news at free will baptist 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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Bert Tippett Announces Retirement

NASHVILLE, TN—Reverend Bert Tippett, long-time employee and campus leader at Free Will Baptist Bible College, announced his retirement effective August 31, 2009, according to President Matt Pinson. Mr. Tippett and his wife Dianne (pictured above) joined the college staff in 1965, both serving in numerous roles. His trademark responsibilities in journalism and church relations, plus 10 years as campus pastor, marked his FWBBC career. He has worked part-time since 2004 while Dianne volunteered as mailing list coordinator.

During an interview in his book-lined office on August 14, Mr. Tippett said he had come to the conclusion that it was time for him to step back from recurring deadlines and college duties, and spend more time with his family.

President Pinson said, “We thank God for Brother Tippett and his faithful ministry at FWBBC. He has given his life for this college. He’s a true friend, an example of Christian maturity, and a trusted colleague in the Lord’s work. I know of no person more loved and respected than Bert Tippett. He and Dianne were always there when needs arose. He never stopped learning, never stopped giving, never stopped growing in the Lord. I wish he could do it all over again.”

FWBBC honored the Tippetts on June 4 in a sweeping campus event called The Celebration! that saw hundreds of alumni and friends gather to salute the beloved couple for 45 years of service. The October-November 2009 issue of ONE Magazine and the Winter 2009 issue of Illumina (alumni magazine) will include several of the celebration tributes.

“I plan to be on campus frequently as a volunteer in a number of continuing projects, especially in areas of journalism and design, as my circumstances permit,” Mr. Tippett said. “God only knows how special I’ve felt working at FWBBC these four-plus decades. I’ve walked side-by-side with some of the noblest people in the Free Will Baptist denomination. They gave me a unique place to serve and challenged me to adapt and grow as ministry opportunities came my way. Looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

After graduating in 1962 with a B.A. degree in English, he pastored in New Hampshire before returning to FWBBC in 1965 as director of publications. He maintained a robust schedule that included Lumen advisor, journalism and Physical Education instructor, trusted friend to thousands of students, professional photographer, editor of the FWBBC Bulletin, and mentor to future Free Will Baptist leaders.

Diagnosed in May 2008 with a highly aggressive and invasive form of prostate cancer, Tippett underwent hormone therapy and chemotherapy, and began a new form of chemotherapy August 17. The cancer has metastasized to the bones, migrated to other areas of the body, and is widespread with PSA levels reaching 76.4 in August.
“I’m in God’s hands and in God’s will,” Bert said, “and that’s exactly where I want to be.”

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Free Will Baptist Bible College Enrolls 302 Students
 
NASHVILLE, TN—Free Will Baptist Bible College enrolled 302 students from 23 states and five foreign countries for the 2009 fall semester, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. Enrollment statistics indicate a diverse student body with a wide range of academic interests.

Dr. Ketteman said, “We are thankful for every student who enrolls at FWBBC. Each fall as the students register, I realize that God has placed the future in our hands and sent us the next wave of pastors and church planters, future missionaries and Christian education leaders, as well as tomorrow’s psychologists, musicians, business entrepreneurs, and more. We’ve graduated almost 200 students in the past three years. Like their predecessors, this impressive group of young adults will soon take their places in the Kingdom work to change the world. ”

The college reported 172 dormitory students, 73 commuter students, 23 Adult Degree Program students, and 34 Online/Lifetime Learning students. Officials set the fall semester 2009 full-time student equivalency at 264, an increase of 2.3% over the fall semester 2008. One hundred thirteen students are enrolled in ministry-related fields, an increase of 13.8%.

By classes, they include 56 seniors, 44 juniors, 84 sophomores, 98 freshmen, and 20 non-degree/part-time students. There are 134 women and 168 men in the student body.

“Enrollment for our Online Degree and Adult Degree Programs will continue through mid-semester,” Dr. Ketteman said. “We are still enrolling new students in both programs, since enrollment takes place throughout the fall term due to each program having multiple modules. We project a total enrollment of 315 students for the fall term.”

President Matt Pinson said, “This is a special time of year for us at FWBBC as new students arrive to begin their collegiate studies and returning students bring their energy and high expectations back to campus. We’re also excited that things are coming together for the relocation of the college. In addition, our expanding academic programs in pre-nursing and science, plus a strong response to our growing Online/Lifetime Learning Programs, keep us in touch with the changing educational needs of our denominational constituency.”
Here are three ways to contact Free Will Baptist Bible College for more information: Call 800-76-FWBBC, email recruit@fwbbc.edu, or visit the college’s website at www.FWBBC.edu

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FWBBC Ranked Among America’s Top Colleges by U.S. News & World Report

NASHVILLE, TN—Free Will Baptist Bible College received notification in mid-August that the institution is again ranked among “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” (South Region, Third Tier) in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges guidebook, according to President Matt Pinson. Highlights of the college rankings will be published in the August 24, 2009, issue of U.S. News.

President Pinson said, “We are delighted to be ranked again among America’s best colleges in this prestigious national study. It is gratifying to see our high academic quality, which our supporters have known about for a long time, recognized by those beyond the institution. This recognition helps our constituency—especially prospective students and their parents—know what we have known all along: that FWBBC is a high quality institution of higher learning.”

The “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” category where FWBBC is ranked includes 319 institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts, and in professional fields such as business, nursing, and education. The colleges in this category are ranked within four geographic regions: North, South, Midwest, and West.

The U.S. News rankings offer the opportunity to judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and more.

Mr. Wayne Spruill, director of institutional research at FWBBC, said, “Publications such as U.S. News let us show what a great school we have, plus this gives prospective students an opportunity to make sound decisions about enrolling here. I find it rewarding that one of the many surveys and questionnaires we prepare has once more placed the college in a highly regarded national publication.”

FWBBC received particularly high marks in four strategic areas—percent of classes with under 20 students (87%), student/faculty ratio (9/1), freshman retention rate (68%), and graduation rate (47%).

Provost Greg Ketteman said, “Our inclusion for the second time in U.S. News’ list of best baccalaureate colleges is a testimony to the hard work that our faculty and staff pour into this college. They rigorously prepare themselves to teach in a collegiate academic setting, or to sacrificially serve on campus in administrative or other vital support roles. Thank God for the FWBBC team—they are why I believe every Free Will Baptist student should look at FWBBC first when considering a college.”

More information is available about the rankings and methodology in the annual America’s Best Colleges.

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Michael Oliver Named Men’s Resident Director at FWBBC

NASHVILLE, TN—Reverend Michael Oliver has been named men’s resident director at Free Will Baptist Bible College, according to Jon Forlines, vice president for student services. The 35-year-old Alabama native has served as administrative assistant in FWBBC’s institutional advancement office since 2008 and is scheduled to graduate with a degree in General Christian Ministries in December 2010.

Dr. Forlines said, “We are so pleased that a man with such extensive ministerial and business experience has agreed to serve as men’s resident director. He will make an immediate impact on our students. Prior to enrolling at FWBBC, he owned a trucking company and pastored a church. He served four years as associate pastor and pastor at Olivet Free Will Baptist Church (Clarksville, TN). His professional management skills, his maturity as a minister who understands people, and his proven ability to function within an organizational structure are exactly what we need.”

Oliver was ordained in 2003 while pastoring Davis Chapel Free Will Baptist Church (Fayette, AL). He later worked three years as a UPS supervisor. His dual role at FWBBC includes duties as resident director and continuing responsibilities with the advancement office. His wife Kim will also join the FWBBC staff in a part-time capacity.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to mentor young men for ministry and Christian service,” Oliver said. “Everything I’ve learned as a business owner, supervisor, and pastor has prepared me for this moment. Kim and I look forward to living in Goen Hall and being available to offer support and encouragement as needs arise among the students.”

The Olivers have two sons, Seth (10) and Jon (7).

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AnnaGee Harris Named FWBBC Drama Director

NASHVILLE, TN—AnnaGee Harris, a 2006 Free Will Baptist Bible College graduate, has been named drama director at the college, according to President Matt Pinson. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.S. degree at FWBBC, Miss Harris completed the M.A.T. degree (2008) with an emphasis in Theater at Trevecca Nazarene University. She succeeds David Payne who resigned after six years to pursue theater.

Miss Harris said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to bring more types of theater to campus and provide students with options to participate in comedy, mystery, and musical productions, as well as traditional drama. FWBBC is a good fit for me—I grew up in a Free Will Baptist church, my mother (Dr. Suzann Harris) taught 12 years at FWBBC, and my grandfather (Rev. Vernon Barker) has been a Free Will Baptist minister 47 years. Thanks to my FWBBC education and the excellent training I received from David Payne, I understand what the college is looking for.”

Payne joined the FWBBC team in 2003 with the long-term goal of finding someone who could succeed him and develop the college’s Drama Department. After Miss Harris auditioned as a student for various roles, he began to mentor her, eventually inviting her to become his assistant at FWBBC, then asking her to serve as drama co-director in 2008.

“AnnaGee is ready to serve as drama director,” Payne said. “I suggested to President Pinson that I resign now and offer the position to her. I know of no one better prepared and better suited for the task. She is competent on stage and off stage.”

President Pinson said, “We are delighted that Miss Harris has agreed to become drama director. She is well known and respected by our college family, and we look forward to great things from her. At the same time, however, we regret Mr. Payne’s departure. We thank God for his professional leadership in the Drama Department.”

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FWBBC President on National Radio Program

NASHVILLE, TN—Dr. Matt Pinson, president of Free Will Baptist Bible College, was a guest July 10 on The Albert Mohler Program, a one-hour talk show hosted every weekday by Dr. Albert R. Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The show is devoted to engaging contemporary culture with biblical truth. The subject for the program on which Dr. Pinson appeared was the 500-year legacy of John Calvin.

Guest host Dr. Russell Moore invited President Pinson to discuss the benefits of Calvin’s legacy and his influence on Christian thinking from the Arminian point of view theologically, while Washington, D.C., pastor Dr. Mark Dever addressed the question from the mainline Calvinistic tradition.

Pinson said, “I was honored to be a guest on the program and comment about John Calvin, our differences with him as Arminians, and the extent of cooperation that Arminians and Calvinists can enjoy in the larger evangelical community. As a Free Will Baptist, I obviously disagree with Calvin’s well-known ‘five points.’ Yet I deeply appreciate the approach of many Calvinists on the gospel, doctrinal purity, and the sufficiency of Scripture for the life of the church.”

To hear the program, go to www.albertmohler.com, and access the archive of the July 10 show.

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North Carolina Youth Group Works at FWBBC

NASHVILLE, TN—Eight members of a Clayton, North Carolina, youth group spent their first mission trip working at Free Will Baptist Bible College, according to Ernie Thompson, cleaning operations supervisor. The energetic volunteers from Tippett’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church traveled 13 hours in a van to Middle Tennessee where they served in a wide array of campus projects July 7-9.

Mr. Thompson said, “We’re so pleased to have them on campus. They stepped right up to the work and never looked back. They worked inside with paint projects in the Administration Building. They moved furniture. They worked outside trimming shrubbery, raking limbs, and cleaning the tennis court. They worked wherever we had a need. I hope they come back next summer.”

Led by 2002 FWBBC graduate Bryan Hughes, now in his eighth year as music and youth pastor at Tippett’s Chapel, the group included Hughes’ wife Michaellynn and their three children, as well as eighth-grader Mackenzie Moody, tenth-grader Jacy Congleton, and Colton Ayscue, who is completing an associate’s degree in turf management at North Carolina State University.

FWBBC librarian Carol Reid praised the group’s cheerful attitudes and work ethic. “They hauled and stamped and organized. They moved periodicals as needed, shifted books that are being withdrawn from circulation, and organized the Lumen (college yearbook) collection for us. We were very thankful for them.”

Mr. Hughes said he hopes to extend future mission trips to 10 days and include activities with Free Will Baptist children’s homes as well as out-of-country excursions as circumstances permit. The youth group funds its mission trips through special events in the community.

Dr. Eddie Moody, 1989 FWBBC graduate, is in his ninth year as pastor at Tippett’s Chapel FWB Church.

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Missouri Volunteers Return to FWBBC

NASHVILLE, TN—Missouri pastor Rick Dement led a five-man work crew from First Free Will Baptist Church in O’Fallon on a week-long volunteer mission at Free Will Baptist Bible College, August 3-7, according to Ernie Thompson, cleaning operations supervisor. The three men and two teens provided their own transportation, cooked their own meals, slept in the dormitory, and worked nine-hour days in oppressive August heat painting walls, ceilings, and more.

Mr. Thompson said, “These men know how to work, and they got it done. All we did was supply the paint, the brushes, the ladders, and point them to areas in the Student Center, Cumberland Cafeteria, Thigpen Building, and the Administration Building that needed painting. They took it from there.”

This marked the second year that teen brothers Ben (18) and Jon (16) Osterkamp traveled to Tennessee with the O’Fallon volunteers. Jerry Crossfield, 72-year-old retired truck driver, returned for his second work tour as well and doubled as cook for the group, preparing breakfast and dinner in the Thigpen Building kitchen.

“I wish everyone could get this opportunity to help at the college,” said Mike Hei, a carpenter who has been laid off five months. He glanced down from a ladder in Cumberland Cafeteria, paintbrush in hand, explaining that he was raised Roman Catholic but was “just not getting anything from religion until three years ago when my wife found Pastor Dement’s church after we relocated to O’Fallon.”

Rick Dement, moderator of the Missouri State Association of Free Will Baptists, said he wanted to be an example to his men in voluntarism, not only in times of hurricanes and tornadoes, but when the best way to serve is by lifting a paintbrush. “We’re here this week because this is our college. I want it to look its best, and I consider it a privilege to be here doing what I can.”

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FWBBC Flames Golf Tournament a Success

NASHVILLE, TN—Thirty-four golfers teed off June 27 in the Flames Golf Tournament, according to Nathan Willhite, athletic supervisor and men’s basketball coach at Free Will Baptist Bible College. The four-man scramble was played in Greenbrier, Tennessee, at Pebble Brook Golf Course.

Coach Willhite said, “We had great participation from local golfers who wanted to demonstrate their support for the Flames and FWBBC athletics. I’m especially pleased that so many community organizations and businesses partnered with us in this project—Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, Nashville Sounds, Nevada Bob’s Golf Shop, Snap Fitness, and Zycron.”

Prizes were awarded to first, second, and third place winners. The first place award went to Bruce Mohundro, Bill Hardin, and Tom Hardin who shot 19 under par. Willhite said he hopes to see the tournament continue and expand.

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FWBBC Names Gary Turner to Sports Post

NASHVILLE, TN—Mr. Gary Turner, a distinguished multi-sport coach and Christian educator, has been named Physical Education/Exercise Science program coordinator and athletic director at Free Will Baptist Bible College, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. Turner fills the faculty vacancy left when Dr. Mike Phillips accepted a position at Tennessee Technological University after six years at FWBBC. Men’s basketball coach Nathan Willhite, who served as interim athletic director since January, now becomes assistant athletic director.

Mr. Turner was a faculty member, men’s and women’s basketball coach, tennis coach, and athletic director for over 20 years at Central Christian College (Kansas) before moving to Huntington University (Indiana) where he served eight years as men’s and women’s tennis coach, sports information director, and athletic director. He holds a master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Western Illinois University and has done work toward a Ph.D. at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Ketteman said, “After nearly 30 years as a successful college teacher, coach, and athletic director, Gary Turner is still passionate about fulfilling God’s purpose in his life. He understands the role of physical education and athletics in Christian higher education and is committed to a high quality and distinctively Christian athletic program.”

The 57-year-old Turner was NAIA Region VIII Athletic Director of the Year in 2003 and Mid-Central Conference Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year in 2006. As a student athlete at Central College, he was named to Outstanding College Athletes of America in 1972. One of eight children, Turner’s broad experience ranges from collegiate director of enrollment and financial aid and extensive sports leadership to Junior High science teacher. He is respected for his community involvement, and he works enthusiastically with both students and the general public.

President Matt Pinson said, “We are so pleased to welcome Brother Gary Turner to the FWBBC family—he’s a solid Christian gentleman who lives what he believes. His reputation is impeccable. His peers use words like integrity, honesty, and loyalty to describe his Christian walk. Mr. Turner understands how the physical education classroom and collegiate athletics can be used to support the college’s mission to ‘educate leaders to serve Christ, His Church, and His world through biblical thought and life.’”

Mr. Turner and his wife Kathy have three adult children, including one son who is on his way to China to teach English in a university. Kathy Turner is a leader in Special Education programming at Huntington University and is pursuing doctoral studies.

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FWBBC Flames Announce Basketball, Volleyball Schedules

NASHVILLE, TN—The 2009-2010 basketball and volleyball schedules for the Flames and Lady Flames have been released, according to Nathan Willhite, men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Free Will Baptist Bible College.

The Flames will play 28 basketball games in eight states, plus four tournaments. Lady Flames volleyball includes 14 games (five at home) in six states, plus the regional tournament.

Jared Owen coaches Lady Flames basketball. Daniel Sanders coaches Lady Flames volleyball.
For schedules, visit www.fwbbc.edu.