by Jim Edge
Baptist Bible College is making a difference outside the walls of our campus. Our mission is to prepare students to serve the Lord with integrity and commitment to God’s Word. We also desire for our faculty to model that service. We value the opportunity to live and serve others outside these walls, and doing so creates opportunities to impact others for the Lord.
Living and serving in high-profile circumstances
Four elementary education students — Kristina Joiner, Katie Smith, Hailey Applegate, and Amy Lederman — are completing their student teaching assignment in Ozark West Elementary School, Ozark, Missouri, a fast-growing city south of Springfield. Mark D. Hedger, principal of Ozark West, wrote Cheryl Page and Deana Schneringer, supervising faculty. In an email, he commented, “I have had the opportunity to meet with [the four students] on different occasions for some educational discussions. I want to let you know that I am very impressed with what I have seen so far. We appreciate the emphasis you are putting on professionalism, as that is something that we value in our teachers.”
I am so pleased with these young ladies. Not only are they serving the Lord well, but they are enhancing the reputation of the college in the greater Ozarks. We value opportunities to engage our constituents outside the walls of the college. It is assumed that the leaders will be involved in the community; it is incredible when it is our students who are engaging others.
Reaching out and loving others
Under the leadership of Jacqui Yawn, over 50 BBC students are making a difference outside the walls on Wednesdays. Jacqui is an elementary education major and is the president of BBC’s Student Missouri State Teacher’s Association. During the past several weeks, our students have met from noon to 1:00 p.m. at Robberson Elementary School several blocks from the college. The students are buddies to third graders preparing for statewide standardized tests. They build relationships with the third graders for 30 minutes at recess, then, at 12:30, they help them prepare for the tests.
This past Wednesday, I observed our students interacting with the children. During the study time, it was typical for our students to work one-onone with the children. I had a chance to visit with the school’s principal, Kevin Huffman, the school’s counselor, Deana Young, and several third grade teachers. They are all very pleased with how our students are interacting and contributing to the lives of these children.
Mentoring professionals and peers
The faculty of BBC is making a real difference in the lives of their students. Several also made a difference outside the walls mentoring professionals and peers. Since 1978, BBC has been accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. As a member of the association, the president and other representatives meet at the annual meeting each February. The focus of the meeting is professional development.
This year, three from BBC were presenters in workshops. Cheryl Page, Chair of the Education Department, and Deana Schneringer, faculty member of the Education Department, were co-presenters in the Learning and Assessment Track. Their presentation was entitled “Course Design and Alignment for Student Success.” Greg Smith, Associate Dean for Library Services and Institutional Research, made arrangements to submit a 30-minute video entitled “Taking the Guesswork out of Collection Management.” The video was shown as a component of a workshop that involved an on-site presenter. The workshop was part of the Library/Information Resource Leadership Track. All three of these faculty members had a positive impact on those who attended the workshops and represented BBC well.
Impacting the lives of others
As president of BBC, I am pleased when students and faculty take the opportunity to become involved and make a difference outside the walls of the college. They are making an impact for the Lord.
While I highlighted three different groups, readers should understand that these are just representatives of the type of people who learn and teach at BBC. We have a vibrant group of students who love the Lord, who want to learn, and who desire to serve and honor the Lord right now. It is these types of people who validate that BBC is alive and well and is preparing students to serve as leaders and impact the world for Jesus Christ.
Our slogan “Enter to Learn — Go forth to Serve” has been the model we have followed for 59 years. We celebrate all that has been accomplished. We rejoice in the service that is being modeled today. We are thankful for the difference we are making “Outside the Walls.”