me a greater appreciation for our planet! He was (and remains) a mentor and friend. Almost ten years after graduation, we still keep in touch!"
Jeremy Biar '12
College Pastor, Antioch Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas

"To be honest, I never thought I’d be working in full-time ministry. When I was a student at Houston Christian, I was eager to follow in my parents’ footsteps and embark on a career in the business world. It was only after graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Finance that my perspective began to change!

See, all of the most gifted leaders I knew at university were heading off to professions in business, government, engineering, law, and medicine, while ministry seemed to be reserved for the ‘nice’ people that weren’t cut out for the real world. I reasoned that if the Church was ever going to fulfill the task of the Great Commission, it would require high-caliber leadership.

I guess you could say the rest is history, as this summer my family is moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas to help fill that void. We’ll be planting a church focused on catalyzing a discipleship movement that touches the four corners of the earth. I never thought I’d be working in full-time ministry, but I couldn’t be more excited!"

The Biars welcomed their son, Beckham Scott Biar to the world on Sunday, June 22, 2019! See below.
Tom Gruen '07
Structural Engineer, EMI
Kampala, Uganda

"My family and I moved to Kampala, Uganda, in January of this year to work with Engineering Ministries International (EMI). Our office consists of architects, engineers, construction managers, and support staff from all over the globe. My work entails coordinating with ministries in the East Africa region to provide sustainable, achievable, safe designs for ministry campuses. Some partners we work with are medical missions, children’s homes, hospitals, schools, and bible training centers. As a structural engineer, my aim is to design and construct sturdy, efficient structures that will keep our ministry clients at peace and secure during wind storms, earthquakes, and heavy rains. Partner ministries often struggle to navigate the muddied waters of developing world construction projects. We help to facilitate construction of these development projects by taking some of the burden off these ministries. In the midst of this work, we also hope to incrementally improve and disciple the local design and construction communities. We do this through partnering with and training local design professionals as well as running extensive internship and fellowship programs. Our mission is to restore people to Christ and restore the world through design. In our family news, Kelsey is due with our 3 rd  child at the end of this month. Please pray for our family as we move towards the due date. You can find out more information about us and EMI at  emiworld.org/thegruens  or at our website  thegruenfamily.com . Thanks for all your prayers and support!"
Erica Johnson '01
Center for Global Impact
Battambang , Cambodia
HC Servant Leadership Award Winner 2017

"Missions have been on my heart since my freshman year in college. I felt a general call to missions at that time, although I really didn’t know what that entailed. I proceeded to learn as much as I could about what missionaries did, where they worked, and how they got there. Although I took every opportunity to learn about missions, I still didn’t have any sense of direction as to my part. It wasn’t for another 8 years that I would get that direction. I visited Cambodia on a two-week trip and it felt like home. I moved here the following year, and have been living in Cambodia for most of the last 9 years.

I started off working at an organization that worked with survivors of abuse and trafficking. I worked there for around three years. I loved the work, but I began to get an idea of the bigger picture. I didn’t simply want to react to what was happening, but to understand the factors that can cause it. After a short break to the United States, I decided to come back to Cambodia and work so that I could immerse myself in the larger community. I started teaching at a university. Originally, I saw it as just a way to provide for myself so I could use my free time for other work, but I soon saw it as a ministry in itself. I have had many opportunities to spend time with my students and their families, sharing life and then being able to naturally share the Gospel with them in a way can relate to their lives. That kind of naturally led me to open a tutoring business which focuses on teaching Khmer, the local language, to missionaries and expats here. I’ve been able to provide some jobs for my students through that as well as ensuring that missionaries have an opportunity to learn the language, which I believe is vital to their success here.

Our business rents a few rooms on the property of an organization which teaches culinary skills to impoverished or at-risk girls. It is attached to a restaurant which provides employment after they’ve gained the proper skills. Because of the close relationship we have through working on the same property, I also just started working part-time for this organization as a staff mentor. I am quite busy these days, but I love how all of the seemingly random jobs that I am doing, have all fallen into place naturally and all focus on empowering Cambodian people in different ways. My heart is to see the Gospel take hold in people’s hearts through the transformed lives of local believers!"
Community
Teachers Karen Stuart & Karen Diven took our DSP students on a trip to London and Italy! Here they are at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Becky & DL were able to reconnect with Sarah (Wallis) McCowan while in Queenstown on Globe Trek '19.
DSP students also had the chance to visit Picadilly Circus while traveling in London!
Proud grandmother Kelly Biar, with her first grandbaby, Beckham Biar. Megan and Jeremy Biar '12 are proud of their new Lil' Mustang!
Congratulations to
Adam Kral '20 as he was
awarded the Spirit of the Jimmy's Award in New York City! Adam definitely represents the spirit of HC!
Greta (Ralston) O'Neill '07 and her husband Taylor are expecting their first Lil' Mustang this year - congratulations, it's a BOY!
Dr. Livingston's Globe Trek trip took HC students to New Zealand! Students plan Globe Trek trips with DL's supervision to experience culture, grow in leadership, and deepen their spiritual understanding.
While traveling with Globe Trek students this summer. DL ran into Cassie Cater '14! She is traveling before starting her new job at PwC in Dallas!
While in New Zealand students are assigned to research each destination. Here are our students and Chaplain, Aaron Morales '01 on a canopy tour!
FORE! Get ready for Golf!
Calling all alumni who love to golf - or who simply want to enjoy Columbus Day with friends in the great outdoors!

Save the Date - Monday, October 14

HC's annual golf tournament is being held at a NEW LOCATION - BlackHorse Golf Club! We will also be hosting a paint party again this year for our non-golfers!

Alumni Pricing: $150/person | $600/foursome

Paint Party is $100/person
Reunions Are Coming!
We are excited for our upcoming reunions this year! All classes ending in 4s & 9s get ready to party!

Most of our reunion classes need a Class Agent to help coordinate their reunion - but let us know if you are interested in helping plan your class' reunion!
1974 - 45 Years 1994 - 25 Years
1979 - 40 Years 1999 - 20 Years
1984 - 35 Years 2004 - 15 Years
1989 - 30 Years 2009 - 10 Years
2014 - 5 Years
Tell the World about Houston Christian!
Help new students and families learn about what HC has to offer. Share your story and experience on the sites below!

Leave a review on the links below. Thank you for your help promoting our great school! 
Alumni Relations | 713.580.6055 | Email houstonchristian.org