by Mark Milioni
They are everywhere! Everywhere I go I meet BBC alumni. They are serving faithfully in every city, state, and country I visit. Over 50,000 people have walked the halls of BBC and they have gone everywhere.
One great thing about our Alumni is their continuing love for BBC. They want to make the lives of our current students better. They have shown this through recent projects. They have remodeled the Student Center and have provided air conditioning and new mattresses for the dorms, making campus life so much better.
Another great thing about our Alumni is their desire to share with our students what they have learned — during Spiritual Emphasis Week, the Next Generation Conference, and at weekly chapel services. There is nothing as powerful as learning from someone who has sat where you sit and then gone on to do great things for God.
One piece of wisdom our Alumni and Friends Association wants to share with our current students is the dire importance of preparing for ministry not only spiritually and mentally, but also physically. Many of our Alumni are facing the consequences of not being prepared physically as health issues have made them unable to properly fulfill their ministry. The alumni want to give our students a way to develop physical habits that will benefit them for a lifetime.
How can they do this? Herb Koonce, president of the BBC Alumni and Friends Association, is leading the way. After meeting with BBC Alumni and current students, the association has adopted a very important project for 2015 — providing a new student fitness center. This fitness center will be located in the W.E. Dowell Fieldhouse and will replace the old run-down center. The new fitness center will feature a renovated room and new fitness equipment. This center, along with the new healthy choice options in our dining hall, will provide students with the opportunity to develop healthy lifestyles that will impact their health, life, and ability to serve the Lord.
When you look at BBC, what do you see? On the outside, it is obvious our buildings need a lot of attention. On the inside, at the heart of what we do, we are preparing students for ministry. I am thrilled with the idea that we can do something really nice for our students that will benefit them in ways that will last a lifetime.
This is a big project with big benefits, but it also has a big price, $50,000. I am sure the long-term benefits will far exceed this amount, but we need your help, and the help of every alumni and friend, to make this project a reality. What can you give to help provide a stronger, healthier future? Will you help? You can give online at www.bbcalumni.org or you may send your gift to BBC Alumni, 628 E. Kearney St., Springfield, MO 65803.