Azusa Pacific University has graduated several notable alumni, including actors, athletes, entertainers, Olympians, and prominent pastors.
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Azusa Pacific University has graduated several notable alumni, including actors, athletes, entertainers, Olympians, and prominent pastors.
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Azusa is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California United States at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains located 20 miles (32 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.
The World Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is an international Pentecostal denomination.
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The university's seminary, the Graduate School of Theology, holds to a Wesleyan-Arminian doctrinal theology. APU offers more than 100 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs on campus, online, and at seven regional locations across Southern California.
The Pacific West Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii.
Rodney Morgan Howard-Browne is a South African-born American evangelist and conspiracy theorist. He has resided in Tampa, Florida since the mid-1990s and is pastor of The River Church in Tampa Bay. The River is considered both Pentecostal and Charismatic with revival meetings, led by Howard-Browne, known for those in the audience breaking into "holy laughter" and experiencing other phenomena similar to the Great Awakenings and Azusa Street Revival. Howard-Browne is the head of Revival Ministries International, a ministry he and his wife founded in 1997.
Christian Emeka Okoye is a Nigerian–American former American football fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992. Nicknamed "the Nigerian Nightmare", he was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. His six-season NFL career produced an NFL rushing champion title in 1989, first-team All-Pro honors in 1989, second-team All-Pro honors in 1991, two Pro Bowl appearances in 1989 and 1991, and three playoff appearances. He ended his NFL career due to multiple injuries. He was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000. He is also notable for not having ever played football until the age of 23, but later leading the NFL in rushing at age 28.
Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay is an American decathlete who was the 2008 Summer Olympic champion for the decathlon and was also World champion in 2005.
David Allen Johnson is a former Olympic decathlete from the United States. A native of Montana, he grew up in Missoula and Corvallis, Oregon. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave" advertising campaign, with fellow decathlete Dan O'Brien, leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, serving as athletic director of Corban University in Salem, Oregon starting in 2009. Johnson accepted a position as Director with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Oregon in June 2012. On November 14, 2012, Johnson resigned from Corban to devote more time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He now coaches pole vault & hurdles at South Salem High School.
John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Some of his books have been on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Kevin W. Mannoia is the Pastoral Coach at the Rock Church, San Diego. He is a Professor of Ministry and formerly the University Chaplain at Azusa Pacific University. He was the President of the National Association of Evangelicals from 1999 to 2001. Prior to this, he served as Bishop of the Free Methodist Denomination overseeing the western U.S. and Asia. In addition to his principal role at Azusa Pacific University, he is Founder and Chair of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, a contemporary manifestation of the Holiness movement comprising denominations and institutions sharing a common heritage in the Wesleyan and Holiness tradition. He also serves as President of the International Council for Higher Education, an international organization of institutions of higher learning focused upon integrated learning in the Christian tradition.
Bernie L. Wade, born on June 29, 1963, in Lakewood, Ohio, is an American minister, entrepreneur, and author. He has served in a variety of roles, including senior pastor and chief operations officer of the Christian Brotherhood. He also served as president of CWN, and vice-president of Spread the Spirit of Love.
Miles Gregory McPherson is the pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, a motivational speaker, and a former NFL football player.
The First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles is a megachurch in Los Angeles, California, United States, part of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. It is the oldest church founded by African Americans in Los Angeles, dating to 1872. It has more than 19,000 members.
The Azusa Pacific Cougars are the athletic teams that represent Azusa Pacific University, located in Azusa, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year; while its women's swimming & diving team competes in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC) and its women's water polo team competes in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC). The Cougars previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1986–87 to 2011–12. On July 11, 2011 Azusa Pacific began the three-year transition process to becoming a member of the NCAA. Azusa Pacific University decided to end its football program in December 2020 due to financial restructuring.
Blanca Estela Rubio is an American politician serving in the California State Assembly since 2016. She is a Democrat representing the 48th Assembly District, encompassing parts of the eastern San Gabriel Valley, including Baldwin Park, Covina, and Glendora. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, she was a board trustee for the Baldwin Park Unified School District, and a schoolteacher for 16 years. Rubio is a board member of the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry trade group.
Joseph W. Handley, Jr. (2008–present) is the president of Asian Access, a non-profit evangelical organization dedicated to the development of leaders of the Church throughout Asia originally established in 1967. He has been the president since 2008, leading movements including developing an award-winning partnership with SIM USA and prompting the mission to invest in several natural disasters that most notably helped the people of Japan and Nepal. Under his guidance, Asian Access started both A2.business and the Pan Asia Leader Development program as well as partnered in the development of the Nozomi Project in Japan. Previously, he was the founding director of Azusa Pacific University's Office of World Mission and lead mission pastor at Rolling Hills Covenant Church.