On a personal note, I am grateful to God that my wife and I recently celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. After thirty-six years of being best friends and thirty-one years of being husband and wife, we are both committed to making the next years God gives us, even more powerful and positive. We give thanks to God!
On a professional note, I am also excited that against the backdrop of financial challenges God has chosen to allow some very special things to happen on our campus over the last three years. I was reflecting on all the things we have to be thankful for and a number of opportunities we have had to improve our service to students and the community came to mind:
- Achieved Regional Accreditation with Middle States Commission on Higher Education so we are the only regionally accredited Bible College in the entire state of Maryland
- Added Online Educational Classes for Our Undergraduate Students
- Added a New General Studies Degree Program with Authorization to Add Three Concentrations (Business, Communication and Social Work)
- Added an Accelerated Degree Completion Program (Biblical Studies, Management & Ethics)
- Increased Number of Full-time Faculty Positions in the College and Seminary
- Made Significant Investments in the Campus Property, Plant & Equipment
- Secured a long-term location to house our Northern Virginia Educational Extension
- Upgraded Our Technology Infrastructure to Improved Services to Our Students
- Facilitated Capacity for Students to Complete all Transactions Related to Registration for Classes Online
- Opened a Conference Center that allows us to Use Our Campus Facilities to Expand Services to the Broader Community
- Established a Number of Strategic Partnerships with Local, State, and National Organizations
- Updated our website to make it more user-friendly
God has positioned our school to have a local, national and regional impact that we cannot even imagine. This was high-lighted to me in a powerful way when I saw a recent report that over the last couple of months that people visits our website from one hundred different countries. It will not be easy and we will need the support and prayers of everyone who loves our school and embrace our mission, but I believe, on the other side of the challenges some great days.
Yes! There are plenty of challenges but there is a lot to be thankful for during this season.
“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100
Dr. Larry A. Mercer
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