This is the first entry in a daily blog that will document the journey of the ten students from Faith Builders Training Institute’s Christian Ministry and General Studies tracks in the class of 2024. Between today and November 1, we will be spending time in State College Pennsylvania and New York City, learning from believers in these locations who have been dedicating years to Christian ministry.
This morning at 10:00, the class gathered into room 210 at Faith Builders’ campus. We spent meaningful time in singing and prayers of gratitude to God. After this, Anita led us in thinking about our goals and dreams. We discussed our role as ambassadors of peace to the strangers we expect to encounter in the coming days, the potential of learning more about the hospitality from the brothers and sisters in State College and New York City, and how to give more than we receive.
After packing lunches to eat along the way, we boarded our vehicles and, under the guidance of Danny, Seth, and Anita’s expert driving, began to shuttle our three vehicles of thirteen people down the road. Though we deemed it too cold and windy to have an outdoor picnic as we originally planned, we enjoyed the outdoors through the windows as we watched the vibrant yellow, red, and orange leaves ornament our route.
Ernest and Cathy Eby with their daughters welcomed us at “The Hill,” a place outside of State College, Pennsylvania where several families from Followers of Jesus, an Anabaptist church in State College, live and where All-Nations Bible Translation has its headquarters. We got settled into our comfortable accommodations and proceeded to Followers of Jesus’ afternoon service.
The service had a good time of singing, testimonies, and a message from Bryant about dignifying conversations and communicating with others with grace and charity.
Bryant and Lynelle kindly invited us and numerous others from the church to their home for dinner. It was a jolly time of good fellowship, delicious food, and rousing conversations.
This is a beginning of week-long say in State College. This week we will hear from workers with All-Nations Bible Translation, some students will work at Sowers Harvest Café, and we’ll all be involved with LifeQuest, a ministry at Penn State University.
Ministry Apprenticing Blog 