Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our campus came to life earlier this week when we welcomed students back from break! I know you miss having them at home, but we are thrilled to have them here again. Spring is making a grand entrance; the warmer weather has been causing the snow to melt rapidly! The reality that there are only two months of classes left before summer is beginning to sink in. Join us in praying that everyone stays focused to the end.
Easter Weekend
As we look ahead to Easter weekend (April 15th-17th), we know many of your students will probably hope to go home. Since Easter is not an official school break, students will need to submit Special Permissions as usual and find replacements for anything they would be missing, i.e., their normal service assignment or Sunday service assignment.
Those who would like to stay and celebrate on campus are more than welcome! The dining room will be serving meals as usual, and Grace Community Church will be offering a church service at 7 PM on Sunday. Students are also welcome to attend local churches.
Missions Trips
Spring Break Trip
During the first week of our Spring Break, we took 20 people down to central PA to participate in Ethnos360’s Wayumi program, which aims to expose students to the reality of missions among the least-reached people groups in the world. Our group joined students from several Bible colleges around the country. They studied the biblical basis of missions, evangelism, discipleship, culture, and linguistics in the context of peoples who have no concept of our God and no Bible in their language. Then, they participated in several hands-on opportunities with culture, linguistics, and Bible translation. Though the group endured not one but two snowstorms during the week, it was truly a fantastic experience to see people refreshed by and responding to God’s Word!
Missions Reality: April 28-May 8th
After receiving counsel from our Field Directors and confirming that they are receiving help from outside groups, we plan to take all seven Missions Reality trips as scheduled (yes, including Hungary and the Czech Republic!). This trip will be an incredible opportunity to minister to displaced Ukrainians and the missionaries in those countries! For all trips, please join us in praising God that almost every student has met their support goals already. Also, pray that everyone who had to get a new passport will get it in time and that all the final financial and logistical details will be ironed out in the weeks to come.
Open Air Evangelism: May 4-8
As you may be aware, while our sophomore students are out on Missions Reality, our freshmen will be going to New York City for Open Air Evangelism (OAE). OAE gives students the opportunity to spend two days sharing the gospel on the streets of New York City. They will be in a different park or location each day while on the trip. Over the years, we have changed our view on this trip and now consider it to be a short-term missions trip. Throughout the fall semester, students sat in on a class on support raising. We’ve challenged them to raise support for this trip; that support will help cover the cost of housing and food. We are looking forward to this incredible ministry opportunity with our freshman students!
If you have any questions regarding upcoming events at the Bible Institute, feel free to contact us at any time!