EQUIP Alumni Check In

By Ashanti Poindexter

The students, faculty, and staff of the EQUIP program are truly like family. We get to know each other well, and we stay in touch with our graduates when they leave. Our alumni are literally all over the world serving Christ in a variety of ministries. In this article, we want to highlight two corners of the United States where Equip graduates are working: Shane Blevins in Alaska and Maikon and Tatia Borba in Florida. 

Meet Shane Blevins

Shane Blevins was an EQUIP student during a transitional period for the program, between the days of Center for Advanced Ministry Training (CAMT) and EQUIP. Interestingly, Shane became a part of the committee responsible for changing the name of the program, “I was blessed to be on the committee tasked with choosing the new name for the program. EQUIP pretty much sums it up.” 

Shane can still clearly account for some of the people that were in the program with him, he says that he “was blessed with some of the greatest classmates ever from Cameroon to China from Honduras to Canada and from several US states.” He even listed some names, check the list below and you may be able to find yours!

Some names he listed include the following: Patterson Morgan, Adrian Ayers, Cody Marceau, Howard Kuang, Daryl Steiner, Rebecca Mimms, Jay Beamon, Ivy Meredith, Derek King, and Vitor Lucarelli. 

Though it was hard for Shane to pick some of his favorite classes, he was able to recount some of the best professors he had: Dr. Thompson, Dr. T. Westbrook, Dr. Swindle, Dr. Mike Ireland, Professor Bury, and Dr. Alexander. He said that the preaching class helped him the most with his current career as a full time pulpit minister for the Church of Christ in Nikiski, Alaska. 

Shane had been familiar with this program for a long time and was able to account for some of the changes he has seen over the years, 

“I have seen a lot of changes in this program. I have been associated with this program from when it was the Christian Communication Program (CCP). My Dad was part of the first Gamma class. The Ezell Building was the Bible Building then. If you were there in the late 90s you may have had various other classes in that building as the McInteer Bible and World Missions building had been built. I remember, growing up, many times during the summers we would go with Dad to Harding to visit some of his former professors. He was invited to get his degree at a discounted price in the late 90s. At that time the program was called Harding School of Biblical Studies (HSBS). The third floor of the Bible Building was exclusively for students in the program. Now you will have classes on all three floors mixed in with the other students. The program is now pretty much completely integrated into the College of Bible and Ministry.” 

In conclusion, Shane says that “more and more congregations are looking for a preacher with a degree. It’s not a biblical requirement, but if you want a good paying position in preaching, get the training”; and he recommends that training should come from Harding! He says his biggest takeaway from the EQUIP program are the “relationships and all that that includes.” 

We are blessed to have Shane as a part of our family! 

Meet Maikon Borba

Maikon was a part of the EQUIP program from August 2016—May 2020. He is an alumni who has seen first hand how EQUIP is a family that just never stops growing. He says that there is a Facebook Messenger group chat with old members, and it just keeps growing with the addition of new members: “There is  still a Facebook Messenger group. Several old students are in it and some newer ones were added as well.” Some changes he noted to the EQUIP program were changes in the name and the format while he was a student. “However, the essence of the program never changed”, he says.

Maikon’s experience in EQUIP was a bit different than the way things are now. He experienced a solely in-person experience with no online option. He says there were 6 EQUIP students in his class when he joined the program, and his best friend in the program was Kuang (Howard) Yu from China. They still keep in touch. 

Maikon graduated with a degree in Bible and Missions, and he says the missions classes were his favorite as they were directly related to what he wanted to do.  More specifically, he says the classes dealing with mission strategies and anthropology helped him better understand people and culture. Maikon did, in fact, end up becoming a missionary. He currently works as a missionary in Southeast Florida. He is from Brazil and was able to start a Bilingual church working with Brazilians, the Southeast Florida Church of Christ. 

Maikon is passionate about missions and says, 

“Fewer and fewer people want to be involved in missionary work, but we need more. It’s not an easy job, but if you feel called to do it, take on the calling and the opportunity. We need more missionaries worldwide but also here in the US—the 4th largest mission field in the world. Mission work can also be done locally.”

When asked if he would recommend the EQUIP program he says, 

“Definitely, yes. It is a transforming experience. If you have the heart to serve God and allow him to use you, come to the program and allow God to transform you. You will be EQUIPPED.”

Maikon says that when he and his wife were in Brazil they worked secular jobs. When they came to Harding ministry work became their priority. They were able to receive theory in the classroom and apply it at church. They even became youth interns at the Cloverdale Church of Christ. He says that the EQUIP program served as a huge preparatory phase for him, and he was able to know what God wanted him to do. 

We are blessed that Maikon is a part of our family!