A Note from Brian
I have enjoyed spending time on both of our campuses (New York and Florida) over the last couple of weeks, and it is evident that our students have adjusted well to life here at the Bible Institute! I am encouraged by their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, grow, and serve. I am reminded of two verses we read recently in our Quiet Time.
“That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
1 John 1:3–4.
It is a joy to watch the Word of God come alive to our students as they study it and interact with our faculty and staff. As always, please let us know if there is anything we can do to serve you or your student.
Latest News
Both campuses: Please note that our academic calendars are being updated to reflect the following:
- New York and Florida Thanksgiving Break starts November 21 AFTER classes (1:00 PM). The return date is November 27.
- Florida Christmas Break starts on December 8 AFTER the 9:00 AM exam. The return date is January 3.
- New York Christmas Break starts on December 19 AFTER classes (1:00 PM). The return date is January 12.
- When booking flights, please keep in mind that you will need several hours AFTER the time listed to travel to the airport, so be sure to leave a large enough margin of time before your flight. The TSA suggests arriving at the airport two hours before a domestic flight.
New York
We enjoyed seeing many of you and your families at Opening Weekend! If you were unable to attend, you can still watch a recording of Parent Orientation here:
Florida
In the classroom, the students have had the opportunity to dive into Genesis Chapters 1–11, Galatians, and, their latest class, Personal Evangelism with Doug Holliday. Next week, they will have classes in Judges with Dr. Matt Vander Wiele, and they will have classes the following week in Creationism with Bryan Osborne.
Ministry teams have been selected, and some teams went out on evangelism ministries with Del and Mary Ann Benner last weekend. They went to Clearwater Beach and Webster Flea Market, and they interacted with over 300 people. The teams were able to pray with 84 people and present the gospel to over 60 people. There were three salvation decisions made! More teams will be going out over the next few weekends with the Benners.
Upcoming Events
New York
- 10/6–8: Homecoming & Family Weekend
Learn more here: wol.is/nyhomecoming - 10/13–14: ACBC Discipleship and Counseling Workshop, Weekend Two
Learn more here: https://wordoflife.edu/counseling/essentials/ - 10/26–28: Campus Preview Days
Learn more here: https://wol.my.salesforce-sites.com/EventListing?eventId=7013m0000013e9UAAQ
Florida
- October 19–21: Campus Preview Days
Learn more here: https://wol.my.salesforce-sites.com/EventListing?eventId=7013m0000013eAIAAY - October 19: Fall Festival with Our Campus Visitors
- October 21–30: Overflow Band Tour
New York Student Life Team
- Julia Lough – Student Life Administrative Assistant: julialough@wol.org
Julia helps parents and others with school break dates, campus visits, or any other general questions about the Bible Institute. Students often visit her if they lose their dorm key or mailbox key, want to plan for a friend stay on campus overnight, or need to see a staff member at the Page Center. - Karen Smith – Dean of Women: karensmith@wol.org
Karen is over our women’s resident directors and also meets with students throughout the year to get to know them and counsel them. Students normally see her for discipleship or guidance when a student life issue arises. - Justin Cousins – Dean of Men: jtcousins@wol.org
Justin is over our male students and directly works with the resident directors and resident assistants. Students see him for discipleship and guidance when a student life or dorm issue arises. - Drew Burtis – Dean of Students: dburtis@wol.org
Drew oversees our student life department and is also a resident professor. He is always willing to connect with a student (especially over coffee or on the golf course) on anything throughout the year. He is passionate about discipleship and helping students become more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. - Becca Allard, Stephanie Magana, Jess Webel, Justin (Spud) Dorough, and Jackson Springthorpe – Resident Directors
The resident directors (RDs) are here to serve our students in their specific dorm areas. Students connect with them on having a visitor in the dorm and anything else that pertains to their dorm and spiritual life throughout the year.
Florida Student Life Team
- Ben Young – Dean of Students: benyoung@wol.org
Ben Young provides direction and leadership over the student life department. He was the dean of men for several years and moved into the dean of students position this fall. - Riley Winter – Dean of Men: rwinter@wol.org
Riley is over our male students and directly works with the resident directors and resident assistants. He worked in the deans’ department for a few years as a discipleship coordinator and also in the ministries department before stepping into his current role. - Michele Jones – Dean of Women: mrjones@wol.org
Michele joined our deans’ department this fall, moving here from New York. She has a heart for discipleship and meets with students for counseling and guidance. - Caleb DiMillo and Isabel Cate – Discipleship Coordinators
Our men’s and women’s discipleship coordinators provide guidance for our student resident assistants and are here to serve students in areas related to life on campus. Students can connect with them on issues pertaining to their dorm and spiritual life throughout the year.