by Jim Edge
We are well into the fall semester at Baptist Bible College and are enjoying the colorful beauty of autumn in the Ozarks. Once again, God has seen fit to provide what is needed to continue the work He has called us to do. The opportunity to train a new generation of Christian servants is a blessed task and we continue to see God’s hand at work in the lives of our students. Our freshman class appears to be filled with stellar, God-called young men and women.
One such young man is Seth Ellis from Toledo, OH. After spending a year at Bowling Green State University as a graphic arts major, Seth came to the realization that graphic arts was not all God wanted for the rest of his life.
Seth’s cousin, Lindsay Ellis, is a junior at BBC and sings with our traveling team Breakaway. When asked why he chose BBC, Seth said, “I had seen Lindsay, and knew what she was like in high school. I knew coming to BBC changed her life. After seeing how God had blessed my parents, and how God had changed Lindsay’s life, I knew that’s what I wanted.”
Seth’s favorite class is Biblical Foundations of Global Outreach, taught by James Adams. He loves the emphasis on “obedience to the Great Commission, no matter the cost.”
About his first month on campus, Seth said, “One word … humbling. I grew up in and around ministry all my life and thought I knew what it was all about. Now I realize I was arrogant. I knew nothing.”
Seth is determined to follow God’s leading through whatever door He may open in the future.
We finished our fiscal year stronger than in the past four years. Our audit shows we continue to make good progress financially. The past three years have been years of positive and necessary change. We are determined to live within our means, while at the same time providing a quality and godly educational experience for our students. In the midst of one of the most difficult economies in the history of America, many of our churches are struggling. Some have chosen to, or out of necessity had to, reduce or even cease monthly support of our college. We are very thankful, however, that God has led over 70 new pastors and churches to begin or renew support for Baptist Bible College in the past three years.
It is a wonderful privilege to serve as your president. Not only is training young people like Seth and Lindsay Ellis a great opportunity, it is a solemn responsibility. We can’t afford to be distracted from God’s call. Every professor in every classroom pours the life-giving Word into the hearts of these great young adults every day. Our heart is to challenge them to have a big vision of what God will accomplish through their lives. If we will do so, there is a great future for Baptist Bible College and the Baptist Bible Fellowship. It is only if we get sidetracked and fail in our calling that we need to fear the future.