Joy abounded during the tenth annual Alumni/Graduation Week at Heritage Baptist College. The theme this year was “The Future is Bright.” The 12 different messages, the various events, and the special fellowship blessed the hearts of all those who participated.
This was the seventh year that the Graduation Week was held on the campus at Hopewell. All in attendance experienced the Lord doing a special work.
Tuesday is always set aside as Alumni Day, and this year Graduation Week began with the morning preaching.
After the services, the special lunch delighted everyone. Brother Harvey Shilling and Larry Short fried the Indiana crappie fillets. Brother Shilling not only fried the fish, but he caught them too. The salad, grits, and brownies added to the delicious meal. With the assistance of Mrs. Tootie Vaughan and Carol Kelley, everyone went away filled.
The Tuesday Alumni Day Fish Fry continues to bless body and soul.
Gray Brother’s Cafeteria catered the Spring Banquet for Heritage Baptist College. For the first time, we held this banquet on a Tuesday evening. Another first was that the whole banquet was completed in one hour and thirty-seven minutes.
The Alumni Banquet featured dinner, music by the Heritage Singers and the Pryor Sisters, and the showing of the new Heritage videos. The gymnasium was filled as Dr. Harry Strachan, from Ashland, OH, delivered a special message that set the atmosphere for the banquet offering.
The banquet goal of $17,000 was reached. To God be the Glory!
For the eleventh straight year, Heritage Baptist College sponsored the Wednesday night local church rally. Heritage students provided some of the special music along with Pastor Rick Stone and the Heritage Singers.
Many heard and enjoyed for the first time, the new sound system which enhances the auditorium. The preacher of the evening was Dr. John Reynolds from Athens, GA. Dr. Reynolds brought a wonderful Bible centered message using eight words: I Am, I Can, I Will, and I Do.
On Thursday night, May 4th, we enjoyed a wonderful concluding service. Friends and family gathered to witness the bestowing of degrees and to hear Dr. Randy Parker of Greenfield, IN deliver the commencement address. Dr. Parker challenged the graduates, faculty, and guests to continue to serve the Lord.
Elsie Frum, at 106 years old, was the last known survivor of the terrible Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889.
On that rainy day, 15 miles up the Conemaugh River, the South Fork Dam broke, and a 50 foot wall of water began rushing down upon the cities below, traveling at 40 miles per hour.
The Johnstown Flood tragically destroyed over 2,200 lives. On that rainy, Friday afternoon when the South Fork Dam collapsed, over 20 million tons of water raced through the Conemaugh Valley.
Historians, who have studied the event, calculate that the flood water projected a force similar to the Mississippi River. Yet not everyone in the valley died that day.
At the time of the disaster, Elsie was only six years old. She and her family owed her life to one man, John Hess.
John Hess was a railroad engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad. That day he had been working northeast of the city with several men, repairing the train tracks.
All of a sudden, the railroad workers heard a terrible sound. John Hess later said that it sounded like a “hurricane through wooded country.” They quickly realized that it had to be a flood wave coming down between the mountains.
Everyone scrambled onto Engine No. 1124, and they headed back towards town. Engineer Hess pulled on the steam engine’s whistle, and held it.
The people that heard the whistle instantly knew that danger was coming. Elsie’s father grabbed their young family and headed up the mountainside to safety.
With the wall of water practically on top of the moving train, Engineer John Hess held the whistle down for five minutes, warning thousands of people. Just before the surge of water overtook the train, Hess and his team finally jumped off and scrambled up the mountain. John Hess’ warning was credited with saving hundreds of lives. (McCullough, David. The Johnstown Flood. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1968. p. 114)
In these challenging days in which we live, Christians must still sound out a clear warning. Eternity is approaching, and for many, it spells doom. Only Jesus Christ is the answer and only through Him comes salvation. Make your witness strong and true.
Rhonda and I have so enjoyed the past ten years of training students at Heritage Baptist College. Beginning in a 10’ x 6’ office to now experiencing the beautiful campus that the Lord has provided, we feel blessed. We serve a great God, and we love to instill that thought into our students.
Thank you so much for your love, your prayers, and your support.
Contact an Admissions Counselor TODAY and plan to visit Heritage. You can reach us at 317-738-3791