Joy abounded during the fifteenth annual Alumni/Graduation Week at Heritage Baptist College. The theme this year was “For Such a Time as This?” The 12 different messages, the various events, and the special fellowship blessed hearts.
This was the twelfth year that the Graduation Week was held on the campus at Hopewell. All in attendance experienced the Lord doing a special work.
The Highlights:
Gray Brother’s Cafeteria catered the Spring Banquet for Heritage Baptist College. For the sixth time, we held this banquet on a Tuesday evening, and we were pleased at the good attendance.
The Alumni Banquet featured the music of President Russell Dennis accompanied by Dr. Dave Martin. The gymnasium was spaced out and filled as Dr. Tom Wallace, from Murfreesboro, TN delivered a special message entitled “Set Your Affections on Things Above” that prepared the meeting for the banquet offering.
The banquet goal of $30,000 for roof repair from the recent tornado was introduced and over 1⁄2 of the funds in gifts and pledges was received.
The Alumni Fish Fry for Wednesday lunch was a great success.
The special meal delighted everyone. Brother Harvey Shilling, with helper Leethon Rexroat, fried 300 Indiana crappie fillets plus some rainbow trout. Brother Shilling not only fried the fish, but earlier he had caught and cleaned them too.
Mrs. Rhonda Dennis and Becca Norris added to the fish with their extra fixings to form a delicious meal.
For the sixteenth year, Heritage Baptist College sponsored the Wednesday night local church rally. The preacher of the evening was Dr. Dave Martin of Milford, OH. Dr. Martin brought a wonderful Bible-centered message that fed us from the Word of God.
Mrs. Tootie Vaughan, who had announced her retirement, was also honored for her decades as the faithful cook to her preacher boys.
On Thursday night, May 4th, Heritage Baptist College saw three students receive their degrees. Friends and family attended the Graduation ceremony and heard Pastor Sam Gentile bring an outstanding challenge to the graduates and to the audience.
Also that evening, a Doctor of Divinity degree was awarded to Pastor Sam Gentile for his faithfulness and diligence in church planting. Dr. Gentile has served the Lord in ministry for over 40 years, founding the Heritage Baptist Church near Youngstown, Ohio over 36 years ago.
It was May in Indiana, one hundred and four years ago, as writer William Herschell sat stumped. Herschell was a journalist, and he wrote for the Saturday edition of the Indianapolis News, a position he held for 29 years, until his death.
But this morning, his “idea bank” was empty. With typewriter in hand, Herschell ventured out to Brandywine Creek in Greenfield. There he happened on an older man sitting on a log and fishing. When the reporter commented on the area’s beauty, the fisherman responded: “I can’t complain, after all God’s been pretty good to Indiana, ain’t he?”
The simple, offhanded remark by a fisherman, inspired reporter William Herschell to write his classic poem: Ain’t God Good to Indiana:
Ain't God good to Indiana?
Folks, a feller never knows
Just how close he is to Eden
Till, sometime, he ups an' goes...
...They don't know th' joys of Heaven
Have their birthplace here below;
Ain't God good to Indiana?
Ain't He, fellers? Ain't He, though?
You can find the complete poem in print, or on the internet: https://allpoetry.com/William- Miller-Herschell.
Truly, wherever we live, God has been so good in our location and to each one of us!
All of my family attended Graduation this year, including all seven of my grandchildren and Lilliana. I have so enjoyed the past sixteen years of training students at Heritage Baptist College. We feel blessed, especially this year, as we experienced our first good “post Covid” Graduation. We serve a great God, and we love to instill that thought into each of our students.
Thank you so much for your love, your prayers, and your support.
Contact an Admissions Counselor TODAY and plan to visit Heritage. You can reach us at 317-738-3791