Report of the
Board of Higher Education
During the 2005 calendar year, the Board of Higher Education (BHE) met three times, for a total of thirty-nine times since its inception in the fall of 1994. The BHE continues to oversee the work of the Pinebrook Educational Foundation (PEF), to develop working relationships with Biblical Theological Seminary (Biblical), and to consider how else it might foster higher education in the BFC.
The Pinebrook Educational Foundation
The Board of Directors of the PEF for the past year was as follows:
Term expiring in 2008: Stephen C. Cassel Judith Rychnovsky
Term expiring in 2007: Raymond R. Dotts Jay H. Fasnacht
Term expiring in 2006: Gary E. Karch Robert C. Newman
The report of the PEF is appended to the report of the BHE.
Working Relationships with Biblical Theological Seminary
In the past year, the BHE has had two projects involving Biblical: (1) a BFC chaplain who would visit Biblical regularly to counsel students and encourage some of them to consider service with the BFC; and (2) an internship program in which BF Churches would take pastoral interns from Biblical. The latter of these continues, but could profit from greater participation by BF Churches. The former has been phased out, as Chaplain Ed Moyer has noted that the block scheduling and commuter nature of the Biblical program means that there is no time when a substantial fraction of the students are on campus. In addition, Biblical has its own chaplain Bill Harding, who is handling many of the same matters that Ed was.
Other Ways of Promoting Higher Education in the BFC
The BHE has regularly taken time at our meetings for wide-ranging discussions on promoting higher education in the BFC. These discussions have included a number of topics: (1) how to get the BHE and PEF better known in the BFC; (2) how to encourage talented Christian young people in our churches to seek higher education so as to serve the Lord more effectively in whatever vocation he has called them to; (3) how to help Christian students at secular colleges not only survive but thrive as Christians in such an environment; (4) how to encourage BFC pastors to get advanced education to strengthen their ministry; (5) how to reach out to students and faculty at colleges and universities that are in the vicinity of our BF Churches; and (6) how to reach out to foreign students in these schools who will return to their own countries, so that they may be even more effective missionaries than those who must learn a foreign culture. We have regularly heard reports from board members John Studenroth on the work of Collegiate Outreach, Bob Newman on the Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, Al Russell on Christian high schools and foreign exchange students, and Billy Dunn on youth ministry.
One topic of new interest this year has been the question of whether the BHE might be able to serve as a conduit for presentations at BF churches and Christian high schools on intelligent design and on preparing high school students to navigate their college experience more effectively, whether in Christian or secular institutions.
We thank the Lord that He has provided funding for the PEF, which is now awarding a significant number of scholarships, and that we can encourage CO and IBRI in their current activities.
Bob Newman will be resigning this year from the BHE and PEF, as he is retiring from Biblical Theological Seminary and moving to the Charlottesville, VA, area, where he hopes to be involved in student outreach at the University of Virginia and other nearby colleges, and to speak and teach in various venues both in the US and overseas.
Brothers, we thank you again for praying for us this past year. Pray that we will desire God’s agenda, not ours, and that He may use us to strengthen the BFC in understanding our times and in reaching the lost.
The Board of Higher Education recommends the following:
Resolved, that the Annual Conference ratify the election to the Pinebrook Educational Foundation of Gary E. Karch and Karen Stull for terms to end in 2009.
Board of Higher Education: Robert C. Newman, Chairman; Raymond R. Dotts, Vice-Chairman; John C. Studenroth, Secretary; Stephen C. Cassel; Billy J. Dunn; Alan H. Russell; Harold P. Shelly.
Pinebrook Educational Foundation
The Board of Directors of the Pinebrook Educational Foundation met three times in 2005.
The Foundation received gifts totaling $ 2,700 in 2005.
Significant Board actions are described below:
1. Approved guidelines applicable to the Andrew W. Ungerer Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund, a Board-Designated Fund.
2. Granted Scholarships totaling $10,000 as follows:
a. $1000 to Colby Weinhofer from the Reverend and Mrs. R. C. Reichenbach Scholarship Fund. Colby attends Biblical Theological Seminary.
b. $1000 to Peter Morrison from the Weaver Memorial Fund. Peter attends John Brown University.
c. $1000 to Eddie Mrowka from the temporarily- restricted General Scholarship Fund. Eddie attends Philadelphia Biblical University.
d. $500 to Rachel Taylor from the Weaver Memorial Fund. Rachel attends Philadelphia Biblical University.
e. $500 to Sarah Taylor from the Weaver Memorial Fund. Sarah attends Messiah College.
f. $1000 to Leah Curcio from the Ungerer Memorial Fund. Leah attends Lancaster Bible College.
g. $1000 to Shaun Fink from the Ungerer Memorial Fund. Shaun attends Liberty University.
h. $1000 to Mark Matson from the Ungerer Memorial Fund. Mark attends Philadelphia Biblical University.
i. $1000 to Amanda Snead from the Ungerer Memorial Fund. Amanda attends Grove City College.
j. $1000 to Abigail Redman from the Ungerer Memorial Fund to assist in meeting her outstanding obligations to Biblical Theological Seminary.
k. $500 from the Pinebrook Junior College Scholarship Fund, and $500 from the Ungerer Memorial Fund, to Sarah Matson. Sarah attends Indiana Wesleyan University.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jay H. Fasnacht, Secretary