Open Heart Surgery - Three Years Later
by Russell Dennis, Jr.
Just over three years ago, President Dennis’ five-month-old daughter, Lilliana Joy Dennis, received open heart surgery to repair a large VSD (hole in the heart). Prayers were raised by many Christians, and after 17 days in PICU (child intensive care), Lilliana was allowed to return home.
Through the continued prayers of friends, Lilliana has grown and developed. Although she displays some of the developmental delays associated with her Trisomy 18, she has gained strength and made much progress.
On November 17th, Lilliana will turn 3½ years old. We give God all the glory for her “Miracle Life.” Who knows what the Lord has in store for this special little girl?
Fall Banquet was a Great Blessing!
by Russell Dennis, Jr.
Dr. Tom Wallace, evangelist and good friend of Heritage, brought the message at this year’s Autumn banquet. Dr. Wallace talked about the “little things” we can use for God. With everyone giving a little, we all can have a part in training students at Heritage Baptist College.
A nice group gathered for this year’s banquet, and twenty-one preachers from four different states were also introduced that evening. The delicious food, good singing, and great fellowship made for a very special evening. When the offering was received over $25,000 was given or pledged to the new dormitory project.
The Annual Fall Banquet begins the start for this year’s Christmas offering. These monies will be used toward the building of a much need dormitory for students. Please mark your calendar for the next Heritage banquet. The annual Graduation Banquet is scheduled for Thursday evening, April 30, 2015.
November Launch of Re-Designed Website
by Russell Dennis, Jr.
Heritage Baptist College is so thankful for all the assistance of our friends.
This past summer, one of these friends pointed out the short comings of our website, and then proposed a solution
The kind people of First Baptist Church of Boca Grande, FL, pastored by Dr. Gary Beatty, donated the money for The Elijah Center in partnership with CLEAR Web Strategies to completely rebuild our new website from the ground up.
Please take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the new website (www.hbcindiana.com). Many functions and much information has been added. Interested supporters, now have the ability to donate right from the website.
Our goal is to give friends a place to direct prospective students to learn about Heritage Baptist College. Four days after the launch of the redesigned Heritage website, we received our first new contact, generated online.
From Custodian to President
by Russell Dennis, Jr.
James’ father had died when he was only one-year old. His mother and three older siblings worked hard to keep the family together and provide food on the table. They lived a desperate life, with mother, Eliza, and James’ 11 year-old brother farming their small plot of land just south of Cleveland, Ohio. Money was so tight, that James did not have a pair of shoes until he was four years-old.
The goal of his mother was that her youngest son should go to school. Eliza saw the value of education, coming from a lineage that boasted a college president and a newspaper founder.
The family all rallied to give James the opportunity of further education, and they scraped together a gift of seventeen dollars.
James entered a small struggling college in northwestern Ohio called Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College). Unable to afford tuition, he convinced the school to allow him to work as a janitor in exchange for his education. No one at college worked harder in his studies, and by his second year James had been promoted to an assistant professor.
James not only received his degree with honors, but after four more years he was President of the college at age twenty-six.
From custodian to president of the college in five years showed the young man’s ability to excel.
James demonstrated that same courage as he commanded in the Civil War, leading many of his former students into battle. Before he retired, he had become a major general.
In 1880, the former janitor, became better known as the 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield. (Millard, Candice. Destiny of the Republic. New York: Doubleday Publishing. 2011. p. 18-25)