Northeastern Baptist College is more than my alma-mater, it is the forge that God has used to shape the person I am today. I spent three of the most formative years of my life, my faith, and my call there. When someone asks what NEBC means to me, I have to ask the person how long they are willing to listen.
I find myself telling the story of the first few months in 2013 when the school launched, or later that year when God miraculously provided an HVAC system. I tell about the provision of a house for the first five guys who were NEBC students, or about the purchasing of Jehovah Jireh Hall, NEBC’s student dorms. I share what God has taught me through our selfless, wise, and humble professors that demonstrate a desire to care for and encourage their students. I share how God clarified my call through the many brilliant speakers that have preached the Word at our weekly chapels.
Joe received the Church Planting Award, Graduation Spring 2016
In my final semester as a student at NEBC, we had a lot of firsts. We had our first graduation, our first mission trip, and our first mission conference. At the final session of the mission conference, President Ballard closed by sharing the story of God’s miraculous provision of our heating system. As I sat in the front row of the now heated chapel that looked like a completely different room than when I first got to NEBC, I was overwhelmed with how great our God is. I looked around at the room and facility God provided, the new chairs God provided, the music equipment God provided, and the students and staff God provided.
Tears began to stream down my cheeks as President Ballard and I made eye-contact. He smiled at me, and my entire time at NEBC flashed through my head. I knew then like never before that God had called this school into existence. I knew that God had anointed these specific people to carry out His mission in this specific way. I knew that God was up to big things that are still yet to come in Bennington, Vermont; the Northeast; and this nation, through the work of this school.
Joe preaching in Chapel at NEBC.
Because of the preaching, teaching, and counseling I received at Northeastern Baptist College, God birthed in me a desire to further my education. God lead me to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to study missions and evangelism by doing a Master’s of Theological Studies in Cross-Cultural missions. I intend to use this degree to teach evangelism and church-planting at Northeastern in the future.
Northeastern Baptist College is quickly becoming a vital part of the spread of the Gospel in Vermont and the Northeast. I am so excited to have been hired here as the Director of Admissions. I look forward to helping the college grow through developing relationships with local churches that will loan us their students so that we can send them back. I look forward to getting well acquainted with the higher-education community as I work at NEBC. It truly is a wonderful time to be involved at this school and in God’s mission in the Northeast!