Serving God Full-time – Kevin of Surrey, BC

Kevin was called to seminary during his second year of undergrad. “I had a real sense that God was calling me, as soon as I got into the church I knew that I loved teaching and fellowshipping and I realized that anything less than serving God full-time wouldn’t satisfy. Pastoring fit my personality, and was the first thing that came to mind. I was always kind of shy, but when I felt God was calling me into service I became more extroverted. God stirred in me the gifts that I would need/transformed me into a person who could be a pastor.”

Kevin chose MBBS-ACTS because it was close to his home in Surrey. “I started the program knowing I wanted to be a pastor, or I assumed so. The emphasis of it has changed to serving the lost instead of the saints, but the desire is still the same. I’ve been receiving the Leadership Training Matching Grant and that has made it possible for me to attend. It’s been a really huge blessing. I appreciate the value my church and the Mennonite Brethren conference place on my education, and supporting me.”

Since beginning seminary Kevin has found a connectedness and real relationships with the students and professors. Classes such as pastoral counseling, MB History, and Personal Leadership Development have been crucial in his development as a future pastor.

When it comes to studying at an anabaptist and evangelical seminary Kevin says, “I’ve come to have an appreciation for what makes MB’s distinctive, and where they’ve been and where they/I should go in my ministry. Even though I value the place that MBs hold in the evangelical spectrum, I appreciate the ACTS consortium for the comradery and challenging dialogue that comes about because of that diversity. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.”

Kevin is working as a chef while completing his Master of Divinity Degree. He and his wife Breanne attend Gracepoint Community Church.

A Calling to Heal – Catherine of Langley, BC

While working five years in China with Christian organizations (2000-2005) providing microfinance for poor people, I was involved in training clients and staff in empowerment, values clarification, performance recognition and correction, etc. I was told many times that I am a very open and positive person, good at listening and encouraging others in both good and bad times. I also found out that I am able to provide God’s healing to others when they are hurting. My calling to be a chaplain was revealed through my experience of working with the poor in China and consequently studying at MBBS-ACTS. I chose MBBS-ACTS because of the good impression I had obtained of Mennonite/Anabaptist values while working with MCC. The thing that I value the most about MBBS-ACTS are the devoted teachers. They have demonstrated academic knowledge, spiritual wisdom and personal friendliness. Their desire to equip future kingdom workers is clear in their words and actions. My courses at seminary – especially pastoral counseling, foundation of counseling, theology of suffering and theology of pastoral care etc. – helped me clarify my desire to do chaplaincy work. I am currently looking for ways to become a chaplain to people in the workplace.

Catherine is a 2008 Master of Arts in Christian Studies (Chaplaincy Track) graduate of MBBS-ACTS. She and her husband Thomas are members of South Langley Mennonite Brethren Church. They have two grown children.

What Seminary Gave to Me – Luke of Abbotsford, BC

In the midst of graduate studies in Biochemistry, Luke felt a strong but undefined call to missions. “It was like going through a door into a dark room,” he recalls.

A year later, he began looking into short-term mission opportunities and soon found himself in Edmonton, assisting in a church plant through MBMS International’s TREK program. The assignment led to an internship as a TREK assistant and in 2005, Luke became director of the program while he pursued studies at MB Biblical Seminary’s ACTS campus in Langley.

“The Christian Leadership training I got at Seminary was fantastic,” he says. “You can only give away what you’ve been given, and Seminary provided knowledge, guidance and understanding in ministry, theology and Biblical studies so I’ll be better equipped to do my work.”

Luke graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Studies in the spring of 2007. He is on staff with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International.

A Story of Starting Fresh – John of Lethbridge, AB

The second twenty years of John’s life were about making money. He owned a successful business and gave more than his share of money back to God, but John was measuring his success by how much money was in the bank. In an unexpected phone call, his world came crashing down. John’s freight distribution company was finished, and suddenly his future looked very scary.

Not knowing what his next step should be, John went down to the local college in Lethbridge, Alberta and asked what he could do with his degree. The college gave him many suggestions, but one in particular caught John’s attention, "Clinical Pastoral Education". This degree combined time in class and time in a hospital working with a chaplain. This gave John the inspiration he needed to make the decision to build his education on his faith, and go to seminary.

In 2002, with support from his church, College Drive Community Church, John began flying out to Langley, British Columbia from Lethbridge to take modular courses at the MBBS-ACTS campus, while continuing work at the hospital as a chaplain. When the funding for a chaplain at the hospital dried up, John took matters into his own hands and began fundraising. Today John fundraises enough to fund a full-time chaplain at the hospital, and is looking forward to graduating from MBBS-ACTS next spring with a Master of Divinity degree.

When asked about his experience at MBBS-ACTS, John replied, “I choose to be Mennonite Brethren, it’s where I am, and where God is leading me.” John believes that the seminary is shaping him into a better chaplain and said, “Each week I come back from class with so many tools in the tool box, and the very next week at work, I have the chance to use those tools, and share what I’m learning with people at the hospital.”

“What’s great about the seminary is that you get to know people, and hear and see their passion. You see their lives and their work in the world, and you know that their faith is in the seminary, and out.”

John serves at Chinook Regional Hospital. He and his wife Jeanne attend College Drive Community Church and have three children.

Love to Learn – Rebecca

As someone who is passionate about full-time ministry, Rebecca has always thought it important to have as much education as possible. But for Rebecca this is not a chore. She says, “Studying is not just an intellectual exercise for me, it is an act of worship and a challenge that helps me grow. It’s part of how God wired me.” Studying at MBBS-ACTS was a choice made out of her passion for learning about the God of the Bible, not obligation.

Rebecca has discovered a unique learning environment at MBBS-ACTS. She is reminded of what it means to be distinctively Anabaptist and Mennonite Brethren, while at the same time learning from the strengths of other denominations. Rebecca has found camaraderie among faculty and students from different denominations, and appreciates the prayer and support that flows naturally in the intimate learning community.

“More than anything, what MBBS-ACTS has given me has been the confidence and encouragement to pursue God’s calling.” The thoughtfulness of professors and students has proven to Rebecca that the seminary is a safe place to risk new ideas. “For people here, seminary is not just an academic pursuit, they care about who you are.”

Rebecca and her family have recently moved to Vancouver from Abbotsford and are partnering with an intercultural church plant for a year before starting a new church plant with the BC Conference this fall. Rebecca says, “As Andrew and I have committed to living missionally on the west side of Vancouver as pastors of a new faith community, my time at MBBS-ACTS has been foundational, providing a network of support, an atmosphere of both biblical and innovative thinking, and a confidence in my calling as a woman in pastoral ministry. For these gifts, I am incredibly grateful.”

Rebecca is a 2008 Master of Arts in Christian Studies graduate. She and her husband Andrew have three children: Hannah, Faith, and Micah.