First of all, I apologize that it has been two months since you’ve heard from me; the start of the Spring semester (with four classes offered in the block course format of the first two weeks) is always a lot to bear, especially when I’m covering the Academic Dean role. But I’ve partly been withholding this update until I can share the good news with you of your answered prayers regarding the Academic Dean position. All but five of my 16 years here at IBC I’ve had to be highly involved in the leadership of the academic department, but I am now thrilled to announce that the Lord has raised up a veteran staff member from within IBC to take that role— a staff member that I’ve known and worked with for almost a decade now. This arrangement has the likelihood of being a fantastic blessing for him, for IBC, and for me for years to come. This change has been in the works since last April, will go into effect this summer, and I’ll share more details in an upcoming update.
The details are still somewhat confidential. For now, let me simply say: THANK YOU for praying for the Lord to fill this important position!
Last week was an intense week for IBC:
1. IBC had nine people at our accreditation conference in Orlando (the Association for Biblical Higher Education). Four board members went for Board Governance Training (pictured above)
and two of our staff taught a workshop on “Compassionate Student Life”.
2. The students did their once-a-semester Serve Day (something I learned the value of while a youth pastor in Yamhill, Oregon). You can see a highlight video (with Christian hip-hop for the young ‘uns) here:
3. Two graduates (and staff members) lost family members: Joshua Ortiz stood at his father’s bedside while he passed and Brina Lee lost her grandmother. Please pray for these two dear ones as they grieve.
The Indian Bible College began in the fall of 1958, which makes this our 65th school year. We are celebrating this anniversary by a series of events; we’ve already done one in Flagstaff (in November) and three in Phoenix (earlier this month).
On Wednesday, February 28th I’m “hitting the road” with four graduate staff members and five students
for a 13-day, 3500 mile trip through the west (see the map above). I hope to see many of you on this journey.
Here is the schedule of the planned open-invite anniversary events throughout our journey:
• Wednesday, February 28th @ 6pm – Bethany Baptist Church (210 Wyoming St. Boulder City, NV 89005)
• Thursday, February 29th @ 6pm – Christ Fellowship (2066 San Benito St. Hollister, CA 95023) • Sunday, March 3rd @ 4pm – Grace Baptist Church (1619 E. 2nd St. Newberg, OR 97132)
• Tuesday March 5th @ 6pm – Valley 4th Memorial Church (2303 S. Bowdish Rd. Spokane, WA 99206)
• Thursday, March 7th @ 6pm – Pablo Christian Church (35890 Clairmont Rd, Pablo, MT 59855)
• Friday, March 8th @ 9am – Pablo Christian Church (35890 Clairmont Rd, Pablo, MT 59855)
• Friday, March 8th @ 6:30pm – Grace Bible Church (1115 Idaho St, Kamiah, ID 83536) • Saturday, March 9th @ 6:30pm – Smoky Mountain Pizzeria Grill (2007 N Cassia St, Nampa, ID 83651)
Here are a couple of pics of our amazing travel team!
To RSVP to any of these events call the school at (928) 774-3890 or email inoble@indianbible.org.
On Sunday, March 3rd the 10 of us will be spread out among five supporting churches west of Portland, Oregon for their morning services (sharing testimonies or part of a Q&A):
• Grace Baptist Church, Newberg (https://gbcnewberg.org/)
• Yamhill Christian Church, Yamhill (https://yamhillchristianchurch.org/)
• Wapato Community Church, Gaston (https://www.wapatovalley.org/)
• Southwest Hills Baptist Church, Beaverton (https://southwesthills.org/)
• Westside Bible Fellowship, Hillsboro (https://westsidehillsboro.org/; I’ll be preaching here)
During the trip we’ll be ministering on three reservations (Yakama, Flathead, and Nez Perce). On Sunday, March 10th we will be in all four services at Grace Bible Church in Nampa, Idaho (https://www.idahograce.com/) before heading home to Flagstaff.
Please pray that the Lord would use this trip to honor His name, share the IBC story, bless those who pray/serve/give, deepen relationships, begin new partnerships, and recruit some new students! Pray for clear weather, reliable vehicles, and unity among the team.
Finally, many of you have asked about our daughter Abby’s health. The surgery last May helped her gain greater mobility, but the recovery has stalled. She still has daily pain, and we don’t know what to do next. Please keep praying for healing for Abby—and for wisdom for Sarah and me in where to go from here.
Thank you for your friendship to IBC. It is truly a privilege to serve Native people on your behalf.
Jason, IBC Prez
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