 The Ketteman Student Scholarship Drive is named after the long
time Promotional director of FWBBC. Paul Ketteman was the
first student to enroll at FWBBC in 1942 and worked at the
college for more than 25 years. He was beloved across the
denomination, and by the students on campus. Many former
students remember Brother Ketteman walking up to them while
they were waiting in line at the snack shop and handing them a
dollar bill saying,“Let me buy your drink today.” Paul Ketteman invested his life in the students of the college. He
knew they were the future of the denomination, and he
committed himself to making FWBBC the very best it could be
so it could serve the students to the greatest possible degree.
IN 1942, FREE WILL BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE BEGAN GIVING men and women the tools to not only make a living, but the tools to make a life. Through the original majors of Pastoral Ministry and Missions to the varied majors of today that train for vocational ministries such as Music, Christian Education,Youth Ministry and Children's Ministry, FWBBC has been changing the world one student at a time.
 FWBBC students and alumni have served on mission fields from impoverished areas of Nashville to the far corners of the world. The training and support they received at FWBBC assist them in answering God's call, wherever the call may lead them. Last year, our students went to Kazakhstan and to New York City on mission trips. The student body also raised $10,000 to build a church in Tajikistan. This year's trips will be to Tajikistan (in the spring) to help erect the building. Another team will go back to New York City in the spring.
In addition, students (30 plus) made a trip to Florida to do relief work after Hurricane Ivan. A group of more than 40 students went to Mississippi this fall to do relief work after Hurricane Katrina.
 JANICE (JAN) BANKS
A 1969 graduate of FWBBC, Jan Banks and her (late) husband Jerry were appointed as missionaries to Japan in 1972 and left for their first term in 1974. During their nearly 17 years in Japan, their worked focused on a church plant in Kita Hiroshima, Hokkaido. In 1991, they returned to the United States where Jan has since worked as a teacher, program administrator, and missions program director for Hillsdale FWB College. She also holds a master's degree from Azusa Pacific University and is in the process of completing a doctorate in educational ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
 JIM AND SHIRLEY COMBS
During their seven terms on the mission fields across Brazil, the Combs' have planted churches, expanded existing churches, developed a Bible college/seminary, and started a children's shelter all while expanding their family to include three children, three Brazilian-born sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren with dual nationalities. Many FWBBC pastors and students have visited them in Brazil, and they invite all to come see first hand what God is doing.
 CARLISLE HANNA
More then 50 years ago, Carlisle Hanna went into a totally unevangelized region of India. There he helped establish 186 Free Will Baptist churches and won over 8,000 believers. Mr. Hanna understood that the key to establishing churches and seeing church growth is a long term commitment, including learning the language, culture and knowing the people. In addition to church plants, he introduced agricultural and dairy projects to improve quality of life.
 JOHN WEAVER
This spring, at the age of 35, John Weaver married Jeanne, a young woman he met in Afghanistan. This happy occasion is one of the many exclamation points in his story on the mission field. After a rather wild and wooly youth, John came to Christ in 1988. After graduating in 1993 from the missions program at FWBBC, he furthered his studies and teaching in the varied locales of Texas, the Philippines, South Carolina and Uzbekistan (where he taught English until he was expelled for seeking to convert Uzbeks to Christ). Since 2000, he has been an American missionary working in Northern Afghanistan. He was the last Christian aid worker in Afghanistan after the attacks of 9/11, a fact which caught the attention of journalists worldwide. He is also the author of Inside Afghanistan, a book that gives an account of his work in this war-torn country.
FWBBC ALUMNI AND STUDENTS KNOW that their work can sometimes best be accomplished by living a godly life in their local communities, not only on far-reaching mission fields. Whether it be the student who becomes a pastor or the student who bears witness in their regular social and work environment, the foundation they received at FWBBC helps them to understand, articulate, and live a life consistent with a Christian world view.
 CAMERON LANE
The owner of a physical therapy practice in Russellville, Arkansas, Cameron Lane has taken what he learned at FWBBC and used it on mission trips to 12 countries, as well as in his daily business dealings. “My time at FWBBC was the turning point in my life. The Bible College helped me to grow spiritually, and I am not sure that I would be serving God like I am today if it had not been for the Bible College. I try every day to make a difference for the kingdom of God. Every day I work with people who give me the chance to show them Christ. I feel that it is not right to travel to a foreign land and share Christ if I am not practicing that at home. It is important to me that I follow the words of Christ in Acts 1:8 and be a light for Him locally, nationally, and internationally.”
 COL. KERRY STEEDLEY
“My mission, my marriage, and my ministry in the military community have all been deeply and directly impacted by FWBBC. As a young enlisted soldier in Vietnam, I looked back on my days as a student at FWBBC for encouragement, hope, and courage. As a student in seminary, two different graduate schools, and at the US Army War College, I rejoiced that FWBBC had provided me an excellent academic experience to continue professional development. As a pastor of three Free Will Baptist churches, I leaned heavily on my days of preparation at FWBBC to preach and teach God's Word and to pastor God's people. As an Army chaplain for almost 28 years, my spiritual leadership, my preaching, and my pastoral care reflect the spiritual fitness and discipline I learned and exercised at FWBBC. I am a missionary to the military, and I thank God for the strong biblical emphasis on missions that gripped my heart as a student at FWBBC. I serve under Home Missions, but I am often an international missionary with overseas assignments.”
 SUSAN PATTENGILL
In the case of FWBBC class of 2003 graduate, Susan Pattengill, it is almost as if the mission fields of the world have come to her. As a kindergarten ELL (English Language Learners) teacher in innercity Nashville, she has taught students from more than 15 countries. Matthew 19:13-15 has become a part of this “teacher's heart.” Verse 14 says, “But Jesus said 'Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'” Her “teacher's heart” was especially touched by an exchange she had with a Muslim boy in her class. The boy's father said to her, “Miss. Pattengill, your heart is different. I don't know what it is, but you love my son and I thank you.” Susan says,“I KNOW that God used my relationship with that special student to touch the heart of his family. What a life-fulfilling opportunity to know that every day I get the chance to show God's love in a way that many might never experience. I went into teaching thinking that I would impact this world one child at a time; I had no idea that God would use my love of teaching to reach into the hearts of their families.”
 GORDON SEBASTIAN
“There can be no question about it – Free Will Baptist Bible College has left its mark on my life. Much of whatever good I may accomplish for God, therefore, will be due to my years spent at our Bible College,” says Gordon Sebastian, Pastor of Peace Free Will Baptist Church in Wilson, North Carolina. After going to a major university right out of high school and then enlisting in the US Navy, the Lord led Gordon Sebastian to FWBBC where he found professors who not only required more of them than many of the professors at the University of Illinois, but also really seemed to care if their students were grasping what they were teaching. It is this extra care that helped Gordon find his way to Wilson where he has been a pastor at the same church for nearly 40 years.
 DON WORRELL
Senior Vice President of the Nashville Rescue Mission, Don Worrell, had been saved for less than three years when he came to FWBBC. He remembers a particular meeting he had with Rev. Paul Ketteman. “Brother Paul had heard I was so overwhelmed with questions, doubts and problems I was ready to quit. As we talked, he explained to me God didn't demand perfection from me; He only wanted the best I had. If Brother Paul hadn't taken the time to talk to me I know without a shadow of a doubt I would not be where I am now doing the ministry I am. Literally hundreds of men and women have come to know Jesus as their personal Savior because Bro. Paul Ketteman convinced me not to quit.”
PAUL KETTEMAN INVESTED HIS LIFE in the students of the college. He knew they were the future of the denomination, and he committed himself to making FWBBC the very best it could be so it could serve the students to the greatest possible degree.
INSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Institutional Scholarships help fund the educational opportunities for many of our students. Currently, 98 of our students are receiving a total of $371,550 in financial help from institutionally funded scholarships.
Scholarships offered include:
- Legacy Scholarships for the children of Free Will Baptist pastors
($130,000 awarded this year)
- Presidential Scholarships for high academic achievers
($27,000 awarded this year)
-
 Institutional Grants
($61,633 awarded this year)
- Faculty/Staff Benefit Awards
($80,117 awarded this year)
- Spouse Benefit Scholarships
($35,520 awarded this year)
- New Presidential Honors
($12,000 awarded this year)
- Excellence Award for Ministry/Music teams
($1,250 awarded this year)
|
