Learning the Word: Philippians

Pastor Wayne Heikkinen is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute. He served with Word of Life Clubs for 20 years and was the National Director of Word of Life Local Church Ministries in Canada. He has been the Pastor of Rock Mills Fellowship Baptist Church for the past eight years. He met his wife Sandy at NBBI and they celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary this past year.  They have three grown children, two of them are married. They have four beautiful grandchildren. His favorite verse is John 10:10 “I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” He loves to read, travel and talk about the change Jesus can make in your life.  Pastor Heikkinen was last year's WOLBI Graduation speaker (click here to read his message). His unique and energetic way of teaching keeps students on the edge or their seat, never knowing what to expect in class, and makes learning God's Word exciting!  We are really loving learning this epistle to the Philippians this week.

"Mr. Heikkinen is really passionate about what he is teaching and about us as students."

"I am learning that making Christ my life means loving people the way Christ loved people.  What's important to Him should be important to me and my attitude should always point to Christ whenI am with believers and non-believers."

"He is one of the first teachers to challenge us to go live out what we are learning when the bell rings and apply it to the next weekend in snow camp and for the rest of our lives.  He said that a turtle on a fence post doesn't get there by itself.  Wherever God is gonna use me, I won't get there by myself; it is God Who will get me there and I have to rely on Him the whole way through."

Recharge Numero Uno!

From WOLBRANOS

NUMERO UNO
Week one of snow camp is over and it was an awesome weekend!  There were 71 people here and 6 teens were counseled to trust Christ as their Saviour. A couple campers were also counseled to be reassured of their salvation and 60 made decisions to dedicate their lives to Christ.  Praise the Lord!!!
We were also very encouraged to receive 3 applications to the Bible Institute!

It started off on Friday evening as soon as people started arriving at about 6:30.  There were games in the lower lounge and a big outdoor game on the basketball court.  The meeting that night presented the Gospel through a message entitled "The Game of Life" preached by one of our own staff, Mr. Jonathan Ward.  Saturday was non stop fun starting out with the Ice Cube 'polar bear dip' to wake everyone up.  Youth groups came dressed in minimal amounts of clothing ready to jump into the freezing water (sans ice chunks this year).  Then the tube hill was opened and the tournaments began with hockey outside on the b-ball court.  There was another meeting right before lunch with praise songs and a great message.  In the afternoon the high ropes course was open and then more tournaments!  Dodge ball, soccer, and basketball.  Think we were tired by then?  Not at all!  The fun was just beginning!  There was still another meeting, the cardboard sled race and the Ice Crystal Cafe!  Whether in the gym watching the tournaments, on the tube hill all day, or even sitting at a table in the Ice Crystal Cafe waiting for their food students and youth leaders sought to encourage teens with God's truth.  God is doing an amazing work in those who were here this past weekend and who made decisions to follow Him.  How awesome it is to be a part of what God is doing!

Now we are all ready to start week 'numero uno' all over again this weekend!  Please be praying that the hearts of the people coming will be softened to hearing the Gospel and that we would be bold in talking to them as they are going to be on campus.

Learning the Word: Biblical Counseling

From WOLBRANOS

Mr Joe Schenke was born in Chicago from a Polish Catholic background. He trusted Christ as a teenager. Mr Schenke attended Word of Life Bible Institute and later received a BS from Trinity College and an MA in Biblical Counselling from The Masters College. Mr Schenke served as Campus Pastor and Dean of Students at Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, NY, for over 20 years and as a pastor of Counselling and Family Ministry at Fellowship Bible Church in Sewell, New Jersey, and is once again the Dean of Students at the NY campus. Like the other guest lecturers, Mr. Schenke is very willing to sit down with us over lunch and he makes himself available during the day if we need to talk. Throughout the week there have even been optional night classes on various issues that people may be struggling with like depression and anger. What a blessing to have him on campus again!

Once again we share the impact this course has had on its professor!

 "As someone who has been involved in Biblical counseling for over 20 years I have been reminded again of the critical role of that the Gospel plays in counseling. In fact the Gospel is not just something that we share with the unsaved but according to Paul was evidently something needed to be heard even after conversion (Romans 1:15).  Too often even biblical counselors can fall into the trap of a works-orientated counsel which focuses on the imperatives of scripture without mentioning the declarations of the glorious Gospel. This inadvertently results in despairing or self-righteous counselees who wonder why it’s so hard to change.  The Gospel proclaims that in Christ while we are weak and sinful , we are loved and welcomed.  It is clear that He loves sinners because He loves us. The Gospel changes everything about us, more specifically the Gospel will free us to lay our lives down and not keep a tally of sins committed against us, but rather will make us kind and tender-hearted teaching us how to forgive (Ephesians 4:32). The Gospel teaches us how to truly love even the most difficult people (1 John 4:9-11)."

Getting ready for Recharge with zest and gusto!

From WOLBRANOS

This past weekend was an intense one as we prepared the campus for Recharge Snow Camp! We rehearsed a regular snow camp weekend meeting in the dining hall after supper to get ready for the campers to come. This past weekend we began our chores of putting up bunk beds, practicing music or drama, and cleaning the whole campus. All the hard work paid off as we took a break to "test" all the outdoor games that our visitors will be playing all winter. It was a great chance to see what needed to be tweaked, and have lots of fun in the meantime! The result of these tests have made us realize that this year we have some of the best outdoor games that we have ever had here in the past Snow Camps! (Much thanks to our guest missionaries from WOL Argentina - Adrian & Jessica Lovera for their ideas and hard work in preparing these games) Friday night after the games we went into the gym to have a praise and worship session with this years praise band. It was awesome to hear all the new songs and sing praises to our God as a break from all the work! Saturday morning we were all back in the dining hall bright and early to begin work all over again. Some laboured vigorously on the tube hill, which is now looking great and ready for the youth, some went to work stacking wood for the campfires, some to music practice, and others were in kitchen working out all the details on how to be as productive as possible when the loads of people arrive to devour the succulent camp food! Delish. What an awesome day! We all worked super hard and finished all our projects early so after dinner we finished the day with another praise and worship time.

It seems that the 'bugs' are worked out, program, music, and activities are ready. Now all we need are the teens and leaders to arrive. For the next 6 weekends we are going to have youth groups come and hear the Word of God from across Southern Ontario! How sweet it is to be living a 'reverse' Great Commission - the world is coming to us for fun, excitement, and to hear God's Word! We'll also be able to make new friends with the teens and encourage them and minister to them. Its going to be an intense and tiring next few weeks, but will be so rewarding and such a blessing! We all need to constantly remember that it is for God that we are doing this and if we do it by His strength then that's the only way we are going to make it through and have victory! As our Camp Director, Tim Chambers shared with us on Friday night, we must be prepared to serve the Lord "heartily" with "zest" and "gusto" as it says in Colossians 3:23.  to describe how our service for the Lord should be characterized.

Please pray for us as hundreds of teens descend onto our campus for weekends of jam-packed fun, activities and the eternal truths of the Word of God. Pray we will grow, learn, and have an impact for eternity.

Learning the Word: Ephesians

From WOLBRANOS

Pastor John Boyd has been in full-time ministry for over forty years and was here last week to teach the book of Ephesians. He has shepherded six churches in New England, the Maritimes, and Ontario and is currently serving as Senior Pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Cambridge, ON. He has taught Pastoral Theology part-time for the last twenty years at New Brunswick Bible Institute.  He also teaches for Walk Through the Bible, Winning With Encouragement and Bible conferences. His wife, Lillian, was here as well.  It is great to have teachers and their wives minister to us as a family as we interact with them outside of class. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd both shared a devotional in Guys' and Girls' Dorm Devos last Thursday evening and were a huge encouragement (the timbits they brought were a big hit too!). It is such a blessing to have teaching in and out of the classroom! We praise God for this incredibly godly couple.  

Pastor Boyd expresses the blessing he received this year in teaching the book of Ephesians:

"What challenged me a fresh and a new from Ephesians’ was when Paul wrote to the church he wasn’t concerned with methods or how many were there. His concern was the spiritual growth of the body. He teaches them solid biblical doctrine about God’s provision for them and shows how to implement it in their lives. It was exciting to see the students grasp this truth and with it the responsibility to live in the light of it." 

"I am learning that God's power isn't limited when we are willing to be used by Him."

"I like how Ephesians is a very practical book and we can apply it to our lives.  A question I keep thinking about is: Are we pliable clay in the Potter's hands?"

Life-Change: Missions Conference

We recently got back from missions conference in Schroon Lake, New York at the Word of Life Bible Institute.  It was an amazing weekend of great speakers and awesome fellowship with other believers!
After a ten hour bus ride we finally arrived and were shown to our dorms; the girls stayed in Korea and the guys stayed in Spain and Japan.  Each dorm is named after a different country where there is some kind of WOL ministry.  We had a great time meeting students from the other BI's and showing our hosts our great enthusiasm for Canada.

From WOLBRANOS

  The missions conference kicked off on Friday evening with an opening ceremony and message.  Students of Schroon Lake marched down the aisles to epic music carrying different flags as people cheered for their favorite countries.  Some of the speakers were Harry Bollback, Dr. Joe Jordan, Tom Mahairas, Chris Stout, and Don Lough, Jr.

Intern Travel Team "Resonate" ministering in music

From WOLBRANOS

During the afternoons there were presentations by missionaries talking about their individual ministries.  Many of our hearts were opened and softened to everything we were hearing, and God even led a few individuals to consider taking part in the ministries we were hearing about.

From WOLBRANOS

Many of our eyes were opened to the needs around the world and what God can do with us if we surrender our lives to Him and His will for us.  At the dedication service many of the students went up front to dedicate their lives to how God would use them in the world.  It was a great opportunity to see WOLBI main campus especially for students considering Second Year some time in the future.  It was unique from the previous years because we made many friends from the students from Sherbrooke, Quebec.  Sunday evening both our class and the students from Parole De Vie had a time in the lounge where we all shared with each other on the things God was teaching us over the weekend.
  Here's what some of the students had to say about their experience:

"It is encouraging to know that God has a special plan for each of us no matter where we come from or our background He still has an individual plan for our lives."

"It was a great opportunity to meet with other believers who are passionate about sharing God's Word.  And seeing the large campus in New York makes me really appreciate our small campus!"

Learning the Word: 1 Corinithians

From WOLBRANOS

This week  Dr. Ken Gardoski taught us the book of 1 Corinthians.  Dr. Gardoski grew up in a Polish Roman Catholic family. He trusted the Lord while in college and later became a missionary to Poland with Baptist Mid-Missions. Dr. Gardoski received his BS in Education from Clarion University of PA, MDiv and ThM from Baptist Bible Seminary, and PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently teaches at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA.

Dr. Gardoski is always blessed as he teaches through this book.

"Studying and teaching through 1 Corinthians this time, I have been reminded of the important truth in 1 Cor. 4:7, "For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" Too often I am tempted to take credit for things for which God should get ALL of the credit. Someone once said, "It's amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit." This is true in any organization; how much more should it be true in my life as a believer and in our corporate experience of serving together in the Body of Christ!"

Students are really enjoying this class.

Gary Stairs, Executive Director of Word of Life Fellowship Canada, Inc, said, "I just sat in on Dr. Ken Gardoski’s class on 1 Corinthians. Tremendous teaching! What a blessing for me and WOLBI students to be challenged with great presentations like this!"

 

To Schroon Lake we go!

We are all stoked to be back on campus after celebrating the Festive Season over Christmas break for the past three weeks!  There were so many amazing things that happened to us over break and lots of ministry opportunities!  It was a great time to rest and take a step back to meditate on what we have been learning over the past few months. We have been able to see what God has been doing in our lives and how He is growing us.  It has also been exciting to stay in touch with everyone over break to see what God is teaching them in quiet time and in their time at home. We have been avidly encouraging each other on Facebook and Skype while we are all away from each other!
This week is flying by with class on Monday (usually we have Mondays off) because on Thursday we leave for the WOLBI campus in Schroon Lake, New York for the annual Missions Conference.  It is going to be exciting to see what it is like on a larger campus of 500 students compared to our 40.  Everyone is pumped!  We leave after class and take a 10 hour bus ride with sing-a-longs and a noisy 'fellowship' the whole way.  It will be an intense weekend with speakers from all over the world and right here in our North American home. We are also looking forward to performing the song we've been practicing as a school choir for the annual International Worship Concert. Pray for us as we hear from Word of Life missionaries (and many other missionary organizations too) from around the globe and sit in on presentations about what God is doing all over the planet!  Some of us will even dedicate our lives to serving Christ in missions.
Waiting to see what God will do...

Students Speak about Life Change!

DISCLAIMER: No students were interrogated, forced, bribed or otherwise coerced in the obtaining of these quotes. The Bible Institute is very blessed by the students God has brought this year!

One of the slogans of the Word of Life Bible Institute is "One Year that will Change Your Life!"

See for yourself as students share what God has done so far this year:

"God really uses chapels, devos, guest lecturers, discipleship, and many other things to show you how to live a holy and godly life and you are given a picture of what a right and godly relationship should look like. WOL prepares you for life and really helps you grow in your relationship with Him and to hold Him above all else and keep God as the head of everything in your life."

"I am blessed by the friends I have made this year!"
"So far in my year at WOLBI I have really been challenged to change areas of my life that I had ignored for a while."

"Bible survey taught me that the Old Testament can be a challenge but it is rewarding in the end. Through the course of this semester reading from Genesis to the minor prophets, I have learned to love and appreciate the Old Testament."

"Coming to the Bible Institute I had kind of an idea of how things would work but I didn’t think God would grow me in such an amazing way in such a small amount of time. Not that I thought God couldn’t but when you surrender everything to God He will change you and use you in so many ways. God is so much bigger then we will ever know! Praise the Lord!!!!!!"

 

"Going to WOL for a year was a great commitment for me that I originally didn’t want to do. Now that I am in Bible school, I am amazed by how alive the Bible is. I am learning new truths every day. The presentation of the Bible is given in a fun and compelling way that makes learning and God interesting."

"Bible Survey showed me how real and important God is in my life and how important God's Word is!! The Bible is really interesting to read when you start from the beginning and have help going through each book of the Bible. The Bible is our life manual!!!"

"I never would have learned or grown so much if it wasn’t for all the classes and discipleship. God has taught me so much and I am excited to see what He has in store for me in the rest of the year."

 For more info on how you could be a part of this life-changing year email Admissions or fill out an application online!