Preparing "In Season and Out of Season"
Dean of Academics
In the Classroom this Quarter:
Wisdom Literature and Psalms with Mike Austin and David Nelson
Pauline Literature 5: Pastoral Epistles with Herman Alexander, and
Homiletics with Mike Austin.
Dr. Niccum was able to bless us with a seminar on the Dead Sea Scrolls while he was here. We invited the community to the seminar and suddenly found the lecture room filled with 60 people.
We were also pleased to have Dr. Curt Niccum teaching Post-Exile through New Testament Backgrounds
and Stuart Penhall, from Gosford, Australia, teaching Pauline Literature 1:Galatians and Thessalonians.
Roger Craig made his teaching debut here at the college as he co-taught Christian Spiritual Formation along with Steve Raine.
Travels and Recruitment
I was away from New Zealand for a good portion of this last term. I was able to attend the annual Asian Mission Forum again. This year the event was held in the Philippines and organised by Filipino Christians. My purpose in going is to network with other Christians living and working in Asia and to promote and recruit for the Bible College. From these annual trips the Bible College has been blessed to have had around ten students recruited from these countries.
New Zealand is a popular destination for travellers, immigrants and international students. The Asian population in New Zealand also continues to grow rapidly. SPBC is strategically placed and it is our purpose to partner with churches in Asia to accept qualified men and women to come to New Zealand to be instructed and equipped to serve the churches that sent them. I strongly believe that healthy church growth is directly correlated to members whose lives are built on the solid foundation of the word of God. Churches need men and women who are skilled in ministry, leadership, and who know the word.
Proud Grandpa
On a personal note, part of my time away from New Zealand was spent with family. Although I was visiting churches and preaching, I was able to base myself at my parents’ home in Cedar Hill, Texas. Mary joined me and then we continued on to Kharkov, Ukraine where we were able to welcome the grand entrance of our first grandchild, Caleb James Nelson. Our son, David, and his wife, Olivia, are on a church plant team there. I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to insert a photo or two below.
