P rofessor Gary Ingersoll was raised in a home with his mom, and older si ster, a younger brother and an alcholic father. He attended a liberal Presbyterian church and his view of God was one of tryi ng to live well enough to get to heaven. He saw w ha t alcohol did to his dad and chose to stay away from it. He was good wi t h math and physi cs and decided to go into engineering. It was not until he was at engineering college in Flint, Ml (General Moters Institut-e now Kettering Unievrsity) that he met some Christianwsho were truly sincerein their faith. One of his professors attended a fundamental church in town and invited himto come, but Gary forgot the name of the Church. Whi le driving around one day, Ga ry saw a church and decided to attend there. It “ j u st happened” to be the one his professor had recommended! Academics 78
two children who have attended both years of the Bible Institute. The Ingersolls have ministered in Flint, Ml and Seattle, WA in Word of Life Clubs. God called them to the full time mni i s t r yof Word of Life Local Chruch Ministries in 1985 in Washington State, where 12 y e ar s , Ga ry was an area mi ss ionary. Then in 1997, when Word of life Florida opened a Bible Insitute Extension campus, Joe Jordan asked Gary to be a resident professor there. Sensing the leading of the Lord, the Ingersoll’s traveled 35,00 miles to Florida and have been involved in that ministyr since that time.
At an evangelistic rally in Detroit that the college group from the church was to a tet n d, Gary was invited to go along. That was where he understood the Gospel for the first time and was saved. Through the care and love of the pastor and people there, he grew in his faith and felt God’s call to full time mni i s t r yh,e attended s emi nary a fter his g r a ud aito n from engi ne er i ng college and received both a Master’ s of Di vi ni ty and a Master’ s of Religious Education form Grand Rapids Bapt ist Semi nary. Garymet his wif,eFran who was atendni ga nursing college in F l i n, t when she began attendi ng that same church. She w a nt e d to be i nvol ved in mni istryand began working in the bus ministryat church. Gary “j u st happened” to be in charge of the bus mi n i s t r. yThe rest, as they s ay, is hi story. Gary and Fran have been married for 29 years and have
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Florida Campus
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