Dear Parents and Guardians,
 
What a joy it is to walk around campus and interact with such a vibrant, spiritually minded group of young people! This past week has gone very smoothly, despite the snow! The Adirondacks are gearing up for winter, and it’s truly a breathtaking sight to behold– and with it comes even more ministry opportunities. We’re very grateful for God’s blessing upon this place.
Read on to find out more about this past week at WOLBI.
 
Student Life
We have seen over 185 students connected with staff members through our 1-on-1 discipleship program and our discipleship groups! We’ve also had a great turnout with our counseling center groups. These groups are focused on providing community and accountability concerning specific sin issues.
We also have 10 new home groups starting with staff. Home groups are at a staff members house and are a relaxing way for students to get off campus and hang out. We do consider these discipleship based, but there is always great conversation to be had!
Our student leadership team (Resident Advisors/Student Experience Program) have been doing a great job at peer to peer discipleship and encouragement as well. We are thrilled to let you know that two students have trusted Christ as their savior this year at WOLBI! God is using student-on-student discipleship to bring glory to Himself. We rejoice in all He is doing! Please be praying for our campuses as we look to go deeper into God’s Word, and as the Holy Spirit continues to soften hearts and change lives.
 
Ministries
Our first weekend of Camp Clean-up was a great success. We were able to make a lot of progress at The Island and are very close to wrapping up winterizing The Pines. This weekend, we will be at The Lodge on Friday afternoon, The Ranch on Saturday morning, and our last Camp Clean-up will take place Monday afternoon on The Island.
The drama team wrapped up filming their first video of the year! It will be premiered in chapel on December 4th, and then released online. The team has also begun rehearsal for a special Christmas chapel piece, and will soon begin practicing for the Snowcamp drama.
 
Story Initiative
Through the Story Conference and different out-of-class initiatives, we have been training the students on how to share their story in a short, clear way– placing the focus of their story on what Jesus did for them on the cross. Students can choose to either record their story on a video or record it on a podcast.
Students have begun recording their stories this week, and we are looking forward to releasing some finished videos and podcasts in the near future.
 
Academics
WOLBI provides our students with Study Hours in the evenings Monday through Thursday from 7 pm – 9 pm. This time is designed to help students be efficient with their time and succeed in our academic program. We find that if students use these two hours effectively each night, they able to perform very well in our academic program. At the midpoint of each semester, we run a Grade Point Average report. Students who have a 3.0 semester GPA (or higher) are not required to study in their dorm. Students whose semester GPA drops below 3.0 are required to study at their desks at the appropriate time. Students have the opportunity to be released from study hours at the midpoint and beginning of each semester.
This coming week, our Freshmen students on our NY and FL campuses will only have Resident Professors teaching. They will continue their studies in Systematic Theology (Dr. Davis), Old Testament Survey (Professor Strout), and Research and Writing (Professor Sewall).
Our Sophomore students will continue Hermeneutics 2 (Dr. Weaver) and Apologetics (Dr. Davis). They will also be studying the Purpose and Function of the Local Church with Dr. Sean Pierce.
 
Center for Biblical Counseling
Although students engage in countless hours of formal teaching, there are often those who would especially benefit from learning how to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to the specific situations and struggles that they are facing. The goal of WOLBI’s Center for Biblical Counseling is to help students connect the dots from what Scripture says with “how to live it out by faith in my current life context.”
The Center for Biblical Counseling staff is primarily made up of Biblical Counseling Interns under the oversight of the Director of Counseling. They are part of a rigorous supervised training program, including working through certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. We are encouraged that many students are already taking advantage of this resource in the new school year.
In addition to counseling, the interns are also leading eight different focus groups that meet weekly; they are working through topics such as anxiety, past hurts, sexual purity and faith.
 
Learn the Word Video Course and Podcast
If you are interested in learning some of the same things your students are studying, you can do so at https://learn.wol.org/! We offer free video courses taught by the same professors that teach your students. They include: (Genesis 1-11, The Passion Week of Christ, Acts, Galatians, and Revelation 6-11). You can also listen to the Learn the Word Podcast. Our professors are the guests, and our Academic Dean is the Host. This week, we will begin a new series, Faith Affirming Findings. We will discuss archaeological discoveries that will affirm your faith and affirm the historicity of the Bible.  https://learn.wol.org/podcast/
 
Online Bookstore
We’re excited to share that our Online Bookstore is now live! Let everyone know you’re the proud parent of a WOLBI Husky with our brand new tees, get a comfy Alumni sweatshirt, or bless your student with an Encouragement pack. Click the link below to check it out!
WOLBI Online Bookstore
 
Huskies vs. Blue Spruce Soccer Game
Blue Spruce Landscaping has been onsite working on various projects around campus for the past couple of years. The Blue Spruce crew is largely from Latin American countries, and they love to play soccer! They have been a part of the landscaping for the soccer field project and numerous times mentioned that they would LOVE to play the Huskies Soccer team. I am not sure they knew what they were asking for! We saw this as a ministry opportunity to share Christ with them and use soccer as a vehicle to serve.
The Huskies played phenomenally well and won with a final score of 8-1. After the game, Kiko, shared his testimony and the gospel with the Blue Spruce guys in Spanish. Seeds were sown into their hearts, and we are praying that some of them might come to know the Lord. The Blue Spruce players told our players that the way they played was consistent with their message of hope shared at the end! We are so grateful that God uses us in His grace to share His love with others. We are also thankful to utilize the facilities that He has given us to Glorify Him!
 
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Having your students on campus is a real blessing, and it has been a joy to see their growth thus far. We cannot wait to see all the Lord will do throughout the remainder of the year!