Seminary Extension Classes
Seminary Extension Classes, 2009-2010.
October 20, 2009 Mathew, Rev. Robert Daniel
January 19, 2009, Systamatic Theology, Dr. Jack West, Instructor
Classes meet on Tuesday, 6:30 P. M. until 9:30 P. M., at the Baptist Mission Center in Pineville.
Classes are open to everyone regardless of educational background. American Council of Education certified.
We think this will be one of our best years in Seminary Extension. We have worked hard to hold down our costs, ca. $130.00 per course. Our teachers are excited about their subjects. We look forward to seeing you in class. Help us get the word out by informing your friends who may be interested in enrolling with us.
Yours in Christ,
Robert Daniel
Director of Seminary Extension
Keep up the good work!!!
Staying Sharp . . .
Robert Daniel, Seminary Extension Director
THE CONTENTS OF THE SHOEBOX FROM MOM surprised and delighted me. After my mom's death, I discovered that she had left five shoeboxes, one for each of her five children. Anxiously, I opened "my" shoebox to see what mom had put aside for me. It was mostly predictable things...pictures, old letters, my Cub Scout scarf, and other personal items. The surprise: she had kept all my old report cards. Now I remembered being an average student in elementary school and high school, but to my chagrin, the evidence was to the contrary... I was (to be kind) a weak student. Mrs. Cochran, 3rd Grade teacher, made these comments: "Robert has some trouble in working independently ... doesn't finish many papers ... poor listening habits." Third grade, and I was deemed to be a poor student! Later grades were no better. But with parental encouragement, I plodded on in my schooling.
THOSE MEMORIES SPURRED THOUGHTS OF LATER TIMES when I was a student at Bolton High School. I remember thinking: "When I graduate from high school ... that's it! No more school!" I thought that a high school education would be all I would ever want. But, when I got married and began to think about family and future, I decided to go to college. As I neared the end, I thought: "When I graduate from college ... that's it! No more school!" A college education was way more than I thought possible.
THEN GOD CALLED ME INTO THE MINISTRY and I was faced with the reality that even though I had been in Sunday School all of my life, I still needed to learn more about God's Word and about the ministry that now held me. Dr. Leavell (then President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) spoke to me about a four-year program in which I could earn a Master of Divinity degree. I said to him incredulously: "Do you realize how old I'll be in four years if I go to seminary?" He stifled a chortle and replied: How old will you be in four years if you don't go to seminary?" I'm slow (see first paragraph), but I got the point.
STAYING SHARP IS THE ISSUE, NOT how much education you have. Some of the smartest and most competent ministers and laypeople I know don't have seminary degrees. But, they do have a knack for staying sharp. They "discipline themselves toward godliness" (1 Tim. 4:7). Sharp men and women of God do the things that will improve their minds in the areas of ministry and the preaching/teaching of God's Word. I believe in Seminary Extension as a wonderful educational system to help you "Sharpen up." Whether you have a seminary degree, college degree, or a high school degree, the Seminary Extension classes at the Baptist Mission Center will help you in ... "STAYING SHARP." Call today, 445-5772, and register for the next class.
Robert Daniel is the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Colfax. He also serves as the director of the Seminary Extension program at the Baptist Mission Center in Pineville.
