WOLBRANOS

Word Studies: Pneumatology

2012-02-28T10:00:00.066-05:00

Class: Pneumatology

Week #3: February 13-17
Professor: Dr. Marshall Wicks

Assignments: Read the section in Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie on the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Marshall Wicks received a BA in Bible from Tennessee Temple University, MDiv and ThM from Grace Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Baptist Bible Seminary. Dr. Wicks is one of the resident professors at WOLBI, teaching in both the 1st and 2nd years, and teaches Theology at the Florida campus, where he is the Associate Academic Dean.

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"

- John 14:16

Pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit and It's work in the body of Christ. This would involve many aspects including the spiritual gifts and the many ministries which the Holy Spirit is involved. As in all the classes here at WOLBI, Dr. Wicks stresses the importance of what God's Word says on the subject. Systematically teaching through the scripture, he covers every aspect of Pneumatology, giving each student the opportunity to grasp the study. Another focus of Dr. Wicks, is that of the practical as opposed to just doctrinal. He instructs why it is important to know what the Bible says and also how to apply it to daily living.

"Dr. Wicks was a very knowledgeable teacher. It was very interesting to learn about the various ministries of the Holy Spirit."
- Marcel, Kitchener

"I really enjoyed Pneumatology becasue it was very practical. It gave me a better understanding of salvation and the Holy Spirit altogether."
- Sophia, Waterloo

Word Studies: Matthew

2012-02-24T13:58:00.002-05:00

Class: Matthew

Week #1-2: January 30 - February 10
Professor: Mr. Scott Foreman

Assignments: Read Matthew 1-12 before the end of the first week and Matthew 13-28 before the end of the second week.

Scott serves full-time with the ministry of Word of Life Canada. He is the Associate Director for the Canadian ministry. His responsibilities include oversight of the Owen Sound Camping ministry, Resonate, print, web and media departments. He is a graduate of the first and second year programs of the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York, and a graduate of Tennessee Temple University where he received his B.Sc. in Biblical Studies. He is currently working on his Master’s degree from Baptist Bible Seminary.

"Mr. Foreman did a great job of bringing life to Matthew and helping us understand it. He brought a whole new perspective to the book, showing us that it wasn't just a gospel but something more."
- Tyler, Waterloo

Starting a new semester with the first book of the New Testament is perfect, as the students have a fresh start in all other areas of academics. Matthew is more than just a gospel. It is the message of the Old Testament and the beginning of a new chapter in world history. The book begins with John the Baptist preaching repentence and the kingdom. When Christ enters the picture as the Messiah, the Jews reject Him as the One who was to come.
Even though Christ was ready to set up His kingdom, Israel rejected Him because He was not the type of Messiah they were looking for. Therefore, Christ postponed the kingdom, for now. This begins a whole new dispensation or divine program in world history known today as the church which does not actually begin until Acts chapter 2. Mr. Foreman carefully teaches through these developments found in Matthew. This book is also an amazing glimpse at the life of the Saviour Jesus Christ. His example of humility and servanthood can be applied throughout all life. His sacrifice on the cross and suffering for the world can only push believers to share His love to the world.

"I have really enjoyed the study of Matthew and have been learning many things. What I have probably learned the most so far is the importance of keeping Israel and the church separate. It has been interesting to see how Christ was ready to establish His kingdom but since Israel rejected Him it has been postponed; now we can look forward to His second coming."
- Ryan, Alberta

"I had never really understood the point made by Matthew about the kingdom. But Mr. Foreman helped me comprehend how it fits in the entire gospel."
- Jonathan, Muskoka

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Word Studies: Proverbs

2012-02-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

Class: Proverbs

Week #17: January 23-27
Professor: Pastor Steve Faulkner

Assignments: Read the entire book of Proverbs in English one time outside of class during the course of the week. Carefully read the introduction to Proverbs provided in the course syllabus and be prepared to interact with its contents each day. Prepare a brief outline of a Bible study or Sunday School lesson.

Pastor Faulkner received his BA from Tennessee Temple University and his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has ministered as Youth Pastor, Police Department Chaplain, and Pastor in the US and Canada. Currently he serves as Pastor of Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe, ON.

The book of Proverbs is just what the title is: a book of proverbs. Dictionary.com defines a proverb as a wise saying or precept. Therefore, the book of Proverbs is a book of wise sayings or precepts. However, it is not man's wisdom but God's wisdom written in the thirty one chapters. Pastor Faulkner defines wisdom as "skill in righteous living." He brings the students through the book of Proverbs and outlines each section. His purpose in teaching the book is to help each student understand Proverbs and how to apply it into every day life.

"I learned many things about the different proverbs. He helped me understand and apply the scripture to my life."
- Kassey, Goulais River

"It was applicable to every day life."
- Nick, Elmira

"Pastor Faulkner focused on many different types of proverbs and also gave us techniques on how to interpret each type."
- Rachel, Collingwood

One must understand that the proverbs are not promises but principles to live by. However, if a believer chooses to live by God's wisdom rather than his own, the believer will experience radical change. How does one live by God's wisdom? It all starts with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10) The following verse explains why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

"The fear of the LORD tendeth to life:

and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil."

- Proverbs 19:23

Word of Life Missions Conference

2012-02-21T08:56:00.004-05:00

The Great Commission

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name
of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you:

and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.

Amen.

- Matthew 28:19-20

Known to Christians as the last command from the Saviour in Matthew's gospel account, these verses have become the call for believers to dedicate their lives to missions.

Every year, the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake NY hosts a missions conference in early January for the BI campuses in Ontario, Quebec and New York. The conference is not only attended by students and staff, but many others as well come for the weekend from across the continent.

The students were very excited to attend the conference which took place January 6-8. They arrived in Schroon Lake on the fifth and were able to attend some of the second year classes the next morning. Friday evening the Missions conference began and so did the conviction of the Word of God in the lives of those attending.

The theme for the weekend was Momentum: the Gospel in Motion. The students had the priviledge of hearing from some inspiring individuals including Dr. Chris Gnanakan, Dmin., PhD., Director of Training for Outreach to Asia Nationals, Mr. Nardi Pugyao, Mr. Harry Bollback, Co-founder of Word of Life and Mr. Don Lough, Executive Director of Word of Life. These speakers preached the Word of God over five sessions, teaching on how the gospel has potential, but it needs to ignite and accelerate (John 13:17, Luke 24:32, Mark 6:34) . However, it cannot do that unless it breaks through opposition at which point it will become unstoppable (1 Cor. 16:9, 2 Cor. 5:9-11). Yet, it cannot be the gospel doing this work, although it is powerful (Romans 1:16). Mr. Lough said the following statement: "It is not God who does not call, it is man who does not respond." The momentum of the gospel can only be fully tapped if the believer is fully sold out for God. On Sunday night, Mr. Lough petitioned those gathered to completely dedicate their lives to Christ. Many came forward in answer to God's calling in their lives.

The stage was crowded with individuals dedicating themselves to their Saviour.

The conference impacted the lives of many people. Here are just a few thoughts about the weekend:

"At Missions Conference it was cool to see the passions for missions. Each meeting challenged me to think more about how I could reach others for Christ."
- Sarah, Alberta

"Missions Conference was an incredible time to understand what it takes to follow Christ."
- Ryan, Wyoming

"C`était une incroyable experience qui m`a vraiment poussé à réviser ma vue sur la mission en général. J`ai réaliser qu`entant que chrétien nous devons agir activement pour répondre le message du salut dans le monde entier."
"It was an incredible experience that really pushed me to review my way of thinking about missions in general. I realize that as Christians we need to be actively acting for the propagation of the gospel in the entire world."
- Micael, New Brunswick

"It was awesome to hear from missionaries from all over the world and in different lines of work. It was really encouraging to hear the stories and see how they are all regular people... just like me."
- Cameron, Mount Forest

The Missions Conference is a highlight of the year at the BI. It gives students the opportunity to investigate different missions organizations and to contemplate whether they would be willing to be a part of missions work globally. Actually, the whole year at the BI gives a multitude of opportunities to explore different ministry options and how each person can be involved in the work of God. WOLBI wants to give you those same opportunities.

Imagine one year at the Word of Life Bible Institute!

Why not check out campus days? Click here for more information.

Also, if you need to find out if WOLBI is right for you,

you can always email our admissions coordinator, Cassandra, at cassandrao@wol.ca.

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Word Studies: Biblical Counselling

2012-02-14T12:09:00.002-05:00

Class:

Week #16: January 16-20
Professor: Mr. Joe Schenke

Assignments: Read and give a book report on the book, Psychobabble by Dr. Richard Ganz and the What To Do When… counselling pamphlets by Jay E. Adams.

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.

"Going into the week of Biblical Counselling, I went into it not thinking that I would really get anything out of it. Mr. Schenke was very encouraging and he challenged me that I can counsel people wherever I am, even if it's just being a good friend and being willing to listen to someone who just needs to talk."
- Monica, Sebringville

Biblical Counselling gives the students here at WOLBI an integrated study of how the Bible should be the foundation of life change. Instead of turning to music, seclusion, friends or medication, which is the world's answer, one needs to turn to God's Word when faced with any situation. Mr. Schenke takes principles from the Bible and makes them applicable for each student. Biblical counselling is not just for the pastor or counsellor, but every believer needs to be prepared to share the truth found in God's Word with others. This class was able to prepare the students for Recharge Snow Camp, where counselling needs come up very often, and also summer camp when counselling is a major part of the weekly ministry.

"Now we exhort you, brethren,

warn them that are unruly,

comfort the feebleminded,

support the weak,

be patient toward all men."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:14

P31 - Planet Holiness

2012-02-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Word of Life Local Church Ministries is extremely excited to tell you about this ALL NIGHT event JUST FOR TEEN GIRLS!

P31 is an amazing night of fun and teaching from God's Word on topics relevant to teen girls. Your girls in grades 7-12 will hear messages from Amy Speck, Debbie MacQueen, and Rachel Foreman on the subjects of Maturity, Modesty and Media. The theme this year is Planet Holiness.

In addition to this, we will have music from a live worship band, drama presentations, pizza and prizes.

All this will take place between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. After that the girls will be "turned loose" within the building to experience different fun activities such as: group photo shoot, manicures, hair salon, karaoke, making jewelry and an inflatable in the gym. The fun ends at 5:00 a.m.

Some key points about this event:
- The gospel will be given and those present will be given a chance to respond
- Girls will be challenged from God's Word on relevant issues
- You & your girls will have fun!
- Youth leaders and mothers and daughters are welcome to attend!
- Girls must be in grades 7-12 to attend
- Cost is $30 per teen and $25 per leader until February 10th. After that, the price per teen goes up by $10
- There will be a "quiet room" available for female drivers (we provide mattresses, you bring sleeping bag & pillow)
- If you know someone who would be interested in this information... please pass it on! :)
-Please let us know ASAP if you are planning on attending so that we can plan for you!
- Registration begins at 8:00 p.m. on March 2nd at Emmanuel Bible Church (24 Churchill Circle, Simcoe, ON)

Location: Simcoe, ON

Check out the event page on Facebook for more info and interaction with those attending this exciting event!

MIA (Ministry in Action): Recharge Snow Camp

2012-02-09T09:32:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was another awesome Recharge Snow Camp experience. The campus hosted four youth groups from across Ontario reaching a total of over seventy teens. Saturday night saw three campers accept Christ as their personal Saviour and there were reports that more campers made the same decision later in the evening. This is why Word of Life exists: to see young people accept Christ as their personal Saviour.

The speaker this past weekend was WOLBI's very own Mr. Jonathan Ward. He spoke from the bok of Jude, teaching on how to contend for the faith. Campers were impacted greatly by the power of God's Word.

Jonathan Ward shares God's Word

Snow Camp is probably one of the most stretching and yet exciting times during the BI year. But even though it is difficult at times and the going gets tough, learning to rely on God for strength and seeing lives changed as completely worth the hard work and time that goes into this ministry.

"Recharge is intense! It's great to see the different youth groups come in with many different backgrounds and just be able to talk to and encourage them even in the quick minute conversations. I can see God working more and more each week. It's great."
- Kassey, Goulais River

"Recharge has been awesome! It's great to see kid's accept Christ. I love working with the Maintenance team."
- Tim, Owen Sound

(left to right) Sarah, Maggie, Brittany
Recharge Coffee House Staff

"This is an amazing growth of faith in me; I can see it and I can't wait to come back!"

"It was a wonderful weekend, that has helped me get back in touch with the Lord."

"I liked the atmosphere and the kind, enthusiastic leaders."

Please continue to pray for this ministry as God works in the lives of everyone involved!

Word Studies: Deuteronomy

2012-02-08T15:28:00.000-05:00

Class: Deuteronomy

Week #15: January 9-13
Professor: Pastor Steve Hobbs

Assignments: Read through the Book of Deuteronomy twice during the week; the section on the book of Deuteronomy must be read from the Bible Survey textbook; and the notes from the previous day must be read before the beginning of the next day.

Pastor Steve Hobbs received his BS from Liberty University and an MDiv from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Hobbs later served as the Dean of Men and on the teaching faculty at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, NY. He is currently the pastor at Vincent Baptist Church in Pennsylvania.

At first, Deuteronomy does not seem to be to appealing. A book about laws, regulations and tradition is usually not the first choice for a little casual reading. Deuteronomy was written by Moses, at the end of the forty years of wandering the nation of Israel had before entering the land of Canaan. The entire book is a written account of Moses' sermons to his people to encourage them before they entered the promised land. God gave Moses the words and laws to give to the people. Because of the laws and the specific stipulations about how to live, Deuteronomy has become a book in the Bible avoided by most people simply because they do not understand it. However, upon careful study, one will discover that Deuteronomy is filled with powerful, life-changing principles for the believer today. In this class specifically, Pastor Hobbs does an amazing job of bringing out the application from the text and the importance of knowing the principles for Christian living.

"We covered a lot in the Deuteronomy class that challenged me to really think about how the Old Testament and New Testament tie in together and how much we can learn from the ways of the Old Testament."
- Kassey, Goulais River

"He was a very innovative, creative speaker. He helped me look at Deuteronomy in a whole new way. He explained the book in a way that's interesting and applicable to today's society for fellow believers."
- Tyler, Waterloo

"... I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
- Deuteronomy 32:3-4

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MIA (Ministry in Action): Recharge Snow Camp

2012-02-03T11:26:00.000-05:00

We're off to a great start with our 'Recharge' (Snow Camp) weekends here on our Ontario campus. What is 'Recharge'? An action-packed weekend of evangelism and Christian growth, where youth groups from across Ontario participate in sports tournaments, paintball, high ropes and peer to peer challenges. 'Recharge' is seven weekends in length and helps teens identify their purpose (know Christ), intensify their walk (grow in Christ) and amplify their faith (share Christ).

Over our first two weekends our camp speakers (Rich Andrews from WOL Youth Camp Florida and Chris Finchum from WOL Local Church Ministries in the southeast U.S.) challenged over 150 teens and junior teens. We saw over 30 young people accept Christ over those 2 weekends, and 80 make decision of life dedication! Praise the Lord!

"It was amazing! Thank you for blessing us with a fun God filled weekend!!! You guys rock!!"

"I thought the weekend was very uplifting and I learned a lot about my relationship with my Saviour, God."

"I had an amazing time this weekend, the sports were well organized and very fun. The sessions were also right on the spot with what I was dealing with."

"I thought it was good and fun. I really loved how we talked about God because I really never had a relationship with him and now I do."

We have 5 more weekends of intense ministry. We're not wrestling against flesh and blood, but the opposition to God's work: Satan and his demonic forces. However, Christ is victorious and we're living in His victory. Please pray for our Bible Institute students who are intricately involved in our weekend ministries. They need strength, focus, and wise stewardship of their time. Pray for our camp speakers as they share the Word each weekend. And pray that we we would see more and more unsaved teens come to 'Recharge'. Thanks for your love and encouragement.

Word Studies: 1 Corinthians

2012-02-02T12:55:00.000-05:00

Class: 1 Corinthians

Week #14: January 2 - January 5
Professor: Dr. Ken Gardoski

Assignments: Read through 1 Corinthians a total of 3 times before the start of classes. Read through the teachers notes before and during the week of classes.

Dr. Ken Gardoski grew up in a religious family, but did not trust the Lord as his Savior until college, and then later became a missionary to Poland with Baptist Mid-Missions. Dr. Gardoski received his BS in Education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, MDiv and ThM from Baptist Bible Seminary, and PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently teaches at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA.

1 Corinthians was written by Paul the apostle to the church in Corinth, located in the south of modern day Greece. The city was a way-point for most people traveling between Rome and the Middle East. At the time, Corinth was known as a thriving commercial center and a major seaport, with a population of approximately 700,000. However, Corinth also had another reputation. The city was known for its immorality and debauchery. The worship of pagan gods was extremely common among the populace and the name of the city became an adjective, to corinthinize, which meant to behave in an immoral and sensual manner. This was where Paul started a church and to whom he wrote this letter. From a study of Acts and some of the other epistles, it can be said that 1 Corinthians is most likely the second letter that Paul wrote to this church. As far as can be seen, it is a response to the problems and questions that arose from his first and unknown letter. The main theme found through the entire book is Paul's exhortation to a living a life based on Biblical principles. Many doctrinal and practical implications can be found throughout the text. 1 Corinthians is an excellent book for believers to study, because Paul's explanation of ministry and Christian living is clear and simple.

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Word Studies: Hebrews

2012-01-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

Class: Hebrews

Week #13: December 5- 9
Professor: Pastor Paul Harbourne

Pastor Paul Harbourne

Assignments: Read through Hebrews twice and the textbook, Everyman's Bible Commentary: the Epistle to the Hebrews by Charles F. Pfeiffer, before the final exam.

Pastor Harbourne was born and raised in Toronto. After working in the computer industry for over decade, Pastor Harbourne and his wife, Kim, decided to attend Word of Life Bible Institute in 1993. After graduation in 1994, he obeyed God’s call to come to Owen Sound and minister with WOL Canada. Later, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Prairie Bible College. In July 2008, Pastor Harbourne accepted the call to be pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Collingwood, ON. He and Kim live in Collingwood with their three children, Tyler, Lindsay and Brendan.

"I loved his fatherly approach to teaching and his willingness for us to make sure we could understand everything. Under his teaching, Hebrews became not only understandable, but also applicable."
- Monica, Stratford

The Epistle to the Hebrews is an interesting book from the New Testament. Not much is known about the origin of this letter. Who wrote it, where it came from and was it written to any specific church are questions that remain unanswered. However, because of the many Old Testament references, Hebrews was mostly likely written to a primarily Jewish audience.
The superiority of Christ is the theme of Hebrews. The author, through heavy doctrine, proves that Christ is better than any Old Testament tenets, such as the sacrificial system and the priesthood. But this epistle is not just for Israel. The message of Hebrews is that Christ is enough. Christians need to realize that He is all they need. Not only does the author prove that Christ is better, but the author also presents to believers several warnings about falling away. When looking at the letter as a whole, one will discover that over-all, it is an extremely encouraging book, and some of the last few verses display this encouragement.

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly."
- Hebrews 13:20-22

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Remember to check back for upcoming posts on Missions Conference and Recharge Snow Camp!

WOLBI's Heartbeat - Personal Discipleship

2012-01-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt the need to just talk to someone? Talk to someone and be able to them about the things that are really bothering you, REALLY bothering you? Have you ever felt afraid to say anything because it might make you seem weird or someone might find out?

Discipleship is really what sets us apart at the Owen Sound campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute.

“I really enjoy the personal discipleship here. The disciplers are really interested in you and want to see you grow closer to God in your spiritual walk.” Student Class of 2012

“It has been an amazing year to grow closer to God and learn. In two months I believe I have learned more at WOLBI than in my year at another Bible college last year.”Student Class of 2012

Some would consider discipleship as meeting with people and simply asking, “So, how are you?” “How’s work?” etc. but is that really what Jesus had in mind when He put forth the command to “Go and make disciples”? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing ungodly about just ‘getting together’ as a form of informal discipleship. We seek to provide just that through the many social activities such as banquets, crazy game nights, and other merely fun and social activities that dot our calendars allowing students and staff to connect. However, if this is our only definition of discipleship, I believe we are being blatantly disobedient to God’s desire. Let’s look at Jesus’ words:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”
Matt. 28:18-20a

You see discipleship is more than just what we call “fellowship.” It is teaching people to obey everything that Jesus commanded – the whole counsel of God! This grand a task cannot effectively be done shooting the breeze over coffee with idle chatter. It is transparent, purposeful, and diligent inter-personal ministry.

“A big blessing for me has been discipleship. There have been times when I feel like I am the only one struggling with the issue that I have. Through discipleship, I have learned that my struggle is actually very common and the Bible has the exact answer for it. The more I get into God's Word the more I learn about the mighty God we serve.” Student Class of 2011

“A staff member was used by the Lord to change my life and I daily remember the things he has taught me… He changed the way I used to think and taught me life-values from the Bible. He taught me how to make biblical principles for my life. He taught me how to act proper in the way I treat my parents. He taught me how to deal with many bad situations.” Student Class of 2011

So what makes us so different? Our daily Quiet Time (personal devotions), evening Dorm Devos, chapels, dorm life, and the voluntary, personal one-on-one discipleship program with discipleship-equipped staff members, all focus on the intersection between God’s Word and our lives and is a powerful recipe for life-change!

“Deans’ chapels have really been applicable and practical in helping me dealing with sin in my life!” Student Class of 2012

There’s no better place to not only learn the Word, but to learn to live the Word.
Why not consider joining us as we corporately and personally ‘provoke each other to love and good works’ and teach each other to ‘observe all the things that Jesus has commanded us.’

Jonathan Ward, Assoc.Dean of Students

For more on the Ministry of Jonathan and Melissa Ward follow the link and become a fan of their Facebook Page.

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WOLBI News!

2011-12-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

Why not take a minute or two and read up on the Discipleship that takes place here on campus. The Bible Institute's website has posted an article written by Jonathan Ward, the Associate Dean of Students and Professor of Bible Survey. The article discusses not only what discipleship looks like here at the BI, but also the lasting impact it has on the lives of the students. It includes some testimonies of just a few of the students whose lives have been changed by this incredible ministry.

Check out the article here!

Also remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Jon & Melissa Ward also have a Facebook Ministry Page for more up-to-date news.

WOLBI News!: Entertainment Central

2011-12-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

These past few weeks at the Word of Life Bible Institute have been packed with awesome activities. Here's a quick update on what has been happening here on campus!

First, we had Word of Life's GOT TALENT on November 25. The evening had some intense competition but in the end it was all in good fun. Everyone had a great time, both those who performed and those who came for the show. The talents displayed were as varied as snowflakes, with performances of song, drama, magic and comedy. The judges had a tough time deciding who was going to win in each category: Drama, Instrumental, Vocal (solo), Vocal (group). In the end these were the winners:

- Drama - Declare (WOLBI Drama Team)

(left to right)
Aaron, John, Tyler, Sophia and Allison

- Instrumental - Esther, Quebec

- Vocal (Solo) - Monica, Stratford

- Vocal (Group) - KMC2

(left to right)
Monica, Kayleigh and Christina Anastasiou

The Deans got in on the fun in a very interesting way. Here's a look at their performance.

(left to right)
Kevin O'Boyle, Assistant Dean of Men; Jonathan Ward, Dean of Students

???

In more recent news, the student council hosted the Christmas Banquet for all the students and staff. Though it was raining outside, a winter wonderland invited the attendees inside. Candles lit the path to the entrance of the dining hall and twinkling lights greeted the staff, students and guests as they entered a completely transformed dining hall. The evening consisted of good food, good fun, and, most importantly, good company. The student council did an excellent job planning out the evening's activities. The students had the pleasure of enjoying a slideshow, giving them a look back at the year so far, the memories made and the friendships built. Student Council President, Marcel Van Der Linde, gave a challenge to both the students and staff, to not forget what they had learned these past few months in and out of classes.

The students now look forward to Christmas break and then a return to classes in January. Also, in January, the students will be going to Missions Conference at the BI in Schroon Lake, NY and, starting in late January, Recharge Snow Camp Ministry will begin.

Don't forget to stay in touch with what's going on with Facebook and Twitter.

Word Studies: Leviticus

2011-12-12T12:13:00.000-05:00

Class: Pastoral Epistles

Week #12: November 28 - December 2
Professor: Dr. Tom Davis

Assignments: Students are to read the book of the Leviticus two times.

Dr. Tom Davis will be teaching you the Book of Leviticus this week. Dr. Davis received his BS in Bible from Lancaster Bible College, an MDiv from Grace Theological Seminary, took Advanced Studies at Jerusalem University College and obtained his PhD from Nova Southeastern University. He is our Academic Dean of the Bible Institute and a Professor at the Schroon Lake, New York, campus.

Leviticus is a tough read. Yet, it is important and needs to be studied. The students have the opportunity to learn about the laws, feasts and the purpose of Leviticus. Dr. Davis does a fantastic job of helping the students discover the purpose of each feast and the laws that God had instituted for Israel. There are so many laws that God put in place for the Jews to follow. One wonders why God is so specific and almost arbitrary in His laws, but God had a point in all this for Israel. The main focus for Leviticus is the core phrase, "Be ye holy (set-apart), as I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45). Almighty God says this to the children of Israel in order to encourage them to be like Him. As New Testament believers in the church, this command is repeated for us in 1 Peter 1:15-16. This is the message of Leviticus and the command from God: to be holy or set apart for the glory of God.

Word Studies: Pastoral Epistles

2011-11-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

Class: Pastoral Epistles

Week #10-11: November 14-25
Professor: Mr. Dave James

Assignments:
Read 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus twice throughout both weeks of the course.
Read Chapters 1, 4, 5 and 6 of The Pastoral Epistles (Homer Kent) throughout both weeks of the course.

Dave James is a co-founder and the ministry coordinator for The Alliance for Biblical Integrity. Dave served with Word of Life for 22 years, with 16 of those as the founding director of the Word of Life Hungary Bible school. He has attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Word of Life Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary.

These two weeks are filled with solid, Biblical teaching from Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. These epistles expose the truth of what biblical church leadership needs to be. Mr. James enjoys sharing what Paul teaches in these New Testament books in a way which endeavors to involve the whole class. He takes time for group discussions which allows the students to understand that the Bible is straightforward in what it says. In their groups, they are able to come to a conclusion as to what the Bible teaches on various topics found in the Pastoral Epistles. Because of this method, the students begin to realize it is not what the teacher says which makes it true, but it is what the Bible says which makes it true. In and out of class, Mr. James is always willing to share the wealth of wisdom God has given him through years of Bible study and experience and the students are privileged to sit underneath his teaching.

Missionary Profile: The Burns Family

2011-11-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today in Dean's Chapel, the students had the opportunity to hear from Wes Burns. The Burns family will soon be calling the province of Quebec their home. Wes Burns and his wife have both been burdened with sharing Christ Jesus with the people of Quebec, specifically southern Quebec. Working with Baptist International Missions Inc. and being sent by the church in which they met, Jacksontown Baptist Church, New Brunswick. The Burns family is excited to be used by God in this amazing work He has planned for them. They have several different goals:

        - Evangelism - Reaching out to the people with the gospel of Jesus Christ

        - Church Planting - Working with the believers to form Bible-preaching churches in Quebec

        - Discipleship - Teaching believers how to base their lives on Biblical principles

        - Children's Ministry - Reaching and teaching children with the Bible

In Dean's chapel, Wes Burns s:hared that both he and his wife have a passion for the people of Quebec. After his presentation, Mr. Burns took time to teach from Matthew 28:16-20,  encouraging the students to be missionaries wherever God leads them in life.

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Superbowl Edition

2011-11-14T09:32:00.001-05:00

Word of Life Superbowl is an amazing outreach ministry, reaching unsaved youth across not only Ontario, but also Saskatchewan, Quebec, the Maritimes, and the United States. The event consists of games, prizes, food and, most importantly, the gospel message. Superbowl in Ontario takes place in Mississauga at the Hershey Centre and Playdium.
One of the ways the various departments of Word of Life help each other is by giving Bible Institute students a chance to help out at this great event. This year 17 students plus staff headed down Friday afternoon. They made a big difference in the night, as they were available to counsel youth who responded to the gospel message, to lead the various on-ice games and the "Amazing Race" and to help out wherever they were needed.

Friday night, 511 people arrive at 6:30pm, starting the night with an OHL hockey game between the Mississauga Majors and the Peterborough Petes. Right after the game, the Associate Director of Word of Life Canada, Scott Foreman, gave the gospel message. To the glory of God, 6 teens called on Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

Scott Foreman gives the gospel.

After a quick break, things quickly became exciting as the on-ice rally started. Many well-known minute-to-win-it games were played on the ice and each winner was given a prize. Also, some of the Word of Life staff were in the stands doing games and handing out prizes.

On-ice Rally

Up next, pizza and pop were served in the Hershey Centre. So far, the evening had been a great success, but this was only the beginning. At midnight, the sports section of the Hershey Centre opened up for the teens enjoyment. These were some of the activities available:

- Plenty of gymnasium activities like volleyball, dodge ball and basketball!
- Ice skating!

- Fieldhouse activities (on the turf)... indoor soccer, football and ultimate frisbee!

Indoor Soccer

One of the most popular events was the Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt. Both members of the winning two-person team were awarded an iPod Touch! The race was intense all the way to the end. When 3:00 AM came around, since they were not needed anymore, the WOLBI students and staff made their way home. However, the teens though starting to feel the effects of no sleep were not about to slow down because Playdium was next on the schedule. For three hours teens were able to participate in free-play arcade and video games, batting cages and more. Six o'clock Saturday morning, the youth groups finally made their way home.

Superbowl is one of many ministry opportunities the students participate in throughout the year.
The sheer number of ministry opportunities at WOLBI is one of the best things about being a student. It's all about taking what you learn in the classroom and putting it to practice in real life. That's why the Word of Life Bible Institute is the perfect first choice for secondary education. It prepares you for a lifetime of ministry wherever God leads you.

Click here for more info on the ministries at WOLBI.

Word Studies: Acts

2011-11-09T16:48:00.004-05:00

Class: 2 Peter/Jude

Week #7-#8: October 17-November 4
Professor: Mr. Frank Roe

Assignments: The entire book of Acts must be read within the week before and/or during the two weeks of the class.
A Bible Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles (edited by Mal Couch) must be read within the week before and/or during the two weeks of the class.
List of over 100 terms, people, etc.; each one defined in no more than four sentences.
Four maps charting Paul's missionary journeys and his trip to Rome.
Summarize the book of Acts in no more than fifty words.

Mr. Frank Roe has a history with Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound, having worked with the school for over 17 years. In 1995, he joined Across Borders for World Evangelism (ABWE) in which he now holds the postion of Ministry Director of Canada. He and his family reside in London, ON.

The book of Acts in the New Testament is a lengthy chronological record of the movements of the newly born church. Luke, though usually only recognized for his gospel, also wrote the book of Acts as a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Both books are written as letters to a man in high authority, Theophilus, who was probably a high ranking Roman official. The author, from what is known, is most likely a Greek doctor who Paul led to Christ during one of his missionary journeys. Acts is Luke's testimony of the Christian faith to Theophilus as he seeks to lead Theolphilus to Christ. God's purpose for Acts was to show how the Holy Spirit was the major influence in the movements of the church and the apostles. Acts shows how the gospel first went out to Jerusalem, second, to Samaria, and lastly, to the ends of the world and how the Holy Spirit worked through those movements. In the book, Peter's, Philip's and Paul's evangelistic efforts and missionary journeys are described in detail. Paul's personal testimony is told, following his life from being a persecutor of the gospel to being a preacher of the same. Several sermons which the apostles preach throughout their ministry are also recorded in Acts. The work of the Holy Spirit is evident in the book and it is amazing to realize that the Holy Spirit is still at work in the ministry today. For it is only by the work of the Spirit the gospel has any effect.

One of the assignments the students had to complete was a fifty word summary of Acts, and two of the students shared their work:

"A book written by Luke. It describes how Acts bridges the gospels to the Epistles or law to grace, as well as the spread of the gospel to the world within 30 years. It also shows the beginning of the church and Israel's rejection of it."
- Allison, Owen Sound

"Acts, recounting the ministry of the apostles, primarily Peter, Phillip and Paul, from the ascension of Christ until Paul’s imprisonment, tells of the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the expansion of the church, the missionary journeys of Paul, and shows the transition from law to grace and Gospels to Epistles."

- Jonathan, Huntsville

Mr. Roe has a marvelous way of expounding the book of Acts using a variety of teaching methods. He also loves spending time with students. Since he will be joining them on their missionary trip to Jamaica in March he also took some time to encourage the students to participate in the trip. These are some comments he made about the class and some parting words for the students.

"What a great blessing to teach the book of Acts once again at WOLBI. Each class is unique and offers many opportunities to see the Lord work in hearts to better understand, apply, and practice the lessons. What a great time we had together and I look forward to seeing how God uses this great class. Keep in touch and keep those sails full."

- Mr. Frank Roe

This class is foundational to understanding the General Epistles which the students will be studying throughout the year. It is vital for understanding the context in which Paul is writing to churches such as Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse and others. Acts also contains important doctrine on the Holy Spirit and Its work in the lives of believers and their ministry. Never is it appropriate to think it isn't necessary to study a book of the Bible. 2 Timothy explains how all scripture is profitable and therefore even stories from Acts and other historical records in the Bible are all equally important as the rest of the Bible which is why WOLBI places such a heavy emphasis on studying the entire Word of God.

Autumn Fun!

2011-11-02T09:40:00.002-04:00

This last friday, WOLBI students and staff had some fun together after a hard week of classes, quizzes and exams. It was an evening of costumes, pumpkin carving, food, and so much more. Everyone had a really great time at the Somewhat Annual WOLBI Harvest Bash!

Contrary to popular belief, the Deans at WOLBI do not necessarily completely retain all of their mental facilities 100% of the time. Therefore, any event the Deans are involved is bound to be ridiculously fun as the students soon found out at the Harvest Bash. The only requirement for the event was for rooms to dress up in a cartoon theme. Many well-known and some unknown characters showed up at the gym ready for the fun to start.

All the crazy characters!

The Justice League:
Superman, Batman and the Green Lantern
(Mr. Ward and his sons)

The Fairies from Pixie Hollow
(left to right)
Allison, Brittany, Sarah and Cassie

(left to right)
Megamind (John), Metroman (Jonathan) and Bernard (Robert)

Some of the other folks who made it out included Dumbo, the Grinch, Arthur, Eeyore, Goofy and a host of other cartoon favourites.

The schedule looked something like this:
                                    Corn-Chucking at the Reiders (not the actual Reiders but some caricatures)
                                    Pumpkin-Carving Contest
                                    FOOD!
                                    Pumpkin Puzzle Contest
                                    Pumpkin Guts Grab for Prizes
                                    Pinata Fun!

Corn-Chucking at the Reiders involved throwing a corn-on-the-cob into the mouth of one of the caricatures of the Reiders. The guys and girls lined up and each group tried to get as many points as possible in a short amount of time. Up next was the classic Autumn activity, Pumpkin Carving. The students quickly got creative and even ambitious with their designs. After that, since this was a WOLBI event, everyone took some time to enjoy some snacks and drinks and just hang out with friends. But things quickly became competitive with the Pumpkin Puzzle contest. Each team cut up a pumpkin into 25 pieces. Then the teams switched places and each team had to put the pumpkins back together again using only tooth picks. With all this pumpkin cutting and carving there was plenty of pumpkin pulp to go around, so the Deans planned a special game. They filled a large bucket with the pumpkin pulp or "guts" and the students had the pleasure of searching through the pumpkin "guts" for various prizes, including free van runs, get-out-of-study-hours free cards and even some TimCards. The night ended with some pinata craziness as the students discovered their skills or lack thereof, with a baseball bat.

Overall, everyone had a fantastic time, enjoying not only the great activities, but also spending time together.

At Word of Life Bible Institute, every day has potential for adventure.

Every day can be exciting. Every day has the potential of life.

Imagine one year that could change your life.

It's more than a motto.

It's a principle.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it

more

abundantly."

- Jesus

John 10:10

Word Studies: II Peter/Jude

2011-10-25T08:20:00.002-04:00

Class: 2 Peter/Jude

Week #6: October 17-21
Professor: Mr. Matthew Little

Assignments: The epistles of II Peter and Jude need to be read once before the classes start on Tuesday morning.
The sections of Be Alert (Warren Wiersbe) dealing with II Peter and Jude are to be read.

Mr. Little is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute (NBBI). Completing four years of training in 1998, he served in pastoral ministries across Ontario and New Brunswick, along with his wife and three children. He is involved in hospital chaplaincy ministry and serves on the Canadian Board of Biblical Ministries Worldwide. In 2008, Mr. Little joined the NBBI faculty as a full-time staff member.

II Peter and Jude are two epistles which cannot be compared to any other books of the Bible. The intent of each book is to expose and condemn false teachers. When one reads these two books, they may seem extremely harsh and unforgiving. However, Peter and Jude are discussing teachers who deserve the condemnations found in these letters. They have no respect for the Word of God or even the Author Himself and teach doctrine directly adverse to what the Bible says. Because of this egregious assault on truth, Peter and Jude seek to warn believers about these false teachers and teach believers discernment and understanding in fighting for the standard of truth found in God's Word.

As Peter and Jude did in these small yet powerful epistles, Mr. Little also seeks to warn the students of false teachers and give them an understanding of truth versus falsehood.

The teacher and some students shared some thoughts on the subject.

"We have to be on guard against apostasy and be firmly grounded in the truth. We have to be proactive in teaching others."
- Mr. Little, New Brunswick

"I've always known the dangers of not being firmly established in the Word, but so far, all through II Peter it stresses how dangerous are the ways of the world and how we need to be aware of false teachers. The book is a giant call to be holy and to know God's truth. It just seems neat to me to be learning about reasons to study God's Word while at the BI."
- Cameron, Mt. Forest

"This week in the II Peter and Jude class, I am learning that we should know our faith well, so we will not be deceived by false teachers. Also, Jesus is coming and we should be prepared."
- Sophia, Waterloo

The year at the Bible Institute is an intense training session from opening weekend to Open Air Evangelism all the way through Word of Life Youth Camp for summer ministry. However, without studying the Word of God the students would be without the firm foundation they need to withstand "the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). II Peter and Jude teach this principle of the study of truth. Without a knowledge of truth, how can one defend the truth? In today's world, believers need to know, trust and defend the truth of God's Word.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

- 1 Peter 3:15

Election Day: The People have Spoken

2011-10-21T17:18:00.000-04:00

The excitement has passed. The people have spoken. The votes are in.

Election Day.

The Student Council Members for 2011-2012 at the Word of Life Bible Institute are as follows:

The Right Honourable, his Majesty, President Marcel Van Der Linde

His Lordship, Vice-President Andrew Fehr

The Secretary (of Defence if necessary): Kyle McDonald

The Honourable, Treasurer Brandon Swartzentruber

These individuals formed a political powerhouse and swept away the competition. It was a landslide victory for Mr. Van Der Linde. Minutes before the voting took place several of the candidates dropped out of the race creating a tense atmosphere. The ballots were counted and the winners were announced. The Members of the Student Council are already settling into their respective positions. The class now looks to these four gentlemen to be the leaders the Student Body needs for the coming weeks and months.

"I'm speechless. This is such an amazing opportunity to lead the Student Body as Secretary (of Defense if necessary) and guide them through many events throughout the year to make this the best year of their lives."
- The Secretary (of Defense if necessary)

"As the president of the Student Council I'm looking forward to a good year filled with awesome events and helping make the students' year as fun as it can be."
- The Right Honourable, his Majesty, the President

Student Council 2011-2012
(left to right) Kyle, Marcel, Brandon, Andrew

With this being the first all-male student council of WOLBI, this year will definitely be very interesting.

Election Day: Going to the Polls

2011-10-20T09:58:00.003-04:00

Excitement is rapidly building here on campus at Word of Life. Student Council positions are up for election and the competition is heating up.

The Student Council is made up of several positions: the Right Honorable, His Majesty the President; His Lordship, the Vice-President; the Secretary (of Defence if necessary); and the Treasurer. The core purpose of the Council is to represent the Student Body. Chosen by the people, the Student Council deliberates and debates in order to make the best decisions for the people. Some of the responsibilities include, but are not limited to, planning banquets, organizing events and scheming up other special activities.

The following are names of those in the running for the respective positions:

        For the position of Treasurer:
        Nick Martin
      Brittany Allcock
        John Lambert
        Brandon Swartzentruber
        Timothy Fritz

        For the position of Secretary (of Defence if necessary):
        Brittany Allcock
        Kyle McDonald
        Kassey Pearson
        Lucas Jamieson

        For the position of the Right Honorable, His Majesty, the President:
        (Runner-up will take the position of His Lordship, the Vice-President)
       Alex Seib
       Cameron McLean
       Andrew Fehr
       Nathan Clock
       Marcel Van Der Linde
       Jonathan Wouda
       Whitney Gordan

The competition is fierce. Social media has become a major tool of campaigning for the candidates, as well as, posters and word of mouth. Some of the individuals have the backing of several celebrities, hoping perhaps this will sway the voter's decision. However, the decision usually comes down to how the people want to be represented and the candidates must meet the voter's expectations in order to win the day.

"It`s definitely a good time. It gives you a chance to be creative to present yourself to others. It is also interesting to see it in a Christian atmosphere; like, it would be easy to bash each other but we don't."
- Andrew, Woodstock (running for the Right Honorable, His Majesty, the President)

"It's a good thing. It's going to be good for the students. The candidates are funny and yet they are able to take care of stuff, to be responsible."
- Jean-Christophe, Quebec (a voter)

"It gives the student body a chance to express their ideas and opinions."
- Sophia, Waterloo (a voter)

"I'm going to vote for who I think will do the best job."
- Robert, Beamsville (a voter)

Find out on Friday who will represent the Student Body on the Student Council for the class of 2011-2012.

Word Studies: Genesis

2011-10-19T13:55:00.000-04:00

Class: Genesis

Week #5: October 10-14
Professor: Dr. Gary Gromacki

Assignments: Read through Genesis 1-11 and type out 10 questions that you would like to discuss. Bring your typed list of 10 questions to the first class on October 11, 2011.
Read the textbook The New Answers Book (Ken Ham) by the time of the final exam.
(For guests to this post you can order the book here or check out a sample chapter)
Read through the teacher's notes on Genesis 1-11 by the time of the final exam.

Dr. Gromacki is a professor at Bible Baptist Seminary, teaching Bible exposition and homiletics. He also edits the Journal of Ministry & Theology. Before teaching at BBS, Dr. Gromacki served as a pastor for 13 years and taught as adjunct teacher at Cedarville University for 10 years. He enjoys going out on missions trips to teach the Word of God and train national pastors and students. This is his second year teaching at WOLBI.

One can also interact with Dr. Gromacki through his Facebook groups:

Biblical Creationism

Biblical Preachers and Teachers

Biblical Archeology

The technical title for this class is Biblical Creationism. Teaching the beginnings of what we call the universe, the world and life as we know it, at the end of the week, the students are able to understand the full implications of a literal understanding of the Genesis account. Dr. Gromacki teaches through the historical account given in Genesis 1-11. He then coincides this teaching with evidence in science which the Biblical model of a creation-fall-global flood easily interprets.

Students shared what they had learned:

"I learned that God is a just God, and He loves His children, but when we sin there are consequences."
- Monica, Stratford

"When I saw the pictures of the grand canyon, I was overwhelmed with a sense of how awesome our God is. The evidence for a global flood was an eye-opener; it is difficult to imagine anyone could believe otherwise."
- Jonathan, Huntsville

Everyone involved learns something in the classes at Word of Life, even the teachers:

"I really enjoyed teaching this class. I was reminded each person is made in the image of God. Each person is important and we need to love him, because Christ loved everyone by dying on the cross."
- Dr. Gromacki

Many think of the account in Genesis 1-11 as a bunch of stories that are really great for Sunday School. Yet, if the account is taken completely literally and applied to our lives, then our lives would be radically changed. We would see the need of the fallen world and our need and fulfilled purpose in a relationship with God Almighty. Maybe taking another look into the first book of the Bible could go on your recent to-do list.

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Open Air Edition

2011-10-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

Open Air Evangelism (OAE) is the crucible of the year at the Word of Life Bible Institute. Definition of a crucible is this intense trial by fire which can only be survived by the grace of God. Four weeks into the school year, staff and students alike, pack up and move to Toronto for four days, living in a church's sanctuary and Sunday School rooms and preaching the gospel on the streets of Toronto and Hamilton.

This is the crucible.

This is Open Air Evangelism.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28, He did not just command the twelve disciples with this amazing directive, it was for all of Christ's followers then and now. At the Bible Institute, the students are provided many opportunities to obey this command and OAE is just one of these.

The students began this crucible with Personal Evangelism Training with Sam Frey, a missionnary with Word of Life for Open Air Evangelism. Sam Frey comes to the BI to train the students in street evangelism and then accompanies them to Toronto, leading a team each of the four days. Robert Strong and Hannah Heynen, interns with Mr. Frey, also participated with the training and the ministry. The students were trained on the "how to" of street evangelism and specifically on the method they would be using during OAE. The method employed during the week was the use of paintboards in Hamilton and buskers in Toronto. In the use of paintboards, one of the male students would make a presentation on the street using the board both to illustrate the gospel but also to attract attention.

Sam Frey teaches on how to use the painterboard.

In Toronto, in order to be allowed to draw a crowd, one needs a busker license, therefore, several of the students attained licenses a few weeks prior to OAE. These buskers were trained to do a rope trick that presented the gospel as well as a tool known as the evangecube. Both the paintboards and the buskers were used to attract crowds and then the students would pull aside individuals in order to talk with them one on one. After a full day of training on Saturday, the students got ready to go on Sunday and after supper Sunday night they were on their way.

The students and staff stayed at Long Branch Baptist Church during the week. Their appreciation for the church staff and members could not be fully expressed for the use of their facilities.

Monday morning the students were assigned to the vans and headed to the various locations in Toronto and Hamilton. Commissioned by the Son of God, they were focused on the task at hand and yet were not without their fears. The Monday of OAE is always an eye-opener to what street evangelism is like and also more importantly how lost people really are. Forever etched in the minds of these students will be the images and stories that became the topic of the day, including the woman who claimed to be Jesus, the man who drank hand sanitizer, and the continuous onslaught of persons walking past the answer to all their questions and the relief to all their pain.

Some of the students share the gospel in Hamilton.

On the one hand, many of the students were wondering if they would last the week, and on the other, some were thinking that the day was too short. The experiences of the students were different from person to person. Even though some were having a difficult time, the over-all feeling on Monday night was enthusiasm for sharing the gospel especially when the news came out that one person accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

On Tuesday most of the students moved to a different location and some had the chance to go to the Norfolk County Fair with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and work with them to share the gospel to children through drama and face-painting. The following is what one of the students said about this unique opportunity to tell kids about the love of Jesus Christ:

"Having the oppurtunity to go to the Simcoe Fair was such a great experience. I believe the Lord used me and those around me to clearly present the gospel message to the kids that came through. It is an experience I won't forget."

- Sarah, Alberta

On Wednesday, the students assisted Long Branch Baptist Church with getting some information about the church and a Gospel of John into the homes in the area by going door-to-door in and around the neighbourhood. They also took time on Tuesday to participate in a prayer meeting at the church and one of their ministries as well, Conversational English with Chinese Exchange students.

Two of the students perform the rope trick for some pedestrians.

Thursday came quickly and for the last time for OAE the students hit the streets of Toronto and Hamilton and another group went to the fair as well. The day ended with the students leaving to go home for Thanksgiving weekend.

The experience was as varied as those participating. Some students absolutely love it. Others learn that they could not do it on a day by day basis. The following comments express the students thoughts on OAE:

"OAE was an amazing experience! It has taught that we need to have a passion to share God's Word with the people we pass by everyday on the street."
- Tyler, Waterloo

"OAE challenged me to get real with this world, to step out of my comfort zone, to overcome my fears and share the gospel. I ended up learning about God and where others without Christ are coming from as I shared."
- Ryan, Wyoming

Open Air Evangelism has an enormous effect on the student body as whole. Afterwards, the students are more unified, because of a joint purpose and the sharing of the emotional rollercoaster. The students share this memory for the rest of the year and they have now learned to work together. Most importantly, as a group, they have learned to rely upon God for strength and wisdom.

Looking back, the students survived the first month of the BI. Now, they have been tried by fire and have survived the crucible, Open Air Evangelism. Looking forward at a year of ministry, the class of 2012 is ready for serving the Lord in every way He calls them to.

- OAE by the Numbers -

1100 - Children heard the gospel

1000 - Gospel Tracts handed out to people on the streets

900 - Times the gospel was preached publicly

30 - People that walked away with a New Testament in their hands

14 - New brothers and sisters in the Lord

Numbers don't mean anything... but changed lives do!

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Upcoming Word of Life Events

2011-10-11T11:12:00.000-04:00

Word of Life Fellowship is putting on some fantastic events in the very near future. Be on the lookout for an event on site near you. For information on all Word of Life events in Canada, click here.

Some of the events to look forward to include:

- WOL Superbowl - This is an all-nighter packed with games, food, prizes and the Gospel. It's a great night to bring your whole youth group. In Ontario, WOL Superbowl takes place in Mississauga on November 4. Register now!

- Word of Life Bible Institute Campus Days - Come to the Bible Institute campus to check out the school including classes and student life. Stay overnight in the dorms and participate in cool activities. Most importantly, learn more about the year that could change your life.

- WOL Youth Camp Recharge - Register your youth group for an amazing weekend that will not only be outrageously fun but also spiritually uplifting. Recharge Snow Camp is one of the highlights of youth ministry among many of the churches in Central Ontario. Taking place right on the campus of the Bible Institute, Recharge provides an oppurtunity for youth to be changed by the Word of God.

With each and every one of these events, students from the Bible Institute will be taking a major part serving in all areas of the ministry. Word of Life Events are always exciting to be a part of. For more information regarding Word of Life events click here and if you would like to be a part of the ministry by giving financially, click here.

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Door-to-Door Edition

2011-10-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

It was just two weeks ago last Saturday that the students descended upon Owen Sound to tell the world that Jesus saves. Going door-to-door is an annual activity that gets the students involved in witnessing early on in the year and prepares them, if only a little bit, for Open Air Evangelism in Toronto and Hamilton.

The students received Personal Evangelism Training on Friday and Saturday morning. They learned how to approach people and how to start a conversation. They also learned how to steer the the conversation towards the gospel and away from rabbit trails. One of the most practical things they learned which could be applied in numerous ways was the importance and method of sharing a personal testimony. By lunchtime on Saturday, the students were at least slightly prepared for door-to-door. The students were nervous and yet excited about the opportunity to share their faith.

Saturday afternoon, several van loads of students hit the streets of Owen Sound ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ. They spent over two hours going door-to-door in several different neighbourhoods and receiving many different responses.

The students took some questionnaires with them in order to have a conversation starter. These are some of the questions with some varied responses.

In answer to Who is God?:
        "When I hear about God, I think about religion and church."
        "God is a divine presence and we cannot know what He is like."
        "The universe is God."

In answer to What happens to man when he dies?
        "When man dies, since all do, they just cease to exist."
        "We each make our own ideas about the future."
        "When you die, you join the spiritual soul of God."

In answer to What is right and wrong?
       "No one knows what is right and what is wrong so we have to compromise."
       "You should follow the golden rule, but right and wrong is opinion."
       "You do what you are brought up to believe. Each to their own."

The responses that are written above are saddening and yet they are just a few of many similar beliefs. Because the world has fallen into the trap of believing a lie, Christians need to speak the truth. St. Francis of Assisi once said," Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." However, scripture tells us there is more than just actions involved with preaching the gospel.

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! "

Romans 10:14-15

This is what the students did in the streets of Owen Sound. They brought the glad tidings and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all was said and done, about sixty tracts were given out and most importantly one person accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. It is so awesome to see God work in and through the lives of the students this year.

Word Studies: Judges

2011-09-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Class: Judges

Week #3: September 26-30
Professor: Pastor Jeff Eastwood

Assignments:
Read Judges 3x -Once in a single reading before class, and twice during the week of Judges classes. At least one of these readings must be done in a translation other than the one you normally use.
Read Judges - Such a Great Salvation by Dale Ralph Davis prior to, or during, the week of classes.
Memorize Judges 21:25

Pastor Eastwood is currently the interim lead pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a graduate of Northland International University with Bachelor of Arts in Theology and is now working on a Master of Divinity Degree from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary. This will be his first year teaching at WOLBI in Owen Sound. What's interesting is many of the students this year are coming from Waterloo and Kitchener and call Northside their home church. They were thrilled to have their pastor come up for a week as was he.

Judges is an interesting book and many times it is hidden away as if it is some deep, dark secret of the Bible. Filled with murder, deceit and heinous crimes, this seventh book of the Bible is the attic of the Bible. Yet, here it is, containing this record of Israel's rebellion against God and subsequent disregard for God's commands. Blatant disobedience would be at the core and the theme of Judges is clearly stated in the memory verse for the class.

"In those days, there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

-Judges 21:25

When one of the students stated what he learned from the class, unknowingly, he explained how this verse is relevant to the book as a whole.

"I have been learning that Israel is just like our day now. I'm seeing the history... they keep falling into sin and they don't pass the faith onto the [next] generation. They weren't following God's Word. It was a very sinful time"
- Derek, Waterloo

It was a very sinful time. The statement alone sums it up. What can be learned from a book that has this reputation? Since Timothy says in the New Testament, "All scripture is profitable...", Judges has been placed in the Bible for a purpose.

This purpose is hinted at in the following from one of the students:

"I learned how loving God is, in that, no matter how much sin I am in, God is always there when I repent and turn back to Him."
-Brandon, Waterloo

Judges shows us the grace of God. Every time Israel rebelled, God called them back to Himself. The Lord would raise up a judge, hence the name of the book, and that judge would bring the people back to the Lord by leading them in repentance. Then when the judge died, the people would fall into sin again. This cycle of sin, judging and repentance occurred seven times in Judges. Even the judges themselves were not the best example of godliness and fell into sin soon after Israel repented. But God's grace continually prevails and still brings people to repentance today. When asked what he was learning from Judges, Pastor Eastwood replied with the following:

"I am learning that sin is deceitful and subtle and we need the grace of God."

God's grace is a beacon of light in the darkness of Judges. This world desperately needs God's grace just as Israel did over three thousand years ago. This grace comes in the form of God's Son dying on the cross, taking the punishment of sin for every person. The message of Judges and the gospel is one and the same: repentance. The message of repentance has always been the same: turn from your sin and turn to God's grace for redemption from the punishment of sin. Let us not forget this incredible gift of salvation.

MIA: Ministry in Action

2011-09-28T11:20:00.000-04:00

Look for these posts to learn more about the awesome ministries that the students will be taking part in this year at the BI.

This time of the year involves the start up of all the ministries here at WOLBI.

Already in motion are plans to form the various ministry teams that the students will be a part of this year at the BI. These are the various teams and their purpose:

Testify: This is a group of students that travel to various churches and perform special music and also lead worship services.

Testify performs at Word of Life Missions Conference in Schroon Lake, NY.

Edify: This is the children's ministry team. Several students take time to plan and prepare for a special kids night and then host it in various churches. This year they plan to travel to Olympian groups in Ontario.

Edify 2010-2011
(left to right) Lindsay, Evan, Kevin, Jonathan, Benjamin

       CEO: This team plans out and organizes events for the student body to participate in that would involve oppurtunities to witness.

        Declare: Drama becomes ministry for the students on this team. They prepare skits for events on campus, such as chapels and snow camps.

        Praise Team: This team leads worship in Director's Chapels and Sunday morning services and is involved with Snow Camp praise team as well.
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Praise Team 2010-2011
(left to right) Jaramie, Carmen, Magalie, Bethany, Jamie, Lynae

        Local Church Ministries: Many of the students will have a weekly ministry in one of the surrounding churches in Owen Sound and Meaford.

       Missions: The Missions team promotes missions to the students, maintaining communication with missionaries and hosts prayer meetings for missions globally as well as locally.

        Missions Trips: Members of our student body will have the opportunity to participate in two mission trips during March Break. One trip takes them to the island country of Jamaica where they minister to the people their in various ways. The other missions trip will actually take place locally. The students will take part in a Vacation Bible School at the Saugeen Native Reserve. For both of these trips the students are required to raise support in order to fund for the expense of either opportunity. Prayerfully consider becoming part of this ministry and donating towards either trip.

Contact Info:
Phone: 519.376.3516     Owen Sound Bible Institute
             800.461.3503     Toll-free number

Fax: 519.376.9893 Owen Sound Bible Institute

Please be in prayer for these teams as they have the chance to not only encourage other believers but also be a witness for Christ. If you would like to be a part of these ministries by having one of the travel teams come to your church please call 519.376.9516 ext. 214.

Word Studies: TERM Seminar

2011-09-27T15:18:00.002-04:00

Class: Worldview Evangelism (also The Emmaus Road Message or TERM Seminar)

Week #2: September 19-23

Professor: Mr. John R. Cross

Assignments: Worldview Assignment to be completed before the start of class
Details: Talk to five people of different age and background about their views on God, man and life after death.

This past week the students at WOLBI have sat underneath the teaching of Mr. John R. Cross who taught the TERM Seminar.

Mr. John R. Cross is a teacher and author for GOODSEED International. He has also worked with New Tribes Missions for over 23 years. His passion is to see the gospel preached and lives changed.

The TERM Seminar is a walk-through and training of the book By This Name. The book takes the reader through the gospel message starting in Creation and ending in Christ's death and Resurrection. The seminar trains the students to be able to use the book and other resources in a small group situation. This class is also great preparation for Open Air Evangelism as it answers many of the questions that the students will be asked during the ministry in Toronto and Hamilton next week.

The following are comments from some of the students:

"It was a great overview of the Bible and I learned alot about areas that I've never really taken time to study before."
- Monica, Stratford

"There was a lot to learn."
- Kassey, Goulais River

It was nice to get refreshed with the big picture."
- Nathan, Goulais River

"I noticed that the gospel is about all the Old Testament and is way easier to use the Old Testament in the gospel than just using John, easier to make connections and for people to understand."
- Jean-Christophe, Quebec

The TERM Seminar is extremely relevant and practical for what the students need in the ministries that they will be involved in throughout the year. What makes it even better, is when the students will be able to look back and realize how they used what they learned in class. If these students allow God to do so, He will use them greatly with what He has provided for in their lives.

Don't Miss Word of Life Superbowl 2011

2011-09-22T10:21:00.003-04:00

What better way to spend a night than with sports, games, food and, most importantly, God's Word. You can get all this and more for your youth group at Word of Life Superbowl Mississauga, Ontario. This event is for students in grades 7-12. Hundreds of youth come from across Canada to this awesome all-nighter.

Included in the night:

        - OHL Hockey Game

        - Prizes, prizes and more prizes

        - Sports and Arcade Games

        - Gospel Presentation

        - And so much more!

Mark your calendar for this November and get ready to have an awesome night for your youth group.

Time: Friday, 04 November 2011- Saturday, 05 November 2011

Location:          Hershey Centre
                          5500 Rose Cherry Pl., Mississauga
                Then...
                           Playdium Mississauga
                           99 Rathburn Rd. W., Mississauga

Cost: Get your registration in before October 3rd and save big!

	Early Price	Regular Price	Late Price
	on or before 10/03	on or before 10/24	after 10/24
Teens	$40	$45	$49
Leaders	$37	$37	$37

Don't Miss the Flashpoint Conference

2011-09-20T10:25:00.002-04:00

Start your church's year of ministry with a Training Conference from Word of Life Local Church Ministries. Word of Life places a large emphasis on leadership training and wants to help out your church with this important factor of ministry. Flashpoint is a weekend conference that involves dynamic teaching, practical seminars (many to choose from), great music, skits, icebreakers, good food, and ministry resources. We're excited to present to you some new and exciting features to the conference that will only make it more relevant to your needs as a church.

Some of the new features are:

- New topics chosen by you!

- Friday night worship concert

- Now for both youth and leaders

Bring your youth group with you on Friday evening for the worship concert, stay overnight (several motel/hotel accommodations are available nearby) and attend age-appropriate teaching & training sessions on Saturday. The topics will range from Leadership Training to Cults and False Religions for youth and Time Management and Social Media for leaders. Here are the updated prices for the weekend.

Friday only - ~~$20~~ UPDATED PRICE! Now only $10

Saturday only - $40 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $35

Friday & Saturday - $50 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $40

To register your church email Barry Speck (wolspeck@kwic.com) with your information.

Word Studies: James

2011-09-19T09:44:00.002-04:00

This is the first of a series that will cover the classes that the students will be taking thoughout the year.

Class: James

Week #1: September 12-16

Professor: Dr. Wendell Calder

Assignments: Read Be Mature by Warren W. Wiersbe

Read James 7x

Key Verse: James 1:27

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

James is the first class that Word of Life Bible Institute, Owen Sound begins every year with. This class is the perfect start to a year of life change. Filled with practical application, James is always a favourite among students because of the relevance it has to their lives during the the year at the Bible Institute. Dr. Calder's uncanny ability to alliterate absolutely anything and everything amazes students every year. Students finished James on Thursday and Dr. Calder left for New York to open the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake this past weekend.

Dr. Calder said, "God specifically taught me from James 4:6 this past week. The verse talks about the grace of God. I was reminded that although grace is what saves us (Ephesians 2:8) it is also how God provides all things for us as believers. The same grace that saves us is adequate and perfect for everything we need."

"I will not quit; by God's grace, I can do it"

- Dr. Wendell Calder

Students had an opportunity to share what God has taught them this past week in James:

"Just to look again that the evidence of faith is works, looking back again at Matthew 7, good fruit versus bad fruit. Evidence needs to be here. Also makes me think that we so often look at someone and judge them and treat them differently."
-Andrew, Woodstock, ON

"God sends tests and trials to mature us into stronger Christians and also for when we are high and mighty on ourselves, He uses them to humble us.... and also the golden rule trumps all other laws. If we live by it, we don't need any other law."
-Nick, Drayton, ON

How God uses these classes in the lives of the students every year is so awesome to see. Pray that the rest of the year will be as life changing as this very first week of classes!

For more information about WOLBI check out our website or email our Admissions Coordinator.

Opening Weekend Conference 2011

2011-09-16T08:51:00.001-04:00

Opening Weekend Conference at WOLBI is always a busy time of registering new students, meeting with believers in Christ and learning from God's Word. This year, as every year so far at the Owen Sound Campus, Dr. Wendell Calder brought the Word of God to the families and students that gathered four times over the weekend to hear it. Being encouraged from the Bible was definitely one of the highlights. Dr. Wendell Calder preached from Psalm 16 and the messages were the perfect beginning to the tenth year at the BI.

Dr. Wendell Calder preaches the Word

"As the opening to a year of life changing experiences for the students, this weekend begins the year with a foundation in God's Word, with which the only result can be to have the fulness of joy in the presence of the Lord."
- Atie, Huntsville (Parent of student)

"Even better than I thought it would be."
- Lucas, Wyoming

        Just from these two comments, one can see that this weekend was truly memorable. Already evident in the lives of the students, is a desire to grow and be changed by God's Word. Great are the expectations of those involved with the coming year at the BI as to what God will do.

        Below is the verse upon which Dr. Calder preached the evening message on Saturday. It shows where God wants each and everyone of us to be: In His Presence.

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." - Psalms 16:11

If you are interested in being a part of the great expectations for WOLBI 2012-2013 check out our website or send us an email.

Registration Weekend 2011-2012

2011-09-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

        Another year at the Word of Life Bible Institute has officially begun. On Friday, September 09, the students for WOLBI 2011-2012 began to arrive early in the afternoon. It was an exciting time as the dorms quickly filled up with new arrivals. Students and their families enjoyed delicious meals and evening fellowship and had the oppurtunity to sit under the teaching of Dr. Wendall Calder. Dr. Calder has taught at the opening of the Bible Institute for the past ten years here at the Owen Sound Campus. Busy as it was, the weekend was a time of getting to know each other and settling into the dorms.

Students have come from all walks of life and for many reasons:

"I wanted to learn more about God and I didn't know what to do with my life, and I thought I should come here to find out."
-Tyler, Waterloo

"I came here to get a solid foundation of the Bible and to spend a year studying the Word and not have the distractions of work."
-Sarah, Alberta

"I wanted to take a year between high school and university to make sure I knew what God wanted for my life."
-Mic, New Brunswick

"[I came here] for my relationship with God and to learn English and learn the Bible."
-Esther, Quebec

        At the end of the day, the total count of students was twenty-four guys and thirteen girls. This year is going to be life-changing for many students, filled with new friendships, adventures, a deeper knowledge of God's Word, and memories that will last a lifetime. Already beginning in dorm life are discussions on faith, God and the Bible. However unprepared the students may be, they are ready to take on this year and be changed by the Word of God.

Leadership Training Week 2011

2011-09-12T14:21:00.004-04:00

This past week has been one of intense training not only in leadership but also in God's Word, giving the Resident Assistant (RA) candidates just an appetizer for their year at the Word of Life Bible Institute. Every September before the year at the Bible Institute begins, the Deans host this week on campus in order to choose who will be the RA's in the dorms. They observe the candidates throughout the week and make their decisions based on , among other things, their character and their leadership abilities. This past week, a total of fourteen candidates came for training week but only five would be chosen.

RA Candidates
September 2011

The week started off the on the second of September with a barbecue at one of the staff houses. It was one of those awkward times of first meeting people that one will spend the next year with, living and growing together. It was an evening that involved fun but important lessons were learned about teamwork, leadership and communication through fellowship and crazy Dean team-building activities. Throughout the weekend and the following week the candidates attended sessions about RA responsibilities as well as being a Christian leader on campus, in the dorm, and beyond. The week was simply a great time of getting to know each other and working together. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without the fun that happens at Word of Life almost all the time. It was hard to stop laughing after an evening spent at Mr. Ward's house and the students had a great time on Wednesday with the new Assistant Dean of Men, Mr. OBoyle.

During the week the candidates were involved in sessions in the morning and work hours in the afternoon in order to get the campus ready for the rest of the students to arrive at the end of the week. The session topics ranged from training in the Resident Assistant Manual and also reviewing the Student Handbook. Some of the sessions brought the focus in on what a leader is like and the students were also able to apply what they learned through case studies. These are some of the things the students said about the classes.

"RA training was like trying to drink too much water at once; never can get it all in."
- Jordan, Goulais River

"The teachers were amazing."
- Nathan, Goulais River

All in all the week was challenging as well as rewarding to all those involved. Finally the time came to announce those who would be appointed as the Resident Assistants for WOLBI 2011-2012. The RA candidates waited with anticipation as one by one they went into the classroom to talk to the Deans. Through careful decision and prayerful preparation, the Resident Assistants that were chosen for the coming year are the following: Benjamin Wouda, Jordan Reinke, Monica Wijnands, Timothy Fritz and Whitney Gordon. Though these were selected for the official position of RA, the remaining candidates were encouraged to be leaders in the dorm and on campus.

RA's 2011-2012
Benjamin Wouda, Jordan Reinke, Tim Fritz, Whitney Gordon, and Monica Wijnands

Some of the students shared what they learned during the training week.

"The lessons learned and the friendships made with the staff and fellow students will be foundational to a great year of studying God's Word and growing closer in my walk with Him."
- Jonathan, Huntsville

"I enjoyed leadership week and I am going to draw from it even though I didn't get RA. I'm really glad I came; looking forward to ministering to the girls in the dorm."
- Sarah, Midland

The following is one of the passages that the candidates committed to memory during the week. It really envelopes not only what the job of the RA is but also what Christians as the children of God should be doing daily.

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

Looking forward to the year, one can expect God to do great things in the lives of the students and staff.

SUMMER CAMP 2011 WEEKS ONE TO THREE UPDATE

2011-07-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

FROM TEEN TO JR. HIGH SPORTS CAMP...

...STUDENTS WERE MAKING SIGNIFICANT DECISIONS OF LIFE CHANGE!

218 campers joined us for our first three weeks of camp, and during our teen weeks we saw a 24% increase in camper attendance (over 2010). That's something we were very excited to see. Scott Foreman was privileged to share with the week 2 campers during 'Bible Hour' from the book of 1 Thessalonians. In our study together we saw that believers can live for Christ in the midst of persecution, and that we need to live godly, pure lives while we wait for the Rapture. Gary Stairs was our week 3 speaker and shared timely messages from the timeless life of Daniel. Gary spoke on the importance of a Word-centered life and choosing the right friends.

We also conducted a guy/girl split session during the first two weeks of camp. In the guys' session we discussed the importance of personal purity as men. We had testimonies from our staff on how they have been able to live out the Word of God in this area of life. It was awesome to see guys stand at the end of the session saying they wanted to live a sexually pure life. Rachel Foreman shared with the young ladies the importance of a life that finds total security and contentment in Christ. Many of the young ladies were able to identify with the themes Rachel presented having to do with self-image and adopting a perception of self that aligns with the Bible.

One young lady made this comment to Rachel after the session:

"I attended week 1 and 2 summer youth camps and I really found your talk on searching for security very helpful. I realized that I had been trying to find security in things other than Jesus Christ. I had been going to friends, guys, and things I really shouldn't have."

As we shared the gospel on Monday nights of weeks 2 and 3, 21 teens called on Christ to save them! Praise the Lord! Also, 42 campers dedicated their lives to the Lord at our Campfire Dedication services. We also saw 25 students make a decision to stay sexually pure.

What a privilege it has been to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of Canadian young people!

Introducing Word of Life Youth Camp!

2011-07-26T10:26:00.002-04:00

Since 1946, Word of Life Camps have been helping young people understand that their full potential in life is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Through games, age-appropriate lessons and one-on-one interaction with their college counsellor, campers will experience the love and acceptance that you would expect from a Christ-centered camping experience. All of our counsellors are current students or alumni of the Word of Life Bible Institute who are seeking to share God's Word taught to them with the youth entrusted to their care.

The Camping Philosophy of Word of Life is based on 1 Peter, where Peter speaks of a faith that KNOWS Christ, GROWS in Christ and SHOWS forth Christ. That's the scriptural backbone behind what we do throughout the week. We share with the kids the importance of knowing Christ, growing in Christ and then going home and showing forth Christ.

Questions? Email us at info@wol.ca

Check out our website

Or...

Also see Summer Camp 2011 Teen Camp Week #1

What is Word of Life Canada?

SUMMER CAMP 2011 WEEK ONE UPDATE

2011-07-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

SUMMER CAMP 2011 WEEK ONE UPDATE
TEEN CAMP #1 - CAMP SPEAKER: JON WARD

Summer Camp is off to a great start! Students arrived back for training and are now pouring themselves into their various ministry roles. We start out with 2 weeks of high school teens then roll into 3 weeks of junior high, and then 2 weeks of kids. We have seen God do some pretty amazing things, from working in troubled teens' lives to watching record returning camper numbers. It's amazing to be involved in a ministry like summer camp where ministry is unfolding before your eyes literally every day.

On Monday nights this year we share the gospel with our campers. This is a change from previous years where we were sharing the gospel on the first night of camp (Sunday). Why the change? Because our Canadian youth culture is becoming increasingly "post-Christian", meaning, they're no longer coming with a Christian frame of reference for their life. So, we, Scott and Tyler, take the first night of camp to talk about the fact that there ARE absolutes, there IS authority and there ARE answers for life.

As Scott shared the gospel on Monday night, 6 teens trusted in Christ to save them from eternal separation in a real place called hell. 6 may not seem like a lot, but that was 10% of our camp that week. Either way , we rejoice that the gospel went forth and that we had the opportunity to participate in the Great Commission.

We also saw God work at our Tuesday night drama, Wednesday night campfire dedication service and Thursday night split (guys/girls) Purity session. 12 kids indicated on Wednesday night their desire to a live a life of dedication to Christ, and 18 decided to live a life of sexual purity. We praise the Lord for how we saw Him work.

Thanks for taking the time to read this update. Please take some time today to pray for the continued ministry of Word of Life Youth Camp and may you be blessed!

Also see Introducing Word of Life Youth Camp

Why YOU should get an Alumni Gift Award!

2011-06-02T14:19:00.000-04:00

Do you like free money? Do your friends like free money? Should anyone really have to ask this question? Isn't it obvious?
We all like to have a little extra money in our pockets, and Word of Life Bible Institute understands this! They've made it easy for students and our friends who are interested in the BI to get some extra money!

"But, how?"

Well, with the Alumni Gift Award of course! Each year students are handed these little pink award slips to distribute to people we know. The "Hallelujah Chorus" resounds as we prepare to give them out to all our friends!

Fun Facts about the Alumni Gift Award:

Who it's for: anyone interested in applying to the BI in September 2011 or September 2012.

How to get one: any current or graduated student can give this award to a friend who is planning to apply to the BI for 2011 or 2012. A current student can get award slips from the admissions office at WOLBI. Alumni can print this one.

How much it's worth: this award is unique in that both the applicant AND the student giving the award receive money! The person applying will acquire $200 off their tuition (split between the two semesters) and the current or graduated student who gave the gift award will receive a check for $100 in the mail once the applicant enrolls in the September!

How it works:
*IMPORTANT* to receive this award, the award slip MUST be sent in WITH the new application.

Instructions for applicants:
Mail Application: send pink award slip in the same envelope with your application.
Online Application: if you are applying online, please email the admissions department (admissions@wol.ca, alliep@wol.ca) as soon as you have submitted your application and let them know that you have an Alumni Gift Award. Then, proceed to mail it in so we can process it!
Application Turned in at a Recharge weekend or Campus Days event: simple, just give us the award slip when you give us the application. For those of you who are wondering, YES you do get the $300 for applying at Recharge or Campus Days AND the $200 for Alumni Gift, totaling $500!!!

*The Perks*: This is a great way for a new applicant to get an extra $200 off their tuition. Extra finances are sometimes hard to come by these days, so every little bit counts! ALSO, we students in turn get rewarded for rewarding our friends! Once the applicants enroll for the fall, Word of Life will send $100 in the mail for each gift award we handed out! Why WOULDN'T we take advantage of this opportunity! It's a win-win situation for everyone!

If you'd like to be a part of this offer, or have any questions, please contact our admissions department!
Email: AllieP@wol.ca, admissions@wol.ca, CassandraJ@wol.ca
Phone: 519-376-3516 ex. 213 or 216. Toll Free: 800-461-3503

Staff/Student year end barbeque: saying goodbye with food and fire

2011-05-31T09:18:00.001-04:00

On Sunday night, May 22, instead of our usual meal together here at WOLBI we had a staff and student end of the year barbecue. All the staff was out and brought yummy desserts! There were mixed feelings and it was both fun and sad at the same time. No one likes to say goodbyes and we knew it was the last Sunday night as students here at WOLBI. After we ate we went down to the gorge for a camp fire. We all gathered around the flames for a time of praise and then we had sharing time about what God has taught us throughout our year. The testimonies were so sweet and showed how much God can work in our lives using His Word if we let Him and keep our hearts open to changing. There was lots of laughing and even some tears as we recounted from the year and talked about our roles this summer at camp. It was an awesome year that helped us build a foundation for the rest of our lives. Such a good starting place and now we need to stay on fire for God and continue to grow to become more like Him.

Here are some students comments about the camp fire and things they learned this past year:

"Man is nothing; it is all about glorifying Him."

"I learned God is super-personal and He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives."

"It was very encouraging and I am proud to be part of the WOLBI alumni (very soon!)."

"I was very encouraged to see all of the spiritual growth among the class."

Learning the Word: Pneumatology

2011-05-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Marshall Wicks received a BA in Bible from Tennessee Temple University, MDiv and ThM from Grace Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Baptist Bible Seminary. Dr. Wicks is one of the resident professors at our WOLBI campus in Schroon Lake where he teaches both Bible Survey and Systematic Theology in the 1st and 2nd years.
Dr. Wicks taught us Pneumatology - the doctrine of the Holy Spirit - the final week of Spring Semester. It was a huge blessing to learn about the ministry of God's Spirit throughout Bible times and His unique ministry in the Church today. Without God's work in our lives, we cannot do anything! What a valuable week of teaching!

Learning the Word: Church History

2011-05-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Renald Showers graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible with a Bible Major in 1956. He went on to earn a BA from Wheaton College, a ThM degree in Church History from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Theology from Grace Theological Seminary. He has served in the pastorate and as a member of the faculties of Lancaster Bible College, Moody Bible Institute, and Philadelphia College of Bible. Dr Showers is on the staff of Friends of Israel and has authored numerous books and magazine articles as well as produced teaching videos.

"I never realized how much in the little things that the devil tries to overcome God, but God always overcomes and will do the same in my life."

"I loved Dr. Showers! It was neat learning about our world and that whatever Satan tries to do, God is still sovereign."

"Dr. Showers is the example that we need to follow when it comes to biblical study. He is an example when it comes to humility and to pushing others toward Christ. I have never met a more humble and Christ-centered man in my life and a man who has so much compassion toward the Jewish nation."

"It really inspired me to read Genesis and take it as literally and it actually happened. It was cool to see how it relates to the rest of the Bible."

Get your own copy of Dr. Showers text for this course "What On Earth Is God Doing?" on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or from Friends of Israel.

For more of Dr. Showers' excellent biblical teaching listen online.

How to Take a Test? (without freaking out!)

2011-05-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

Academics is one of the key elements of the Bible Institute. If you have trouble 'freaking out' when it is test time, then this is the post for you.

As a college professor and a lifelong student currently studying with my fourth post-secondary institution, I've written and taken a good share of tests. Let me explain some of the things I've learned and some of the things I encourage my students to do when taking a test.

Before the adventure of the testing experience approaches be sure to study (more on that in a future post). You cannot be effectively tested on material you have not learned so be faithful and diligent to hit the books before the test hits you.

When the chance to celebrate what you have learned through the accountability of a test or exam appears consider these steps to do your best.

STEP ONE Before you Begin - Write name, student number, etc. in appropriate places - this seems like a 'no-brainer' but...

STEP TWO Relax! Then read over the ENTIRE test before you do ANYTHING else. Why? to get the 'big picture' of the test, also to be familiar with all the contents and to know where to find information on the test. Trust me, it's not a waste of time - when struggling over a question you may remember that something about a particular issue was mentioned somewhere else (and may just jog your memory to help you answer the question...but only if you know the content of the whole test!).

STEP THREE Answer the questions from easiest to hardest. There is no sense struggling with the hard stuff, wasting time, 'freaking yourself out' more and forgetting what you do know under the pressure. Always write down what you know first. Getting the familiar stuff out first may just make enough room in your brain for the answers you think you have forgotten to be freed from their prison of anxiety.

STEP FOUR When in doubt (relax again)... If you get stuck on a question, read the entire test again. The answer, a hint, or something that will jog your memory may be written somewhere else on the test. When in doubt, always go with your gut. Your first instinct is often correct.

STEP FIVE Never Leave a Blank (or fill a blank in with something foolish). As a general rule, writing something is always better than nothing. The teacher can always graciously give you marks for a 'close' answer, if they so choose, but you can never get even a partial grade for leaving something unanswered. Again, re-read the test and take an educated guess.

STEP SIX Check, check, and re-check. Before you hand it in, take a second to clear your head and then re-read the test and check your answers with fresh eyes. Be very wary this time of careless mistakes when you were rushing to get questions answered.

This is a post from the Jon in Real Life blog. Mr. Ward is the professor of Bible Survey here at WOLBI.

WOLBI Bible Survey students:
For extra bonus marks on Super-Celebration 3, write the answers to the bonus question only on the back of the last test page.

Learning the Word: Genesis

2011-05-10T13:28:00.001-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Gary Gromacki teaches Bible exposition and homiletics courses at Baptist Bible Seminary. He also edits The Journal of Ministry and Theology. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and the Pre-Trib Rapture Study Group. Dr. Gromacki enjoys going on missions trips to teach the word of God and train national pastors and students. Before coming to BBS, Gary served as a pastor for thirteen years and an adjunct teacher at Cedarville University for ten years. Gary has been married to Kim for over twenty five years and they have 3 children: Julie, Gavin, and Allison. Gary and his family are members of Summit Baptist Bible Church.

Dr. Gromacki taught us Genesis 1-11 and gave us so many answers to relevant questions about creation, origins, and the purpose of life from the very beginning!

You can interact with Dr. Gromacki on his Facebook groups:

Biblical Creationism
Bible Preachers and Teachers
Bible Archaeology

Learning Church History!!

2011-05-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Tom Taylor has been teaching Church History for the last two weeks. Dr. Taylor received his BA from Bryan College, MDiv and STM from Faith Seminary and a Doctorate from Philadelphia Biblical University. To quote his own words, "I am “retired emeritus" from Biblical Seminary having held the post of Associate Professor of Church History and Old Testament for 24 years... I have written few books (but lots of articles that were not all wanted!) and have concentrated lately on conference ministry… Married to Ruth with five children and a small army of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I am better known for humor and playing the harmonica than for scholarship but that is just another of the inequities in the world.”

They got Nuthin'

2011-04-27T16:21:00.000-04:00

McDonald's? Swiss Chalet? Olive Garden? Even your mom's cooking does not match up to the food you get here at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound! Nothing against mothers, but when you walk into the cafeteria, all you can smell is what Karen and her girls have been cooking, and boy, does it smell heavenly! You might say, "Oh I need to lose a few," but that thought quickly vanishes like vapor in the air when you gaze upon what just came out of the oven! (Some colleges refer to the Freshman Fifteen - but it takes discipline here to not reach the Freshman Forty!!). Remember the cafeteria in high school when you couldn't even tell if the food was food!?!? Watch out! Literally! Because once you start, you most likely will be eagerly waiting for the yell/scream of, "Seconds!" With that, you are off to the races! Well, back to the food line for another helping...
Here the food is as diverse as the student body themselves. This year we as students have had the privilege of trying different dishes from all over the world! We've sunk our teeth into some Dutch favorites, savored some Sushi, and have even filled our tummies with a Jamaican dish or two!
The spectacular food here just goes to show that at Word of Life we not only take pride in giving you a foundation in the word of God, but also we like you to be well founded, or should I say, "rounded" when it comes to food. We try to the best we can to keep the variety changing, but also throw in some home-cooked favorites like roast beef and potatoes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, spaghetti, fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies just to name a few. Bottom line, the food is awesome, the variety is unbelievable, and the fresh veggies make you actually want to eat your veggies. Come to the Word of Life Bible Institute. Eat spiritual food. Eat physical food. Get fed!

Sound too good to be true?

Come see for yourself and join us for a Campus Days, Summer Camp or Winter Camp/Recharge event!

Learning the Word: Revelation (not Revelations)

2011-04-21T16:41:00.000-04:00

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung is a well-known prophecy teacher in North America and Europe. He worked with Word of Life in Schroon Lake for 12 years. Later, Dr. DeYoung was the VP and General Manager of New York City’s first Christian radio station for 5 years. Since 1991, he and his wife, Judy, have been residing in Jerusalem where they work as journalists in the second most populated journalistic city in the world. More recently, he received his doctorate from Tennessee Temple. Dr. DeYoung has written several books, produced videos and has a weekly radio broadcast called Prophecy Today. For more info be sure to check out his ministry website - Prophecy Today.

"I am really enjoying this class and how much the students are really interested in learning the Word of God. They are very attentive, show their interest, and have been asking tough but great questions. The more I go through the book of Revelation the more I see that Christ will be returning soon!" ~Dr. DeYoung

Students have grown in their understanding and been challenged to think, study, and prepare for God's prophetic plan for the ages!

Students Exploring Missions 2011

2011-04-20T14:00:00.001-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Students Exploring Missions (SEM) is a conference where students can attend seminars and talk with missionaries about what it is like to be in missions and what it takes to get there. God calls all Christians to be missionaries, some to other countries. What does it take to be a cross-cultural missionary? Seven mission organizations sent representatives to WOLBI for April 8 – 10 as a wealth of experience in serving Christ around the world to interact with our students. This year the theme was Serving God in the Adventure of a Lifetime. Our keynote speaker was Wally Stephenson from ABWE. Friday night we explored how we can prepare for the Adventure of Missions. We had sessions on world religions and how to reach them (THUMB). Saturday we started out on the adventure with sessions on single hearted missions, how a mission board chooses a missionary, missions and finance, and missions and the local church. The students also had opportunity Saturday afternoon to dialogue with the missionaries and tap into their wealth of experience and knowledge and set their own path of service. Sunday morning we explored Living the Adventure with sessions on how a missionary should pick a mission board and the tragedy of misused short term missions. Thanks to all the missionaries and students that participated in the weekend to make it a weekend of adventure!

Special Thanks to:

Wally & Jeannie Stephenson, ABWE

Brian & Rosalie Kent, Northern Canada Evangelical Mission (NCEM)

Charlie & Cindy McCordic, TEAM

Nelson Bezanson, retired from TEAM

Brian Seeley, HCJB World Radio

Rick Bradford, Serving In Mission (SIM)

Murray & Diana Schmidt, Africa Inland Mission (AIM)

Elissa Hawley, New Tribes Mission (NTM)

As well as Word of Life missionaries:

Sue Reider (click here)

and our conference facilitator Richard Heppner.

From WOLBRANOS

The Red Carpet Event 2011!!

2011-04-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

Spring has been in the air here at WOLBI and the Red Carpet event of the season saw everyone dressed to the max (except Kevin haha) in suits and ball gowns! The evening began with the guys waiting outside the girls' dorm in their suits ready to escort the girls to the event, and then Hollywood style pictures were taken with a star backdrop as you entered the banquet. It was great food and awesome fellowship with a sweet song from some of the students dedicated to Mr. Doug Reider. What an awesome performance! Awards were given out to everyone at the end of the evening on their stunning personality traits (they all had a star with their name on it from the photo backdrop). We all enjoyed an evening of delicious food, great fellowship, and awesome entertainment! There is nothing like a WOLBI banquet!

Learning the Word: Eschatology - The Study of End Times

2011-04-08T13:49:00.000-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Strout attended our New York campus of Word of Life Bible Institute in 1982, after which he was a youth pastor for 8 years at Huntingville Community Church in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He went on to pastor 3 years at Grace Chapel in Sherbrooke. Mr. Strout joined the new French ministry of WOL at Parole de Vie and served as the director of the Bible Institute at PdV from 1994 until 2002. During that time he obtained his Master of Ministry degree from Baptist Bible Seminary. In July of 2002 he assumed the role of Director of Francophone Ministries for Word of Life Canada. In August 2010, Mark and his wife Laurie relocated to Schroon Lake (NY) where he is the Executive Dean of the Bible Institute. This week he will be teaching us Eschatology.

"As I am teaching through Eschatology this week I am so impressed once again with the total consistency of God's Word from start to finish. God knows what He is accomplishing in human history and you can trace so many strands through His Word that fit perfectly together if you are willing to just take what He says at face value. I have taught this course over 20 times and every time I go through it, I find new portions of Scripture to add to the picture. One of the really awesome things about studying God's Word is that you honestly never reach the end of what you can learn. My challenge to everyone is to be a perpetual student of the Bible. You'll always be making new discoveries. Just be sure to apply them to life to get the blessing out of them!"

We loved the class this week!

"This week I have learned new insights into the end times and its sweet to realize the truth that I never knew before."

"[Mr. Strout] clearly explained and gave a good overview for the end times and different views on them. His teaching just makes us excited for it!"

VBS with Saugeen!!

2011-04-07T15:05:00.000-04:00

Sunday, March 20, 9 WOLBI students arrived back on Campus a week early from their March break. No, not coming back to start a week early on our studies, but to take part in an intensive week of children's ministry.
We had been recruited to do a five day VBS Children's program at a church at the Saugeen Native Reserve.
After months of planning and practicing Bible stories, crafts, kid's praise songs, and games for these native children in need of the gospel, we re-gathered to begin a grand adventure. We had heard before hand that the kids would be rambunctious, but we really had no idea what awaited us during this week of ministry.
Clad in our custom-made tie-dye staff shirts, we started out on our journey on Monday afternoon. Our first day was held at the Saugeen Recreational Centre gym. We set out the snack and prepared as the kids were being picked up from school. Our whole program was going to be held in different corners of one big gym.
25 kids burst through the doors and our program began. Kids were running rampant, and parts of our program didn't run as smoothly as we had hoped, some things we planned didn't even happen at all because of the state of mass chaos that we were in. Some kids were quick to listen to our instructions, but unfortunately, some decided to do their own thing and didn't like being told what to do. To most of us, day one was rather a blur and one of the team members who had worked with these kids before commented "It was actually quite funny to see your expressions. Everyone was walking around with this bewildered look of shock."
Day two, we held our program at the church instead of the Rec Centre. At first we were still unsure what to expect, but we found that the program ran a lot smoother with individual rooms for each session (crafts, story, etc.). This was encouraging.

From WOLBRANOS

As the week wore on, the kids gradually started to get used to us, and some even made friendships with us, though some still kept us at arms length and would rather act up and get into trouble. Some kids needed almost constant supervision, getting into any trouble they could. They would climb things, eat things, spill things everywhere, and fight with each other.
The kids LOVED piggy backs, sitting on our shoulders, and wrestling with us. I don't think that any of us were without children on our backs at any one time. As soon as one was done their piggy back ride, another little one would run up and say "My turn!". We concluded that this meant that under their energetic exteriors, they really just wanted love.

THE activity of the week - Piggyback Rides!!

From WOLBRANOS

As we got to know some of the kids individually, we started to learn more about their home lives. Like many kids in our culture, these native kids also came from broken homes. They carried around a lot of anger and bitterness at their home situation. Knowing this helped us to understand that they really weren't bad kids but didn't know how else to react to what was happening in their lives.
As we got to share the gospel and the truth of God's word more and more, we did see some growth in some of the kids' lives. Some of them grew in their obedience skills, some developed a thirst to read the word of God on their own. We learned to love the kids with Christ's love. We would have failed at loving them if it was just by our own strength.
By week's end, 7 kids accepted Christ! Two of these from one on one conversations.
On Friday, as VBS ended and we drove the kids back to their houses, many of them were in tears and didn't want the week to end. We had mixed feelings, as we were exhausted from the week, but we had grown to love these kids and didn't want the week to end either.
We learned so much from this week. It was really great to see how God used us to impact these kids' lives and to show them Biblical love.

Please be in continued prayer for these kids. They are hungry for God's truth, and need a lot of love, more love than a week long VBS program can provide them with. It was great to see kids come to know Christ and we were privileged to be able to be good Godly examples to the kids. We are trusting that the impact we made will last a lifetime and that God will continue to do great things on this native reserve!

Some students who took part in this VBS ministry commented:

"This week really opened my eyes to the needs that are in our own country. There is a need for consistent Christ-like-love in nearby communities. I learned a lot about being unselfish and it definitely was a memorable week!"

"I loved working with the kids and watching them grow in Christ by the end of the week."

"Showing the kids even just a small example of godly love really went a long way. I was really sore and tired at the end from all the running around and such but I wouldn't trade that week for anything!"

"I learned that we can't give up on loving people just as Christ doesn't give up on us, even when it gets difficult."

Learning the Word: Daniel a book of prophecy

2011-04-06T11:45:00.006-04:00

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Doug Reider was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in the Washington, DC, area. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University and his Master of Divinity from Capital Bible Seminary. He also served as Assistant Pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Desiring to be a missionary in Eastern Europe, Mr. Reider attended Word of Life Bible Institute’s 2nd year and was accepted as a missionary to Poland. While raising support, he met another missionary heading to Poland and they were married in 1993. Because of medical difficulties, Mr. and Mrs. Reider moved to Owen Sound to head up the Bible Institute project in 2000.
It is sweet to have one of our very own resident professors (Mr. Reider also teaches Systematic Theology -throughout the Academic year-, Homiletics, & Greek) teaching us the book of Daniel. It is a book full of prophesies and is awesome to see God fulfill His promises and to know that He will continue to keep all of His promises. It was great to learn so much about this significant and controversial book!

"Teaching the Book of Daniel has been amazingly fun for me. It’s odd how things I already know can sometimes strike me in a wholly new way. For example, reading Daniel 9 really hit home. In 9:2, Daniel describes how he is reading the prophet Jeremiah. Apparently, he is reading Jeremiah 29:10-14, where it is written…

“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Daniel then immediately prays, confessing Israel’s and his own sins. What struck me is how often I fail to do the same. I read Scripture but fail to immediately turn to the Lord and discuss with Him how it applies to me. I expect the Lord to communicate to me through His Word, but my prayer often fails to reflect that. My prayer can be disconnected from what His word is teaching. Let’s put the two together. Read God’s word, rehearsing what we see needs to change by bringing it up immediately in prayer with Him. Without a two way conversation—no wonder our prayer life can sometimes feel very “dead”."

"Daniel is such a great example of how we are supposed to act and stand up for God in an ungodly world."

P31: Women's Conference!!

2011-04-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

It has long been known that girls just want to have fun, but this past weekend at an all-girls, all-nighter event called P:31, it was really proven to be true! As the 170 teen girls and youth leaders poured into the church for registration, tons of energy also poured in. The excited girls chattered away with our female Bible Institute helpers and other staff, and friendships were formed even before the event had fully started. We had some lady staff join us from the Word of Life campus in Schroon Lake, New York. Hayley Miller and Ellen Garland were the speakers. These two ladies, along with some other female staff, do ladies conferences in the US, and it was a privilege to have them join us in Canada for our first ever girl’s all-nighter event! The theme this year was “Metamorphosis.” Many butterflies decorated the church to remind us of the beautiful transformation that can happen in a life devoted to God.

The night kicked off with some fun “Minute to win-it” style activities and oodles of prizes were given away. Then, our opening session began with some praise and worship, a thought provoking skit, and a challenging message spoken by Hayley Miller. She tied the gospel into a message about contentment in our materialistic world. Some of the girls responded to a gospel invitation, and also to a challenge to make God the source of contentment in their lives.

The Praise Team was formed from Bible Institute Alumni from BOTH our Sherbrooke, PQ and Owen Sound, ON campuses!

From P 31

This session was followed by a short break, and then a split session for Sr. and Jr. High ages. Ellen Garland spoke to the Jr. High girls, while Hayley continued with the Sr. Highers. An evening snack of pizza followed this second session, and then our final session of the night in which Ellen exhorted the girls to learn wait for God’s timing as she spoke on the value and virtue of patience.

After the sessions were over for the night, the activities began! Different rooms in the church were set up for different types of "girly" fun. There was a room set up like a beauty salon in which the girls could get their hair done. There was a nail painting room, a jewelry making room, a pedicure room, a flip flop decorating room, and even a candy room in which girls could indulge in all the candy, popcorn, and pop their little hearts desired! A favorite was of course the inflatable obstacle course, on which many shrieks could be heard, and many a hair stood on end, due to static. The energy never ran out. Even into the wee hours of the night, the girls were singing loudly at “Don’t forget the Christian Lyrics” and laughing uncontrollably. It was a great bonding time for the girls to get closer to their youth leaders. The fun environment also made it less intimidating for some of the girls to talk to their leaders or the women staffing the event about things that were troubling them in their lives and their walks with God. It certainly was a blessing to be surrounded by other sisters in Christ, to encourage each other, and praise God together. Many girls heard the gospel, and were reminded how much God loved them.

Over all, the event went smoothly, it was a great time, and God’s word did its work in many lives!

"It was great to reconnect with girls from snow camp, and was awesome to be able to counsel the girls and to see them go from darkness to light when they started to understand the Gospel. It was sweet to see that the change in them was actually genuine. I just loved it because this is the type of ministry that I want to be in!!"

From P 31

"This past weekend was a great time to see God work in the lives of young girls. Some conversations that we had with them led to the Gospel and opened up opportunities to minister to them and strengthen them in their faith in Christ. It is sweet to see that even at a young age you can grasp the peace of God."

"It was amazing to be surrounded by other young women all night and be able to just show Christ's love to them! I loved being able to hear only voices of my sisters in Christ when we were singing during praise and worship time!"

The P31 WOL Staff/Alumni Crew

From P 31

And finally, a big thanks to our Local Church Ministry staff wives, Amy Speck & Lindsey Lyons for coordinating this great night together!

For more P:31 pics and info check out the Facebook page

Learning the Word: Ecclesiology

2011-03-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

From WOLBRANOS

Pastor Bob Snell grew up in New Brunswick in a godly pastor’s home and was converted as a young boy. From 1972 – 1976 he attended the University of Guelph where he received an Honours BA in sociology and history. Between 1977 and 1980 he studied at London Baptist Bible College and Seminary graduating with his Masters of Divinity. In August of 1980 he was married to Joanne Higginson in Meaford, Ontario. He has pastored for more than 30 years in southern Ontario at Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe and First Baptist Church in Waterloo, where he currently ministers. Pastor Snell has been privileged to travel worldwide to places like Bolivia, Israel and the Philippines in service for the Lord. He has spoken often at conferences, retreats and Bible Colleges. He also serves as a member of the Word of Life Canada Board of Directors as well as on the Advisory Council of ABWE.

Pastor Snell shared with us that:

"In examining the Scripture teaching of the “church” we learn that it is a purely New Testament truth. Used 114 times in the New Testament it is referred to in terms of ‘the church which is Christ’s body’ as well as a group of believers locally gathered together in worship to the Savior and committed to the spiritual disciplines of the Acts chapter 2 Jerusalem church. Praise God that the church (Ecclesia) of Jesus Christ is a unique body of people believing in His death, burial and resurrection having been called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Let us therefore live as the church is admonished to-----as children of light."

Students have said:

"I love learning the biblical principles behind church leadership."

"I always wanted to learn what the church is exactly and how church leadership should work. I enjoyed hearing what Catholics believe and what a mission field we have."

Recharge Recap - What God has done!!

2011-03-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

From WOLBRANOS

We have seen 22 youth groups come to Recharge this year. That is around 530 campers and leaders. 530 + lives touched by the Word of God and the testimonies of staff and students right here on the WOLBI campus. As I have been reading the comments written by leaders and campers over and over again what stands out is how much they appreciated the sessions and the positive influence the students and staff have been on the teens. Out of 530 people we had 31 Salvation decisions, 7 were counseled for assurance of their salvation, and over 400 teens dedicated their lives to God.

Students also had opportunities to minister off-campus at 3 Satellite Snow Camp locations. We traveled to Huntsville, Cochrane, and Goulais River, Ontario to share God's Word through testimonies, skits, music, and messages from God's Word. It was incredible to share God's Love with 100 teens and to see 7 young people trust Jesus as their Saviour. God also prompted 21 teens to dedicate their lives to serving Him. What a great ministry season it has been! Praise God!!

"It was so awesome and incredible to be part of the snow camp ministry this year!! Being able to watch each week what God is doing in the lives of the youth was such a blessing. It was so sweet to be able to minister to the girls and to show Christ's love to them, and it also showed me that we all have different skills and we can work together in an organized body. I learned that its always for God's glory and that we should never do it for the reward."

"It was a great chance to practice what we have been learning and I loved meeting the new girls and getting into their lives. I just love camp!!"

Be sure to register early for Recharge 2012 or if you are too far away, contact us for a Satellite Snow Camp near you.

Learning the Word: Proverbs

2011-03-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

Last week our Guest Lecturer was Pastor Steve Faulkner. Pastor Faulkner received his BA from Tennessee Temple University and his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has ministered as Youth Pastor, Police Department Chaplain, and Pastor in the US and Canada. Currently he serves as Pastor of Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe, ON.
We have loved to have Pastor Faulkner here and to be learning about Proverbs because they are so practical for everyday life.

"He taught us to be able to make our own outline for Proverbs and really emphasized that the fear of the Lord is what gives us wisdom."

"His explanation of the fear of the Lord helped me to really see what that looks like or should look like in my life."

"During the class, God showed me some verses that I may not have noticed before and that helped in working on the issues in life. Its so sweet how He reveals truths to us as we are in certain situations."

"It was really neat learning how to better study the book of wisdom especially since we didn't get to go through it all since there is so much in it. I liked having to make our own Bible studies from Proverbs."

Recharge Weekend Six!

2011-03-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

Our final Recharge weekend has come to an end and what an amazing weekend it has been.

This past weekend we had 72 campers and leaders visit our campus. Among those 3 accepted Christ and roughly 60 dedicated there lives to the Lord.

Seeing hearts changed and lives impacted by God’s Word is great.

Here are a couple of comments made by teens and leaders this past weekend:

“Praise God for two salvations in our Youth Group this weekend! Thank you for your ministry!”

“This was a really good weekend. I had so much fun and the sessions were really good!”

“Loved the zip line! Food was amazing...! Thank you!!”

“It was an amazing time and all the staff were great! The message taught me a lot and was relative to what I am going through.”

Thank you for all your prayers and support during the last couple of months. It was really encouraging knowing that people were praying for our staff, students, and campers.

God bless

Learn the Word: Judges

2011-02-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Teaching the book of Judges last week Pastor Mark Lowrie joined us did an incredible job. Pastor Lowrie was born in Ontario but orphaned at age ten. He then lived with relatives in Tennessee. He was saved at 13 and later attended Tennessee Temple. After seminary in London, he pastored several churches in Ontario. He is married to his sweetheart Margaret for over thirty one years. They have three married children and are expecting their first two grandchildren in the spring! He currently is the pastor of South End Fellowship Baptist in Owen Sound, Ontario.

This week we really learned how nothing is new under the sun, people back in the time of Judges did what was right in their own eyes, and we do as well! Its up to us to be the difference in this crooked and depraved generation!

There is a constant battle between the flesh and the spirit, we learned that the flesh screams persuasively at us, while the Holy Spirit whispers gently to our souls. We can't break the hold of the flesh on our own, we need the power of God to do so!

Learn the Word: The Gospel of John

2011-02-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

Mr. Gary Stairs recently taught the Gospel of John here at WOLBI. Mr. Stairs received a BA with Honours in History from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario. He taught history in high school for many years before joining Word of Life Canada in 1993. He is currently the Executive Director of Word of Life Canada.
Here's what Mr. Stairs is learning as he taught the gospel of John again this year:

"I love the way John presents the humanity and deity of Christ in such a convincing and easy-to-understand way. His style is warm and flows through a narrative of miracles and controversy surrounding His claims to be the Son of God. For the reader it is hard to arrive at the last verse without declaring with conviction that "truly Jesus is the Son of God!" Even the Gnostics of today are confronted with powerful claims and statements of Christ as to His deity. Cults cannot accommodate within their teachings the claims of the opening verses. New believers are assured of their eternal security. In John's gospel we see clearly that the purpose of Christ's life is to show us God!"

Recharge Weekend Five!

2011-02-22T16:57:00.001-05:00

From WOLBRANOS

Wow this weekend has been just amazing! With 125 extra people on campus it was an extremely high energy, and I must admit tiring time but God is good.

One of our students commented on Sunday during our staff meeting that he had an amazing opportunity to stay up till the crack of dawn with two campers (one was very sick during the night). He shared with us that the opportunity he had to just minister to these teens was wonderful. It was really exciting to hear how God is using the students and staff.This weekend 3 campers accepted Christ as there personal Saviour, 1 was counseled for assurance of their faith and 95 dedicated their life to the Lord!

The more that I have been around youth and childrens ministry, the more I realize how much young people struggle with assurance of their salvation. I have struggled with it too as I have grown in my faith but I am just amazed of the assurance provided by God's Word. One of the verses I love from the Scripture Memory program during my Bible Institute year was Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can separate us from God’s love. I praise God and thank Him everyday.

Here are a couple of comments made by leaders and campers from this past weekend:

“The weekend was amazing and the sessions really hit home.”

“The benefits of having a camp where student’s minister to younger teens is awesome, makes it so much more relevant for them.”

“I loved this weekend for so many different reasons. I simply get a lot out of it.”

“This weekend, I felt I really grew closer to my leaders by hearing their testimonies...”

Prayer Requests:

- Please pray for our last weekend of Snow camp.

- Pray that the students and staff will be dedicated to finishing strong and to make this weekend the best one yet.

- Pray that the campers coming on property will be encouraged and challenged throughout the weekend.

Recharge Weekend Four!

2011-02-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

From WOLBRANOS

Well it has been yet another amazing weekend of snow camp!

Out of the 81 campers in attendance this past weekend, 2 teens were counseled in accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There was also opportunity to speak with 2 youth regarding the assurance of their salvation. On Sunday morning the challenge was given to live your everyday life for God which saw 73 campers dedicate their lives to God! Praise the Lord!

A special thanks to all of you who faithfully pray and encourage us to serve God and share His word with Canadian youth.

This week leaders and campers said:

“This was an amazing experience & the sessions were fun and taught me a lot.”

“It was amazing! Met a lot of new people and grew closer to God. Now I really want to come back here for school.”

“This weekend I realized we are all afraid to share the gospel, but I also learned that God is the one doing all the work we just tell the good news.”

Learning the Word: Matthew

2011-02-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Scott Foreman serves full-time with the ministry of Word of Life Canada as our Associate Director. His responsibilities include oversight of the Owen Sound Camping Ministry, Resonate, Print, Web and Media Departments. He is a graduate of the first and second year programs of the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York, and a graduate of Tennessee Temple University where he received his B.Sc. in Biblical Studies. Its great to have him on campus regularly and especially these two weeks as we look at the book of Matthew together.

"Teaching Matthew to the student body at the Word of Life Bible Institute is one of the highlights of my ministry calendar. Why? Because I love teaching students, and I love seeing the lights turn on as they understand God's Word more and more. Matthew is a unique book because it is rich doctrinally and practically: it helps us to understand how Christ came to fulfill literally the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, but also how to follow the loving, caring example of our Lord. The more I study Matthew, the more I realize I need to better uderstand this book - but shouldn't that be the case with all the Scriptures?"

We are also enjoying the classes and learning a lot.

"I enjoyed the assignment where we had to write about a miracle of Christ and that impacted me the most, because I never really though a lot about them personally and how I can apply them to my life."

"Having Mr. Foreman speaking I could really see the passion he has for teaching the Word and it was inspiring to me to have more passion for the Word and studying It. I got a more contextual view of the gospel rather then just reading through it."

"Mr. Foreman really challenged us as individuals to make our faith out own. Going through all the miracles it seems impossible to me how someone could not believe what Jesus did for us."

Satellite Snow Camp #1

2011-02-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Some of our students and staff had the opportunity this past weekend to travel to beautiful Huntsville, Ontario. Riverside Baptist Church's Word of Life Student Ministry hosted a satellite snow camp. Five churches attended this event seeing 60 teens plus leaders gather for skating, tubing, snow sculptures, and piles of activities and challenges. WOLBI students helped as counselors, leaders, praise team members, and chaperons. Our Dean of Men and Professor of Bible Survey Mr. Jonathan Ward (blog here) shared God's Word and challenged teens to think about how they will win the "Game of Life" the "Battle of the Mind" and the "Battle against Temptation."
We praise the Lord for the 6 students who accepted Jesus for salvation and the 10 students that stood in front of their peers to commit their lives to Christ in the battle against sin!

This weekend was a great oppurtunity to serve the Lord. I was really excited about what God had planned. It was definitely a chance to grow as I stepped out of my comfort zone. By the end of the Snow Camp I could see some areas I needed to work on in my ministry. I'm so glad God gave me this oppurtunity and I'm excited for how He will use me next.

If your Church would be interested in hosting a WOLBI ministry team please contact Richard Heppner, our Associate Dean of Ministry.

WOLBRANOS

Word Studies: Pneumatology

Word Studies: Matthew

Word Studies: Proverbs

Word of Life Missions Conference

Word Studies: Biblical Counselling

P31 - Planet Holiness

MIA (Ministry in Action): Recharge Snow Camp

Word Studies: Deuteronomy

MIA (Ministry in Action): Recharge Snow Camp

Word Studies: 1 Corinthians

Word Studies: Hebrews

WOLBI's Heartbeat - Personal Discipleship

WOLBI News!

WOLBI News!: Entertainment Central

Word Studies: Leviticus

Word Studies: Pastoral Epistles

Missionary Profile: The Burns Family

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Superbowl Edition

Word Studies: Acts

Autumn Fun!

Word Studies: II Peter/Jude

Election Day: The People have Spoken

Election Day: Going to the Polls

Word Studies: Genesis

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Open Air Edition

Upcoming Word of Life Events

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Door-to-Door Edition

Word Studies: Judges

MIA: Ministry in Action

Word Studies: TERM Seminar

Don't Miss Word of Life Superbowl 2011

Don't Miss the Flashpoint Conference

Friday only - $20 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $10

Saturday only - $40 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $35

Friday & Saturday - $50 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $40

Word Studies: James

Opening Weekend Conference 2011

Registration Weekend 2011-2012

Leadership Training Week 2011

SUMMER CAMP 2011 WEEKS ONE TO THREE UPDATE

Introducing Word of Life Youth Camp!

SUMMER CAMP 2011 WEEK ONE UPDATE

Why YOU should get an Alumni Gift Award!

Staff/Student year end barbeque: saying goodbye with food and fire

Learning the Word: Pneumatology

Learning the Word: Church History

How to Take a Test? (without freaking out!)

Learning the Word: Genesis

Learning Church History!!

They got Nuthin'

Learning the Word: Revelation (not Revelations)

Students Exploring Missions 2011

The Red Carpet Event 2011!!

Learning the Word: Eschatology - The Study of End Times

VBS with Saugeen!!

Learning the Word: Daniel a book of prophecy

P31: Women's Conference!!

Learning the Word: Ecclesiology

Recharge Recap - What God has done!!

Learning the Word: Proverbs

Recharge Weekend Six!

Learn the Word: Judges

Learn the Word: The Gospel of John

Recharge Weekend Five!

Recharge Weekend Four!

Learning the Word: Matthew

Satellite Snow Camp #1

***Friday only -* $20 *UPDATED PRICE! Now only $10***