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AS THE OFFICIAL COLLEGE of the Free Will Baptist denomination, Free Will Baptist Bible College has been helping students find their place in God's world since 1942.

COLLEGE INTRODUCES NEW TRUSTEES

Delegates to the 70th annual Free Will Baptist national convention elected three new members to the Free Will Baptist Bible College Board of Trustees and elected a fourth member to a second term, according to President J. Matthew Pinson. The elections took place in Birmingham (AL) during the July 16-19, 2006, convention.

President Pinson said, “We’re delighted to welcome these new Board members to the college family. They are good men with personal commitments to FWBBC. We will need their collective knowledge and skills as we move forward with plans to relocate the campus.”

Nashville layman Bob Bass was elected to fill the unexpired term (2008) of Dr. Greg Ketteman who resigned to become Provost at the college. Mr. Bass, an entrepreneur and builder with a B.S. degree in engineering from Tennessee State University, graduated from FWBBC with a B.A. degree in Bible.

Mr. A.C. Allen, a South Carolina businessman, was elected to his second six-year term on the Board of Trustees. His term expires in 2012.

Two outstanding pastors were also elected to the Board for six-year terms expiring in 2012—Reverends Ken Simpson (MO) and Mark Stripling (AR).

Pastor Ken Simpson leads Beacon Free Will Baptist Church in Raytown (MO), where he also serves as moderator of the Greater Kansas City Association. He graduated from FWBBC in 1992 with a B.A. degree in pastoral training and subsequently earned the M.A. degree in theological studies at Covenant Theological Seminary.

Arkansas pastor Mark Stripling has led the growing First Free Will Baptist Church in North Little Rock since 2001. He serves on the Executive Boards of both the Arkansas State Association and the Central Association. Mark graduated from FWBBC in 1986 with a B.S. degree in church music and is pursuing a master’s degree in biblical studies at Trinity Theological Seminary.

Veteran Illinois pastor and long-time Board member Gene Outland (2008) was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees this summer. Outland pastors Hazel Dell Free Will Baptist Church in Sesser. He succeeds outgoing chairman Gary Fry (M0) who completed two full six-year terms on the Board and was not eligible for re-election. A second Board member, Pastor Richard Barnes of Virginia, also completed 12 years on the Board and was not eligible for re-election.

ENROLLMENT HITS 22-YEAR HIGH

Free Will Baptist Bible College enrolled 383 students from 24 states and five foreign countries for the 2006 fall semester, the highest number of enrollees at the college since 1984, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, provost.

Enrollment included 241 dormitory students, 81 commuter students, 31 Adult Degree Program students, and 30 LifeTime Learning students. Officials set the full-time student equivalency at 341.

By classes, they number 93 seniors, 78 juniors, 84 sophomores, 94 freshmen, 33 non-degree/part-time students, and one special student. There are 171 women and 212 men in the student body. The college enrollment has grown 35 percent since the fall of 2001.

Dr. Ketteman said, “LifeTime Learning registration remains open until September 15, while the Adult Degree Program includes two additional registrations in late September and early November. By the time all registrations close next spring and we get a final count, we anticipate registering more than 400 for the 2006-2007 academic year.”

By states, students number:

Alabama - 13
Alaska - 1
Arkansas - 24
California - 3
FloridA - 13
Georgia - 18
Illinois - 18
Indiana - 8
Kansas - 3
Kentucky - 10
Maryland - 1
Michigan - 21
Mississippi - 7
Missouri - 17
North Carolina - 41
Ohio - 15
Oklahoma - 3
Oregon - 1
South Carolina - 12
Tennessee - 117
Texas - 6
Virginia - 22
Washington - 1
West Virginia - 2

International - 6 (Bahamas, Canada, Korea, Mongolia, Russia)    

President J. Matthew Pinson said, “We’ve had a wonderful beginning to a promising new academic year. I am excited about our students this year. This marks our largest enrollment in 22 years. We are also delighted with the response to our growing Online/Lifetime Learning program as well as our Adult Studies Program.”

Here are three ways to contact Free Will Baptist Bible College for more information: Call (800) 76-FWBBC, e-mail recruit@fwbbc.edu, or visit the college’s website at www.FWBBC.edu.

HOLLEY PUBLISHED

Dr. E. Darrell Holley, chairman of the English Department, published three grammar and composition books in 2005. The volumes were written to be used by college instructors who teach freshman English courses.

The first is a 118-page, soft-cover book titled Fundamentals of English Grammar and Usage. The book addresses parts of speech, sentence analysis, verb usage, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, word appropriateness, mechanics, and sentence effectiveness.

The grammar text is accompanied by a workbook (Fundamentals of English Grammar and Usage Workbook), complete with 125 practical exercises to help students understand and apply principles learned.

Dr. Holley said, “We developed the materials for our own classroom use here at FWBBC after secular English texts began to move toward rather extreme philosophical positions and presented real problems in emphasis and examples.”

The 49-year-old Florida native admits that his book is old-fashioned in its approach. “The freshman year of college is very late for learning English, but it is not too late. This book has been written in the earnest hope that students may come to understand their language. Within one semester, diligent teachers and students should be able to rectify the inadequacies of current high-school instruction and prepare the student for more advanced study of English composition.”

Holley’s third volume, Fundamentals of English Composition, is a 52-page, soft-cover book presented in three chapters—The Paragraph, The Essay, and The Research Paper.

All three books have been used in freshman English courses at FWBBC since 2004. Plans have been set in motion to revise the books during the 2006-2007 academic year and reprint them in the summer of 2007.

Dr. Holley has been a member of the FWBBC faculty since 1994. He graduated from Pensacola Christian High School (1975), and subsequently earned a B.S. degree at Pensacola Christian College (1979), and both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Florida State University (1984, 1998). Prior to joining the FWBBC faculty, he was a high school teacher (1979-1994).

MOHLER NAMED COMPTROLLER

Reverend Craig Mahler has been named comptroller at Free Will Baptist Bible College, according to Tom Sass, Vice President for Financial Affairs. The 23-year-old Tennessee native began his new role at the college on August 1. He succeeds Joey McGlashan, who resigned this summer.

Mahler graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a major in accounting. His work experience includes several years at TTU in the Internal Audit Division as a student employee, and experience at Dekalb Community Bank in Smithville (TN) where he was a management trainee.

Mr. Sass said, “The Business Office is grateful to have Craig join the college family in order to fill this important position at this time. We are praying that the Lord will give Craig a smooth transition and a strong sense of the Lord’s leading during the days ahead.”

Craig will assisst Mr. Sass in managing the college’s accounting functions and overseeing the business office cashier and data processing areas.

“This would be a great place to serve for the rest of my life,” Craig said. “If that’s what God wants, I’m ready to make that commitment to the college.”

Craig, an ordained minister, is a Tennessee native from Smithville. He attends Carthage First Free Will Baptist Church.

DONAHUE TO COACH BASEBALL TEAM

Mitchell (Mick) Donahue, a 2004 graduate of Free Will Baptist Bible College has been named coach of the Flames baseball team, according to Athletics Director Mike Phillips. The 29-year-old North Carolina native played for the Flames two years, served one year as assistant coach, and one year as head coach, during which time he led the team to a championship berth in 2005.

Mr. Phillips said, “We are excited to have Coach Donahue back on our coaching staff. He coached the baseball team two years ago and did an exceptional job, leading the team to the Mid-East region championship game. He has experience as an athlete, and brings that knowledge and winning attitude to the coaching role. What I like best about Mick is his positive attitude, energy, and discipline. He leads by example and sets high expectations for our athletes.”

In addition to coaching baseball and raising support to return to the mission field in a few years, Coach Donahue will pursue a master’s degree and conduct flight instruction in Nashville and surrounding areas.

Mick’s wife, Rachel Donahue of Dickson (TN), graduated from FWBBC in 2005 with a degree in English.

Flames Announce Basketball Schedules

The Free Will Baptist Bible College Flames (men’s team) and Lady Flames will play more than 25 games during the 2006-2007 season, according to Coach Rusty Campbell and Athletics Director Mike Phillips. The teams will travel as far east as West Virginia and as far west as Oklahoma in home-and-away games as well as tournament play.

At this point in the season, the Flames are scheduled to play 13 home games in the Picirilli Activities Building located on the FWBBC campus, while the Lady Flames will play 14 home games.

The Flames will host the Mid-East Regional Tournament in February.

Download Flames Schedule in pdf format.