The Open Bible Bulletin - April 2022

Because of COVID, visit our website or call us closer to the time of each event for further updates and cancellations.

FAMILY FILE Marriages

Braden Donnelly (junior student) to Kelsea Lewis on September 4, 2021.

Jessica Freeland (ABM/B.Th. ’18) to Levi Younker (ABM/B.Th. ’21) on January 8, 2022.

Births

December 21, 2021 - to Joe (ABM/B.Th. ’15) and Jamie (Reid, ABM/B.Th. ’15) Thibault, a son, Josaiah Alexander Joseph.

January 21, 2022 - to Jean-Michel (Assoc. ’12) and Jessica (Smith, ABM/B.Th. ’15) Brière, a son, Ezra Logan.

January 23, 2022 - to Nick (Assoc. ’17) and Mary (MacDonald, Assoc. ’17) Hansen, a daughter, Poppy Estelle.

January 28, 2022 - to Caleb (ABM/B.Th. ’15) and Martha (Grant, ’14) Kelly, a daughter, Hope Tandell.

c

nbbi.ca/cfad

ollege for a

APRIL 14 - 16, 2022

DAY

Are you concerned about all the instability in our world? Are you finding it hard to know what direction you should go? With all the uncertainty that we face, we can be confident that God’s Word is something that is true and will never change. A believer’s greatest need is to know God and that can only happen through God’s Word.

We invite you to join us on April 14-16 for our College for a Day. Visit our campus, meet our students, sit in on some classes and find out whether God is leading you to study God’s Word.

Note: As regulations are constantly changing, due to COVID, we encourage you to visit our website (nbbi.ca) for any up-to-date changes to our programs.

MIKE GRANT April 10 Bethel Baptist Church Pine Glen, NB Sunday Services

Our Prayer Calendar is available each month.

OPEN BIBLE

FEBRUARY 2022 - Please Pray Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

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that God would keep our campus safe from Covid

6 for our faculty as they teach our students

13 for the many NBBI grads serving around the world

20 for Matthew (President) & Dodi Little (Librarian)

27 for our 4 th year students doing their internship

7 for the ongoing financial needs of the school

14 for health and strength for our retired staff

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for Brenda Cabral (Secretary to President) & Rose Meed (General Office Secretary)

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Wednesday

Thursday

for growth in our students’ lives this semester

for God’s direction & leading for this years graduates

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9

that restrictions would be lifted so we can host retreats & conferences

that young people would sense the need to attend Bible school

for many students who come from difficult homes

for our Deans, Beth McMahon & Mike Grant

for Dave (IT) & Mary Meed (Food Services )

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22 for students taking exams today

11 that God would bring revival to our churches

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23 for Danny & Lorna Robins (Business Office)

Saturday

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for unity among the staff and students

12 that God would give wisdom to our Board of Directors

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for Edward Craig (Maintenance) & Tim Leubner (Food Services)

for David Doherty (Faculty) & Keith McMahon (Faculty)

24 for Larry Rushton (Registrar)

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praise God for the funds raised to replace our furnace

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that the $40,000 needed for Vacation With A Vision would come in

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Friday

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25 for staff children that they would grow in the Lord

BULLETIN

26 that NBBI would remain faithful to God’s Word

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for our married students (currently 3 couples)

Go to nbbi.ca/connect/

FOCUS

Homegoing

Alumnews

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An Ordinary Man But A Great Example

Deshawn was born on October 25, 2020 and they had twins, a girl, Ruby and a boy, Rylan, born on January 20, 2022. They live in Ayer’s Cliff, Quebec, Canada.

New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB Canada E7P 1C7 Phone: (506)375-9000 Fax: (506)375-1800 Website: nbbi.ca Email: nbbi@nbbi.ca

Editor................................................. Larry Rushton Writers.............Faculty, Staff, Students & Alumni Typist................................................. Brenda Cabral Layout & design...........................................Larry Rushton Copy proof..............................................Rose Meed Printer.................................................Merritt Press

For weekly updates visit us at nbbi.ca/connect

PARTNER WITH US

nbbi.ca/donate

Give online: Click the Donate Now button. Make a one-time gift or choose the recurring option for automatic monthly support.

Give by mail: Send your cheque payable to: New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB E7P 1C7 U.S. Donors: East Hodgdon Bible Church Attn: NBBI Fund PO Box 828 Houlton ME 04730-0828 Give by e-transfer: Send an e-Transfer via the bank of your choice to nbbibusiness@gmail.com.

For additional options: Call us toll-free at 1-800-771-NBBI (6224).

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She and Craig Salmon were married on August 3, 2018. She and Craig have had three children since. Their first son,

Matthew Max Griffeth, graduate of 1983, passed away on January 30, 2022. Matthew’s wife Alice (Knox) also graduated from NBBI, in 1985. Matthew was a man of faith and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He spent a large portion of his life reading his Bible and enjoyed being an active participant in his local churches. Pray for Alice and their family.

W. Ralph Richardson, graduate of 1962, entered the presence of his Lord and Saviour on February 9, 2022. He served at the Lewisville Baptist Church in Moncton and then afterwards in various capacities at the Atlantic Baptist College (now Crandall University), eventually assuming the role of President. He also served part-time as interim pastor at several churches. Pray for his wife Berys and their family.

BY MIKE GRANT

Rebecca (Mckelvey) Salmon, a 2002 graduate of the Biblical & Theological Studies program, recently sent us this update.

Printed in Canada

David E. Lassell, graduate of 1970, went home to be with his Saviour on January 27, 2022. He met his wife Ada (Allen) at NBBI where she worked as a secretary from 1968-1972. David served with the Canadian Sunday School Mission in Newfoundland, Canada for five years and then moved to Maine where he pastored and assisted several local churches. He also served in a jail ministry in Piscataquis County. Pray for Ada and their family.

VOL. 63 NO. 4 APRIL 2022

Recently, a relative of mine passed away as a result of an aggressive form of cancer. Like anyone who has lost a loved one, I have been thinking a lot about my uncle. He was a trucker and he was known for buying and selling anything that had wheels. He had a solid testimony that impacted many, many people. I have been encouraged and challenged by the many posts I’ve seen on Facebook about my uncle’s faith. What a blessing it has been to read what people had to say about his unshakeable faith in the Lord. Last night I sat at my desk thinking about this and about what caused his unshakeable faith. It’s quite simple and comes down to something that every one of us can apply.

First of all, simply believe and trust in the Lord (trust and obey). Just as my uncle told me on the phone a few weeks before he passed, “Mike, I believe God and His Word, and if it turns out differently than I’m believing (being cured of cancer), that’s alright because He has a better plan and either way, it’s a winwin.” Many people have said or thought similar things, but it is much easier said than done during difficult times. Howev-

er, God is God; His wisdom is infinite and His plan is perfect. We just have to simply trust Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 are well-known verses that we need to not only know but also apply in every situation Secondly, cultivate a relationship with the Lord. In my last conversation with my uncle, he just had to tell me something that he had just learned from the Old Testament. Oh, the excitement that was in his voice as he shared what the Lord had shown him. My heart was thrilled as I listened to him. Even though he was lying in a hospital bed in the midst of chemo treatments, he was growing in his relationship with God. Colossians 2:6-7 instructs us to continue in our relationship with the Lord. We need to continue to grow in our knowledge of Him so that our roots will continue to get established. This will, in turn, both nourish us and hold us fast through the storms of life.

Thirdly, do not be a respecter of persons. If God has changed our lives, and if God is refining us, teaching us, and growing us, then we need to let our light shine as Matthew 5:13-16 tells us. If we are honest, it is the fear of man and pride that keeps us from sharing the Gospel with those we meet. My uncle dem-

onstrated being a light as he shared his faith with those he came in contact with regardless of the person’s status.

Let me pose a few questions. When was the last time you shared the Gospel?

When was the last time you reached out to someone to encourage them in the Lord? The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Let’s seize the opportunities to share our faith. Let’s not be controlled by fear, but rather allow the Lord to use us, just as He has used many ordinary people like my uncle, a humble trucker.

NBBI

God’s Purpose Our Passion Established 1944 2 Timothy 2:15

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nbbi.ca 1

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

Bees can teach us a lot about life.

Of the many lessons that I have learned, there is one fascinating detail about bees that seems so contradictory. Bees carry honey in their mouths, but a sting

BY JANA GERARDI Freshman Banquet

This year’s freshman banquet theme was “Disney by the Decade”, and it proved to be a light-hearted evening full of fun, dressing up in character, singing, and games. We enjoyed a classic supper of spaghetti and meatballs, Caesar salad, and garlic bread, with brownies and ice cream for dessert.

This is the third freshman banquet that I’ve attended and while every banquet has been one-of-a-kind, this one has probably been the most unique.

With a casual to neat casual dress code, people were free to express themselves by dressing up into character. Of course, some came as the traditional, wellknown characters; others came as crazier and more adventurous characters.

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in their tails. Bees transport nectar (what eventually turns into honey) in a special sac in their mouths and yet they have that hurtful stinger in their tail. In a sense they are vessels of sweetness but also of wrath. How can something that blesses us with such sweetness also cause someone so much pain?

This is also true of God’s Word. In Psalm 119:103 it says, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth”. Furthermore, Psalm 19:10 says that God’s Word is, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Sometimes when I am spending time in God’s Word, the truths that I am meditating upon are like the sweet taste of honey.

As the Psalmist proclaimed, we are tasting and seeing “that the Lord is good.”

(Psalm 34:8). Often, when reading the Bible, words of encouragement lift off the pages and are a sweet taste to the soul. However, the same bee that carries the honey is also able to sting. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspi-

The freshmen put a lot of work into their banquet. They created a magnificent castle for their photobooth, created by a wooden frame and craft paper and backlit to create the magical aspect of being a Disney-themed party. Each table was themed by a Disney movie, complete with handcrafted complementary character place cards and coordinating decorations. These table divisions also served as divisions for teams.

While we ate our supper, we completed trivia quizzes and enjoyed the strong Disney vibes. Afterward, we went on a scavenger hunt for the lost items of Disney characters such as Cinderella’s shoe, Olaf’s nose, and a teacup. Both the scavenger hunt items and the trivia quiz answers counted together for teams to compete, and the team with the most correct answers and items found won Disney sticker books.

We ended our night with karaoke

ration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Just like a bee, God’s Word can be both sweet and painful. You can walk away saying, “I feel so close to God”, “God is good” and “Can the Christian life get any better?” However, at other times we leave the Word of God with the stinger of conviction lodged deep within us. Instead of feeling close to God, we feel distant and sense that some things need to be dealt with or corrected.

So here is my food for thought. If you want the honey, you have to be willing to deal with the stinger. Sometimes God has to hurt us before He can heal us.

Sometimes we need to take the stinger of correction so that we can enjoy the sweet fellowship that He longs for us to have with Him. Whatever God may be doing in your life at this very moment, He is doing it for your good and for His glory.

and even convinced Mr. and Mrs. McMahon to do the first song! The karaoke time was probably the biggest hit of the evening.

I enjoyed the banquet immensely and think it was a wonderful final freshman banquet for me to attend before I graduate from NBBI.

How God has been growing me these past three years When I came to NBBI as a freshmen in the Fall of 2019, I couldn’t imagine what God had in store for me during my time here at Bible school. Things have not been easy for me, but it means that God has been growing me!

Evelyn Nanninga, Sydney Pennigton, Lauren Somers Freshman year started off with me thinking “I’m only going to be here for a year, get a good foundation, and then I want to go to art school”. So with that in mind, I spent most of my time trying

skit by last year’s junior class Lauren Somers is fourth from left

to make as many friends as possible and focus on the things that I wanted to do.

Well, a few really good classes, some hard lessons, a couple of really good friends, and a missions’ trip to Ethiopia (Africa) later…, God had broken down my builtup sense of pride. I came into the year thinking I was doing pretty good but then ended the year realizing that I was relying on myself rather than on God. I came to this realization while doing my zoom classes during the first lockdown in March of 2020.

God then led me to come back again and do a second year. I was hesitant at first because of finances and I was still set on going to an art school. However, I couldn’t rest peacefully until I decided to go back to NBBI, so I knew God wanted me there again. I had so much fun junior year, seeing my friends again and

VacationVision

Are you lookdition for storing for a ministry age on the with a opportunity this Kenneth M. summer?

NBBI Robins Study Dates: June 26 - July 1 has a program for Centre you. Vacation with a Vision gives you and 4. Various other smaller projects. your family an opportunity to come to Consider joining us on June 26 - July the campus of NBBI, be involved in vari- 1 for the whole week or even for a few ous work projects, enjoy great food, and days. There is no cost to you but your fellowship and serve the Lord in a prac- labour will have great eternal reward. tical, hands-on way. We feed you, house Please contact us with any questions or you and even provide a program for kids to register. ages 5-12.

2022

CAMPUS NEWS

“So Long, Farewell” to 2021 Seniors

BY LAUREN SOMERS

The Sweet Sting Of Truth Last summer I delved into the world of bee-keeping. I am not sure I deserve the title of “world’s greatest apiarist” but my knowledge of the hobby is definitely expanding. At this point, I know just enough to make me dangerous but not near enough to make me useful. I had no aspirations of having bees. In fact, up to this point, I have sought to avoid them for most of my life. Hanging out with bees has never been on my bucket list and yet I find myself with two hives. I have a retired NBBI staff member to blame (or thank) for this. Mr. Wilbur Matthews and his dear wife Leona recently moved back to the NBBI campus.

Mr. Matthews has been a bee-keeper for over 50 years. He convinced me to join him in this often painful hobby. Although I am still not too fond of being stung, my appreciation for these amazing little creatures has grown.

STUDENT TESTIMONY

Here are the projects to be completed this summer.

1. New siding on Liberty Hall (the newly renovated girls’ dorm).

2. Renovate the bathrooms in Liberty Hall.

3. Build an ad-

also just genuinely excited for what God wanted to teach me. Looking back now, I can see that God was breaking down my sense of independence. He was showing me that I needed to let other people come alongside me and together, to accomplish a big task.

Finally, my senior year. It has been an amazing and crazy three years and I am only halfway through my 3rd year as I write this! God has taught me so much this year. He has provided and blessed me in ways that would be nearly impossible on my own. But I think overall, He has been teaching me that it is ok for me to be alone and just abide with Him in His presence. I don’t know what He has planned for the rest of the year but, whatever it may be, I know that I can trust Him. Psalm 34:8, 36:5-7

GRADUATION EVENTS

APRIL 30 & MAY 1, 2022

Our students have been studying long and hard and the end of our academic year is quickly approaching. In lieu of our Spring Conference, graduation events will be limited to Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, 2022. We will be hosting a Graduation Barbecue on Saturday, April 30 at 5:00 pm followed by a campfire at 7:00 pm. On Sunday, May 1, our Commencement Exercises will be held at 2:00 pm. If provincial regulations allow, we will be able to host a limited number of guests overnight. If you are planning to attend all or any of these events, we ask you to register ahead of time at 506-375-9000. Come help us celebrate what God has been doing in the lives of our students.

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