Aug 12 2010
New PACE Cohort begins Sept 14th

Join us on September 14th for New Students Orientation evening for adult learners beginning the PACE Program this fall.  For information on how to apply, browse the PACE section of the website.  Contact Mervin Strome or Jane Ranshaw at 403-265-7223 for more information. Email us at:  mstrome@abc-ca.org, or jranshaw@abc-ca.org.

Jan 17 2010
Next President and Executive Director Appointed  Top of Page

The Board of Trustees of Alberta Bible College is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Pittman as President and Executive Director of Alberta Bible College.  Rob will commence his work with the college on February 1, 2010, or as soon thereafter as he is released from responsibilities with his current employer. 

Rob is a graduate of the college (BRE, 1999).  Following that, Rob received in 2002 a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester, England.  Since then, Rob has steadily developed a significant career in the financial services industry.  Rob's self-description emphasizes strength in communication and leadership skills.  His current position demonstrates skills in financial management and reporting, team development, and asset management for effectiveness.  Given a job profile which requires strengths in leadership, management and development, we believe Rob is fully prepared for this role.

In his spiritual biography, Rob declared that “God called me to ministry”.  While building his career, Rob has served on ministry teams in both established congregations and new church plants.  He has also participated on worship/music teams.  He is genuinely enthusiastic about the challenge of developing leaders for the 21st century church.  His goal is to “serve the church and mentor youth to pass on my passion for building faith-filled communities that serve our living God”.

The Board welcomes Rob, and his fiance, Amanda, to the college community, a community committed to equipping people for service and witness for Christ.

Dec 31 2009
Dr. Ron Fraser elected to ABHE Commission on Accreditation  Top of Page

The Association of Biblical Higher Education is the accrediting body of theological schools in Canada, the United States and related territories.  It helps over 200 undergraduate theological schools toward advancing and assuring Biblical higher education.  ABHE is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation in the US, as well as the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education, an affiliate of the World Evangelical Alliance.

Alberta Bible College was granted accredited status by ABHE's Commission on Accreditation in 2008.

Dr. Ron Fraser has served as President of ABC since 1984 and was recently elected by ABHE member schools to serve on the Commission to assist other schools towards excellence.

Nov 19 2009
ABC To Send Team to Race to 2025!  Top of Page

The students at ABC are passionate about bible translation.  To further the translation of scripture into the languages of unreached people groups in Asia, our students are participating in Wycliffe Translators Race to 2025: Treasure in Asia.  Our students need to raise a certain amount per team to participate, and any extra funds raised go to Wycliffe for Bible translation.  If you would like to financially support our students in this cause, please contact the main office.  For more information, please check out www.wycliffe.ca/raceto2025.

Oct 26 2009
Alberta Bible College visits Ontario  Top of Page

Brad Olorenshaw will be traveling to Ontario November 4th to November 9th with the Christain University and College Fairs tour. This is an exciting time for ABC to share what we can offer Christians seeking a more significant relationship with our God and Savior. Brad will be in the following places:

Oct 26 2009
Update from Belgian Team (Fall Ministry)  Top of Page

Oct 29, 2009

Monday was full but very good. Began in Ieper visiting Flanders Fields musem and then on to the Canadian war memorial and Paschendale cemetary with 12,000 soldiers buried and 34,000 names on the wall of men whose bodies were not found - sobering. Had an authentic Belgian lunch of frieten (french fries) and stoofvless (sort of a stew). On to Brugge for a medieval experience and saw one of Michelangelo's sculptures. Then drove 20 more minutes to the ocean and had supper.
 
Tuesday we prepped and painted the main hall of the Church of Christ in Antwerpen then spent the evening walking through downtown Antwerp to the harbour - had coffee and Belgian waffles at a street cafe. Wednesday had a session with Paul Brazle about church ministry in Europe then spent the afternoon finishing up the painting and some other major cleanup. Jason was sent on an errand and didn't come  back for some time. When we heard there was a sportfield nearby, we knew where he was - surrounded by teenagers playing soccer. Then we had supper and a very good visit with a Belgian family. Today, we hauled some rubble to the dump then spent the rest of the day having conversations with people on the square near the train station. Jason shone here and the others also did well.
 
We leave tomorrow for the fall youth camp. We're going early to set up a scavenger hunt. The theme is "Tools to dig" talking about studying the Bible. Steph & I are working at a station about translating. The team will also lead other recreation.
 
The team is doing well together - working well to be patient as needed. All in all things have gone well. Please pray for health - Jason has gotten over his cold but was sick to his stomach last night. Although it might be because we had pastries for breakfast, Belgian pannekoeken for lunch and then a meat, potatoe and tomatoe sauce supper. Good food but lots of it.

Oct 26, 2009

Flight was good to Frankfurt but the next flight to Brussels was cancelled. Stood in various lines for 3-4 hours to get train vouchers from Lufthansa. No one knew where the baggage was. Arrived in Antwerpen 12 hours later than planned without luggage.

Went to small church Sunday morning. Ate Belgian frieten (fench fries) for lunch. Led a seminar on house church while students read and napped. Went to house church in Gent in the evening. Spent the night with Luk & Holly Brazle, missionaries in Gent. Students doing well so far, adapting to time change and visiting with people as best they can - several people, especially younger people speak English.

Heading to Ieper, crosses row on row, and Brugge for some touristing. Luggage arrived in ANtwerpen last night so we're looking forward to being re-united with it.

Working in Antwerpen Tues-Thurs then to fall youth camp. We probably will not have computer access for a while.

Oct 23 2009
Fall Ministry Opportunities  Top of Page

Fall ministry opportunities are a part of Alberta Bible College's student experience where students have the opportunity to serve in various environments each year. This year we have three different teams going out:

• Rinus Janson heads up a team of twenty first year students heading to the Mustard Seed in Calgary for four days to help serve people who are experieincing homelessness
• Ryan Scruggs heads up a team of twelve second year students on a trip to Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan learning about aboriginal culture as they work along side the Door of Hope
• Eric Nyrose heads up a team of four third year students on a trip to Belgium to assist three church plants in reaching out to disinfranchised youth as well as introducing students to cross-cultural ministry. (Read updates)
  

Oct 6 2009
Ron Fraser receives 2009 CACS Dissertation Award  Top of Page

ABC President Ron Fraser won the 2009 CACS Dissertation Award for his Ph.D. dissertation, entitled, “Hospitality, the Stranger and Pedagogy. ” It is a hermeneutical inquiry into the relationships between the Western episteme, relationality, and theology.  The Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (CACS) annually sponsors this award for the best Doctoral thesis in curriculum studies.  It is intended for students who defend dissertations at a Canadian University, which Ron did in September 2008.  The submissions are judged on overall quality, substance, distinctiveness and significance.

In notifying Ron of the award, the adjudicant said that Ron “was methodologically rigorous and theoretically rich.”  He demonstrated “an astounding command of the literature such that [he] was able to draw upon that literature at each critical point and phase of the inquiry. The topic of hospitality and [his] unrelenting hermeneutic examination of it, [his] reflexivity (as [a] Christian critiquing Christian practices and theoretical takes on the topic of hospitality and the other important notions nested within it, such as truth) and self-reflexivity in relationship to the topic were remarkable, and gave the committee pause to reflect on the significance of this work for their pedagogical contexts. The committee was struck by the very urgent and significant questions [he] posed in this dissertation. They also loved the important, new insights [he] offered on these questions as [he] grappled with them.”  The adjudicant said she was reminded of Theodore Roethke’s quote: “A teacher is someone who carries on his or her education in public. The committee also felt that the urgency of the topic and the alacrity and insightfulness with which he engaged it is a very important contribution to curriculum studies in Canada.

Ron writes out of an interest in the ways in which theological pedagogy might be open to Others who show up, not to save the world, but to be open to Other who is present, whose face calls us already (Levinas). Ron plans to continue research and writing in the area of theological pedagogy, an area which has great importance in the Western episteme, and perhaps even more so when theological sensibilities are silent or silenced.

CONGRATULATIONS RON!

 [adapted from UofA web story]

Dec 19 2008
ABC Hosts 5th Annual Church Planting Summit  Top of Page

Beginning the evening of January 7th and continuing to the afternoon of the 9th ABC will play host to the annual Church Planting Summit.  The Summit brings in leaders from all over Canada interested in planning, executing and envisioning what church planting opportunities there are within Canada.  Each year there is a facilitator who brings a specific expertise to be discussed and taught- this years host is Marj Busse from Full Spectrum Coaching.

We're very, very excited about this year's program and its focus on "Coaching that Counts!"  Of all the things we are about in ministry, there is nothing more important than helping other people to be all they can be for Christ and others.  Coaching can help with that!  And Marj Busse is among the premiere executive coaches, and coach trainers, both in Canada and internationally.  The eight hours of coaching training will leave us not only with a key component of church planting, but better people, more capable of enabling and empowering others as well.  Could coaching also help us in our quest for the church planters that God has already called?  Just maybe!  We are very thankful for Marj's availability and willingness to do this for us. 

If you would like more information on registering for the Summit click here for the PDF or contact the main office at 403.282.2994, ext 241.

Dec 19 2008
Emerge 2009 Details Released  Top of Page

Well it’s almost that time of year again!  No, I am not talking about the time when the border-line creepy guy in the red suit goes around and breaks into everyone’s homes, I’m talking about Emerge 2009!  Emerge will be held from March 6-8, 2009.

Everyone on the Emerge planning team this year is very excited for the upcoming Open House weekend!  It will include all the things you have come to love.  On Friday night we will be having the popular “Friday Night Live” skits!  There will be the annual speech contest.  This year the theme is Costly Discipleship.  Our passage will be Titus 2:11-15.  We will also have class sessions so potential students can see how a classroom at Alberta Bible College is run.  Simon Ng of Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna will be our guest speaker.  And last but most certainly not least, there will be the Saturday Night concert.  This year we are very excited to be having Kiros join us, a very popular band from Calgary.  They will be joining us fresh of the heels of a North American tour and will be supported by another local act, Kelsey Plowman.

Check out the Emerge tab on the main page to see more details and soon there will be a schedule, registration form and speech contest details to download.
We on the Emerge committee are very excited about the fast approaching Open House weekend, and we hope that you are too.  We hope that you will be able to join us for a fun-filled, Christ-honouring weekend!

We look forward to seeing you at Emerge! If you have any questions, please feel free to email the committee at emerge@abc-ca.org or call Alberta Bible College (403-282-2994) and leave a message for Jacob Dreyer or Lane Scruggs. God Bless!

Jacob Dreyer,
For the Emerge Committee