A new sister

(posted by Norm Fadelle & Paul Zilmer)

On Saturday, Dec 4, we rejoiced with the angels as a new creature was born in Christ Jesus. Our new sister Liane is our second BEC student to take on the saving name of Jesus in baptism. Her confession of faith was outstanding — she had written out key Bible teachings and explained them clearly and very thoroughly. Brothers Ray Pratt and Norm Fadelle baptized our new sister, following an exhortation to faithfulness in the new life provided by brother Norm Zilmer.

After the baptism, we broke bread together after extending to our new sister the right hand of fellowship. Paul was in the hospital in Chicago, but joined the rest of the ecclesia by phone to participate long-distance in the baptism and the breaking of bread. After the service was over, Liane and Paul were able to talk by phone. Paul had been one of Liane's instructors over the past 16 months.

Sister Jennifer Millay made a cake, and all (except Paul!) enjoyed fellowship and refreshments following the service.

Fall 2010 recognition event

(posted by Norm Fadelle & Paul Zilmer)

At the end of each term we hold a special event to recognize students who have completed one or more courses during the term. The event for our Fall 2010 term was held on November 22. Not all of our completers were able to attend (we never get 100%) but 12 students and guests did join in.

The evening began with a pizza supper. After everyone had their fill, certificates of completion were given to students who hadn't received them earlier. We also give a copy of Understanding the Bible to every first-time completer. The gift books seem to be genuinely appreciated by the students.

Following the recognizing of the students, the evening concluded with a Bible talk presented by Norm Fadelle: "Real, Relevant, Rich Hope". The reality of it is that our hope is founded on the reality of God's existence—not wishful thinking. The relevance is that our hope is immediately applicable—it makes our lives better right now, as well as being a hope for the future. And the richness stems from the fact that our God is not stingy—He gives abundantly, both now and forever.
 
Actually, the presentation did not end the evening. Everyone wanted to stay to talk! There was a half hour of discussion about the talk and other Bible questions. This term's students in particular seem to have connected with each other, and all stayed for conversation, some of them until all the cleanup was done and it was time to go home. All in all, it was a great evening, enjoyed by staff and students alike.

Basic Discipleship class

(posted by Paul Zilmer)

This fall Norm Fadelle presented a newly expanded version of his Basic Discipleship class, now 6 weeks instead of 4. We had a loyal group of students who completed the class, which wrapped up on November 18. Included among these is a man who is struggling with serious health issues, and who had become quite despondent. He joined the class partway through, and he immediately became very excited about it. He made up the missed classes, and has become one of our most eager students. His health issues continue, but the message of the Bible has given him hope that he was lacking before. We pray most earnestly that the Father will bless him with relief physically, and also that his interest in the Bible will continue, and continue to provide him with hope.

The pictures below are from the last class, including a sampling of the awarding of completion certificates.

Catching up

(posted by Paul Zilmer)

Many of those reading these posts will be aware that, shortly after the last posting (mid-October) I went into the hospital and was diagnosed with leukemia. So the crunch on the volunteer staff that was talked about in the last posting came about very abruptly and very intensively, since I've been completely out of action for 2 months now. And Jane, being my caregiver, has also been unable to help at the BEC during this time.

The other volunteers have done a fabulous job keeping things going. Dana Pratt and Norm Fadelle in particular have taken on many more duties. Deb Fadelle and Ray Pratt have also taken on more. Many thanks to all of them, and to our Father for providing them. Our students have been very understanding, and very supportive of me in my illness.

I am between chemo treatments and at home, and I hope to do some catching up on things that deserve to be posted. The next few posts will be history rather than current events.

The eggs fit in the basket, but the basket has a hole

(posted by Paul Zilmer)

Our BEC is operated by the very small ecclesia in Champaign County (Illinois), with some crucial help from the Bloomington ecclesia down the road. From the outset, I've been working close to full time at it, and Jane has made major contributions as well. This has been working...up until lately.

I'm now mostly incapacitated with pain caused by bone spurs in my neck. I'm trying to finish up the class I'm currently teaching, an iffy proposition. And right after that I'm scheduled for surgery (since non-surgical options have all failed). My being out of it also impacts Jane, since her main job now is taking care of me. We'll be canceling one class, and possibly cutting back on the hours we are open.

The problem is that we have no "bench" — no one who isn't already utilized to capacity. The eggs in my personal basket initially fit, but now there's a hole, and it can't hold them any more. At least for awhile.

I record this as a lesson learned for others thinking about starting a Bible Education Center. (Or Centre, if you live outside the US!) We'd already been running into issues due to having no slack. Jane and I would like to be able to contribute in other ways and other places, both to keep ourselves fresh and to fulfill our original intentions when we took early retirement. The lesson is: you can't run at the limit of your capacity forever. Short term yes, but it's not a viable long term strategy.

The solution is more people. For us, that means volunteers from outside the immediate area. We've made this plea before, and we are grateful to those who have helped us out with shorter term stints. To be viable, though, we need a succession of longer term volunteers.

Have you ever thought about working in the mission field?
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Volunteers urge others to volunteer

(posted by Joanie and Bruce Parker)

The Christadelphians of Champaign County (IL) are operating a BEC (Bible Education Center) offering Bible studies, Bibles and related materials to their community, from a store-front in a shopping mall. BEC’s have been successful in other parts of the world, but this may be the first in North America. It's among the few run by such a small ecclesia, which brings us to the need for volunteers.

We, Joanie and Bruce Parker, have helped out a little in the past, but this September we got an opportunity to do more. Bruce had a series of Bible Exploration classes based in 2 Kings that seemed to match requests the BEC had received for a little more in-depth studies, so we committed to teaching on 4 successive Wednesday evenings, and also to helping out 3 times with staffing the BEC.

An average of 6+ people attended each evening class… some were Brethren there to support the effort. Eight local folks signed up, and 6 attended at least once; 3 of them completed all 4 classes. (More wished to attend but work conflicts prevented them.) We would read about one chapter an evening, and follow a format of questions which prompted us to dig deeper. The discussions were lively and thought-filled. The warmth among all was evident. All had fun together, around God’s word.

Was it worth the hours of preparation, driving, staying overnight, staffing the BEC though few walked in? Bruce and Joanie say a definite “Yes”!

You can help too, and the folks operating the BEC could use the help. To learn more, contact Paul Zilmer: urbanabec@gmail.com. 

Thank you, Bruce & Joanie!

(posted by Paul Zilmer)

We've just concluded the first class of the Fall Term – a series of studies in 2 Kings, led by Bro Bruce Parker from the Chicago area.

Bruce and his wife, Sis Joanie, came down to Urbana each week through September. For all but one of those, they took a shift manning the shop, as well as presenting the class. Bruce and Joanie are the first out-of-town volunteers to make a month-long commitment to help us out. (We would love to talk to any others who are interested!)

Feedback from our students in the Spring and Summer indicated a desire for some more in-depth studies. In response, we scheduled Bruce's class, and a class on 2 Timothy which begins next week. It appears that the students like the idea of deeper classes, more than the reality. Enrollment for these classes wasn't high (which wasn't really unexpected.)  For the 2 Kings class, 8 registered and 6 attended at least once. Three ended up completing – they are shown in the picture below.

As always, interaction with the students is key, something that Joanie is particularly adept at. She engaged during the social times before & after class, as well as during the shop hours. More than the classes, the relationships are formed in the informal interactions, and relationships are critical to our mission.

Thank you, Bruce and Joanie, for the time, the caring, the instruction, and the fellowship we were privileged to share with you while you were here!