The planning for the 4th BGU Alumni Annual Gathering began in the latter half of 2024. The first task of the faithful alumni members who met monthly under the leadership of the then Alumni President, Dr. Leroy Hurt was to establish an annual BGU Alumni theme which would guide the development of the theme for the 2025 Alumni Gathering.

The 2025 annual BGU Alumni theme, “Toward Flourishing in Mind and Spirit” was selected from the Lausanne list of ministry focus through consultation with the BGU President, Dr. Bryan McCabe and BGU Chancellor, Dr. Brad Smith. Therefore, the derived theme for the 4th alumni annual gathering was “The Christian Church, the Community and Holistic Health and Wellness.”

The 2nd step in the event planning process was to find a suitable date and time. The decision was to continue with the practice of hosting the Gathering for two consecutive days in order to facilitate the participation of global BGU alumni across different time zones. The final decision was to host the meeting on Friday April 25, 2025 at 8:00pm Central Time to facilitate the alumni residing in Asian countries and on Saturday April 26, 2025 at 11:00am Central Time to facilitate the Alumni living in other continents, including the Caribbean Region/Americas.

The planning process was interrupted in December 2024 due to the resignation of Dr. Hurt from the position of Alumni President and Dr. Caroloretta Tucker from the position of Secretary. Dr. Hurt, however ensured the continuity of the process by securing the appointment of Dr. Marlene Hines for the position of Alumni President he approved by the leadership before his departure. We take this opportunity to thank Dr. Hurt for the valuable contribution that he has made to the BGU Alumni Association between 2020 and 2024 in the capacity of Vice-President and President, and Dr. Caroletta Tucker as Alumni Secretary for the period 2022-2024.

The planning process was resumed in January 2025 with the new Alumni President, a few dedicated Alumni members, such as Dr. Lauren Speeth, Dr. Martine Audeoud, and BGU President Dr. McCabe. A few others joined the team in response to an invitation that was sent out for assistance, and others came on board at various points of the planning process. Therefore, the successful hosting of this year’s BGU Annual Alumni Gathering was the result of the collaborative efforts of a small group of alumni members who were dedicated to the cause.

The 4th BGU Annual Alumni Gathering 2025 was therefore a success, and we give thanks to all who have contributed to this, including Nathalia Mighty and her technical team. So far the event has been held on a virtual platform through Zoom, and we are looking forward to the hosting of a hybrid event in 2026, which will include a face-to-face meeting at the BGU offices in Dallas, Texas, that will facilitate the full participation of the global alumni audience via Zoom.

Please take some time to view the recording of the 2nd day of the event via this LINK.

Dr. Marlene Hines

BGU Alumni Association President