connecting Word of Life Bible Institute alumni
VICTORY
Issue 6, Spring 2013
Cover Story:
The Second
Generation
Also inside:
8
9
How You Can Help
Introducing the new
alumni director, Mike Bush
The name “Victory Journal” comes
from Jack Wyrtzen, the Founder of
Word of Life, who used to sign his
letters with the phrase “on the
victory side.”
4200 Glendale Road
Pottersville, NY 12860
1.800.331.9673
wordoflife.edu
Don Lough, Jr.
Chancellor
A Message from the Chancellor
We live in a world where it is unpopular to take a stand for what is right and
true. The message of the cross is considered nonsense to many. As followers
of Jesus Christ, we are often labeled as exclusive, intolerant, and backward.
Faced with this kind of pressure, it might appear attractive at times to simply
take the path of least resistance and to assume a stealth mode.
The Apostle Paul’s declaration in Romans 1:16 jolts us back to the reality of
where we really need to be as Christians: “For I am not ashamed of the
Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” If there was ever a place
for Paul to be timid and ashamed of the Gospel, it was in Rome. Rome was
an arrogant city, a home to every conceivable idol as well as the center
of intellectualism and philosophy. Here was Paul, a tentmaker by trade,
proclaiming a message about a Jewish carpenter named Jesus who died
a criminal’s death on a cross. Regardless, Paul affirms, “I am not ashamed
of the Gospel…”
Where does this kind of confidence come from? Here are a few truths
to consider. First, Paul believed that the Gospel is superior — not some
fairy tale or story fabricated in the mind of man. The Gospel is from God
and is about His Son, Jesus Christ. It is superior to any religious idea or
philosophy. Nothing compares to the Gospel. Second, Paul believed
the Gospel was sufficient. Don’t ever forget that the Gospel does not
contain the power of God. Instead, the Gospel “is the power of God
unto salvation.” Finally, the apostle also knew that the Gospel is simple.
“It is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.”
Many cling to the idea that salvation requires good works or special
requirements. No — the Gospel calls for simple faith and trust in God’s
Son, Jesus Christ, as the One who can save from sin.
Today, God has strategically placed you on this planet not simply to
exist, but to make Him known. Do not ever be ashamed to share the
Good News about Jesus Christ.
Chancellor: Don Lough, Jr.
Executive Dean: Mark Strout
Alumni Director: Mike Bush
“Holding forth
the Word of life.”
Philippians 2:16
The Victory Journal
Is Now Online
Visit us at wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com
to find everything you see inside the
pages of the Victory Journal. We’ll keep
the site updated with photos, testimonies,
features, and columns by alumni and for
alumni. You can also comment on articles
and submit ideas for new pieces.
We want to get as many alumni as possible
following our Facebook page. Can you
help us reach our goal? Follow us at
www.wordoflife.edu/alumnifb, and spread
the word among other alumni you know.
VICTORY JOURNAL
Just as the Bible Institute provided a place
for you to learn about God, to grow
in your spiritual walk, and to connect
with other Christians in true community,
we want the Victory Journal to be a
place where you can continue that
journey. We want to build a community
where you can find longtime friends,
share testimonies of what God has
been doing, encourage others with
your stories of change, and learn how
you, too, can still be involved with the
community and mission of Word of Life.
Be part of the Victory Journal
We want to hear from you! What is
God doing in your life? How has He
led, helped, or comforted you, even
in small ways, since your time at the
Bible Institute? If you have a story to
share, email us at [email protected].
Whether you have a testimony to give,
a story tip to pass on, or would like
to hear more about a part of Word
of Life, we are here to help. We want
to see you in the Victory Journal!
What we’re looking for
The Victory Journal features all kinds
of stories about Bible Institute alumni,
whether you have short pieces of
alumni news or ideas for longer
articles. Let us know if there’s something
or someone you’d like to see. Fill us
in on people or opportunities involved
with alumni or Word of Life. And
finally, tell us about yourself! If you
have a testimony, remember when,
ministry update, or feature article
idea, please send it our way.
the
4 From
Editor
with
7 Q&A
Gary Ingersoll
8
How You
Can Help
9 Introducing
Mike Bush
10
Cover Story:
The Second Generation
Are you trying to connect
with other alumni?
Look for:
Word of Life Bible Institute Alumni
Ideas? Suggestions? Contributions?
Connect with Victory Journal:
For reprints, back issues, and other
information, please contact us at:
[email protected] or 518.494.6000
© Copyright 2013 — Word of Life Fellowship.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means
without written permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Inc.
To obtain permission, e-mail us at [email protected].
2
Mission Statement
CONTENTS
The Victory Journal is a
publication of the Word
of Life Bible Institute.
The Victory Journal will not only tell you
stories about other alumni but will also
help you connect with them. Periodically,
we will let you know about different
ways you can find old friends or
classmates through events at Word of
Life or perhaps in local church ministries
around the country. But there’s also
a place where you can always go
when looking for fellow Bible Institute
graduates. Contact [email protected]
or visit our Facebook group to connect
with other alumni right now.
EVERY ISSUE
5 Refresh
17 Campus Update/
Staff News
18 Alumni News
19 Events
VICTORY JOURNAL
3
4
VICTORY JOURNAL
Camp, and supervising the
bakery at the Word of Life
Inn during the summer. It’s
about what happens when
an intense year becomes
a life of knowing God
and spreading His Truth.
The message of the Bible
Institute, of Word of Life, of Jesus
Christ, is spread throughout
the world in so many ways by
those who are the alumni of the
Word of Life Bible Institute.
We want to make the Victory
Journal something that ministers to
those people — that tells their stories.
I hope you’re encouraged to know a
Bible Institute graduate is bumbling
her way around Boston, sharing
Jesus, and I want to be encouraged
by hearing what you are doing now.
We want the Victory Journal to be
a continuing dialogue of what we
learned at the Bible Institute but also
a place to share with each other
what God has done since then.
So, send us your stories. Share
your memories. Tell us what you
like and don’t like about the Victory
Journal (or our online blog), and
how it could be better for you.
This isn’t about the Bible Institute
or Word of Life — it’s about how
God changes lives through the Bible
Institute and Word of Life, and that
means we want to hear from you.
We have big plans for the
Victory Journal. We’ve come a long
way, but we’re still trying to expand
and do a better job of serving
you. Please send us your ideas
and stories via [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]
or [email protected]. We will
keep you updated on what we’re
doing within these pages and online.
And you know, this column
might not be such a bad idea if
you send us plenty of your stories
to talk about in each issue.
—Jen Slothower
EDITOR
ever been to create a template of
what every graduate should look
like? When you devote a program
to pushing its students deeper and
deeper inside the Word, should you
be surprised when some of them
find Jesus Christ in the deepest of
ways and then want to take Him
to places where no one speaks
His name, from Fenway Park to
Boylston Street to Harvard Square?
My professional life right now
consists of me keeping the jobs I
can get as journalism melts around
me. But my personal life is exactly
what I have prayed it will be since
I first discovered the idea of a life
consumed by God (Colossians 3)
at the Bible Institute. I now aim to
walk with God, and then to carry
the only true hope I’ve ever found to
the people I see in everyday life.
The Bible Institute is billed as
“a great place to start.” And it
is just that — a start. For all that
people love about their Bible
Institute years and what happened
there, the true glory belongs to the
years after, and how God takes
a short time of immersive Bible
training and turns it into incredible
changed lives all over the world.
I live in Cambridge. You live in
Lynchburg, Virginia; Hudson, Florida;
Chicago; California; Brazil. I write
sports. You sell insurance and help
in your youth group. You teach
and volunteer. You raise your kids
or devote your life to missions.
I rarely set foot on a Bible
Institute campus, but I know why
God has me using my journalism
experience to make this magazine
happen. The Bible Institute isn’t just
about Open Air Evangelism, Snow
Refresh.
A
FROM THE
lumni Director
Emeritus Wayne
Lewis seems
to think you all
will enjoy getting a column
from me, the editor, in
every Victory Journal (and
a photo of myself, at some point).
So here we go.
The reason I shied away from
putting my name all over this
magazine in the past is mostly that
I think my part shouldn’t matter.
If you are reading and enjoying
what we are sending you, you’ll be
reading and enjoying it, and the
person putting it together is of no
consequence. (And if the opposite
is true, then we just have to work
harder.) But as we change this
Victory Journal and aim to make it
something that not only blesses the
alumni population but also accurately
reflects you, my role in the Victory
Journal’s development might be
more important than I realized.
First, understand that I am not a
staff member at Word of Life. While I
am an alumnus, I live in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, down near Memorial
Drive, where you can look across
the Charles River black like glass
and see Boston, a city that has so
much hope, promise, and intellect
but is really as lost as this world
has ever been. I have degrees in
journalism and have done everything
from designing the front page of a
newspaper each night to covering
the Celtics at the Garden to editing
Sunday School lessons for teenagers.
Right now, I am a diehard Yankees
fan who writes baseball, football,
basketball, and hockey stories for a
Boston-based national sports website.
So, why am I editing the
Victory Journal?
Well, why not? Think about this:
When has the Bible Institute ever
been about spitting out cookie-cutter
Christians? Has Word of Life’s goal
Plenty of things in life can drag
us down. That’s why we need to
remember the truth behind what
we already know about “joy.”
by Steve nicholes
W
hen I transferred from the Bible
Institute to college, I was put
in a dorm where students who
decided to enroll at the last
minute were housed. It was a
bad scene and, to be honest, I hated my situation.
I had just come from the Bible Institute, where
I was a big fish in a small pond. At the new
school, hardly anybody knew me. I remember
one of my Bible Institute friends coming up to me
one day and saying, “Steve, I used to think you
were really important...”
Every time I went into my dorm, I got depressed.
That was a first for me. I was a pretty positive guy.
I started asking God “Why?” The more I thought
about it, the more depressed I became. It was like
I was in this hole, and I was going down, and I
didn’t know how to get out.
Finally, one day, in the middle of my depression,
I remembered a song from when I was a little kid.
Jesus and others and you — what a wonderful
way to spell ‘joy,’
Jesus and others and you in the heart of each girl
and each boy.
J is for Jesus, for He has first place,
O is for others we meet face to face.
Y is for you in whatever you do,
So put yourself last and spell joy.
I knew that a lot of Scripture verses talk about this
idea. “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).
“He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). “Let
each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians
2:3). And the greatest commands in Scripture are to
(1) love God with all your heart and (2) love your
neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).
I believed these things were true, but I didn’t know
how they would bring joy. I was desperate in my
black hole, though. I prayed, “God, help me,” and
He gave me the idea to get together with some other
Bible Institute alumni who were at the school. One
Steve Nicholes, Class of 1981, is the director
of Word of Life Northeast Asia. He now
leads the campus in Jeju, South Korea, with
his wife Rhonda, Class of 1985, by his side.
of them lived off-campus, so I asked if we could buy
the stuff to make chocolate chip and peanut butter
cookies and make them at his home.
After that, we took the cookies to a nursing home
and began to go room to room. I took my cookies
into the first room. The lady sitting there was so
surprised to have a visitor. She began telling me her
story. She told me that her kids never came to visit
her. Over and over, she kept saying, “Thank you for
taking time to come and be with me.” The next room
was a similar story — and the next and the next.
By the time I stepped back onto campus, my
whole mindset had changed. I had finally stopped
looking at myself and had begun looking at those
around me who were hurting.
The path out of my hole really was Jesus first, others
second, and myself last.
If we really love Jesus and put Him first, then we
can enjoy time with Him even if we are on a desert
road without anyone else. Then, putting others second
makes us stop focusing on ourselves. I can say that I
have never again been depressed like that in my life.
The new focus changed my life and my perspective.
I don’t know where this article finds you, but as I
watch world news from Jeju Island in South Korea,
there are so many things that can drag us down. I
hope that this simple but timeless principle will help
you as it did me. Lift your eyes up to the Lord first, and
then look around to others who are worse off than
you and lend a helping hand. I firmly believe it won’t
be long before you will gain victory over whatever is
trying to drag you down.
“Jesus and others and you — what a wonderful
way to spell ‘joy.’ ”
VICTORY JOURNAL
5
GET TO KNOW
Gary Ingersoll
David L. Duma, Class of 1979
F
or many years, I could not stand to be around
Christians. I hated to see those smiling faces. I
just knew they couldn’t be happy all the time.
My childhood was unhappy. My mom and
dad divorced when I was 6 years old. I remember them
always fighting, and my mom crying at night after the
police escorted my dad out of the house. My mom and us
three children were left in a farmhouse with no heat and a
bank repo letter on the door, telling us to move.
The Christians I knew were counterfeit. They smiled
but never helped, even after my dad left. Instead, my
grandpa and grandma took us in. Mom got a decent job
as a secretary in a factory, and my brother and I got jobs
as kids to pay our own way. I delivered newspapers. When
I was 12, I started washing dishes in a restaurant and
cleaned a slaughterhouse.
Getting into the working world introduced me to
different people, and I made new friends who were not
good for me. The Bible says bad company corrupts good
manners, and it’s true. I was a good boy who went bad —
fast. I finally had plenty of money, but having everything
money could buy didn’t keep me from being miserable.
Still, I knew some people who didn’t have much
materially but always had smiling faces and seemed
genuinely happy. They seemed to like me and never judged
me, and I was comfortable around them for some reason.
All these people wanted to do was to help me, and I
began to think that they may be right when they told me
I just needed Christ. Before, there was no way I thought
Jesus could be the answer because everything associated
with God and Christianity had been so bad in my life. But
these people planted the seed that got me thinking that
Christ could be what I needed as my life sank further into
the sin issues I was dealing with.
After battling sin and thinking about where my life
was headed, one night it all finally came together. I knew
I needed to come to Christ.
After a series of events, on June 14, 1977, at 11:30
p.m., I knelt on a sidewalk in Akron, Ohio and asked
Jesus to forgive me and take control of my life. I was 21
years old. On that night, 2 Corinthians 5:17 became real:
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things
are passed away: Behold, all things are become new.”
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VICTORY JOURNAL
Starting that night, God changed all my desires. I
became one of those smiling face people.
I loved to go to church, something I never did before.
I loved to fellowship with believers and study God’s Word.
A year later, my pastor told me about Word of Life Bible
Institute, and I decided I wanted a deeper walk with the
Lord. I wanted to get grounded, and God led me to join
the Class of 1979.
I never pre-registered for the Bible Institute. My pastor
told me that if God was leading me, Word of Life wouldn’t
send me home. My Bible study small group at home had a
going-away party for me and handed me an envelope with
enough cash to pay my way. I knew God’s hand was on me.
I drove 533 miles in a junk car with no heat to get to
the Bible Institute, and I was so happy. I showed up the
day before class — campfire night.
That year, I got grounded in God’s Word, and 34 years
later, I still have my verses down. They stay with you, and
you’ll always use them.
I met the love of my life when working in the dish pit at
the Bible Institute — Beverly Garber, now Beverly Duma.
We’ve been married 32 years and have five sons, three
daughters, and seven grandchildren. Three of our kids —
David, Bryan, and Sarah — are Bible Institute graduates,
and two sons, Daniel and Michael, are attending right now.
As for Beverly and me, we are stewards of a family
business in Ohio. That is our ministry. We are called
to support the Lord’s work and meet the needs of our
employees. I also serve as a Sunday School teacher and
elder at Maranatha Bible Church.
You cannot know the will of God unless you know the
Word of God. God’s will is in His Word.
It was God’s Word that has shaped my life to where it
is now, and it is God’s Word that can change your life, too.
Certain teachers seem as as much a part of the Bible Institute as Scripture
memory or chapter titles. But few have always been at Word of Life...or
even in ministry. The Florida campus has a former titan of industry (well,
close enough) as one of its resident professors — a man whose Bible
training went well beyond book studies.
Tell us how you ended up at the Bible Institute in Florida.
I came 3,200 miles, from the other corner of the country, to
the Bible Institute in Florida as a “job transfer” in 1997. I had
been a Word of Life missionary with Local Church Ministries
in Washington state for 12 years. The opportunity to be a
professor at the Bible Institute does not often present itself (after
15 years, I am still the newest professor at the U.S. campuses),
so when I heard an extension campus was opening in Florida,
I began asking about transferring.
How did you get into teaching the Bible?
Educationally, my story begins in 1970, when I was in the
second year of a five-year program to become an engineer at
General Motors Institute (now called Kettering University, in Flint,
Michigan). It was then that I asked Jesus to be my Savior through
the ministry at the nearby Riverdale Baptist Church. I earned
my engineering degree in 1974, took an educational leave of
absence from General Motors (I worked in things like “car crash
testing”), and enrolled at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary.
After a recession caused me to lose an associate pastor
position, I returned to seminary and then took an associate
pastorship at Bethany Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington.
What on earth took you from crash-testing cars to teaching
the Bible? What did God do in your life?
Well, I got saved in my second year of the engineering
program back when General Motors was the largest company
in the world. By that point, I had been around Christian friends
for some three years — first in high school and then again in
college. I knew they had an inner joy, peace, and purpose I
lacked in my life.
I also came to understand before I was saved that to
become a Christian meant that I must change my focus in
life. I had natural abilities as an engineer, so I thought I could
pursue that career, make a lot of money, and, of course, live
happily ever after. Yet I was a “seeker” of the truth about Jesus,
and I believe the Lord showed me the way, calling me not only
to salvation but also to a greater purpose in life than I had up
to that point.
After I was saved, I had several long conversations with
influential older Christians like my college calculus professor,
Dr. Bolander. He and others helped me see how I could
become a true disciple of my Lord Jesus. He encouraged me to
finish my engineering degree and to get involved in my local
church. I worked with the teen program, which was involved
with Word of Life, and began to help out at some evangelistic
activities in our area.
I began teaching in the church on a regular basis. So,
20 years before I became a professor at the Bible Institute,
I was teaching doctrinal studies to teens at my church each
week. Little did I know that the Lord was going to use all of it
as preparation to continue my work with young people at the
Bible Institute.
What makes Word of Life unique, and why did you want to
stick around?
My wife, Fran, and I first chose to come on staff with Word of
Life and, from time to time over the past 27 years, have chosen
to remain with Word of Life instead of moving on to some other
ministry based upon one primary observation: Word of Life
continues to afford the two of us a greater opportunity of service
for our Savior, Jesus Christ, than anything else into which we
could be investing our lives! We could be involved elsewhere,
make more money, and perhaps gain greater fame or a more
impressive title. Yet we have chosen to invest in the lives of the
120-plus young people that each year become our students. It
is our goal to help them grow in their walks with the Lord as we
pastor them like a “one-year youth group.” They truly become
“our young people,” whom we love!
Hear more from Gary online at
wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com.
VICTORY JOURNAL
7
Jordan Bush (Class of ’07 and ’08), Jairus Bush, Sara Ray Bush (Class
of ’07), Evangeline Bush, Stefanie Paun Bush (Class of ’09 and ’10),
Kyle Bush (Class of ’09 and ’10), Amy Slusher Bush (Class of ’83),
Mike Bush (Class of ’81), Jocelyn Shelly, soon to be Bush (Class of
’11 and ’12), Brennan Bush (Class of ’11 and ’12)
The National Volunteer Program is an opportunity for people to use
their gifts and abilities to help with the ministry needs of Word of Life
New York. The purpose of the program is to assist our staff in creating
and maintaining an environment in which students can be trained and
equipped for future ministry, our guests can be refreshed in God’s Word,
and the Gospel can be clearly proclaimed.
Many alumni ask us how
they can help Word of
Life at the Bible Institute or
around the world. Here is
one of the biggest ways
you can get involved.
The program hosted more than 650 volunteers in 2012, including people
who came on their own, couples and families, retirees, youth groups, and
church groups. You don’t have to be a professional or highly skilled to
volunteer. Although some of our volunteers are trained in a craft, many
know just the basics or are willing to simply do whatever needs to be done.
Projects involve carpentry, clerical work, electrical jobs, general labor,
health care, housekeeping, heating and air conditioning repair, computers
and technology, kitchen work, landscaping, lawn care, maintenance work,
masonry, mechanics, painting, and much more.
During Memorial Day weekend last year, the program hosted 300
volunteers. They helped prepare New York for summer camp and the
conference season. The volunteers accomplished much and were also able
to enjoy our facilities and participate in the special Memorial Day service
at the Bible Institute. Alumni who are interested in helping this Memorial
Day weekend will be able to enjoy Word of Life’s Homecoming weekend.
Some of the major upcoming projects in the first half of 2013 are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
All camps: Cleanup and landscaping; volunteers and counselors
for camping season
Family Campground: Build a pavilion for the youth program
Inn: Remodel STC housing, upgrade roofing
Island: Finish building the beach/dome bathhouse, remodel
bathrooms, replace decks
Ranch: Remodel cabins
Bible Institute: Remodel dorms
We are indebted to the services of our volunteers. The support they provide
cannot be measured.
The National Volunteer Program is a labor of love. Please ask the Lord how
He will allow you to be used as a volunteer with Word of Life in 2013.
For more information, check out volunteers.wol.org or email us at
[email protected]. You can also call David McClain, our program coordinator,
at 518-494-6369.
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VICTORY JOURNAL
A message from the new alumni director
Mike Bush
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 ramping up
our alumni connections, and now I’m coming on board to
help as the new alumni director. Wayne will continue as
“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 (see page 19 for dates).
We will spend the winter season at Word of Life Florida
hosting the conference guests and RV park residents as
well as leading Bible hours and planning activities. Time
will also be spent visiting alumni and planning reunions in
the Southeast. We will return to Schroon Lake in April and
spend much of the spring, summer, and fall connecting
with alumni and friends in the ministry at the Bible Institute,
the Inn, and the Family Campground.
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).
VICTORY JOURNAL
9
the
2nd
generation
“His mercy
extends
to those
who fear
Him, from
generation to
generation.”
(Luke 1:50)
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VICTORY JOURNAL
The Bible is filled with generations.
Hidden within the many genealogies and stories of parents and children is a
two-fold purpose. People are called not only to follow God’s direction for their
lives but also to pass on the Truth they learn to those who come behind them.
Abraham was given a promise, and Isaac and Jacob carried it until the nation
of Israel formed. David was told by God that he was just generations away
from seeing a Savior come from his line. The Israelites, for years and years,
watched their children grow up among them, taking God’s promises into the
next wave of life.
In the Bible, one generation is measured as 40 years. That same time frame —
40 years — also marked momentous eras in Jewish history, most notably the
wandering in the desert, when an entire generation died away after dismissing
God’s hope for entering a new land.
The lesson to be learned is that one generation can fail to continue what
has come before — or one generation can turn away from unbelief and forge
ahead by God’s leading.
But the best stories of generations in the Bible are those of blessing, where
parents train their children according to sound teaching. One generation rises
up to follow God, and their children rise up as well.
Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Word of Life Bible Institute’s
founding, meaning the school is officially in its second generation. For years,
parents have been sending their children to Schroon Lake, Hudson, Owen
Sound, or now Jeju Island. But in recent years, many of those parents aren’t
just sending their kids to a school they heard was great. They are pointing
their children to the campuses that once changed their own lives.
We’ve rounded up a few students attending the Bible Institute this year who
have parents who are alumni — as well as some of the alumni who encouraged
their children to go to Word of Life — and asked them to describe why they
made the choice to come to the Bible Institute and what it has meant to them.
Not surprisingly, many of the alumni whose children are now studying in the
same system that began 40 years ago have fond memories of when they first
came, and they can affirm why they wanted their children to follow.
These are just a few of their stories. We would love to tell more, and to hear
from any alumni about their experiences at the Bible Institute and beyond.
But, most of all, we want to celebrate a new generation following Christ, as
the generation before, which pursued truth and God’s guidance. May we all see
another fruitful 40 years.
VICTORY JOURNAL
11
Ruth (Nazarian)
Zaharek
84
Class of 19
Word of Life has
had a huge impact
on my life. When I was a teenager, a couple
of counselors on the Island convinced me I
needed a year at the Bible Institute, and they
were so right! I had no clear direction and
needed discipline. During my year there, I met
my husband, and we’ve been married 27 years.
Once my husband and I had children, I
wanted them to experience Word of Life camps.
Even though we lived 11 hours away, God made
it possible. Each year my children went was a
life-changing experience. My oldest daughter,
Kristyna, decided that the Bible Institute was
where she needed to go, and we were thrilled.
Now my second daughter, Michelle, is there,
and it’s been an amazing year so far. My son
is hoping to work at Word of Life this summer,
too. So each of us has been impacted by this
fantastic place! I just can’t imagine where I’d be
without the influence of Word of Life.
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 STC 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, although Ruth’s
Collegians went on tour.
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VICTORY JOURNAL
Class of 1988
John and
Kimberly
(Neve)
Lingelbach
Little did we know that a short conversation after lunch on a dreary
October afternoon in Pottersville, New York, would forever change
our lives.
We had both come to the Word of Life Bible Institute from similar
backgrounds and for the same purpose. We had both grown up in
Christian homes, but as we came to the end of our time in high school,
we were weary of nominal Christianity. Our relationships with God were
fractured by compromise and disobedience. Tired of “churchianity,” we
were starving for God’s truth and came to the Bible Institute to find it — not
in the teachings of men, but in the pages of Scripture. Just “good enough”
was no longer good enough — we wanted to live for more.
During that introductory conversation after lunch, we became instant
friends, and within two months, we were dating. After graduating from
the Bible Institute, we knew we wanted to be together for the rest of
our lives, so we married in 1989, determined to put God at the center
of our relationship and implement the principles we had learned at the
Bible Institute.
Fast forward through 23 years of marriage, three children, and a career
as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. We have seen God’s faithfulness all
along despite our shortcomings. Time and time again we hearken back to
what we learned 25 years ago at the Bible Institute, and those principles
remain applicable today, perhaps more than ever before.
Because we saw what God had done for us, and because we believe
so strongly in what God is doing at and through Word of Life, we insisted
that all of our children attend the Bible Institute before starting their own
families and careers. Consequently, each of our children has attended
the Bible Institute, and currently our
youngest daughter, Taylor, attends
the Florida campus.
No, little did we know that a short
conversation after lunch on a dreary
October afternoon in Pottersville,
New York, would forever change
our lives. But at the time, we
also lacked an understanding
of how God is at work through
the ministry of Word of Life
Bible Institute. When we first
left after graduation, we were
inexperienced at life, but we
believed that if we would
follow God’s Word, He would
do amazing things through
us. He has. And after all
these years we are even more
excited about what He has yet
to do. We still believe.
Debbie
(Baker) Hobbs
I attended Word of Life
Bible Institute in 1985 on a
recommendation from my father
to know the Word of God in
depth. As many graduates say,
it was the best year of my life. I
gained friendships, was trained
for ministry, studied the Bible,
acquired godly mentors, and
learned where God was leading my life. I was also blessed to meet my husband at
Word of Life, which I was not expecting. I can also see from life experience how
the Lord used that year to help me have a bolder witness in reaching out to others.
Our three children all agreed to attend the Bible Institute before beginning their
careers. This was a blessing to our hearts, as we well knew the impact it would
have on their lives.
In 2006, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and we endured the anguish
of this disease for four and a half years. He went home to be with his Savior June
12, 2011. Our Word of Life foundation kept us always trusting, remaining strong,
and staying steady in this path of suffering God chose for us. Mike’s testimony was a
bold witness to everyone he met, but most of all, God’s Word comforted our hearts
throughout the journey. Our children were strengthened to see the faith of their father
and how his love for his Lord never wavered.
To God be the glory for His working in our lives, and we are
grateful to Word of Life for its ministry to many. It is far-reaching,
and we will know in eternal celebrations the impact we have had
on others.
Class o
f 1985
first year, Florida
Taylor
Lingelbach
I learned about the Bible
Institute at a very young age,
considering my parents met
each other there. They wanted
me to come for at least one year
to have a firm foundation in the
Word of God before diving into
a secular university. Since I’ve
been at the Bible Institute, I’ve
started realizing that every little
thing we do is part of God’s
plan. He knows what is best
for us, and we should trust Him
more than anything or anyone.
By the time I graduate next
year, I hope God will set out the
direction He wants me to go. I
will be attending the University
of South Florida, and with the
Biblical foundation that I will be
gaining here, I plan on living for
God in all things, especially in a
non-Christian environment.
Julie Ann Hobbs
My parents gleaned so much
knowledge from the Word and gained such
an intimate relationship with
the Lord at the Bible Institute
that they made attending a
mandatory suggestion for us
three kids. I loved the idea
of gaining a strong Biblical
foundation before going to
college to live among people
who were searching for answers, so I gladly
accepted my parents’ wishes to come.
After this year, I plan to attend
Liberty University to study nursing.
I hope God will use this year and my
ministry experiences to help the sick and
injured I will be working with in hospitals.
That way, I can share my love, hope, and
joy for Christ when people are at their
lowest points.
VICTORY JOURNAL
13
983
f1
Class o
Valerie J. (Shrack) 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.”
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VICTORY JOURNAL
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 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.
first year, Jeju
Joanna Donley
When I was born, I was destined to
come to the Bible Institute because I was
a staff kid.
I remember being in fifth grade and
having to diagram sentences, and I didn’t
like it. So, when Bible Institute students
would come to my house and diagram
verses, I thought, “I do not want to go to
the Bible Institute and diagram verses!”
But I got over that. I wanted a Biblical
education before going to a secular
school so I would have a solid foundation.
And I really wanted to come because my
dad really wanted me to.
I always wanted to go to the Bible
Institute in Brazil or Hungary, where
they teach in English, but I heard about
Jeju in a newsletter, and it sounded
different. It was in Korea, and on an
island, and the community (of students
and staff) was smaller.
One major thing I’m learning is to run
the race set before you. God has called us
to run a race, and we need to be trained
and equipped to do that. People who
run marathons train for years and years,
and people who are in the Olympics train
their whole lives. God told us to run our
race, and I just need to stay focused and
remember that this year is training for the
rest of my life. What I learn here will affect
the course of my life, and I need to run
and not give up.
I love it here. It has exceeded all of my
expectations. I was really nervous because
I thought everyone would be Korean and I
am American, but it has worked out well.
The first reason I decided to go
to the Bible Institute was that my
mom had decided before I was
born that I was coming. She loved
it, and it was great for her to get
a firm foundation in the Bible before
going out into the world.
I also thought it was a good idea to
go to Word of Life because I’ve had a
sheltered missionary kid life. (Jay has been
in India for the past 12½ years.) I wanted
to get a foundation and get closer to God
before going to scary America, which is
just really different than what I’m used to.
Right before I left for the Bible Institute
in Jeju, my mom asked me if I was going
because she wanted me to or because
God wanted me to, and I definitely felt
that God wanted me to come.
I chose Jeju because I love Asia and
I love Korea. I have so many amazing
Korean friends. And I saw it as an
opportunity to travel more with the trip
to Israel that the school takes. I’m really
looking forward to that.
The main thing that God is teaching
me about now is relationships with
other people and to have an authentic
relationship with Him and how these
two areas affect each other. Here, we
are always together. We are in classes
together; we are living together. We see
how we really, truly are. People can say to
me, ‘You probably need to work on this.’
I can see how people handle situations
and watch and learn from that.
The Bible Institute is awesome. I’m so
glad I came. I was scared of D points
when I came, but once you’re here, it’s just
fun. I’m so glad my mom told me about the
Bible Institute and influenced my decision.
(Jay’s older sister, Maria, also
graduated from the Bible Institute in Jeju
in August and influenced his decision to
come.) Maria couldn’t stop talking about
what she was learning, the community,
the teachers. That had a huge part in my
coming here. I was psyched to learn more
about God.
Class of 1987/2012
Anne (Halbert) Wieder
I was a fairly new believer and a recent high school graduate when a godly
Christian family told me about Word of Life Bible Institute. I had very little knowledge
about the Bible and was convicted that I needed to know more and learn how to
apply God’s Word to daily living.
Life at the Bible Institute was so different than anything I had ever experienced.
As I look back over the past 25 years, I am so thankful that God led me there. I
learned so much through the daily studies and disciplines as well as the invaluable
experience of traveling with the Collegians. To this day, I still remember many of the
lessons the professors taught us, and I am thankful for the godly staff.
I have been married to my best friend for the past 20 years and have three amazing
children. As our oldest son heard my
husband and I talking about our experiences
at Word of Life (my husband was a camper
on the Island), he began asking questions.
God soon made it very clear that the Bible
Institute was the place for him.
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VICTORY JOURNAL
15
Kimberly Easton
It was not until I took my daughter to
the Bible Institute in Florida this fall that
I realized Word of Life’s impact on my
entire life.
Like my daughter, I was active in Teens
Involved. My desire was only to sing, but
God had a much different plan for my
life. I really wanted to win the national
competition for singing, but I ended up
winning in Bible storytelling. It was then
that God tapped me to be a storyteller,
and I have been telling stories ever since.
I went to the Bible Institute in New
York then transferred to Liberty University,
where I studied telecommunications and
journalism. I have since worked as a
news reporter and anchor in Lynchburg,
Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
While attending Liberty University,
I met Andre, my future husband and
Lake’s father. I remember how excited
he was to meet someone who attended
the Bible Institute and how he had heard
we knew everything there was to know
about the Bible. Word of Life has such
an impressive reputation.
I fondly remember our dating days
and how Andre would call me “Lake,”
referring to me being from the Bible
Institute in Schroon Lake. Andre would
call me “Lake” so much that people would
compliment me and say my name was
unique. I would respond, “Kimberly is a
Class of 1984
common name.” They would say, “No
— I mean ‘Lake.’ Isn’t that your name?”
After Andre and I got married and
found out we were having a girl, we
named her “Lake.”
Now, I must admit it did not take
long for Andre to realize I did not know
everything there was to know about the
Bible. What ended up impacting me the
most were the life skills I acquired while
attending Word of Life.
The discipline of reading my Bible and
praying every day, scheduling my day
and ministering to others were skills that
helped propel me to success in life.
Unfortunately, my marriage dissolved,
but God’s presence remains in all of our
lives. My journey with Christ has come
with unexpected challenges, but I have
always been assured of one thing: Christ
is my all in all.
Now, to see God send my daughter
Lake to Word of Life is amazing. God
really does design our paths. I am so
excited to see the plans He has in store
for her and others who have the privilege,
as I did, to attend the Bible Institute.
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.
Kimberly Grocott
first year, New York
Both of my parents went to the Bible Institute, and they played a big part
in my decision to come. They were constantly telling me how the Bible
Institute helped them develop a deeper relationship with God. My dad
said that setting aside one year to focus on building a better relationship
with God would be well worth it and would change my life. Today, I
am so thankful for the love they have for Christ, and that they strongly
encouraged me to come to Word of Life. I have learned so much about
God’s unconditional love, His forgiveness, the need to trust fully in Him,
and the importance of being in His Word every day.
Class of 1986
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VICTORY JOURNAL
If you want to share the story of where your life has gone since
the Bible Institute, email [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], or [email protected]. You can also visit
wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com. Campus
Update
What were your apprehensions going into Open Air Evangelism?
I was scared of going and sharing my faith because I feared that I would look
stupid or crazy or something to that effect.
What opportunities did you have to share Christ?
I had many opportunities to share Christ and what He has done for my life with
a few different people from what seemed like all walks of life. I had the chance
to do a sketch board, which is basically street-preaching of the Gospel, and to
have personal contact with complete strangers on the streets of one of Canada’s
neediest cities: Hamilton, Ontario. I just hope God used those conversations to
speak to those people’s lives and help them examine themselves and see that they
need Christ.
How did God work in your own heart during OAE week?
God not only worked on my fear but also on how I should be viewing the people that
I am sharing the Gospel with. I am trying to show them a God Who loves them and
wishes that none should perish. We have broken His law and His commandments,
but we can’t fix that by ourselves — we need Christ to pay for our sins.
How has this changed your life?
A member of the staff played a sermon on CD on the way to ministry our second day,
and this made a huge impact on my life and witness! I realized my responsibility to
share truth with people. I would like to say that all the apprehension of witnessing
for Christ is gone, but I know it’s not. Hopefully in my time away from school I will
have the opportunity to share with friends and family the hope that I have — hope
in Christ.
Lucas Prosper (Wyoming, Ontario)
• first year, Owen Sound campus
• Open Air Evangelism ministry
staff news
In May 2013, Tom and Fay Phillips will
be moving into a new role with Word of
Life and relocating to the Schroon Lake
area. Tom will serve in an advisory role
to the ministry in Florida and will travel
with Bible Institute music teams from the
New York and Florida campuses. He
will also continue as the camp director
at Word of Life Island and Snow Camp.
Rich Andrews will become the new
director of Word of Life Florida. Rich
has been actively involved in the Florida
ministry for the past 13 years, directing the
youth camp, overseeing the Bible Institute
Ministries Department, and taking many
leading roles in the Gospel Productions
presentations. Rich will be reporting
directly to Mark Strout, executive dean of
the Bible Institute.
VICTORY JOURNAL
17
70s
Wilfredo Bobe (’74) is an interim
pastor at Granite Baptist Church in Milford,
New Hampshire. His daughter graduated
from the Bible Institute in 2012.
Debbie Sanville Fanus (’79) is a
special education teacher and teaches
junior church. She encourages everyone to
reconnect at Homecoming on Memorial
Day weekend at the Bible Institute campus
in New York. It’s a great opportunity!
80s
AlumnI NEWS alumni@ wol.org
2010s
John Walker (’82) is involved in
a Jamaican ministry. He would like to
encourage everyone to keep serving,
keep giving, and never give up.
Rosario (Baez) Farese (’84) and
her husband have a vending business.
They are involved in a ministry that
shares the Gospel with people in a drug
program and in a church Bible study.
90s
Victoria (Mahairas) Sotelo (’93)
and her husband pastor at Inwood Church
in New York City. She studied marriage
and family therapy in graduate school.
She encourages everyone to look up the
New York Gospel Outreach in New
York and to come and visit anytime!
Michele (Lockwood) (’99) Robert
Columbine (’98) are missionaries
with World Venture in Senegal, West
Africa. Michele would like to share
that God's grace is sufficient.
00s
Kelly Smith (’01, ’03) has been
involved in drama and puppets with
Word of Life Teens Involved. He married
Kimberly Nolan last year, and they are
planning on going to SYME (School of
Youth Ministries in English) in Japan.
Christopher Schmucker, 39, of Paramus,
New Jersey, went home to be with the Lord
on January 9. Chris was a Bible Institute
student in New York in fall 1999 and is
the son of Rev. John and Royce Schmucker
of Paramus Bible Church. He is also
survived by his brothers Paul, Marc, and
Jeffrey. Chris was in the National Guard.
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VICTORY JOURNAL
Jeremy Biesecker (’08, ’09) is trying
to establish a full-time Gospel illusion ministry.
He says that becoming a Word of Life student
was one of the best decisions he ever made.
Rachel Williams (’11) is majoring in
psychology and hopes to graduate next
year and help with a church plant back
home in Connecticut. She helps with youth
ministries in Connecticut and Ohio.
Nathan Tse (’12) is studying media
and helping with tech needs at a local
church. He encourages all alumni to
keep up relationships with people! He
still keeps in contact with some people
he knows from Word of Life and says
that has been very encouraging and has
pushed him forward in his walk with God.
A Family of Bible Institute Students
—Shirley Richards
Renee (Hince) Kern recently shared the heritage and legacy of service for the Lord
and our country that her family experienced through Word of Life. She wrote, “All
of our children have come to personal relationships with God. We are so thankful
to participate in deliberate parenting and to use the base that was established as
children and expounded upon at the Bible Institute to encourage further commitment
to God within our children. Our legacy is truly serving God in an active and
deliberate manner.”
Hallard A. Hince (her dad) and his family of five came to the Bible Institute from
Minnesota in September 1974. He completed his studies in August 1975 and then
served as a pastor until 1984, retiring due to medical issues. He was married to
Joan Hince-Erickson, who wrote The Perversion of Submission: Idols in the Christian
Church. In January 2001, Hallard went to be with the Lord, and Joan went to be
with the Lord in 2008.
Hallard’s Bible Institute connection continued well after he graduated. His four
daughters also came to the Bible Institute and carried what they learned into each
of their life paths:
• Mary Joan (Hince) Fultz (Class of 1977) married Thomas Fultz and lives
in Bovey, Minnesota. Mary is in charge of community programs and
outreach in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The couple has five grandchildren
and four children.
• Lynn Marie (Hince) Danielson (Class of 1978) had been working with the
University of Minnesota when the Lord took her home in August 2005. Lynn
and her husband, Mike, have two sons.
• Renee (Hince) Kern (Class of 1981) is retired from the military after 23
years in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is married to Lt. Edward Kern, RN. They
have two sons. Renee volunteers at their Christian school and at the family’s
local church in St. Augusta, Minnesota.
• Lori (Hince) Christoferson (Class of 1982) has been a full-time missionary
to Inland China for 25 years. Lori and her husband, Mark, have three sons
and one grandchild.
Remember When
Have a “remember when” you want to share? Send your
thoughts to [email protected], and feel free to include a photo!
Linda (Klump) Moser (1976)
Someone brought a sheep — yes, a
sheep — into the dorm above the
dining hall.
Sylinda (Birchard) Alfred (1978)
I remember when it poured rain
at graduation. We rushed into the
tabernacle very discouraged, and Pete
got us all singing “Cheer Up Ye Saints
of God!”
Rosario (Baez) Farese (1984)
I remember the Snoopy theme song
being played on the piano and Dr.
Davis’ and Dr. Wicks’ humor.
Jodi Rabquer (1992)
When Martin jumped in front of my
tube at Snow Camp to keep me from
hitting a tree!
Richard Kroeger (1993)
I remember when there was no snow
for Snow Camp. Everyone prayed,
and then on the third week, it started
Homecoming
What it is: A special time for
alumni to come home to the
Bible Institute and reconnect
with the Word of Life family
When: May 24-26, 2013
What’s happening: Word of Life
hosts the Founder’s Conference
and Memorial Day festivities. Dr.
Stanley Toussaint, Dr. George
Murray, and Captain Jeff
Struecker will be speaking.
Who is invited: All alumni are
welcome; celebrations are planned
for 5- or 10-year class anniversaries.
Where: Homecoming is based at the
New York campus. Accommodations
available at reduced rates for alumni.
to snow, and it didn’t stop the rest of
the year.
Jonathan VanDyk (1994)
I remember Youth Reachout with Rick
Warken in the summer of 1994.
Brad Schmidt (1995)
I will never forget the Open Air
Evangelism trip to Chicago and the
great time we had in the van ride
out there.
Andrea (Miller) Barnard (1996)
I remember Daniel White getting hit
in the eye with a ping pong ball and
having to spend time in the hospital.
Tara (Eddy) Spurlin (1997)
Housing in the Japan dorm and riding
bikes everywhere (skirts and all!)
because it was so far away from main
campus. All 11 girls in the dorm were
close and bonded deeply through
evening devotions, study hours, and
countless hours of stories and laughs.
How to make it happen: Call
518-494-6000 to book your
reservation. Please email questions
to [email protected], Alumni Director
Emeritus Wayne Lewis at
[email protected], Alumni Director
Mike Bush at [email protected],
or Victory Journal editor Jen
Slothower at [email protected].
Visit wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com
for complete details.
This is really cool: This year’s patriotic
rally will feature honored speaker
Captain Jeff Struecker, who served
with distinction as a chaplain
and lead ranger in the Black
Hawk Down rescue mission in
Mogadishu, Somalia. Hear his story
during Homecoming weekend.
Robert DeWitt (2000)
Open Air Evangelism in New York
City with Greg Valentine.
Teresa (Davis) Green (2001, 2002)
Traveling with the drama team and
playing games during study hours. I was
very close to my dorm-mates and loved
the time we spent in the Word, praising
God through music and encouraging
each other in Christ.
Adam Gibson (2002)
Getting an eight-foot gator off the
skatepark during junior camp.
Brett Owen (2006, 2007)
I let my roommate duct-tape me to a
chair outside Australia dorm next to the
road at night.
John Eichelberger (2012)
Being part of the last class year when
men had to wear ties.
Nathan Tse (2012)
Two words: Snow Camp!
Alumni Gatherings
Alumni Director Mike Bush and
the Bible Institute's new director of
admissions, Greg Dyson, will host
alumni gatherings on the following dates.
Prospective students are welcome. Please
visit www.wordoflife.edu/alumni for
more information.
APril
16 Baptist Bible College and Seminary,
Clarks Summit, PA; 6 to 8:30 p.m.
23 Linworth Baptist Church,
Worthington, OH; 6 to 8:30 p.m.
25 Plainfield Bible Church, Plainfield, IN;
6 to 8:30 p.m.
26 Mount Prospect Bible Church, Mount
Prospect, IL 6 to 8:30 p.m.
27 Mayfair Bible Church, Flushing, MI;
5 to 6:30 p.m.
VICTORY JOURNAL
19
Word of Life Bible Institute
4200 Glendale Rd.
Pottersville, NY 12860
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Word of Life
Update from the Alumni Director Emeritus
When I think of the fact that this
is the sixth issue of the new Victory
Journal, when I look at the emphasis
on the children of alumni and see
54 students who had either one or
both parents attend the Bible Institute,
when I look at the class Facebook
groups and upcoming alumni events,
all of which are being facilitated
by alumni, I am overwhelmed with
appreciation and gratefulness.
Thank you to so many for
remembering what an important
experience the Bible Institute is for
Wayne Lewis
Alumni Director Emeritus
young people — and for other
folks, too — and for investing
time, money, and yourselves to help awaken the ”alumni giant.”
Most of all, I am thankful to the Lord for the way He has come along and
lifted this whole endeavor to the level of ministry and significance it
has reached.
Pass the word: It is only the beginning. We are an alumni family, and
the Lord looks highly on families. So let’s believe big and enjoy the ride as
He takes us to even greater heights of reconnection and ministry together.
One more thing — want to know what you can do right away? Whether
it’s your turn for a class reunion or not, plan now to join us for a great
Homecoming weekend this Memorial Day.
— Wayne Lewis
S t ewa r d s h i p
& you:
A successful life — now, that is a goal that
should cause us to stop and think, and maybe even
take us to our knees as we seek God’s direction.
In Matthew 25:21, in the parable of the
talents, Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful
servant. You were faithful over a few things; I will
make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy
of your lord.” Now, that is a successful life! The
master commended his servants for their faithful
stewardship of his resources equally even though
they received and returned different amounts. He
even would have commended the unfaithful servant
if he had just used the resources in a minimal
investment (the bank).
What are you investing in? God has supplied
your every need and has given you the opportunity
to give to the needs of others. If you have not built
generous giving into your success plan, you cannot
be a success in God’s eyes. Think about all those
who could be helped if you invested generously in
their lives. When you give, you lay up treasures in
Heaven and place yourself in a position for God to
bless you! What could be a wiser stewardship of
His resources?
As an alumnus of the Word of Life Bible
Institute, you know the magnitude of the
opportunities to support or serve those in ministry.
You remember Missions Conference, missions trips,
camp, chapel, and many other times in your own
church where God placed a need on your heart.
How are you answering His call? It is our ministry
to assist God’s people in fulfilling this heart desire.
Please contact me for practical solutions for laying
up treasures in Heaven.
Contact Howard Leach at
518-494-6214 or
[email protected]