by Mark Milioni
In these first few weeks of serving at Baptist Bible College here in Springfield, it has been a time of non-stop learning. What does a college president do? Where has this day gone? We need what by when? Who is that, who does what, where is this, I need to be where when?
I will be the first to tell you that this past month has been one of the toughest, yet one of the most rewarding, in my life. Learning much about our finances, getting to know the faculty and staff, watching our awesome crews work over the summer, and spending time with our student travel teams. In just a short time I have learned this — we are blessed! BBC is greatly blessed with great people doing a lot for and with very little.
I have learned that summer is a very busy and important time. During this very, very hot summer, buildings are being cleaned and readied for the fall as lawns, plants, air conditioners, and roofs are being given some tender loving care.
It has become evident in a short time that our campus has some of the most dedicated workers I have ever known. Let me tell you about a couple of very special men: Chris Williams and Seth Cunningham (see photo on page 23). These two men give their service to our housekeeping and maintenance areas. I am so proud of the job they do and the staff they oversee.
Chris came to BBC 13 years ago and has now found himself in charge of our campus facilities. His dedicated effort and faithful staff work hard to make BBC a great experience. Seth has only been at BBC for a couple of months. After learning several valuable trades in the maintenance industry, Seth has given his skill to be used for the Lord here on campus. Both Chris and Seth have chosen to make less income here than they could in the marketplace because they believe in the mission and purpose of BBC. They are committed because we are committed to training those that will reach the world for Christ.
Being an on-campus employee, whether cleaning or fixing buildings that are decades old, can be a very thankless job. They sometimes are not even seen until something breaks or is out of place — then we yell for them to come immediately. But I think our entire Fellowship should be thankful for men and women like this. They choose to take less in order to make it possible for us to train students for the ministry. I am so thankful for their sacrifice and their skills, for their love for the Lord and for their testimony. You may never know or meet them — but they are serving you well by serving your campus and students.
Keep praying for us — we are experiencing God doing some incredible things.