Homecoming • Founders Conference • Alumni Reunions • Memorial Day

May 23-26, 2014

We anticipate alumni from all over the country joining us in Schroon Lake for Homecoming this spring during Founders Conference on Memorial Day weekend. Speakers for the conference are Don Lough, Jr., Harry Bollback, and our special guest speaker, Dr. Paul Dixon, chancellor of Cedarville University. The featured speaker at our Memorial Day patriotic rally is Lt. Col. and Texas state Sen. Brian Birdwell. Brian was severely injured on 9/11 at the Pentagon.

Activities for the weekend include a reception Friday night after the opening session, a camp tour, a golf outing (Saturday afternoon), family fun time (Sunday afternoon), and the introduction of the Alumnus of the Year. Accommodations are available at the Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge, and meals are available at the Inn and Bible Institute. We look forward to seeing you there!

Two reunions are in the works, but alumni from all years are welcome:

40th Reunion (Class of 1974)
Hosts: Dave Feltz, Joanne Scurlock Feltz, Elizabeth Bollback Nelson
Honored Guest: Dr. John and Janet Master

35th Reunion (Class of 1979)
Host: Daryl Bollinger

Preliminary Schedule:
Friday (May 23), 7 p.m.: General Session (Dr. Paul Dixon)
Saturday (May 24), 9:45 a.m.: General Session (Dr. Paul Dixon)
Saturday (May 24), 11:15 a.m.: General Session (Dr. Paul Dixon)
Saturday (May 24), 7 p.m.: General Session (Harry Bollback)
Sunday (May 25), 9:45 a.m.: General Session (Dr. Paul Dixon)
Sunday (May 25), 11:15 a.m.: General Session (Don Lough, Jr.)
Monday (May 26), 11 a.m.: Memorial Day Concert and Rally (Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell)

Tours: Harry Bollback remembers the beginning.

Word of Life has been involved in a variety of musical groups and dramatic productions over the years, including Tours around the country and Gospel Productions, based at the Florida campus. This year the ministry is moving away from hosting productions solely at the Florida location, and Bible Institute students will instead be touring several cities with a production called Magi.

Don Lough, Jr. and Harry Bollback sat down with Mike Calhoun, executive assistant to the president, to talk about this new time for Word of Life.

Mike: When did the tour idea originally come to you?

Harry: In 1975, Jack Wyrtzen asked me to take a group of Collegians out. He took one group, and I took the other. We called it The Living Christmas Tree. Basically, the students stood on risers and held a string of lights that one of the guys would plug in every once in a while. When I got back, Jack said, “What do you think?” I said, “Jack, it was terrible. Honestly, it doesn’t look like Word of Life — no class.” That’s when Jack said to me, “Why don’t you do something about it?” I said, “I’ve never done anything like this.” 

Mike: That’s when Let Freedom Ring was born, right?

Harry: Yes. I had the advantage in that 1976 was a big year, and the story of Let Freedom Ring was a very patriotic story. Jack traveled with me and did a 10-minute Gospel message at the end. We started out on spring break in 1976. The response was overwhelming. We had taken a giant step of faith. We were in every giant theater you could think of and filled them. We had more than 90,000 people come to see it. There were hundreds of decisions. I decided while I was on that tour to write Ring the Bells.

Mike: How many nights in a row would you tour?

Harry: The full tour would be about 40 days.

Mike: About how many nights were you and Millie on the road?

Harry: I think about 120 days a year.

Mike: Over the course of all your tours — I have heard you talk about the numbers....

Harry: Leander Chute was on the tour with me and would count the tickets every night. He was very precise, so believe me when I tell you that he counted more than two million tickets of those who attended all of our presentations.

Mike: What was the largest audience you ever had?

Harry: I think the largest audience we had was at Madison Square Garden — not in the big Garden, but in the smaller, 7,500-seat auditorium. We did three Christmas programs. We had about 21,000 people that day. We did it just like this: We opened the back door and let everybody out and then would bring them in by a different door.

Mike: Would you do it again?

Harry: Definitely! But remember, I did not do it by myself. I had a great team!

Were you involved in Tours or Gospel Productions in any way? We want your stories and your photos! Send them along to alumni@wol.org or post on our Facebook group. We are hoping to tell many stories from throughout Word of Life’s years of productions in an upcoming issue. Please send your memories, even if you only have a few words to say.

Click here to read what Don Lough Jr. has to say about the new production.
Click here to see when and where Magi will be headed.

Tours: Don Lough, Jr. shares his vision.

Word of Life has been involved in a variety of musical groups and dramatic productions over the years, including Tours around the country and Gospel Productions, based at the Florida campus. This year the ministry is moving away from hosting productions solely at the Florida location, and Bible Institute students will instead be touring several cities with a production called Magi.

Don Lough, Jr. and Harry Bollback sat down with Mike Calhoun, executive assistant to the president, to talk about this new time for Word of Life.

Mike: Tell me about your passion for getting Bible Institute students into churches and communities with the new Christmas presentation Magi.

Don: It is important to me that we build close relationships with churches. As a ministry, Word of Life desires to serve the local church, and I believe this is one of the ways we can assist churches in reaching their communities.

Mike: Is this presentation a tool for evangelism?

Don: Yes. This program will be a great blessing to believers of all ages. However, it will also afford an opportunity for believers to bring friends to a quality Christmas program where they will see and hear a clear Gospel presentation. We are building specific aspects into the program just to keep children engaged. This is a family experience, and it was created with the family in mind.

Mike: I know another goal you have is for us to reconnect with our Bible Institute alumni.

Don: We are serious about reaching out to our alumni and reconnecting with them. We have asked Mike and Amy Bush to oversee this area for us, and they are aggressively reestablishing contact. I want to do more of this as we are on the road with this presentation.

Mike: I understand you have some history with Tours even as a child.

Don: Starting when I was about 10 years old, my father directed the Collegians, and I had the privilege of traveling on Tours such as Ring the Bells and His Truth Goes Marching On. It was an amazing experience to be up close and personal with Bible Institute students and Uncle Harry and Aunt Millie. What a joy it was to see so many come to Christ night after night. The periodic rides in the Chutes' green RV were a bonus!

Mike: Where do you anticipate taking the Christmas presentation?

Don: We will begin this year with one group in New York and New England and another in Florida and Georgia. However, I foresee us covering much of the East Coast and the Midwest as we move forward. Even this year, there will be a second Bible Institute ensemble going to the Midwest during the same timeframe. They will just not be doing the Magi presentation.

Were you involved in Tours or Gospel Productions in any way? We want your stories and your photos! Send them along to alumni@wol.org or post on our Facebook group. We are hoping to tell many stories from throughout Word of Life’s years of productions in an upcoming issue. Please send your memories, even if you only have a few words to say.

Click here to read what Harry Bollback had to say about the beginning of Tours.

Click here to see when and where Magi will be headed.

Missions Conference: Florida.

Thanks to all of you who came to New York last week for the Bible Institute Missions Conference. More than 100 alumni showed up and had a great time connecting with each other as well as hearing about what God is doing around the world.

For those of you who couldn’t make it to snowy New York, you have another chance this week in Hudson, Florida. The Missions Conference there begins this Friday, with the theme “Outspoken,” following Acts 4:20: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

If you can't be with us in person at the Harry Bollback Performing Arts Center, follow a live stream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/word-of-life-bible-institute---florida-campus.

Here’s the schedule for the weekend:

Friday, January 11:
7 p.m.: “Breath of Life” with Rev. Calvin Varlack
9:15 p.m.: Missionary Mixer, Conference Center lobby

Saturday, January 12:
10 a.m.: “Ancient Words” with Rev. Calvin Varlack
7 p.m.: “Never Silent” with Dr. Harry Bollback
9:15 p.m.: Missionary Mixer, Conference Center, with T.T. McGhee

Sunday, January 13:
10 a.m.: “With One Voice” with Rev. Calvin Varlack
7 p.m.: “Outspoken” with Don Lough, Jr.
9:15 p.m.: Prayer Time