Dear Friends,
The new term has started! In fact, we’re three weeks into the new term and fully in the flow of teaching. It’s been a great start to the term with a good buzz around the College. Our students are back on-campus and our online students are enjoying their learning from distance. It’s always a bit of a shame we can’t gather together all our students at the one time whether that’s because of distance or study schedules, but nevertheless, it’s really good to have busy classrooms again. We’ve had to move out of our smaller classroom to make room for our upper-level students, while our main classroom is just about coping with the number of lower-level students! While there’s still plenty of room to grow (and it’s not all about numbers either), it’s been encouraging to see the fruit of an upward trend in the College post-Covid.
Alongside classes, we’re always planning ahead. We’ve got our first on-campus Open Day in November as it has traditionally been a time for school-leavers to consider next steps…but we also have a January intake so the Open Day is for anyone that is interested – please spread the word. To register for the Open Day, please email graham.meiklejohn@uws.ac.uk. Very advance notice too of a public lecture we’re hosting in March 2026. Our former lecturer, Rev Dr Paulus de Jong is returning to SBC for one night only as this year’s Whitley scholar. He will be sharing his Whitley Lecture on the topic of Reconciliation at Paisley Baptist Church on March 19th. We’ll have more details in the coming months, but please keep it free in your calendar! Finally, we’re moving forward on plans to launch our Masters programme next September and if you’re interested in knowing more please email Al on Alistair.Cuthbert@uws.ac.uk.
As the weeks go on and assessments begin, we ask that you keep our students in prayer. These first couple of months can be a steep learning curve, especially for those newly started, and settling into a new rhythm can be challenging. We also ask that you remember our staff and chaplain as we support our students and discern the way ahead with our new programme working alongside the University. Many thanks for your continued interest and support of the College.
Ian Birch and the SBC Team
Prayer Points:
Please continue to remember us in prayer.
+ Pray for the student body – as the term progresses may they know God’s guidance.
+ Give thanks for all our students who started with us this year – may they develop in Godly ways.
+ Pray for the staff team as they discern the way ahead for the College.
+ Give thanks for another academic year – we never take it for granted!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers as we continue to equip people to serve God’s Kingdom.
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