In this episode, Dr. Garry Friesen reflects on the life, leadership, and spiritual influence of Dr. Joe Aldrich, who followed his father, Dr. Willard Aldrich, as president of Multnomah. Though he was already serving as the pastor of a thriving church in California, Dr. Joe eventually answered the call to lead the institution that had become such an important part of his family's legacy. His years at Multnomah were marked not only by strong leadership, but by a deep commitment to prayer, spiritual growth, and wholehearted devotion to Christ. Dr. G shares how Dr. Joe faithfully led voluntary campus prayer days semester after semester, inspiring students to make prayer a priority in the midst of busy schedules. Whether speaking to a handful of students or a packed room, Dr. Joe approached ministry with the same passion and authenticity. His influence extended far beyond the campus as well, bringing pastors together across cities for seasons of prayer, worship, and unity around the shared mission of reaching their communities for Christ. As a chapel speaker and professor, Dr. Joe was known for delivering messages that left a lasting impact. His teaching on holiness, spiritual formation, and the Christian life challenged students to move beyond simply knowing biblical truth to living it. Through classes on the spiritual life and his memorable use of stories like The Velveteen Rabbit, he helped generations of students understand what it means for faith to become real in everyday life. Above all, Dr. G remembers a man who not only believed Scripture, but was determined to follow Christ in everything it taught.

In This Video
• The transition from Dr. Willard Aldrich's presidency to the leadership of his son, Dr. Joe Aldrich
• Why Dr. Joe eventually accepted the call to lead Multnomah
• The campus-wide prayer days that became a treasured part of student life
• Lessons on prioritizing prayer amid the demands of ministry and daily life
• Dr. Joe's ministry of bringing pastors together for prayer, worship, and unity
• His powerful and memorable chapel messages
• A sermon on holiness and sexual purity that deeply impacted students and faculty
• Teaching the Spiritual Life class and helping students make biblical truth personal
• The influence of The Velveteen Rabbit as a picture of authentic spiritual transformation
• Dr. G's reflections on a leader who faithfully lived out the truths he taught

About This Series
This video is part of a collection celebrating the story, ministry, and legacy of Dr. Garry Friesen (Dr. G), honoring the heritage of Multnomah School of the Bible / Multnomah University and the continuing work God is doing through new ministries around the world.

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The production of these videos was provided by the Multnomah Family Team, if you would like to help sponsor more videos like this, please contact us here.