By Amena Anderson
Senior reporter

Lee Geysbeek is no longer at Cornerstone University radio.

Geysbeek took on a new position at Compassion International as the radio marketing director. After a 35-year career in Cornerstone University radio, his last day as senior vice president for CU radio and vice president for broadcasting was May 31.

Chris Lemke will fill-in as interim until a replacement is found, said CU President Joe Stowell in an e-mail. Lemke is network program director for CU Radio as well as general manager and program director for WCSG.

“Lee has served with CU Radio for over 30 years, so he brought a wealth of historical perspective to both the ministry of the radio as well as the University,” Stowell said. “His wise and insightful contributions in [the university] cabinet meetings will be greatly missed.”

Compassion International’s Web site states that it “exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.”

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Co., Geysbeek will oversee radio operations for Compassion International. Geysbeek’s duties will include “developing and managing a strategy to generate revenue through the medium of Christian radio,” said Rachel Dennard in an e-mail. Dennard is a human resource service center specialist for Compassion International.

Dennard also said Geysbeek will “lead and direct a radio team to accomplish $20 million by recruiting key relationships with Christian radio stations, networks and industry leaders through the United States and also look for opportunity and strategy to work within other radio markets such as country music, mainstream, etc.”

Although the organization is located in Colorado, Geysbeek will remain in Michigan and work mainly from his home office with occasional traveling.

Geysbeek said he didn’t plan on leaving CU radio but began to consider it after multiple events took place in his life. He chose not to elaborate on those events but said they were positive and compared them to the 2000 movie “The Perfect Storm.”

“It was the result of a long internal journey,” Geysbeek said. “I just got to that place where I sensed I needed to be open to the possibility of leaving, which I didn’t think I would ever get there.”

Before making the final decision, Geysbeek sought spiritual counsel from various people. Through spiritual counseling he said that his decision to leave was reassured.

“I believe that God has somebody in the wings that’s gonna come in and is going to bring this level, this organization to a whole new level,” Geysbeek said. “And I am going to be standing in the background just applauding, jumping up and down and being thankful for it.”

President Stowell said Geysbeek’s shoes won’t be easy to fill.

“Through the years, Lee has demonstrated a depth of both character and professional expertise,” Stowell said. “Replacing him is going to be a real challenge, but we wish him God’s best as our Lord has led him into a new field of ministry.”

Geysbeek said it’s difficult to leave a radio organization he has been a part of since he was 18 years old. During that time, the radio station was located in a small room underneath the field house.

“We didn’t know what we were doing, in terms of radio, [although] we had an idea of what it should be like,” Geysbeek said. “But it was the right tag team of people kinda working together who had a vision to make a difference in people’s lives through Christ.”

Another difficult part is leaving co-workers who have become more like family than colleagues.

“It’s hard to leave it,” Geysbeek said with tears in his eyes, “but I really sense its God’s leading.”

Geysbeek said that WayFM, WCSG, His Kids radio and Mission Network News would not have been as successful if it wasn’t for his colleagues.

“When I look back at the 35 years and the growth of all those things, clearly [they] are not because of my talent and my abilities,” he said emphatically. “It is clearly the result of the team of people, the incredible team of people I have had the privilege of working with for a very long time.”

Although Geysbeek said he is starting a new adventure with Compassion International, CU will always have a piece of his heart.

“I will continue to be a huge fan of this organization,” he said. “I am so excited about Cornerstone and what it is doing, where it is going and I think its greatest days are really ahead.”