Although it has only been a couple of months since the last Friends of the College update there is lots of encouraging news that should be shared with you, our faithful supporters. The College can say, with the psalmist, that our cup overflows, God’s goodness and mercy follow us (Ps. 23:5–6).

Finances

In January it was reported that the College finances looked encouraging but there was still a small deficit to be cleared before the end of that month. It is a pleasure to report that the College ended the financial year in the black. The churches of the Association really stepped up their support, and, alongside individual supporters, ensured a positive end to the College’s financial year. As great as this news is, we then begin each new financial year at zero! It is therefore vital that churches and individuals continue to stand with us financially. The best way to do this is through the Gospel Guardians initiative. You can watch a short video or read about it on our website.

Prayer

The College invites you to pray without ceasing. At the beginning of this year we released our daily prayer diary entitled Pray Without Ceasing. It provides a short prayer point every day of the week for a different aspect of the work of the College, accompanied by a short Scripture to focus and encourage prayer for that topic. This resource has proved popular—it can be used alongside your daily Bible reading and prayer, as a Home Group or Small Group from time to time, or perhaps even as a church in a concentrated week of prayer for the work of the Irish Baptist College. If you would like to get a copy or a number of copies for your church please contact Lynette: registrar@thebaptistcentre.org.

Open Events

The planned open events proved useful in connecting with prospective students. It has been particularly beneficial welcoming individuals to the building again, rather than having to rely on virtual open events. One event remains, our Open Night on Thursday 31^st March. You can find more details on our events page. There has been an encouraging response with a handful of applications already submitted. Please join the College in praying for 20 new Preparation for Ministry students and a fresh intake of Evening Class and postgraduate students.

If you or someone you know is interested in studying with us please make them aware of the Open Night or suggest that they contact us to explore the options available to them.

Upcoming Events

There are a number of events on the horizon that may be of interest to you.

At 7:30pm on Thursday 24^th March the Irish Baptist Historical Society invite you to their first lecture of 2022: J. N. Darby and the Baptists. This lecture will be delivered by the respected historian Dr Crawford Gribben. Visit our events page for more information.

Two initial Deacons’ Seminars will take place on Thursday 7^th April, one in Magherafelt Baptist Church building and the other in Swords Baptist Church building. These seminars will offer some biblical teaching on the office of deacon and some discussion/Q&A time. It is hoped it will be an informative evening, but also a time of fellowship with fellow deacons from other churches.

The College Graduation will take place at 7:00pm on Wednesday 11^th May in Ballymena Baptist Church building. Pastor Richard McConnell (Blackrock Community Church, Dublin) will be the guest speaker.