Dr. Daniel T Sheaffer was greeted in heaven Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 1:05 p.m. by many thousands of souls who came to know Jesus Christ through his 64-year ministry around the world.
For the last few years Drs. Dan and Bonnie Sheaffer have pastored Harvest Assembly of God in Oklahoma City; however, they are best known for their long and successful pastoral tenure at Crossroads Cathedral. Through their extraordinary Kingdom vision, the Sheaffers led the congregations they served to accomplish incredible feats in terms of their support of world evangelism.
In the fall of 1996 the university was honored by Dr. Dan Sheaffer’s willingness to serve as guest speaker for the Staley Lecture Series. During those days on campus a special bond developed between the Sheaffers and our entire campus family. The Sheaffers saw the potential of our students going around the world with the Gospel message and felt a burden to invest in and help guide them.
President Bridges remarked, “On more than one occasion I heard Dan compare his investment in our students to the way Elijah invested in the ministry of Elisha. He affectionately referred to our students as his ‘Elisha generation.'”
As a result of their burden, the Sheaffers took on a huge responsibility to help Southwestern expand its reach and ability to train more students than ever before.
President Bridges recalled, “If not for the incredible support of the Sheaffers, it is hard to imagine how the university would have been able to move forward with the construction of the Full Life Center, which bears their name. This past December marked ten years since we dedicated the 111,000 square feet facility that is so essential to the life of the university. They also stood behind us in the construction of Bridges and Teeter Hall in a significant manner. I visited with Terri the other day when I learned that Brother Sheaffer only had a short time to live. Having just experienced what it’s like to only have a few days left with your Dad, I told her I understood they would likely not be interested in receiving visitors. I asked that she express my love to him and Bonnie and specifically tell him that when I walk in the Sheaffer Center I am often reminded of their sacrifice on our behalf and realize a major reason why we enjoy facilities like we do today is because they believed in our potential and spearheaded a level of support we had never seen in the history of the institution. The Scriptures remind us to give honor to whom honor is due. For this reason, Dr. Dan Sheaffer and the entire Sheaffer family will always be honored on the SAGU campus.”
SAGU asks that you join in prayer for his beloved spouse, Dr. Bonnie Sheaffer, for their son Mike, daughter Terri, and their respective families during this time of loss.
The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 10:00 a.m., at Harvest Assembly of God, 4019 S. Penn, Oklahoma City, OK, under the direction of Vondel Smith at South Lakes, 4000 S.W. 119th, Oklahoma City.
