Alumni Gatherings: Coming to a town near you!

Alumni Director Mike Bush and the Bible Institute's new director of admissions, Greg Dyson, are going to be at a bunch of alumni events and gatherings in the coming months. They want to encourage alumni to come, and to bring prospective students with them. Here's a complete list of upcoming events (check back at the alumni website for more details):

April 1: Sheets Memorial Church
210 Cotton Grove Road
Lexington, NC 27292
6:30 to 8 p.m.
                                                               
April 6: Fellowship Bible Church
590 Jackson Road
Sewell, NJ 08080
5 to 6:30 .p.m

April 9: Calvary Church
1051 Landish Valley Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
6:30 to 8 p.m.

April 10: Cairn University (details still in the works)
Langhorne Manor, PA

April 11: Heritage Baptist Church
219 Breezewood Drive
Lynchburg, VA 24502
6:30 to 8 p.m.

April 15: Maryland (possibly adding)

April 16: Baptist Bible College and Seminary
538 Venard Road
Clarks Summit, PA 18411
6:30 to 8 p.m.

April 23: Columbus, Ohio (details still in the works)

April 25: Plainfield Bible Church
752 North Dan Jones Road
Plainfield, IN 46168
6:30 to 8 p.m.

April 26: Sugar Grove/Wheaton, Illinois (details still in the works)

April 27: Mayfair Bible Church
5339 W. Pierson Road
Flushing, MI 48433
5 to 6:30 p.m.

Howard Hendricks, home with the Lord

Dr. Howard Hendricks, beloved professor emeritus of Christian education and leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday morning. For many years, Dr. Hendricks was a frequent speaker at Word of Life and a wonderful friend of the ministry. He wrote more than 20 books and many articles, and he ministered in more than 80 countries. He was also the former chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys football team.

Dr. Hendricks is survived by his wife, Jeanne. Please join us in remembering the Hendricks family in prayer at this time.

Dr. Hendricks’s funeral will be Saturday, March 2, at 11 a.m. at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas (near Dallas).

(Information from Word of Life home office)

Jeju Cafetorium: See it being built.

The Jeju Island campus is working hard to finish its cafetorium (cafeteria and auditorium), which will also include the fourth dorm on campus.The staff there needs the prayers, help and donations of all who are willing and able to invest in the next generation of Christian leadership that will be trained at the campus in the years to come. The director of Word of Life Northeast Asia, Steve Nicholes, tells us all about it:



Update on WOLBI Jeju - February 2013 from Steve on Vimeo.

Read more about the Jeju Island campus, including how it started and how the cafetorium has gone from a concrete slab to much more.

A message from the new alumni director, Mike Bush.

By Mike Bush, Class of 1981

Hello, alumni! Don’t be alarmed — Wayne Lewis is still around. We just wanted to take this time to let you know about some changes that will be going on at Word of Life, and specifically for Bible Institute alumni.

Wayne has spent the last couple of years working on ramping up our alumni connections, and now I’m coming on board to help as the new alumni director. Wayne will continue as the “alumni director emeritus,” and we’re already looking at a few new ways we can connect with and serve alumni.

First of all, this marks some changes for me and my wife, Amy. We have had the high honor of serving at the Word of Life Inn since September 2000. That ministry has been one of the most demanding, stretching, tiring, exciting, impactful, fun, and rewarding things Amy and I have ever done.  We’ve seen God at work, changing the hearts and lives of children, teens, adults, and families from all over the world. We renewed old friendships and made many new ones. We served with some of God’s most faithful servants and loved being part of a wonderful family, including full-time, part-time, volunteer, and summer staff.  But, like they say, “All good things must come to an end.”

Now, we’ll be moving our focus to two things: connecting with alumni, and helping host the winter conference season in Florida. With alumni, I will take the lead from Wayne and continue to encourage, help, and support our 18,000-strong alumni family. Wayne and I have already been working with Greg Dyson, our new director of admissions, on events this spring in partnership with our Local Church Ministries missionaries. Wayne has called this our “Back to the Future” tour. We are encouraging alumni to attend these events and bring prospective students with them (“back” = alumni, “future” = admissions). We would appreciate your help with these events as well, as we hope to introduce many new people to the Bible Institute.

My other responsibility, the winter conference season in Florida, will be very similar to what I have done at the Inn.  I will host guests, lead Bible hour, and plan activities. I will also spend time connecting with alumni in the Southeast. We will be in Florida from the first week of January and return to Schroon Lake in April. Amy and I will be in Schroon Lake for much of the spring, summer, and fall, connecting with friends in the ministry and alumni.

We look forward to these exciting new changes, and how we continue to extend the reach of the Bible Institute by connecting former students and finding new ones. Please be in prayer as we make these changes, and we look forward to continuing the work God has done.

“I will seek unto God, and unto God will I commit my cause. He does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number” (Job 5:8-9).

Remember When.

Have a remember when you want to share? Send your thoughts to alumni@wol.org, and feel free to include a photo!

Erica Bolen Luden (1991)
I remember jumping in the Olympic Center pool with my Collegian dress on after graduation.

Ashley Adkins (2003)
My most favorite memories are the weeks I spent on the Island counseling.

Alex Ertel (1980)
I’m thankful for the opportunity Jack Wyrtzen gave me to come to the Bible Institute and travel and sing as a member of the Russian Trio.

Chris Bowles (2004-2005)
Dr. Charles Ryrie came and taught Eschatology to us in first year. He chose several students to play various parts as he was explaining the Tribulation period. He told the student playing the Antichrist to “hunt down” the Christian and capture him. Little did Dr. Ryrie know that the student playing the Christian had snuck out and was hiding in the curtains up on the stage. Dr. Ryrie turned around in circles until he finally caught where the Christian was. He was laughing so hard he couldn’t finish the class. It was this event that encouraged Dr. Ryrie to give our final charge at graduation.

Rob Ausmus (1985)
Peanuts cartoons with Marshall Wicks.

David (1990) and Jennifer (Schwartz) Kaminkow (1989)
Jack Wyrtzen would fly by the Island beach in his boat, waving and smiling with Goldie in the back barking. Everyone on the beach would jump up and wave back.

Stephen (1991) and Janet Lynn (Calder) Yeomans (1990, 1991)
(Janet): Jack Wyrtzen would speak in chapel and his dog, Goldie, would sit down at his feet. He had the most amazing stories of God’s work and his life of ministry.

Teodora (Ivascu) Lockhart (2002 Hungary, 2003)
In Hungary we had Dr. Jimmy DeYoung teaching and we had a big snowstorm. We built a Jimmy look-a-like snowman with the infamous Jimmy DeYoung hair.

Larry Tarbox (1980)
Tom Davis got a black eye in the turkey bowl.

Miracle stories: A message from the chancellor.

By Don Lough, Jr.

The Word of Life story is a miracle story. Who would ever believe that a tiny island in the middle of Schroon Lake would become a Word of Life teen camp eventually impacting tens of thousands of young lives? Or that a communist trade union in Hungary would lease a priceless castle property to us with the stipulation that we let their unsaved children come to camp for free? We could never have imagined that God would entrust us with a Bible Institute campus in a visa-free zone in South Korea, allowing us to train students from all over Asia.

These stories are just the “tip of the iceberg” and a constant reminder that the Word of Life story is all about God. This ministry belongs entirely to Him. As we launch into a fresh season of reaching youth with the Gospel, we are claiming the truth of Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.” What an encouragement to know that the God of our Founders, Jack Wyrtzen and Harry Bollback, remains our powerful and miracle-working God today. Even though we live in a world full of uncertainty, we still believe He is able to do far beyond whatever we ask or dream.

Refresh: Finding focus in life.

By Scott Foreman

I was recently talking with fellow alumnus and Turkey dorm-mate Scott Benson (Class of 1993-94) about what we learned at the Bible Institute. We faced so many situations then where we would scratch our heads. But now that we’re husbands and fathers and seeing our own kids grow, what Word of Life was trying to teach us makes a lot more sense.

We’re starting to understand the “why” of the Bible Institute.

Simon Sinek wrote a book called Start With Why (google his TED talk to see more). The premise of what Sinek says is simple: Your life will lack definition unless you can pin down the reasoning behind what you do. Sinek says any significant venture starts with “why?”, and once you answer that question, you can move forward confidently in an often-changing and increasingly disorganized world.

Although Sinek is writing from a secular perspective, his rationale is dead on. Starting with “why” separates a life of focus from a life of confusion. In fact, Paul wrote similar words when he spoke to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10-11: “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra — what persecutions I endured. And out of them all, the Lord delivered me.”

Paul probably wrote this because Timothy was getting ready to throw in the towel. Paul pushed his young protégé to remember the foundation of his life and ministry, telling him: When you start with why, your life takes on greater meaning and purpose.

The “why” for Paul and Timothy started with doctrine, manner of life, and mission. These were the guts of Paul’s life - the whole reason he lived. Without the truth of God, Christ’s calling in his life, and the principles by which he lived, Paul would have likely abandoned his ministry long before his first stoning, evacuation, or slap in the face. Paul’s “why” gave everything else in his life meaning.

Paul’s directions have a similar application in our lives. Consider this: The times when we are off balance usually aren’t because we don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing — it’s because we’ve made a habit of forgetting why.

Could this be one of the reasons why our attempts at being better spouses, parents, or co-workers sometimes fizzle out, because we start with a task but we don’t really understand the why or how behind it?

Take a minute to think about it: Why am I trying to be a godly husband or wife? The answer: Because that is the primary area where God has called me to show love in this world. I learn to love Him better through those closest to me, and my relationship shows my kids, friends, and neighbors what the love between Christ and the church is really all about.

Now, doesn’t that type of thinking keep life focused, regardless of shifting circumstances? Starting with “why” isn’t just good business — it’s Biblical, and it’s a key ingredient to a focused life.

Scott Foreman is the Executive Director of Word of Life Canada. He graduated from the Bible Institute in 1994 and from second year in 1996. He and his wife, Rachel, then went to Tennessee Temple University, where they received bachelors degrees. Scott was the assistant director of Word of Life Island for seven years and also managed Word of Life’s radio ministry. Scott and Rachel have four boys and love serving the Lord in Canada.

Where Are We Headed: Word of Life's Newest Alumni Stretch Out Across the Globe.

This summer, we checked in with the four Bible Institute campuses to see where their students were headed after graduation and how time at Word of Life influenced these students’ decisions. Not surprisingly, the Class of 2012 is quite the international crew! Students came from all over the world to learn the Word of God, and they dispersed again to carry truth back into the many countries that need Christ. These are Word of Life's newest alumni, ministering all around the world. Here are some facts and figures on where the students are headed, plus what students from each campus had to say about their year.

NEW YORK
Where They're From: New York (100), Michigan (32), New Jersey (28), Florida (24), Ohio (23), Virginia (21), Massachusetts (20), Korea (19), Connecticut (15), Maine (15), Canada (13), Indiana (12), North Carolina (11), New Hampshire (11), Japan (10), Tennessee (8), Rhode Island (7), Maryland (6), Texas (5), California (4), Brazil (3), Mexico (2), New Zealand (2), Germany, Argentina, El Salvador, Nigeria.
Where They're Headed: Liberty University (Lynchburg, Virginia): 49, Liberty University distance learning: 27, Cairne University (formerly Philadelphia Bibilical University; Langhorne, Pennsylvania): 29, Trinity College (Palos Heights, Illinois): 22, Baptist Bible College (Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania): 20, Moody Bible College (Chicago): 17, Lancaster Bible College (Lancaster, Pennsylvania): 15, Cedarville University (Cedarville, Ohio): 9, Bible Institute second-year program (Schroon Lake, New York): 150-plus.

New York: Jack Price

I’m a sophomore at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and studying business communications. At this point I don’t have a clear vision of what my career will be after I graduate. But the Bible Institute, having about 450 students a year, allowed me to get to know many different people.

Word of Life surrounded me with a community of fellow Christians who were looking for opportunities to grow in their faith. From the classroom to the Collegians, I was able to help others draw closer to God as they also helped me. The speakers who came to the Bible Institute integrated the academic material with spiritual truths that helped strengthen my relationship with God. As a result, the classroom became a place not just to learn the facts of the Bible but also how to apply the material to real-life situations.

The speakers ranged from Bible teachers, like Ben Gutierrez of Liberty University, to presidents of universities, like Dan Anderson from Appalachian Bible College. Each presented me with material that challenged both the knowledge of my mind and the condition of my heart.

As I think about my experience at Word of Life and how it has prepared me for Liberty University, I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to spend a full year studying the Bible and conditioning my heart and mind so that I can continue to grow in a new community.

FLORIDA
Where They're From: Florida (60), North Carolina (19), New York (7), Pennsylvania (5), Michigan (5), Virginia (5), New Jersey (3), Connecticut (2), Alabama (2), Ohio (2), Delaware (2), Texas (2), Georgia (2), Taiwan (2), Bahamas (2), California, Indiana, Ontario, Oregon, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay.
Where They're Going: Bible Institute second-year program: 27, Liberty University: 3, Southwestern College (Fort Worth, Texas): 2, Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga, Tennessee), Southeastern University (Lakeland, Florida), University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Belton, Texas).

Daniel Fahning, Florida

After I graduated from high school, I had no motivation to go to college or learn the Bible, even though my grandmother, Lori Fahning, offered to support me for a year at the Bible Institute. At the time, my life was focused on enjoying the world and doing what I wanted to do, so I thought I would visit Japan and live in a different atmosphere.

Living in Japan was fun but unfulfilling, and now, as I look back, I feel like I was Jonah.

After I had been in Japan for about seven months, I read a book called Every Young Man's Battle. My aunt had given it to me before I left for Japan, and, as I read it, I felt God get ahold of me. I realized I needed Him, and I decided to go to the Bible Institute.

The summer before the school year started, during the Monday of STC training week, I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ. God taught me so much through being in the Word daily and serving Him with my life. My mind has been transformed ever since.

I went to the Bible Institute in Florida that year, and at Missions Conference, God began to tie together the different directions my life had been heading. I had been in Japan for the 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011, and at Missions Conference, I was broken for Japan. I began to think about how God could use me there.

Now, I am at second year in New York, and I am pursuing being in full-time ministry. Lord willing, by His grace, I will be in Japan one day as a missionary. Right now I want to further my education (perhaps at Moody Bible College) and better equip myself with a solid foundation, but my hands are very open to whatever the Lord has in store for me. This is path where He is leading me today, but it is always subject to change. To God be the Glory!

OWEN SOUND
Where They're From: Ontario (15), Quebec (2), New Brunswick.
Where They're Going: interning at Bible Institute: 7, college/university: 8, working: 7, Liberty University, Redeemer University College (Ontario), full-time in local church.

Owen Sound: Nathan Clock

I grew up as the youngest child of seven in the small northern town of Goulais River, Ontario. Coming to the Bible Institute and getting into the Word of God has been one of my most life-changing experiences. Being constantly immersed in the Word and being stretched in all of the ministries has had a huge impact on my life, and it’s led me toward my decision for next year — the Word of Life Resonate team. Resonate is a ministry team made up of Bible Institute alumni that travels around Canada sharing the importance of the Word of God with teenagers and challenging them to dedicate one year of their lives to study at the Bible Institute.

This ministry will help me to continue to grow and be stretched. I chose to apply to be on the Resonate team because I have a passion to see more lives changed by the Word of God, just like the Word has changed mine. The Resonate team is a great opportunity for me to be an impact on as many young people today as possible.

JEJU ISLAND
Where They're From: Korea (10), Japan (5), Taiwan (2), Quebec, Texas, Virginia, Argentina, India.
Where They're Going: returning home to minister in local churches and continue studies in Korean or Japanese universities: 11, Bible Institute second-year program: 7, Liberty University: 2, Moody College (Chicago, Illinois), Southeastern University.

Jeju: Yun-Yu (Betsy)

Last year at the Bible Institute in Jeju, I not only learned the Bible — I also learned a lot about living as a missionary. Our two resident professors, Mr. Steve Nicholes and Mr. John Hawkins, are both missionaries. I’m from a strong Buddhist family, so it’s challenging to share the Gospel with my relatives. But I know God is calling me to share the Gospel with people, even though I’m not sure where and when, so I just want to be prepared as much as possible and discipline myself.

Before coming to the Bible Institute, I was always afraid to raise support. But so many professors said, “It’s time to take your step and put your faith in God.” I’m a person with a really small amount of faith, but being a missionary is not my ability — it’s something God will do through me. Last year, I learned to trust God with all my heart. I learned about the Bible so much and how it can be a tool that can help others and tell people the truth. Before the Bible Institute, I couldn’t make the Gospel clear. I always said, “Jesus loves you.” I was afraid to tell people that they were sinners. It’s really important to have a brave heart to tell the truth.

Now I’m at the Bible Institute in New York for second year so I can further seek God’s will. Second year is learning about ministry, and through that time, I can be sure about God’s calling in my life to be a missionary.