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bible college
Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN, has been the official college of the Free Will Baptist Denomination since 1951. To find out more information about the school, visit their website at www.fwbbc.edu.
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FWBBC Announces 2009-2010 Cross-Cultural Specialists
NASHVILLE, TN—Clint and Lynette Morgan will serve as resident cross-cultural specialists at Free Will Baptist Bible College for the 2009-2010 academic year, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. Currently employed by The Hanna Project, a faith-based Non-governmental Organization (NGO), Clint has led humanitarian projects in West Africa, North Africa, and Central Asia. The Hanna Project (THP) promotes education and health projects among some of the world’s most needy peoples.
Dr. Ketteman said, “The Morgans bring more than 30 years of international experience to the campus and classroom. They have worked in a wide array of settings from tribal and medical to leadership development and cross-cultural training on three continents. Our students will have an opportunity to interact with some of the most respected veterans of cross-cultural outreach in our denomination.”
The Morgans are both FWBBC alumni. Clint (B.A., 1972) completed his M.A. degree at Columbia International University; Lynette earned an R.N. from Belmont University. They served 28 years in Africa beginning in 1976 before transferring to France in 2005. The Morgans have four adult children—Trey, Adam, Aaron, and Autumn.
The cross-cultural program is an effort to promote cross-cultural work among students. The goal is for students to develop a vision for and accept the challenge of global outreach. The Morgans will be on campus one year and then return to their THP duties. During the year, the Morgans will live in campus housing and teach while interacting daily with students.
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Celorio Awards Thomas Willey Scholarships
NASHVILLE, TN—Alicia Celorio, president of the Do Unto Others Trust, awarded three $4,000 scholarships in memory of pioneer missionaries Thomas and Mabel Willey during Awards Chapel at Free Will Baptist Bible College on May 7. The scholarships were awarded to three students: Jonathan Ballard, a freshman Pastoral Ministry major from Pryor, Oklahoma; Lacey Price, a sophomore Teacher Education major from Wheelersburg, Ohio; and Kevin Hulguin, a junior Teacher Education major from Norfolk, Virginia.
This year the college received several generous gifts from the Do Unto Others Trust, according to President Matt Pinson. The Trust was started in 1996 by the late Justino (Tino) Celorio and his wife, Alicia, who now serves as administrator.
Pinson said, “The Do Unto Others Trust is an important part of FWBBC’s scholarship program. Since 2005 the Trust has provided more than $40,000 in scholarships for our students, in addition to other gifts to the college’s general fund and relocation campaign. The generosity of Tino and Alicia Celorio has made it possible for a number of students to complete their degrees at FWBBC.”
The Celorios had been married almost 35 years when he died August 14, 2008. “Tino was a man of integrity and honesty,” Alicia said. “He practiced compassion and loyalty, and was an accomplished handyman, but he never wanted to call attention to himself. He was so down-to-earth with an amazing common sense. He was one of those rare individuals with the vision to see 10 years down the road. He was successful in business because his goal was not to make money, but to do a job well and leave a legacy.”
Justino Celorio came to the United States from Cuba in the late 1950s, working as a painting contractor in Miami, Florida. He later became a licensed realtor and began purchasing property and renovating apartment houses. He opened a hardware and lumber business, hiring Cuban Christians who had fled Castro’s regime to work in his various outreaches.
When he was 14 years old, Tino, his widowed mother, and his three sisters traveled to the Cedars of Lebanon Bible Institute in Cuba and told Free Will Baptist missionaries Thomas (Pop) and Mabel (Mom) Willey they wanted to attend the school. The girls lived in the homes of church families; one sister (Nina, later an FWBBC graduate) lived with the Willeys; Tino lived in the dormitory.
Tom Willey, Jr., said, “Tino was like a brother to me as we grew up together in Cuba. He showed a lot of early promise and had a sharp business mind. He always wanted to give back and help others as a way of showing thanks for what he had received.”
After their marriage in 1974, both Alicia and Tino Celorio worked long hours in the family business and tithed their income. Although the business prospered, they paid themselves modest salaries and later invested their funds in the Do Unto Others Trust.
Pastor Jose Rodriguez (Ebenezer Free Will Baptist Church, Miami) said, “We could always depend on Tino to help the church financially. Whenever a need arose, he would be there ready to assist. His mother also came to America and was a faithful member for many years until her death.”
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James Stevens Leads Composer’s Symposium
DECATUR, GA—Dr. James Stevens, chair of the Free Will Baptist Bible College Music Department, was one of seven clinicians selected to participate in the 2009 Composer’s Symposium sponsored by Pine Lake Music Company. For more then 35 years, Pine Lake Music has provided choral music, musicals, and collections for churches, as well as sound tracks, sheet music, and artist recordings for individuals.
Dr. Stevens said, “The conference went well, and sponsors asked me to return in the future. I taught Practical Music Theory, Finale for Dummies, and the Essential Skills of an Arranger. I also taught private lessons and participated as a panelist in Master Classes where we listened to music by attendees, examined manuscripts, and critiqued their work .”
The symposium met June 15-19 in Decatur, Georgia, and attracted more than 60 composers for the intense, four-day evaluation and professional challenge. This marks the fifth year Pine Lake Music has sponsored the annual gathering.
Other composers joining Stevens as presenters included—Joseph M. Martin, Joel Raney, J. Paul Williams, Pepper Choplin, Mark Cabaniss, and Jean Anne Shafferman.
Stevens said, “The conference was designed to help up-and-coming composers reach the next level in their skills and knowledge of the choral music industry through the teaching of professional composers across the country.”
Dr. Stevens has been a member of the FWBBC Music faculty since 2004. During the past year, he has led keyboard workshops at the Free Will Baptist national convention and during Southern Baptist Church Music Week (Ridgecrest and Glorieta), published a piano book of hymn arrangements in Korea, and was the primary speaker at Sunmin Music’s Church Music Workshop in Seoul.
PHOTO: (L) Joel Raney, Joseph M. Martin, James Stevens, Pepper Choplin, J. Paul Williams.
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Jared Owen to Coach Lady Flames Basketball
NASHVILLE, TN—Jared Owen has been named women’s basketball coach at Free Will Baptist Bible College, according to Greg Ketteman, provost. The 24-year-old Florida native played two years with the Flames basketball team and served as assistant coach during the 2008-2009 season. In addition to his duties as Lady Flames coach, Owen will also serve as part-time facilities manager for the Picirilli Activities Building.
Dr. Ketteman said, “We have a great deal of confidence in Jared Owen as a campus leader and Christian example. He understands the importance of character as well as athletic ability. He has a heart for the work of God and demonstrates those qualities of strength and compassion that mark a true leader.”
The FWBBC senior with an A.A. degree in Mathematics begins student teaching this fall and will graduate with a B.S. degree in Physical Education in May 2010. He is active in campus organizations as president of the William Jennings Bryan Society, president of the Exercise Science/Physical Education vocational group, vice president of the senior class, and member of the Student Council.
Owen said, “I’m excited about coaching Lady Flames basketball and look forward to helping the program become a ministry outreach. We have a strong core of returning players as well as several incoming athletes with whom we can start building a competitive team. ”
He is the son of FWBBC graduate Reverend Tim Owen who pastors Piney Grove Free Will Baptist Church (Chipley, Florida), serves as vice chairman of the Randall House Publications Board, and is a part-time special events coordinator for FWBBC.
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JETS Publishes Review by Kevin Hester
NASHVILLE, TN—The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS) published a 1,500-word review (March 2009 issue) by Dr. Kevin Hester, Biblical Studies program coordinator at Free Will Baptist Bible College, in which Hester analyzes Thomas C. Oden’s book, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity, 2007, 204 pp., $19).
Dr. Hester said the book “is born of ecumenical concerns that are both historical and political.” Oden’s primary thesis is that Africa played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture, and that Africa is the seedbed of Western Christianity.
Defining “Africa” in geographical terms, Oden claims that African teachers such as Augustine, Athanasius, Clement, Tertullian, and others have been studied as individuals who were more Greek or Roman rather than as North African intellectual giants.
Hester cites Oden’s seven fountains from Africa that contributed to the Western Christian tradition—anticipation of the European university, exegesis of Scripture, basic Christian dogma, conciliar patterns, spiritual formation within monasticism, Neoplatonic philosophy, and application of such skills as rhetoric and didactic Christianity.
Hester concludes, “What Oden calls for is an ecumenism that is ecumenical in the original sense of the word: A church that is united in one Spirit, one faith, and one hope that is not confined to geographical, linguistic, or racial boundaries.”
While he praises Oden’s 40-page chronology of Christianity in Africa that covers the first millennium, Hester questions the functionality of the literary chronology and the book as a whole which is hampered by the absence of an index, and questions the lack of footnotes referencing sources that could substantiate Oden’s claims.
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