PUT ME IN, COACH & PANTHER BALLPARK SERIES
A View of GU – MAY 2026
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” – Galatians 6:9–10 MSG
In the May issue of “A View of GU,” we extended the conversation about the unique season of identity formation offered during our Greenville years from classroom encounters with new information and God’s calling on our lives experienced by our students to career investments and vocational contributions embodied by our alumni.
For many, these GU years prove the years in which we most process our our stories—our place, position and purpose in the family of God as we pursue His promises for our lives—a consecration of the past and a catalyst for the future. … GU presents a place where innovative education and immersive experiences lead to interconnected efficacy throughout our lives.
When it comes to the summer months, it’s easy for this STL-raised, blood-runs-red girl to reflect on favorite Cardinals baseball memories. If a Cardinals game was on TV, it was on our TV. Our bird-brained fandom was deeply formed by some unique experiences with the team. I babysat for Cardinals Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Forsch’s beautiful girls amidst the height of his career, my mom was identified on the field as the 25-millionth fan to enter the original Busch Stadium in 1981, and the resulting gift of season tickets (13th row behind home plate 😍) offered me the opportunity to attend 55 games during the World Series-winning 1982 season. (Our family still harbors strong feelings regarding a certain call at the base made during Game 6 against the Royals in the 1985 “Show-Me” World Series. 😒)
Fast forward almost 20 years to the night I was sitting cross-legged on my small apartment floor in Spring Arbor, MI holding my breath as David Freese hit the game-winning, 11th-inning walk-off homerun in the for-the-record-books Game 6 against the Texas Rangers that led to the Series victory. Our Birds didn’t quit. They stayed the course. They showed up as a team. The won the game of all games. It was unreal, unprecedented and unmatched in the history of professional baseball.
As the director for alumni relations at GU, I get a 13th-row-behind-homeplate seat to these same kind of clutch-hit, game-clinching, come-from-behind-victory stories lived out on a daily basis by our alumni (visit greenville.edu/alumni/alumni-stories for more about the Storied Legacy of our alumni). For some it’s a four-and-out sweep of consecutive vocational wins, for which we celebrate the success, but for many it looks like the 1982 World Series—a series full of purpose and promise yet equally complete with competition and challenge. But they’ve stayed the course; got back up after a bad bat, inning or game; swung for the fences; and won the game when it most counted. Often these wins also reflect the support and involvement of fellow GU alumni.
Yes, I’ve had a little fun with the baseball metaphor as a lead-in to our new Panther Ballpark Series (read on!) but the meaning of clutch hits, game clinchers and come-from-behind victories in the lives of our GU alumni and friends are not lost of me. Our alumni regularly respond, “Put me in, coach,” in the face of 3-2 at bats, one-strike-away-from-defeat ninth innings and season-defining close games.
“Yesterday” (as in the last ten days or so 😊), I celebrated GU alumni leading the Free Methodist Church as superintendents, pastors and lay leaders. Today, I’m celebrating the return of a student preparing to get back up to the plate (actually, step back on the court and into the classroom) and try again. Tomorrow, our Advancement team will meet to celebrate the generosity of Team #GUalumni and friends throughout Fiscal Year 2026. So many hard-fought wins and well-earned blessings based on long-obedience commitments to the “game” in which God positions us.
We win together. We will, with God’s guidance, stay the course. We will, with God’s strength, swing for the fences. And we will, with God’s help, win the games when they most count. Thank you to each of you tending to your unique positions of inspiration, influence and impact on this ivy-linked team.
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🏟️ PANTHER BALLPARK SERIES DATES ANNOUNCED
This year we will revive our annual St. Louis Cardinals alumni outing and extend the opportunity to Chicago and Indianapolis-area alumni. Each game ticket also includes ballpark cash, a GU baseball cap and “Best Alumni Ever” t-shirt.
Pather Ballpark Series
- Indianapolis Indians – Pirates Triple-A Affiliate (7:05 p.m., Thursday, July 23 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A Affiliate)
- St. Louis Cardinals (6:45 p.m., Wednesday, July 29 vs. Chicago Cubs)
- Chicago Cubs (3:10 p.m., Sunday, August 16 vs. St. Louis Cardinals)
Ticket Information Coming Soon! STL, Chi-Town and Indy-area alums, watch your email inbox and/or our alumni social media channels for more information!
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🗓️ SAVE THE DATES! TOUR DE FMC 2026 CONTINUES!
Coming to a Family Camp near many of you … We will once again hit this road this summer to bring GU home to you. 🧡🐾🌿 Keep an eye out for more information on these and other GU summer events:
FMC Family Camp Ice Cream Socials (join us for the evening service & treats)
- Friday, July 10 @ 8:30 p.m. – Cowden Camp (Beecher City, IL); evening service starts at 7 p.m.
- Saturday–Sunday, July 11–12 – Sky Lodge Christian Camp (Montello, WI)
- Wednesday, July 15 @ 6 p.m. – Somerset Beach Camp (Somerset Center, MI); evening service starts at 7 p.m.
- Monday, July 20 @ 8:30 p.m. – Wabash Park Camp (Clay City, IN); evening service starts at 7 p.m.
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🌿 REMINDER: Mark your calendars for Homecoming & Family Weekend 2026, October 15–18, 2026! Like our “GU Alumni Association” Facebook page and join your class reunion group! Reserve your hotel rooms! Follow "Greenville University Alumni on Instagram! Get your plane tickets! Share Homecoming social posts with classmates! (You get the picture. 😇)
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Until we meet again … keep praying. Keep watching. And keep thanking God with us for the good work He continues to do on campus in the lives of GU students, faculty and staff and in you, our GU alumni and friends. 🧡🐾🌿
