Campus Update: Bible Institute moves across U.S., into Africa

By Dick Dray, Associate Executive Dean, New York campus

For many years, Jack Wyrtzen would introduce Word of Life’s radio program as being from high, high, high in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. He also would say at times that Word of Life was reaching youth both around the corner and around the world. This past December, through the Bible Institute, we saw exactly that happen.

In the last issue of The Victory Journal, Bible Institute Chancellor Don Lough, Jr. talked about student groups heading to New England and the southeastern United States for various music and drama tours, including the new original presentation Magi as well as a Collegian group and the ensemble Redemption.

During the nearly two weeks these groups were out, they shared the message of God’s Word through music and drama in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. We saw God work in bringing in more than 18,000 people in attendance. More than 100 people made decisions for Christ, and we made many great contacts with alumni and potential future Bible Institute students.

At the same, we saw God working “around the world.”

Bible Institute Executive Dean Mark Strout headed to Uganda to connect with Thomas Obunde (Class of 1995, 2000) and David Kirabira (2005, 2007) to work on plans to open another Bible Institute campus there, on the continent of Africa, this fall. At this time, a one-year program is planned, with 25 students anticipated to start the inaugural school year this September, although the campus as is can hold up to 50 students.

Teaching will be provided by resident lecturers from Uganda and surrounding countries, as well as some professors from the U.S. campuses, and additional options will be considered for ongoing training at the school as the Bible Institute looks to train up future leaders for Africa.

It’s been a packed fall and winter so far, but we’re only get started as we continue to watch God work both here around the corner and out around the world.

Testimony Corner: Dean Bruckner, Class of 1981

My year at Word of Life Bible Institute was one of the best three years of my life.

As a 17-year-old believer in Christ, I sensed a calling to the secular world as an engineer, military officer, or both. I asked God for wisdom. Our family friends David and Billy Giles (Class of 1978 and 1979, respectively) strongly recommended my brother Lee and I attend the Bible Institute. So we did, along with their sister, Victoria.

The three of us arrived in mid-September 1980 to picture-perfect chalets, hard benches, and the daily Quiet Time diary — the Word of Life experience. Thirty guys push-starting our 18-wheeler in Canada on Collegians winter tour, a missions conference that a hundred of us missed with the flu in the days before vaccinations, watching Dean of Men Ray Namie doing doughnuts in his van — with his family inside — on the frozen lake, and a two-week trip to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt all are indelibly stamped in my memory. But even more than those memories were the lifelong imprints made by the Word of God on the deepest part of who I am.

Life. The Word. That’s what Word of Life is all about. From where I stand, a more coherent, practical, comprehensive one-year presentation of the Bible, integrated into preparation for life, does not exist. For me, it came at exactly the right time, and it equipped me for all that was to come.

Since then, I’ve sailed the coasts of North America, from Nova Scotia to the Panama Canal, to Alaska’s farthest Aleutian Islands, and to the Arctic Circle. I’ve been to 20 foreign countries and studied five languages. I’ve lived a year abroad, earned a Ph.D in electrical engineering, and became a licensed professional engineer. I was the lead system integrator for flight tests of the GPS and inertial navigation systems of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. I got married and have three school-age children, served in eight churches and military chapels, and now teach industrial and systems engineering at Ohio University.

What does all this amount to? Absolutely nothing, in light of eternity, except what was done for Christ and His kingdom. That is the debt I owe to Word of Life. In that year, my spiritual navigation instruments and library of life charts were fitted for the long haul. If God’s hand has held my life on course during everything that’s followed, if He’s used it to touch others, if He and His Word are better known and loved in my wake, it will be due in great measure to what I received in the spiritual “shipyard” on the shores of Schroon Lake.

What amazes me is that it was such fun, too. It truly was one of the three most joyful years of my life, along with my honeymoon year of marriage and my year as a young commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard radio station near Istanbul, Turkey.

The Turks have a saying: “A tree can be shaped when it’s young.” That was Word of Life to me.

The Second Generation: Lake Alexandria Whitehead

I decided to come to the Bible Institute after I went to camp in New York. I found the love of God for the first time and decided to give Him my all. I wanted to learn more about God’s Word and build a stronger relationship with Him, and I’ve already learned so much! I’ve grown much closer to God than I ever imagined I could. God has given me an eternal perspective for everything. All I need to do is follow Him and His will in obedience.

Part of the reason I’m here is because of my parents’ influence. I was so blessed to have parents who love the Lord. My mom went to the Bible Institute, and she’s just been a living testimony of God’s faithfulness. I saw the love of God and skills she learned at the Bible Institute, and I wanted to be that strong, organized, and disciplined woman in Christ.

FUN FACT: Both mom and daughter were in Collegians and ensembles and sang as soloists. “It is almost like a repeat ... a twin 30 years later,” Kimberly says.

Click here to read about Lake's mom, Kimberly, Class of 1984.

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Valerie J. (Schrack) Donley-Mure

In spring 1982, my parents attended their regional Child Evangelism Fellowship directors conference, which was at the Word of Life Inn. During the announcements one evening, the director of the Inn, Don Lough, Sr., talked about the ministry of Word of Life and said that just nine miles down the road was a Bible Institute where young people could learn the Bible in one year.

This was less than two months before my high school graduation. I was scheduled to leave the day after for two months of ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship in western Germany, and I was planning to get home just in time to pack and leave for Liberty Baptist College, which I had dreamed of attending since I was 10 years old.

When my parents returned home, my dad said, “I know you have your heart set on going to Liberty, but while we were in New York, we heard about a one-year Bible Institute. You don’t have to go, but I would really like you to consider going there for one year first.”

I dismissed the thought, graduated, and went to Germany. But throughout the summer, I couldn’t get the Bible Institute out of my mind and prayed about what I should do. I decided to honor my father and go there for one year.

I had been involved in music, choir, band, and ministry my whole life, but I did not try out at the Bible Institute because I had no clue what “the Collegians” was. Then, the Collegians performed “Revelation” for the incoming student body. I said, “If that’s what the Collegians are, I want to be a Collegian! Too bad the tryouts are over.”

But my roommate said the choir director was “really nice,” and she said she would ask him if I could try out. Well, as they say, the rest is history. I was part of the Christmas musical and stayed to do tours the next year.

I would call home each week and tell my parents all about the visiting professors and what they were teaching. By the time I returned after the Christmas break, my younger sister, Merrilea, wanted to come for the next year.

After graduation, I went on tour with Word of Life, and that “really nice” music teacher and my friend, Brian Donley, asked me go to the banquet with him. We were married less than two years later and raised our six daughters across the street from the Word of Life Ranch.

Brian had a great love for the Bible Institute and the ministry of his beloved Collegians. We involved the girls any way we could. We wanted them to love the ministry of Word of Life as much as we did.

They knew they had to eat three meals a day, breathe air to live, and attend the Bible Institute when they graduated from high school. Although Brian passed away one month before our oldest daughter’s graduation and did not have his own daughters as Collegians, they all kept our desire for them to attend.

Word of Life Bible Institute is one of the best places for a person to set aside one year of his or her life to dig deep into God’s Word under the ministry of many top-notch Bible teachers. The impact lasts for eternity.

Click here to read about Valerie's daughter, Joanna, Class of 2013.

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Michelle Zaharek

The Bible Institute was always there for me as an option, but being as rebellious as I was, there was no way I ever wanted to end up going. Lucky for me, I decided to do Summer Training Corps on the Island, and during my junior summer, my life completely changed. I rededicated my life to Christ, and during that time, I realized how much God wanted me to go to the Bible Institute. My life needed a major change, so I knew that was where I was meant to go.

I knew I was in for an adventure. God taught me that there are real people in this world who won’t treat you like trash — people who will show you love. I’ve been given such a support group that half the time I’m not sure how to respond to it.

My parents didn’t really influence my decision to come, but they did open the window of opportunity. I’ve always been somewhat of a hopeless romantic, and the fact that my mom met my dad here was the little push I needed to remain patient for a love that could actually last.

FUN FACTS:

• The Zahareks have been involved with Word of Life for three generations. Ruth’s dad would fly Jack Wyrtzen to rallies
• Ruth (mom) and Michelle (daughter) both roomed in South America dorm
• All three Zaharek girls were involved on the Island, and all three were part of the Collegians, though Ruth’s Collegians went on tour.

Click here to read about Michelle's mom, Ruth, Class of 1984.

For more second generation stories, click here.

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.