Transition

It has been three months since I lasted posted any comments on Pillsbury History Guy. As regular readers of this blog know, as well as folks who know anything about Christian higher education in this country, Pillsbury Baptist Bible College closed its doors on December 31, 2008. Many of our students have transferred to other Christian colleges and are doing fine. Dr. Greg Huffman, president of Pillsbury College, has been visiting our former Pillsbury students at some of these other schools during the past few weeks. We are grateful that several of our sister schools graciously accepted our students for second semester. We will also be conducting a graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 24, for seniors, faculty, and anyone else who can attend. Graduating seniors will receive the last diplomas that Pillsbury will ever have the opportunity to award.

As for our Pillsbury faculty and staff, some have found employment at other schools, ministries, and churches. Some have yet to find full employment for the next school year. I would ask your prayers for them. Most of us have been working at "temp" jobs the last several weeks. Some of us did not know we had so many different talents and abilities! From time to time, God has a way of reminding us that our ways are not necessarily His ways.

Nancy and I have sought out various employment possibilities, both in Owatonna and elsewhere. We made a couple of trips in January to check out some possible job offers. In recent days, we were offered and accepted positions at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. I will be the supervisor for the "Center for Academic Success," and Nancy will become a reference librarian at Mack Library on campus. We will be returning "home" in a manner of speaking. Nancy and I met at BJU while we were undergraduates, we got married in 1970, and we graduated in 1971. I taught history in the University, and Nancy was the librarian at Bob Jones Elementary School from 1972 to 1983. Five of our children were born at Barge Hospital on campus. It's also worth noting that our oldest daughter Cynthia teaches in the Nursing Division at BJU.

It will be difficult to leave the Owatonna community. We love Pillsbury College, Grace Baptist Church, and many folks in our community. Nancy and I have been involved in the schools over the years, what with all seven of our kids graduating from Owatonna High School. I also have been a volunteer with the Republican Party here in Owatonna and Steele County, and I have served as an election judge in every election since we arrived in 1984. It has been my honor to play my oboe in the Owatonna Community Band and Owatonna Community Orchestra, and I have become very good friends with a number of talented and gifted musicians during our quarter century in Owatonna.

The bottom line to all of this is something I heard long ago: "Things are not going to be like they have always been." As we face the prospect and challenge of moving to Greenville in June, we covet your prayers.

The Beauty of Christmas Music

Over on the Sharper Iron blog, they are running a thread on the "Worst Secular Christmas Songs." I would agree that folks in the secular music industry do miss the true message of Christmas. I suppose that when you don't have much insight into the spiritual side of why Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago, you are probably going to focus on Santa, snow, and commercialism.

I am reminded of a discussion that I had with my good friend and mentor, Dr. Dwight Gustafson, during my freshman year at Bob Jones University. It was during the fall of 1967 that we were rehearsing Bach's Christmas Oratorio to be performed during Thanksgiving Week at BJU. I casually mentioned to Dr. Gus that I just had no idea that there was such beautiful music written for the Christmas Season. I was of course familiar with Handel's Messiah, and I had even played some Christmas music composed by Vivaldi during my high school years in Plymouth, Michigan. Dr. Gus wisely replied, "There's a lot more that you haven't even heard yet!" I think about that discussion every Christmas, particularly as I have had numerous opportunities to perform some incredibly beautiful Christmas music. Some of it is classical, as in Bach, Handel, Corelli, and Vivaldi, but some of it has been written and/or arranged by contemporary composers such as Rutter, Purifoy, and Lloyd Larson.

On December 4 and 5, Pillsbury Baptist Bible College presented A Candlelight Christmas, a Christmas cantata written by Benjamin Harlan and orchestrated by John Purifoy. We had performed this at Pillsbury about ten years ago, so it was nice to end our "Christmas at Pillsbury" concert cycle with this familiar and beautifully written cantata. It was also an emotional and fond farewell for our longtime choral director, Darrell Bevis. I have known Darrell for about thirty years, and he is one class act when it comes to selecting and performing appropriate Christian music. I am going to really miss performing with Darrell and my other Pillsbury musical colleagues.

Last Sunday evening (December 14), the choir and orchestra at Grace Baptist Church here in Owatonna performed Lloyd Larson's recent Christmas cantata, Holy Night of Miracles. Tom Lawson did a wonderful job of combining the forces of the choir and orchestra to communicate the true message of Christmas. As was true of Pillsbury's rendition of A Candlelight Christmas, Larson's text and music was a powerful example of what beautiful Christmas music is all about.

Which brings me back to Dr. Gus' wise observation: "There's a lot more that you haven't even heard yet!" I sincerely hope that you enjoy this Christmas Season, and I especially pray that you will indulge yourself in the beautiful music of Christmas.

Pillsbury College: The Last Day

The last official day of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College has come and gone. On Friday, December 12, faculty, staff, and students ate breakfast together in the dining hall and then met in Kerux Auditorium for a final chapel service. Dr. Greg Huffman, the president of Pillsbury College these last several months, preached about how God providentially orchestrated the events of the "first" Christmas over 2000 years ago and how God is also orchestrating the events of our lives as well. We have come to appreciate Dr. Huffman's ability to share God's Word in a practical and meaningful way. Among the many things I will miss about Pillsbury, Dr. Huffman is at the top of the list. He has been greatly used by God during these last days of Pillsbury.

After chapel, a number of us said our last good-byes, took photos, and basically realized that this group of faculty, staff, and students will never again be assembled in one place this side of heaven. Next spring, Dr. Huffman plans to visit the Christian college campuses where our students will be attending second semester to check up on how our Pillsbury students are doing. He has also said that he is quite willing to be in charge of the "Pilly corner" in heaven. Undoubtedly, some of us will never cross paths again until that glorious day when we assemble together in heaven with all of the saints. That WILL be a glorious day.

On a personal note, I have every intention of continuing Pillsbury History Guy in the future. As an institution, Pillsbury will become "history," but the great memories of Pillsbury will live forever.

Pillsbury College: The Last Week

It is the last official week at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, and we awoke to about six inches of new snow this morning. Faculty and students are finishing off final exams this week, and on Friday we will have a last breakfast and a farewell chapel. For many of us, it has been a bittersweet last few days. We will be saying good bye to many colleagues, friends, and students for the last time, because some of us will probably not see each other again for a long, long time. Years from now, those of us who were here as "The Last Comets" will look back and be able to say that in spite of the emotions that we are experiencing now, God provided for our needs and showed us His will for our lives.

On the editorial page of this morning's Owatonna People's Press, the editor penned a nice tribute to Pillsbury. I would like to share that editorial with you:

"It must be a bittersweet time for the students and faculty at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College this week. With the end of the semester just days away and the coming of the holidays just a fortnight away, they must surely feel both a sense of completion and the joy that accompanies Christmas. At the same time, those feelings are undoubtedly tempered with a great sense of loss, knowing that when the final test is taken and final grade recorded that these students and their instructors will be saying goodbye to one another and to the college for the last time as Pillsbury sets to close its doors for good at the end of the month.

Dr. Gregory Huffman, the president of the college, compared the situation at Pillsbury to a death in the family. And as with a time of death, there likely will be mourning by those for whom the closing of Pillsbury touches most closely. During a candlelight Christmas concert on Friday night, Dr. Huffman, a former pastor, did his best to counsel and console the Pillsbury community, reminding them that even though the college will close, it will never die as it continues to live in the service and ministry of the students and the faculty.

They are wise words — words that inspire and give hope.

But there is even more reason for hope. Even as the Pillsbury faculty and staff readied for the closing of the school, word was received that representatives from another Christian college have visited the campus to negotiate the sale of the campus. If that sale occurs — and it is far too early to speculate on the sale or the potential buyor, though rumors about both abound — then it will be good not only the Minnesota Baptist Association, which owns the school, but also for Owatonna. The sale would help the association discharge the debt that led to the school’s closure. But it also would bring another strong Christian college to town. If that college, its teachers and its students are anything like Pillsbury, Owatonna would be strengthened by its coming.

In the meantime, we wish the best for those who will leave Pillsbury and Owatonna for the last time this week. Your presence has enriched this community and your absence will be felt."

Even though Pillsbury Baptist Bible College will be ceasing academic operations on December 31, it is my conviction that the College and its faculty members and students have had a positive impact on the Owatonna community.

No Resources . . . No Returns . . . No Regrets

As many of you are aware, Pillsbury Baptist Bible College will be closing its doors on December 31 of this year. Dr. Greg Huffman, who was inaugurated as our new president in September, has been preaching some inspirational and timely messages in chapel. Earlier this week, Dr. Huffman shared with us the story of William Borden. His father founded the Borden Dairy Company, but William was called to be a missionary to Muslims in China. While enroute to China, William Borden died of spinal meningitis at the age of twenty-five. In the flyleaf of his Bible, he had recorded three brief slogans: "No resources . . . no returns . . . no regrets." He had voluntarily given away his fortune, he had decided that he would not return to the United States, and on the day he died, he professed that he had no regrets concerning the Lord's call to become a missionary in China.

Of course, the Pillsbury administration, faculty, staff, and student body are greatly saddened by the closing of Pillsbury. In a sense, the college has run out of financial "resources" to continue operating. We are also unable to "return" second semester to Pillsbury. But most importantly, we have "no regrets" about having been part of a ministry that has been training Christian leaders for over fifty years. Representatives of several sister schools have visited the campus to assist our students in the process of transferring to other schools for the spring semester. Most of our seniors will be able to graduate in the spring from other schools, but they will be able to have a Pillsbury diploma if they so desire.

On a personal note, Nancy and I have been a part of Pillsbury for twenty-five years. We have appreciated the college, our local church, and the Owatonna community. We don't know what the Lord has planned for us, but we are willing to wait on Him to show us the way. As I often tell my students, "Wherever you go, there you are." The problem is that we don't know where "there" is yet, but we will wait patiently for God's direction. Please pray for our students and colleagues as we seek God's will for our lives.

When Nancy and I were married in 1970, we took as our life verse Isaiah 40:31. It seems appropriate for this occasion: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." May God allow all of us to be "eagles."

New President at Pillsbury

We have had a quiet transition here at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College this summer. Dr. Greg Huffman became the new president of Pillsbury earlier this month. He has served as senior pastor of several Baptist churches, most recently in Roanoke, Virginia, and Macon, Georgia. Dr. Huffman has also taught modular courses at several leading fundamentalist colleges and universities. His educational background includes degrees from Tennessee Temple and Bob Jones University. He married his wife Ruth in 1968, and they have three sons.

Dr. Robert Crane, who was president of Pillsbury from 1996 until this year, has become President Emeritus. Those of us who minister here at Pillsbury appreciate the twelve years of outstanding leadership that Dr. Crane gave to Pillsbury. And we are very excited about what God is going to do here at Pillsbury in the coming years. Please pray for us as we seek to train up the next generation of Christian leaders.

Pillsbury College Missions Conference (2008)

This past week, Pillsbury College hosted its annual missions conference.  We enjoyed hearing from veteran missionaries and missionaries just getting ready to go to the field.  According to Mr. Dan Morrell, who heads up the Pillsbury Missions Department, we had more missionaries and more mission boards represented than ever before.

The first of our keynote speakers was Rev. Steve Fulks.  According to the Baptist Mid-Missions website, he is the Administrator for Church Relations and Enlistment.  He and his wife Judy were missionaries in Peru from 1985 until 1997.  He spoke from Ezekiel 37 concerning the role of Ezekiel in speaking to the valley of dry bones.  God asked Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones, but it was God who breathed life into those dry bones.  The application was that when we do our part to reach people with the Gospel, God will do His part to bring some of those people to Himself.

Our other keynote speaker was Dr. Mark Batory, who is the Executive Director of Gospel Fellowship Association.  He and his wife Paula served as missionaries to Mexico from 1979 to 1983.  He also assisted Dr. John Vaughn in planting a Hispanic Baptist church in Greenville, SC.  Our daughter Cynthia attended that church for several years.

Dr. Batory spoke about the fact that several of the the apostles were those "who turned the word upside down."  Yet these "Galileans" struggled while they were being mentored by our Lord during his earthly ministry.  After our Lord's resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit to minister to the needs of the apostles.  It's the same way with the Christian life.  Many of us are just like the "Galileans."  We have struggles in our Christian life, but the Holy Spirit ministers to our needs and helps us achieve spiritual victories.

The theme of our Pillsbury missions conference was to encourage all of us to worship God more.  As a result of that, we will then have the proper motivation in our ministry to others.  All in all, our missions conference was spiritually uplifting.

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College: Clearwaters Bible Conference

Here at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, it is our custom to begin the second semester with the Richard Clearwaters Bible Conference.  This event honors the memory of the man who essentially founded Pillsbury College in 1957.  Our special speaker this year is one of my personal friends, Dr. John Hutcheson.  John is Field Representative for Frontline International Missions in Taylors, SC.  John and I worked together at Bob Jones University in the 1970s.  John was also in the pastorate for 25 years or so before joining Frontline Missions International a few years ago.  John challenged us to make 2008 a more spiritually profitable year than 2007.  He also shared the some of the stories and testimonies of persecuted Christians from all over the world.  Those of us who enjoy religious freedom here in the United States have no real idea of how difficult it is for our Christian brothers and sisters in many countries around the world.  All in all, John helped us to get off to a great start for second semester.

Pillsbury Begins Its 51st Year

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College started classes on Monday, August 27. This is Pillsbury's 51st year of operation as a Baptist Bible college. Although Pillsbury had been a military academy for a number of decades before 1957, it was Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters (longtime pastor of Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis) who was perhaps the "guiding light" in the transition of Pillsbury from a military academy to a Baptist Bible college. After serving as president of the college its first year, Dr. Clearwaters and the Pillsbury Board hired Dr. Monroe Parker as president in 1958. He had been on the evangelistic circuit for some years.

Although I did not meet Dr. Parker until the last few years of his life, I have a "secondary" connection to him. He was an administrator at Bob Jones College during the 1930s and 1940s when the school was located in Cleveland, Tennessee. Both of my parents were there at the time, and they knew Dr. Parker well. Monroe Parker stayed on at Pillsbury until 1965, when he returned to an evangelistic ministry across the United States.

Pillsbury has honored the memory of Dr. Parker by designating our opening evangelistic services as the "Monroe Parker Evangelistic Meetings." We bring in a prominent speaker to encourage our students and faculty. This year's speaker was Dr. Jerry Sivnksty, whose home is in Starr, South Carolina. Jerry has preached here in past years, and he is one of our favorites on campus. He grew up in the coal mining area of West Virginia—come to think of it, there isn't much of West Virginia that isn't a coal mining area.

In addition to his southern accent, Jerry's family spoke Lithuanian at home, so he had a few "speech problems" when he enrolled in Bob Jones University during the 1960s. Bob Pratt and Joyce Parks, longtime members of the speech faculty at BJU, at first discouraged Jerry from going into evangelism. But when he said that he felt God's call to do so, they did everything they could to help him. Jerry is a perfect example of someone who overcomes a few obstacles to do what God called him to do.

That's what Pillsbury is all about, by the way. The faculty and staff want to do everything we can to help students find God's will for their lives and to help prepare them to do it. Please pray for our students, faculty, and staff duirng this new school year.

The Old Main Tower at Pillsbury

On many college campuses across the country, there are buildings and other locations that students are not allowed to access on a regular basis. And then there are places that students really don't want to access under any circumstances. When I was teaching at Bob Jones University, I would hear tales from some of the security folks about some of the strange things that went on in the Art Gallery, Rodeheaver Auditorium, and Amphitorium in the middle of the night. Just the thought of walking through the Art Gallery during the wee hours sends shivers up and down my spine, what with all those paintings and sculptures looming up in the dark as you went from gallery to gallery.

Here at Pillsbury, one of the places that is generally is off-limits to students is the tower on top of Old Main, which serves as our administration building. The fact is that over the years students have surreptitiously managed to make their way up to the tower for a spectacular view of Owatonna. Although we have just finished final exams, Tuesday was "Student Appreciation Day" on the campus. Dr. Crane announced in chapel on Tuesday morning that anyone who wanted to do so could legally walk up the three flights of stairs and spend a few minutes in the tower. So a number of us did so, including me.

It was a clear day with blue skies all around, although it was quite windy when you reached the tower. We are told that the Old Main Tower is the highest point in Steele County, so one can see quite a distance from that vantage point. I used my camera phone to take several photographs. In this photograph you can see the men's residence hall, and at the lower left is the house that we lived in for twelve years between 1984 and 1996. We can tell you many interesting stories about what it was like to live on campus and in such close proximity to the men's residence hall. I suspect that there are stories that we don't even know anything about. One of the things that Nancy didn't miss when we moved out of the old house was the periodic invasions of bats that took place when one of the kids would leave a door open on summer evenings. Nancy HATES bats!

This photograph to the right is of the northwest corner of our campus, at the intersection of South Grove Avenue and East Main Street. If you look closely, you can see the back of the sign welcoming vistors to Pillsbury College.

Although I enjoyed my time at the top of Old Main in the Tower, I was glad to come back down to terra firma. I really don't care for heights all that much. And did I share with you the fact that although I have been at Pillsbury College for twenty-three years, this was the first time that I ever made the trek to the top of Old Main. There's a first time for everything.

The Thread That Runs So True

Last week Pillsbury College presented its spring play, The Thread That Runs So True. "This drama is based on the true life experiences of Jesse Stuart, an unusual educator who fought all his life for quality education in rural and mountain schools. His experiences as a beginning teacher in the Kentucky mountains inspired this play." Our students, under the direction of Mr. Ken Marsh, did a wonderful job portraying the trials and tribulations of encouraging education in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky in the early twentieth century.

My father grew up in Eastern Kentucky and was a contemporary of Jesse Stuart. As many children did in those days, my dad attended a one-room school like the one portrayed in the play by Jesse Stuart. When my dad graduated from the eighth grade, he stayed on to help the teacher for a year. The teacher just happened to be his older sister. He then went off to attend high school in another town. Dad had to pay room and board and work his way through high school. When he finished high school, he went off to college. Like many of his siblings and cousins, Dad eventually became a teacher. I often say that education is a "disorder that runs in my family." I appreciate the fact that many members of my immediate and extended family have been involved in education.

One more note about Pillsbury's production. Our youngest son, Andy, had a role in the play. He portrayed Guy Hawkins, a rough character who always wanted to beat up the teacher and put him in his place. Eventually, Guy comes around and becomes one of Jesse Stuart's star pupils.

We are very proud of Andy. In addition to performing in the spring play, he sings in the college choir and has been one of the catchers on the Pillsbury Comet baseball team this spring. He is planning on working at a Christian camp this summer, so he will be a pretty busy young man. I forgot to mention that Andy just turned twenty. We have no more teenagers! What a blessing. Of course, our granddaughter Peyton Rose will become a teenager in just three years. The cycle will begin anew.

Wonderful Christian Music

We are enjoying some wonderfully warm weather as we begin Spring Break here at Pillsbury this week. It could possibly snow again, but we certainly hope not. I remember April Fool's Day a few years ago when the weatherman predicted a few snow flurries; we did get snow flurries, but the problem was that we got four inches of snow flurries! End of weather discussion.

A week ago Sunday was Pillsbury Day at Grace Baptist Church here in Owatonna. Pillsbury's small vocal ensemble, "Singing His Praise," provided special music in the morning service. For the evening service, the Pillsbury and Grace Baptist choirs sang several numbers under the able direction of Darrell Bevis and Tom Lawson. Dr. Crane preached in the evening service, and among other points, he encouraged all of us that Pillsbury College is moving ahead. We have had a few financial bumps in the road, but we feel that God will meet the needs of our college just as He has for the last fifty years. Please pray for Pillsbury in the days ahead.

On Saturday evening, I was greatly privileged to play in a classical and sacred concert presented by Deo Cantamus, which is Latin for "We Sing For God." This group is made up of born-again Christians who present two concerts a year at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. The group is directed by Allen Hawkins, a gifted choral conducter who is an adjunct voice professor at Crown College. This is what Al has posted on the Deo Cantamus website: "...God has blessed us in so many ways. It is my greatest joy to use the gifts and circumstances He has provided to further glorify Him. To use music as a tool for teaching and encouraging holiness is what I enjoy doing most. This takes a commitment to high standards that is often absent in the music that contemporary society promotes. It is my goal to teach and conduct in a way that encourages individuals to pursue the standards needed to perfom at a level that inspires others and glorifies God..."

Needless to say, Al is my kind of guy. The major sacred classical piece on the program was Vivaldi's Gloria, which is a wonderful choral expression of why Christians can glorify God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The middle part of the program was sung by "Let the Children Praise," which is a children's choir that Al works with during the year. They sang a variety of numbers, including Pergolesi, Bach, and other sacred works. Finally, the Deo Cantamus Chorale concluded the evening with a selection of "Great Hymns of the Faith." This concert was professionally done, but the purpose of the group is to "sing for God."

It was refreshing to have the opportunity of playing with Deo Cantamus. If you live in the Twin Cities, their next concert will be in the fall of 2007. It will be worth your while to attend.

2007 Missions Conference at Pillsbury

The 2007 Missions Conference at Pillsbury College ended earlier today. In the opinion of many of those who were in attendance, it was one of the best conferences that we have had in recent years. Phil Hunt, who has been a missionary in Zambia for about fifteen years, was the keynote speaker. He preached powerfully, with two of his messages being based on Philippians 1:21: "For me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain." Rev. Hunt observed that many Christians act as if the verse says, "For me to live is gain, and to die is Christ." We must realize that our lives are in God's hands and that we must be willing to sacrifice our lives to God's service. We could live for many years, or we could die "prematurely." Either way, God will use us as he sees fit.

Several of the speakers recalled the words of Nate Saint, one of five young men killed in Ecuador by Auca Indians in 1956. In one of Nate Saint's journals, he had made the observation that, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." I would have to say that was the "unofficial" theme of this year's conference. It was a great week at Pillsbury.

Pillsbury Comets Win Regional Tournament

The Pillsbury Comets basketball team won a dramatic come-from-behind victory on Saturday afternoon here in Owatonna. Pillsbury was the host school for the NCCAA North Central Region tournament, and the Comets were playing the North Central University Rams for the regional championship. The Comets were down 53-25 with fifteen minutes to play in the game, but they never gave up on themselves. They mangaged to tie the game in regulation, and then it took three overtimes before the Comets finally prevailed 91-86. Nancy and I were in attendance, and it was one of the most electrifying games that I have ever seen in person. You can imagine the crowd reaction when the game was over. The victory was a credit to our young men and the coaching staff.

I would like to pay tribute to Cedric Jones, the North Central coach. Even though his North Central team had just lost a heartbreaker, Coach Jones made several eloquent and gracious comments to the crowd, as well as to the Pillsbury Comets and their coach Keith Champion.

Speaking of Coach Champion, I would like to honor him for his ministry here at Pillsbury. I have known Keith for nearly ten years now, and I consider him to be a wonderful role model for his athletes. He has coached at two or three other Christian colleges, and everywhere he goes, people hold Keith in high regard. He even writes a weekly column for the Owatonna People's Press. The name of his column is "From the Sidelines," in which Keith discusses the athletic world from a Christian perspective. And before I forget to mention it, Keith received a great honor Saturday. He was named Coach of the Year in the NCCAA North Central Region. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend here at Pillsbury. We thank the Lord for His blessings in our lives. That's the bottom line of why we do what we do here at Pillsbury College.

Pillsbury College Student Teachers

Friday was the last day of classes for our student teachers here at Pillsbury College. They have six weeks of block classes before heading out for their student teaching assignments next week. We have nine seniors doing their student teaching this spring; six are elementary education majors, and three are secondary education majors. Most of the young ladies are student teaching here in Minnesota, but two of them are student teaching out-of-state, one of them in Pennsylvania and the other in Wisconsin. Miss Brenda Johnson, my colleague in the Education Division, organizes a reception for the student teachers before they leave, and you can see our student teachers at the reception in the attached photograph.

Pillsbury College is all about training young people for vocational service and ministry. We will be praying for these young ladies as they begin student teaching next week. And Lord willing, they will be "walking the line" along with the other Pillsbury seniors exactly eleven weeks today when we have graduation here at Pillsbury. Graduation is always an exciting time for the graduating seniors, and Pillsbury is no exception.

New Administrative Position at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College

Dr. Robert Crane, president of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, made an important announcement in chapel this morning. Dr. Werner Lumm, who presently serves as Pillsbury's Academic Dean, will take on an added administrative responsibility. He will become Executive Vice President of Pillsbury. This will allow Dr. Crane to be away from the campus on a regular basis to promote the College and to interact with prospective students. Dr. Lumm has an extensive background in education, having served in a variety of academic settings previous to his arrival at Pillsbury three years ago.

It just so happened that our chapel speaker this morning was Dr. Carl Herbster, who is the pastor of Tri-City Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri. Before coming to Pillsbury, Dr. Lumm worked with Dr. Herbster as the Administrative Director of the American Association of Christian Schools. Dr. Herbster is also a good friend of the McGuire family. Several of his children went to school with our older children at Bob Jones Elementary School back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Please pray for Pillsbury as we continue educating young people for Christian service. Our desire is to see our graduates serve the Lord in whatever way He leads. Some will be involved in full-time Christian vocational ministry, while others will find vocational opportunities in the secular world. All of our graduates will also be prepared to minister in good local churches as well. If you know of any high school students seeking a Christian college education, please encourage them to check out Pillsbury Baptist Bible College.