慷慨之井

The Evelyn and Raymond Joeckel family has supported 欧文康考迪亚大学 and many Lutheran churches and ministries for nearly seven decades, even while raising a family of seven and moving frequently as part of the oil industry.

“雷蒙德是一个非常聪明的人, and he loved the Lord and working in all the churches we ever were part of,伊夫林说。, 90. 雷在2014年与主同在

The Joeckels were introduced to CUI (then Christ College Irvine) through Ray’s father, 托拜厄斯, 是美国开国总统查尔斯·曼斯克的好朋友, who showed the family the property he wanted to develop into a college. “I still remember driving up to that empty lot and Ray’s dad saying, 他们为什么要在这么远的地方建一所大学?’”伊夫林说。.

Evelyn had grown up in California into a family of German immigrants and spoke German in the home. 她在南门的路德教会遇见了雷, 托拜厄斯在哪里当牧师, 他们在那里结婚了. 当时雷在比佛利山庄的一家律师事务所当职员, he learned about the oil business and decided to change industries, 去壳牌石油公司的法务部工作. 他研究并购买了矿产租约, 这家人在美国西部到处搬家, 从加利福尼亚到蒙大拿, 怀俄明州和科罗拉多州.

“每一步都是一次提升，”伊芙琳说. “Number one was plugging into the local Lutheran congregation. I loved them all and always went to the ladies groups and got so much support.”

She needed support as she cared for their seven children, 包括五个五岁以下的孩子.

“我是一个忙碌的妈妈，”伊芙琳回忆道. “It was difficult, but you learn to do difficult things. A lot of times the kids had to go grocery shopping with me. It was tough at times, but when we were together as a family it was beautiful. 在一起是最重要的事情.”

乔克尔最小的孩子, Lis霍曼, says Evelyn’s deep spirituality was modeled by Evelyn’s mother.

我记得祖母用她的德国口音说, “我唯一拥有的就是耶稣的爱,’”李回忆道. “She constantly referred to how Jesus loved her so much. 现在, 如果你随便哪天早上去我妈家, she’s got a Bible and a Portals of Prayer daily devotional open on the table, 及法团登记册. 她是一个祈祷的女人.”

当他们组建家庭的时候, Ray traveled often for Shell Oil to secure oil and gas leases from farmers.

“Ray had an entrepreneurial mind,” says Lis’s husband, Jim. “When he was in the War, he would get Mickey Mouse watches and sell them to the Russians. 他是个天生的推销员. 每个人都喜欢他.”

In 1969, Ray retired from Shell and started his own business. Ray often said that his biggest business breakthrough came when he decided to tithe on his income.

“Sometimes he couldn’t even afford it, but he gave ten percent all the time,” says Lis. “那是事情真正开始发生的时候. He said, ‘I’m just going to do it,’ and that’s when we started being really blessed.”

Ray worked with geologists to identify possible locations for oil wells, 然后获得矿产租赁, packaged properties together and sold them to oil companies. 发现石油后，他保留了一笔版税.

在科罗拉多州养家糊口之后, and helping to build the Lutheran church in their city, Ray kept his promise to move Evelyn back to Southern California in 2000. They plugged into 欧文康考迪亚大学—which was no longer “out in the boonies” as 托拜厄斯 had once remarked—and soon, Evelyn and her daughter Cathy were helping with women’s luncheons. 这家人喜欢圣诞音乐会, 总统的晚宴和宴会, and Ray was invited to serve on the President’s Advisory Council.

在圣. John’s Church in Orange, Ray and Evelyn lent their voices in a special way.

“雷和我加入了唱诗班，”伊芙琳说. “我是女高音，雷是漂亮的男中音. We sang in choirs whenever we were in any of the churches. 我喜欢向耶稣唱歌. 我喜欢赞美上帝.”

Ray also mentored a generation of upcoming Lutheran leaders and young family men in the church with advice and encouragement.

The Joeckels’ support of 肯考迪娅, most recently with the Borland-Manske中心, flows from Evelyn’s and Ray’s belief that Christian higher education “keeps students in closer contact with the Lord,她说。. “They grow up knowing more about the Lord, living in a Christian community. 神在不同的教会做工, 但路德教会是我的教会, 所以如果我家附近有一所路德教会大学, 我为什么不上菜呢? I’m so pleased to have had many years of serving Lutheran churches and Lutheran schools.”

学生 grow up knowing more about the Lord, living in a Christian community.

在88岁与主同在之前, Ray also served as chairman of the Board of Regents of 肯考迪娅 Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and on the Board of Regents at CU Nebraska. He was a fervent supporter of Lutheran Bible Translators and served on their board as well. Their daughter Cathy is now on CUI’s Board of Trustees.

“I’m happy to do it because I know that’s how my dad served,” Cathy says. “T在这里’s a sense of pride to be able to follow in his footsteps.”

In Ray’s last days, “Chuck [Manske] came to visit with him. 我们觉得那太棒了，”凯茜说.

Lis says her parents, married 65 years, were “very much in love. 他们是桥牌搭档，非常善于交际. 他们喜欢和人在一起.”

Evelyn and Ray’s son Paul followed Ray into the oil business. 凯茜和她哥哥继续经营雷的生意.

“The Joeckels have a tremendous sense of family and a real commitment to their friends,蒂姆·耶格说, Executive Vice President for University Advancement for CUI. “他们也有好客的天赋. They loved to open their home for activities, Bible study and celebrations. 肯考迪娅 is so thankful for the commitment of Ray and 伊芙琳Joeckel and their family over many years. Their service to 肯考迪娅 Irvine and to the greater church has been a tremendous blessing. 雷工作努力，很幸运，也很慷慨. They love to give back to their church, to their family and to places like 肯考迪娅. Those values have been embraced by the next generation.”

Eveyln Joeckel was called to Heaven on September 21, 2019.