One of my favorite parts about leading Bakke Graduate University is engaging with our alumni members who are spread out throughout many different parts of the world. Connecting with graduates is important from a practical perspective, as our alumni donate generously to BGU and they recruit new students from their networks through word of mouth. I am always appreciative of the support that BGU receives from our alumni networks, and I am also excited to explore ways that BGU can support our graduates once they have finished their degrees. Recently, two BGU graduates, Judy Capps (2023 MATL graduate) and Dr. Paula Togni (2021 DTL graduate), reached out to me to ask if BGU could host leaders from Brazil for a few days in Dallas for a city immersion. The timing worked out, and I was thrilled to facilitate an experiential learning experience that brought leaders from Brazil and Texas together to utilize the city of Dallas as our classroom from February 10-12, 2026.
The city immersion started with a lunch and introductions at the BGU offices and classroom on Tuesday, February 10. The amazing leaders and translators from Brazil who attended were all connected to Paula’s nonprofit organization, Hope Brazil, which has strong ties with the organization that Judy founded in Texas called Hope Ministries. Judy has traveled to Brazil 18 times to help build on the partnership, and Paula fulfilled a dream in being able to bring her team to Texas to continue to expand the collaborative efforts. Current BGU MATL student, Regina Glass, works in a key leadership role with Hope Ministries, and she has not had the opportunity to attend a BGU city immersion course. So, she was excited to get a taste of our methodology of using the city as a classroom for a few days, along with several other leaders who are connected to Hope Ministries.
On Tuesday afternoon, we had a flurry of guest lecturers. BGU’s Chancellor, Dr. Brad Smith, prepared the group for the context by sharing about the history of Dallas and various narratives that the group would encounter in the coming days. Current BGU MATL student Rebecca Walls, who leads an organization that brings churches and organizations together for the common good of the DFW area, spent time sharing about how to mobilize people and organizations to work together toward human flourishing. Ed Retta, a long-time friend of BGU who provides leadership in the Latin American context for one of BGU’s key partners, the World Evangelical Alliance, shared in Portuguese about his advocacy work and more context about the Latino community in the DFW area (Dallas – Ft. Worth). The group from Brazil had made a special request to learn more about different models of how churches and nonprofit organizations could embrace and support families with children with special needs. BGU’s DTL program director, Dr. Paulette Jordan, was able to finish out the day on Tuesday by sharing about the research that she has just completed at BGU while completing a DMin degree that specifically focused on how organizations can support families with children with special needs.
On Wednesday, I started the day off at the BGU classroom by sharing classic BGU teaching on exegeting the city. Most of what I shared was content that I learned from Dr. Ray Bakke and other mentors that I had as professors at BGU, including Dr. Randy White, Father Ben Beltran, and Dr. Ronald Boyce. Then, our group went to South Dallas to explore all of the community development initiatives that have been launched out of Cornerstone Baptist Church led by Pastor Chris Simmons. This is the fourth time that I have taken groups to Cornerstone for a tour with Pastor Chris, and it always amazes me what God has been able to do through his leadership and ministry in that neighborhood. One relatively medium-sized church has transformed an entire city neighborhood as an outpouring of their faith in Jesus. Our group from Brazil was so inspired as the tour went on and on with one social entrepreneurship initiative after another. Most importantly, the group learned many new ideas that they would like to implement in Brazil and in Texas.
After the morning that we spent in South Dallas, I took the group on a walking tour of downtown Dallas. We started at Klyde Warren Park for lunch at the food trucks in a beautiful public park over a freeway that cost $114 million USD to build. That sparked a discussion about how urban planning and design can bring people together in the city. As we walked through the city, we stopped by the Dallas Museum of Art, several historical churches, skyscrapers, apartments, parking garages, public art displays and sculptures, small businesses, global corporation headquarters, the chapel at Thanks-giving Square, historic hotels, main street shops, and a food hall with an urban park. As we walked, we learned about the history of the city, and we saw different expressions of how Christians had come together over the years to work together for the flourishing of Dallas. The foundation that was established in the past has helped the Dallas – Ft. Worth area (DFW) to become one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Once we were exhausted at the end of our city walk, we drove to a megachurch called Watermark Community Church to learn from their ministry model and, specifically, to learn more about the significant impact that they are making with serving families with children with special needs. After a debrief time at the church’s coffee shop, we headed to dinner at Dr. Brad Smith’s house for Texas-style fajitas. A visit to the Smith home to enjoy the hospitality of Brad and his wife, Dr. Debby Smith, is always a highlight of any Dallas city immersion.
After a short night of rest, our group gathered at the BGU classroom one final time so that I could share my testimony utilizing BGU’s eight perspectives on transformational leadership as a framework for the work that God has done in my life in Pittsburgh and in cities around the world. Everything that I learned as a student at BGU had such a profound impact on my life and calling. It was a privilege to share some of my journey with the group. Then, we visited the Christ For The Nations headquarters in Dallas, and we concluded our time together with a reflection time over lunch at a neighborhood called Trinity Groves. After three full days together, our group had learned so much from each other. I was so thankful to hear the stories of the leaders who were a part of the group as they shared their stories during van rides or as we walked together. Both Paula’s and Judy’s organizations are already doing incredible work, and the city immersion in Dallas presented them with many new opportunities that they could utilize to make even more of a difference.
As usual, the city of Dallas did not disappoint. We were able to gain fresh perspectives and a new vision coming out of the time together. The group from Brazil stayed for a few more days in Texas to continue their adventures, but I will never forget the three days that I was able to spend with them. God is on the move in Texas, and God is on the move in Brazil. I am looking forward to seeing where the training leads. To those who are reading this article… if there is ever anything that I can do to support you in your work or calling, please do not hesitate to reach out to me so that we can do some dreaming together. Just start with an email to me at bryan.mccabe@bgu.edu, and we can explore all of the possibilities!
Dr. Bryan McCabe
BGU President