Dear friends,
March flew by at the College and now we’re sitting with just a month of classes left before the end of term! Included in the March madness was our AGM on Monday 10th March where we heard from staff, students, and alumni about their call to Christian service and the place of theological education in formation for ministry. Attended by representatives from over 60 Baptist churches throughout Scotland, it was a positive and encouraging evening to celebrate the life of the College over the past year. The College was also represented at the Baptist Union Council meetings held in mid-March, with the College report sharing about future developments for ministry training. We also hosted a public lecture to mark the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist Movement. Rev Dr Ruth Gouldbourne gave a fascinating and thought-provoking lecture on core Anabaptist principles and how they can inform Christian witness in the contemporary world. Attended by around 50 people mixing colleagues from the University of the West of Scotland, students, graduates, and friends of the College, it was a brilliant night combining learning, discussion, and fellowship. The lecture was recorded and it’s worth watching (or re-watching!) – you can find it on our website with a full script provided by Ruth. It’s been a full-on month connecting in different ways with many members of our Baptist constituency and beyond.
Over the past month we’ve had conversations with several prospective students. One visited all the way from Southampton with a view to possibly moving for studies after school. Another is planning to retire in the next few months and hopes to develop their biblical knowledge by studying a handful of modules. Paraphrasing the conversation, they said: “I’m so glad I enquired as I didn’t know you offered this kind of thing.” Yet another is looking to combine studies online while working for a residential Christian youth charity. There’s so many reasons people study at SBC and they’re attracted to the combination of a welcoming faith community and the deeply formative learning community. Please pray for these students and others who have and will explore the Scottish Baptist College over the next few months.
We appreciate everyone who talks positively about us, likes and shares on social media, and points people in our direction (if you don’t already, follow us on Facebook and X). We can’t thank you enough for this and we recognize the value it is to us. Before our current students finish for the summer, we have one last On-campus Open Day this term, coming up in mid-April and we’d appreciate it if you would point any prospective students to join us that day. You can register for it by clicking here or pass on the link to anyone who might be interested. We’ll also begin our online Open Evenings soon.
Around the time of our next update, will be the end of classes for the term and this academic year! As usual we’ll be holding our end of term Thanksgiving service and lunch at Paisley Baptist Church (formerly Paisley Central) on Tuesday April 22nd. We’d love to see friends, supporters, and former students join us to mark the end of another academic year. For planning and catering, it would be helpful if you could let us know if you plan to attend – please email Ellie on ellie.bell@uws.ac.uk
Once again, many thanks for your support and prayers as we continue to fulfil our mission to equip people to participate in God’s Kingdom through the church and in the wider world.
Ian Birch and the SBC Team
Prayer Points:
Please continue to remember us in prayer.
+ Pray for prospective students who have and will connect with us over the next few months.
+ Give thanks for the busy but successful month of March.
+ Pray for our current students who are heading into assessment season – grant them energy and focus for these last few weeks of term.
+ Give thanks for the opportunities to connect with a wide variety of people throughout the past month.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers as we continue to equip people to serve God’s Kingdom.
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