About 40 people were present for most of the Bible Department reunion in Room 202 of the Dining Complex. One of them was Ken Marsh ('74), a man who finds himself in much the same position Maranatha founder B. Myron Cedarholm found himself to be in May of 1968.
Marsh (left) is head of the speech and drama department at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College. That school announced this week that it will close Dec. 31. Marsh has been at Pillsbury for six years.
"God is already showing me that he still has my name and address," Marsh said. "I don't know what's next. But I do know there is something God wants me to learn that can only be learned this way."
Marsh's primary concern is for his students, some of whom have already expressed a strong desire to transfer to Maranatha.
"They are like a family, and that family is about to break up," Marsh said. "They are beginning to realize they are doing things for the last time. Our soccer team played its last game the other day, and won big.
"The night after this was announced (Tuesday), I walked by the dating parlor and heard about 40 students in there singing and praising God. I walked by Kerux Auditorium and heard about 50 more singing and praising God. The students have had a remarkably good spirit, a spirit that reminds me of the early days of Maranatha. They did everything they could to make a go of it at Pillsbury."
Marsh will return to Owatonna with sheets of information about Maranatha for Pillsbury's 148 students. That information includes programs to help Pillsbury students complete their degrees at MBBC.
"Our President. Dr. Greg Huffman, said the other day that God will one day tell the people from Pillsbury to all go stand in one corner of heaven and talk about what He did for them after this week," Marsh said. "I'm really looking forward to that."
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Bible Department chair Brian Trainer talked about the Global Encounters missions program, including a DVD presentation compiled from the trips that took place last summer. More than 100 students took part in Global Encounters, and Trainer said 137 have signed up to participate in 2009.
Former chair Dr. Larry Oats will be Dean of Maranatha Baptist Seminary when it opens in the fall of 2009. Oats said the decision to open the seminary was not based on perceived shortcomings of any other seminary. "We're not starting it because of them, but because of us," Oats said. "We've been talking about it with our board for years."