PRBI Winter Trumpet 2020

Trumpet W i n t e r

PEACE RIVER BIBLE INSTITUTE

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“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.�

- Lamentations 3:22-23

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College Update Reflecting on last semester, I resonate well with what our President, Kim Cairns, wrote in his November Board of Directors report. “The fall has been full and yet with all the changes it seems quite settled . . . God is good and He is meeting our needs.” His steadfast love truly never ceases!

God’s provision has extended into the type of students that we have this year, ones who are eager to learn. It is safe to say that our staff are quite encouraged by their engagement in their learning and their participation in our community.

As we look ahead to this new semester, we do covet your prayers.

Our ministry to students is both oriented towards training for ministry and personal spiritual growth. In our experience, this type of spiritual work does not go unnoticed by our enemy. Please pray with us for protection and provision in the lives of our students.

Lastly, bearing in mind our fiscal need, would you consider contributing financially to this group of students?

They are eager to learn and to be trained, so your investment will have a lasting effect on them personally as well as on the Canadian church.

Thank you for your support.

Jeremy Johnston Director of Operations 2

Pursuing Relevance An online dictionary states, “To know the relevance of something is to know why it matters or how it is important.” It further explains, “Relevance is simply the noun form of the adjective ‘relevant,’ which means ‘important to the matter at hand.’”1 Writing about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Matthew records, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Mt 4:1-3).

Jesus’ temptation is about relevance.

What is important to the matter at hand for Him? Will He satisfy His immediate physical need at the expense of His eternal spiritual calling? Jesus’ response to Satan is clear and compelling. “But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of 3

Kim Cairns

God’” (Mt 4:4). Jesus rejected Satan’s timely persuasion, choosing instead to rely on the Word of God to guide His choice.

Relevance is determined by the voices we choose to follow. One way to pursue relevance is by listening to the masses. What does society value, or to put it in social media measurements, how many “followers” or “likes” does an idea generate? When relevance is viewed in this way, we adjust ourselves to become what our culture values.

We measure ideas against what the majority approve. Success becomes all about statistics.

Another way to pursue relevance is by sifting ideas through the timeless Word of God. We don’t take our cue from the crowd, but from the Word.

We don’t ask where our culture is headed and how we can join them or fit in with them, instead we ask what our culture needs and how we can be used of God to meet that need.

The pressure to be relevant and accepted by our culture is an everpresent temptation. At this time in our nation, the influence of Christianity is being pushed to the fringes. “Once on the margins, we want to be relevant. We seek the approval of those in the center.

We try to become what we think the host culture will value and sometimes forget that our first call is to the Lord our God. We confuse our loyalties to the culture (in the name of evangelism) with our loyalties to God because we want to be respected by the secular age. Right here we face the choice between being prophetic and being popular.”2

for someone who can direct them to healing for the hurts they suffer.

Who will meet these demands?

PRBI and other Bible Colleges still have an effective role in training up workers to address these needs.

PRBI, not unlike other Bible Colleges, is being pushed further and further to the margins of society. Let’s be blunt: many consider the Bible College as increasingly irrelevant especially if we use popularity as our measurement. However, if we ask what our churches and culture need, then we may come to a different conclusion. The PRBI website has a long list of churches seeking pastoral leadership.

Mission reps frequent our campus looking for cross-cultural workers.

Our churches are also looking for members who are trained in using the Word of God and who can model His character. Our society may not be asking, but it desperately needs people who can articulate clearly in word and deed what it means to follow Christ. People are looking

Jesus’ response to the temptation of relevance disrupts our choices.

Will we allow the material world to dominate our thinking? Will we measure our lives simply by what is popular? Or will we agree with Him that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God?

At the request of the PRBI Board of Directors, the leadership team is putting a strategic plan in place that will guide us into the future. As we consider where we are at and where we are headed, we must seek to be relevant according to God’s Word.

Knowing what to change and what not to change will require prayerful and critical thinking. I appeal to you, our constituents, to pray for us as we go through this process.

Kim Cairns President Kim has served as a member of the PRBI faculty since 2009 and as President since 2019. He is married to Kimberly and they have four adult children.

[1] www.vocabulary.com - “relevance” [2] DeNeff, Steve. The Temptation of Relevance.

Online Sermon www.collegewes.com

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Take a Deep Breath Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like these are angry days. And Christians are not immune. The political and social polarization, the erosion of our social influence and attacks on our religious freedoms have sparked fear and anger. Disappointment, resentment, pessimism, and dismay abound in church foyers, small groups, coffee shops, and especially online rants. Reactions to our current cultural, religious, and political situation range from panic to resignation to revolution to outright nastiness.

I admit that I share the growing concern that Christianity seems to be under siege in Canada these days. We have been unfairly painted as narrow-minded, self-righteous, bigoted, power-hungry relics from an unenlightened era, and our social and moral input often meets 5

Brad Cowie

with harsh resistance, inaccurate caricatures, and strong criticism.

Who can blame us for pushing back?

However, in the course of fuming over yet another anti-Christian rant, I found myself increasingly aware that my “righteous indignation” had somehow devolved into rather unChrist-like thoughts and reactions.

I could rationalize my venom by claiming that even Jesus was known to kick over tables and crack whips in a properly zealous rage, but my conscience would not let me off the hook so easily. So I began to wonder: How should we as Christians react to this barrage of anti-Christian sentiment and action?

In these uncertain and unsettling times, we do well to remember the words of Jesus: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were

of this world, my servants would chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves have been fighting . . . But my from slavery to God.’ But the one kingdom is not from the world.” (Jn who rules in heaven laughs. The 18:36, ESV). You see, the Kingdom Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he of our God is not dependant on any rebukes them, terrifying them with particular social or political system, his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, including Canadian Christendom ‘I have placed my chosen king on (if there ever was such a thing). the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy Certainly, the valuable religious mountain’” (Ps 2:1-6, NLT). freedoms and privileges we enjoy in this nation are worth defending.

Yes, the nations will rage against Additionally, there are clear moral God. It should not surprise us principles and practices which form that people want to throw off the the foundations of a healthy society, alleged “yoke of God’s oppression.” and we abandon them Nevertheless, God’s at great risk. I do not Nevertheless, sovereignty is untainted want to minimize and unthreatened what is at stake, and I God’s sovereignty by the railings of the am grateful to live in is untainted and nations. He remains a democratic country unthreatened by firmly in control and that, for all its faults, His plan remains intact, still grants me far more the railings of the even when His people freedoms and privileges encounter struggle and nations. than the alternatives. persecution. In His own But if global Christianity has taught time and His own way, His King will us anything, it is that the thriving be enthroned and His Kingdom will of the church does not depend on be established. There is no need for a church-friendly government or panic. political system. While I certainly hope to preserve my democratic In light of these realities, what is freedoms, democratic freedoms are the reasonable response to this not my certain Hope—Christ is. upheaval in which we find ourselves?

I am drawn to the counterintuitive I also need to remember that God words of the Apostle Peter, written is still firmly in control. The Psalms to believers in a hostile environment declare: where Christians were often maligned and even persecuted.

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile “Keep your conduct among the plans? The kings of the earth prepare Gentiles honorable, so that when for battle; the rulers plot together they speak against you as evildoers, against the LORD and against his they may see your good deeds and anointed one. ‘Let us break their glorify God on the day of visitation.

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Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood.

Fear God. Honor the emperor” (I Peter 2:12-17, ESV).

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:14-17, ESV).

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It seems that God calls us not to angry rants, militant rhetoric, or panicked pronouncements of doom, but to gracious yet bold demonstrations of righteousness.

We don’t argue or force people into the Kingdom, we draw them in by our character, our conduct, and our clear witness for Christ. None of this means we can’t express our moral, cultural, and political convictions, engage in public discourse, act on our conscience, or defend our freedoms. None of this means we can’t critique ideologies, hold politicians accountable, or be the bold voice of God’s truth in the chaos of relativism.

But let us not lose our way.

Everybody take a deep breath.

Calm down. Trust God. Love your enemy. Pray for your nation. Act righteously. Speak Truth. And be ambassadors of Jesus.

Brad Cowie Academic Dean Brad is an alumnus of PRBI (1984-88) and has served as PRBI faculty since 2008 and as Academic Dean since 2019. Brad and his wife, Barb, have two grown children.

Financial Update Peace River Bible Institute Statement of Operations and Budget Jul 2019 - Oct 2019 Revenue

tudent Revenue Student

General Income Sales

Fees & Other Programs

& Non-Program Fees & Services

esidence Rental Rental

Income

Donation - Undesignated Donations

- Undesignated - Designated Total Donations

Donation - Designated Donations

Academics

tudent Life

Total Revenue

Expenses

Annual Budget

% of Budget To Date

339,890

1,050,600

32%

37,614

115,831

32%

63,250

205,755

31%

140,612 63,140 203,752

775,261 196,200 971,461

18% 32% 21%

644,506

2,343,647

28%

Expenses To Date

Annual Budget

% of Budget To Date

Academics

128,655

406,139

32%

Campus Life

112,491

364,561

31%

85,391

277,282

31%

106,862

305,683

35%

55,533

226,720

24%

188,112

603,202

31%

73,701

139,060

53%

ood Services Food

Services

Development

Promotion & Development

Admissions

Admissions

AdministrationAdministration

Maintenance

Income To Date

Facilities & Maintenance

tudent Aid

Special Project

-

6,000

0%

tudent Aid

Student Aid

-

15,000

0%

Others

398

Others

Total Expenses Net Income (Loss)

751,143 (106,637)

2,343,647

32%

-

Excludes Amortization Expense

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College Update in Pictures

2019-2020 Upperclassmen Bradley Bergen Lacey Cornelsen Jonah Dillabough Jessyka Doerksen Jenna Hager Jed Halvorson Zach Hanghofer Alicia Harder Les Harms Cristyn Hogue Madison Huckabone Corban Hunter Aaron Knapp David Le Goff Jessica May Gabe Moon Andrew Murray Kara Nelson Agatha Neufeld Caitlin Neustaeter Josh Olson Dan Osborne Kira Oussoren Emily Peters Jessy Reimer Sarah Reimer Sam Retzlaff Chrissie Roberts Joanna Schmidt Ryan Scofield Mark Thiessen Timothy Thiessen Avery Toma Tyson Volkman Karen Waikle Calen Warkentin Alex Wilbur Austin Wooden

Please pray for the upperclassmen of 2019–2020.

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President’s Message: Waldie Neufeld

Encouragement “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (He 10:24-25).

One function of the Campus Life department is to help facilitate the training of our student leaders. One of the ways we do this is through encouragement.

Genuine encouragement towards a leader, in our case student leaders, goes a long way in helping them build leadership confidence.

Encouragement serves as a confidence booster for them as our students learn to lead their peers.

Since our student leaders help set the tone for the whole student body, we have noticed that if they are built up and encouraged, they will in turn encourage their peers and help build them up as well.

During the busyness of the semester, we have observed that peer-to11

Shelley Martindale peer encouragement goes a long way towards helping with stress and keeping the atmosphere light.

Encouragement builds a positive culture and creates unity. The reality is that if our students are encouraging and building each other up, then it’s hard for dissension and disagreements to fester in the dorms.

Not everyone responds to the same kind of encouragement. Finding effective ways to encourage is important. We try to be creative in the ways we build into students.

It goes without saying that we value the leadership our student leaders provide at PRBI and know that we could not do what we do without their help. Thank you for your support in our leadership training of young people. Might there be a young leader that you know that you could encourage? From our experience here at PRBI, your encouragement will have lasting value.

Shelley Martindale Women’s Campus Pastor

WE KINDLY REQUEST YOUR PRESENCE FOR

C i rc le Ci rc l e OF

F riends F riends OF

An Evening in the Arts An Evening in the Arts FEBRUARY

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FEBRUARY TWO THOUSAND TWENTY at Peace River Bible Institute Doors open: 5:30 p.m. | Dress: Semi-formal TWO THOUSAND TWENTY RSVP at www.prbi.edu/COF or by calling 780-568-3962

at Peace River Bible Institute

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Giving a new purpose to your money Craig and Lisa are a couple in their 40’s who have some financial security and enjoy a comfortable life. Writing a Will had not been a priority since they didn’t have children and so had never considered the issue of inheritance.

Knowing that if one of them passed away the other would inherit the assets was comfort enough for them. When one of their favourite charities suggested they consider how their ongoing accumulation of assets could take on more purpose now and later, they responded.

When speaking with an estate planner, Craig and Lisa learned that without a Will in place, a substantial amount of their estate would have gone to the government in taxes. They made some important decisions that not only effectively wrote the government out of their Will but would generate substantial charitable gifts for the work of some of their favourite charities giving a new purpose to their money.

Through our partnership with ADVISORS with Purpose, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to meet with an Estate Advisor to create a complimentary, personal, and confidential Estate Plan that will help you create a Will that reflects the life you lived, the faith you follow, the people you love, and the charities you believe in? Contact them today!

Please note that there are no obligations and no one will sell you any product.

89 Auriga Dr., Ottawa, ON K2E 7Z4 1.866.336.3315

www.advisorswithpurpose.ca

Listening to God “Those who dance are thought mad by those who hear not the music...”

As the food service coordinator at PRBI, I have students who come into the kitchen to work for their job experience. The kitchen is usually full of music, laughter, and the sounds of a busy workplace.

Occasionally, when one student is working by themselves they have headphones on or earbuds in and are listening to their own music. I am often amused to hear them singing totally off key because they cannot hear their own voice.

The other problem, and the reason they are not supposed to wear these things in the kitchen, is because they can’t hear my voice. If I need

Sharon Milner to give them instruction, correction, advice, or encouragement, they might miss it.

Sometimes we are like that with God. We are so caught up in our own little world that we miss the “still, small voice of God”—warning, encouraging, instructing, and showing us a better way.

At times, I must get right in the student’s face so they can see me trying to get their attention. Still they try to understand me without turning their own music down.

Once they realize that I am not going to yell over their din, they might remove one ear device.

While still hearing the music, they try to understand without giving me their full attention.

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Isn’t that a lot like us? We don’t want to change our own agenda, but we will try to listen, with one ear, to God. When a student takes out both earbuds, I am able to tell them important information. They will be well informed and better able to do their job. If I could even just tell them they are doing well, it would make the task seem lighter.

Samuel, as a young boy, heard a voice but misunderstood who was speaking to him. He kept running to Eli who was sleeping and had nothing to say. He hadn’t heard God calling. The message was for Samuel. If you think you are not important to God, this account should assure you. Sometimes He speaks through our leaders, but He also wants to talk to us one on one.

He probably won’t yell, He will speak softly. Are you listening?

1 Samuel 3:7-8 reads, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. ‘Here I am.

Did you call me?’ Then Eli realized 15

it was the Lord who was calling the boy.”

After returning to bed, and being called to a fourth time, Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

And he did listen, with both of his ears. Listening became habitual for Samuel and he eventually became the prophet God chose to anoint and instruct kings.

What are we missing when we don’t give God both of our ears and all of our attention to hear when He gently whispers? Our quiet time is so important. God knows how busy our lives are, how much information we must take in to do our jobs. He’ll wait till we are ready to give Him our undivided attention. Then He will whisper the most important information we will ever need to know.

People may think our behaviour (dance) is odd, for they can’t hear the music of God’s loving instruction.

Sharon Milner Food Service Coordinator Sharon has served on staff at PRBI since 2018. She and her husband, Chris, have four grown children.

News & Updates PRBI NEWS This spring, we have three PRBI Tour Teams traveling in Western Canada. Spoken (a spoken word group, pictured on left), Earthen Vessels (drama, featured on cover), and Highest Call (music, pictured on page 1). If you would like to book a team, please email hwilson@prbi.edu with your requests.

Our Board of Directors for this year are as follows: Dennis Landis (Chairman), Lance Warkentin (Vice Chairman), Graham Plett (Treasurer), Les Derksen, Ruth Enns, Dale Emerson, Richard Smith, and Don Warkentin. Please pray for them as they lead here at PRBI.

BIRTHS BROWN, Josef (ug ‘10) & Ashley (g ‘10) along with big sister Holly, are pleased to announce that they welcomed Theodore Joshua into their family on February 11, 2019! He and big sister Holly have become good friends already. Josef is currently teaching in Grande Prairie and Ashley is keeping busy with Holly and Theodore at home.

STRYDHORST, Kyle (ug ‘17) & Cassie (ug ‘18) are thrilled to announce the arrival of their first child Noelle Kyla, who came into the world on October 8, 2019. They are living in Valleyview, AB, where Kyle is working as a mechanic and Cassie is taking the year off from ATB to be with Noelle. They feel so blessed to be parents to her. Noelle’s cuteness and smiles make up for the sleepless nights!

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TEICHROEB, William (ug ‘17) & Emily (g ‘18) are delighted to share the birth of their first child, daughter Tess Hannah. Tess was born on October 25, 2019. They are living at Ness Lake Bible Camp, BC, where William is working as the maintenance assistant and Emily has recently finished working at NLBC to stay home with Tess. Life with a baby is as tiring as everyone said it would be, but the joy is greater than they could have imagined!

WEDDINGS EVANS, Josh (g ‘18) & Sarah (Bohnet, g ‘18) were married on August 3, 2019, and are living in Valleyview, AB. Josh is working as the youth pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church as well as helping out on a farm, and Sarah is a teacher’s aid at the primary school. They really enjoy waking up every morning beside their best friend and getting to work as a team, encouraging and supporting each other in all they are doing.

PLANT, Andrew (ug ‘09) & Jessalyn (Aitken, g ‘13) were married October 5, 2019, and are living in Fort St. John, BC. Andrew is currently working at Nortech as a Field Services Engineer, and Jessalyn is working as the Learning and Development Advisor at North Peace Savings and Credit Union.

Both are very involved with their local church body and are currently leading the Young Adults ministry there. They have enjoyed setting up their home and settling into new routines together!

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About PRBI Peace River Bible Institute is a Canadian Degree-Granting Bible College in Sexsmith, Alberta, founded in 1933. PRBI is known for quality academics and its highly relational culture that purposefully fosters an atmosphere of spiritual growth.

PRBI has a distinct commitment to train students in a thorough knowledge of the Word of God and to train students to become disciple-makers whether at home or abroad. PRBI’s educational model purposefully integrates the academic learning experience with an experiential learning component making us a Bible College for Life.

Our vision is to train believers to become disciple-makers who know God, model His character, and are able to build into others the life-changing principles of His Word.

Like Us On Facebook! www.facebook.com/acollegeforlife

PRBI - Peace River Bible Institute

If you know of an alumnus who has passed away, please let us know.

Contact Us www.prbi.edu

prbi@prbi.edu

780-568-3962

COMING EVENTS February 7 Circle of Friends Banquet

April 18 Graduation Ceremony

February 28 - March 1 eView

June 6 Alumni BBQ

The TRUMPET is the magazine of Peace River Bible Institute that is comprised of contributions from faculty, staff, alumni, and students who are passionate about making disciples in their churches and communities. If you would have any comments please email us at development@prbi.edu. Printed in Canada.

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