STAFF
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Staff
Culinary Hannah Bonifas Julia Gregory
Student Life Julia Lough (Amesbury) Justin Cousins Joshua Ely
Justin Higgens Daryl Jackson Heather Johnson Aaron Kelley Susanna Landry (Butler)
Chelsea Muir Melissa Paris Slade Ryan Karen Smith
Sam Lintner Emma Porter
Ministries Ryan Arnold Jason Headlee Jen Headlee Matthew Layton Micah Melville Ethan Morin Nate Peace Laurel Taaffe Caroline Tompkins Tommy Sewall
Cindy Slothower Ethan Schenke
Jakob Webel Paige Willard
Marketing Kerrie Barone
Rebecca Berga Maggie Brower Alicia Cousins Sally Gebensleben Bree Hayden Teresa Stursberg John Yarosh
Enrollment & Customer Service Samuelle Champion Craig Dreger Gabriela Gonzalez Flores Hackett Audrey Hart Cara Heimerle Tim Hunt Abbianne Jackson
Property Services Dan Arthur Doug Bensen
Drew Deshetsky Mary Deshetsky Ralph Deshetsky
Brian Tanedo Jennah Skau
Kyle Hayden Evelyn LaBarr Peter LaBarr
Administration and Executives Sharon Headlee Jenn Leckrone Justin Lough
Rico Lopez Molina Derek Maldonado David McClain Doug McLain Peter Montgomery Pat Murphy Ben Parsons Adam Plagge Steve Roskidany Scott Taaffe Austin Worden
Don Lough Eric Messer John Nelson Roger Peace Glenn Slothower Christopher Tompkins
8 | Class of 2021
Health & Security Korban Bradshaw
Center for Biblical Counseling Orion Aviles
Michele Jones Dianne Spelter
Lauren Bidding Owen Bidding Bernadette Cabrera
Ariel Hidalgo Charlie Janho Julie Scheftic Joe Schenke Anna Van Horn
IT & Financial Services Peter Cate Kelly Eger Gloriann Furushima Matt Hager Jordan Haugh
Hope Hayes Jeff Leckrone Daniel Maxwell CT Newell Jason Skeffington
Jared Whitley Laurie Yarosh
Live Productions Thomas Arnett Nathaniel Eichelberger Christopher Heimerle Michael Steltz
Academics Alan Cappella Daniel Skau Todd Steltz Deborah Wallace Paul Weaver
Youth Ministries & International Ministries Miguel Arcila Brian Baker John Collins Randy Curtis Diana Willard Dwight Willard Wendy Williamson
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THANK YOU STAFF
Dear Staff and Faculty,
It’s been a crazy year. In fact, this year has been completely unlike any other at WOLBI. More second year students attended in 2020-2021 than in any other year. The soccer field was completely revamped (AstroTurf!), construction on the Huskies Health and Athletic Center was completed, and the chalets, England, and Europe were all completely remodeled. The changes of the 2020-2021 school year, however, extended beyond building projects. Second years had class on Monday. Council Hall was filled with plastic barriers, dividing tables into smaller sections. Seating in the Jack Wyrtzen Center extended up into the mezzanine. For a little while, students could only eat with their dorm mates. Ministry became more service oriented, drama and music videos were posted online, and several professors taught their classes over Zoom. Despite all of these changes, you, staff and faculty, have stuck with us through it all. For the newcomers, this must have been an eventful first year working at Word of Life, and for the tried and true, 2020 must have been unlike anything you had ever experienced before. Despite all of that, you remained nothing but encouraging and loving, pushing us towards greater excellence and closeness with God. Because of your careful and caring application of the COVID-19 guidelines, class was able to stay on campus with minimal COVID cases. Because of your passion for student life, this year was filled with more fun events and activities than any previous WOLBI year. Because of your enthusiasm for the Word of God, every student on campus was touched daily by the scriptures, whether through chapel, church, devos, or one-on-one conversations. The 2020-2021 school year literally could not have happened without you, and we are so grateful. Thank you so much for pouring into us, caring for us, discipling us, and supporting us. If you need any encouragement, just think about the incredible impact you have had on the students whose lives were changed this year.
Sincerely, The Student Body
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STudents
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STUDENT LIFE
22 | Class of 2021
Davis College
Cody-Allen Brown
Rebekah Cunningham
Reece Dube Francisco Jimenez
David Jones
Rosemarie Mallon
Kairo Oliveira
Josiah Sealey
Crystal Turri
NOT PICTURED
Andrew Weber
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50 | Class of 2021
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Baptisms
I was baptized on November 14th, 2020, at 9:00 PM.
Grace Community Church, the church that Word of Life partnered with this year to provide an on – campus fellowship experience, made an announcement early in the fall that they would be performing baptisms. The rest of my siblings had already been baptized, even though I was the oldest, so I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to take my faith public. I signed up. When the night came, I wasn’t nervous. I got changed when Pastor Greg announced that he would be starting the baptisms soon, then waited in line with a couple other “baptees.” We walked down to the front, got baptized one by one, then walked to the back, dripping wet and surrounded by students clapping for us and cheering us on. This was all really cool, but I don’t think the weight of what had just happened really hit me until I had changed into my dry clothes and went back out into the main lecture room of the JWC. Apparently, more students had made last minute decisions to get baptized. Instead of just the five or six people I went down with, ten people had gotten baptized. Then fifteen. Then twenty. By the end of the night, over forty students had been baptized by Pastor Greg. While I stood there with the rest of my fellow students, welcoming these new “baptees,” I realized the commitment we had all just made – the public declaration of our identification with Jesus Christ. I felt a sudden sense of closeness with the people around me, some of whom I didn’t even know, that I had never felt before and haven’t felt since. My experience at Word of Life has been filled with similar bonding experiences – Snowcamp, Reverb, summer camp, even service assignments. Even though some of those things were not available to us this year at Word of Life, God provided us with an even more special opportunity – baptism into the body of Christ.
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52 | Class of 2021
“And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.”
1 Corinthians 6:14
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STORY CONFERENCE
“LORD, who do you want me to be?” – Kevin Durham
54 | Class of 2021
Student TESTIMONIES
56 | Class of 2021
Your phone buzzes. You glance covertly down at your pocket, but you can’t check it now. You’re stuck in the dishpit. Luckily, you get let out early. You quickly run to a safe space in the corner of the BSLC. A hidden place. You pull out your phone. Just as you expected – a pop – up party. The notification reads, “Cherry limeades in the Huskies’ Den! First 20 students get them free!” You glance at the time. 15 minutes have passed since it was posted.
You don’t have time to think. You just start sprinting.
By the time you get to the Huskies’ Den, there are only three cherry limeades left. By the time you get to the cherry limeade stand, there are only two. Another student reaches the stand the same time you do. You smile warily at each other and quickly take the last two cherry limeades. As you slowly sip your sweet carbonated drink, you relax, basking in your victory. Other students, arriving too late to the pop – up party, slump in disappointment. Your phone buzzes again. The hair on the back of your neck rises in excitement. You look down at your phone, and out of the corner of your eye you see the other students doing the same thing. “Treasure hunt! First one to find the chest hidden on property gets to keep its contents!” reads the notification.
No time to think. You run.
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MINISTRY
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SPORTS MINISTRIES
88 | Class of 2021
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Team Roster:
Seth Savage, Jack Hilsher, Jesse Rasberry, Nathan Rogers, Prince Okoli, Kaleb Phillips, Kyler Zaimoff, Matthew Dembinski, Cyrus Sprague, Andrew Weber, Noah Amet, Zach Ziemer
Head Coach: Justin Cousins Coaching Assistant: Ashtyn Paddock Manager: Kirk Hayden
Playing basketball at Word of life has given me the opportunity to combine my love of sports with ministry. It has been encouraging playing with guys who have a desire to play for the glory of God, no matter the score, and it has taught me life lessons like maintaining a good testimony despite difficult circumstances. – Jesse Rasberry
90 | Class of 2021
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Team Roster:
Justice Kowal, Melody Parker, Audree Marburger, Alexia Bleuer, Madison McNally, Sadie Kessler, Madison Gibson, Grace Sheaffer, Courtney Baker, Adriana Roa, Kara Kirschner, Stefania March
Head Coach: Matt Layton Assistant Coach: Gillian Layton Manager: Abigail Clark
This year, basketball wasn’t just a sport – it was a testimony, a ministry, a way to represent Christ on a unique platform. Every game was a new opportunity to show how the Lord uses normal college students for His glory. Who else could turn basketball into an opportunity for life change, if not the Lord? I’m so glad that this season’s COVID-19 regulations did not stop us from demonstrating the unfailing love of God and the life-changing power of the gospel! – Adriana Roa
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MEN’S SOCCER
Team Roster:
Daniel Amesbury, Lucas Cragg, Hanson Crick, Matheo Faccin, Thomas Furst, Isaac Grab, Arturo Gaona, Kiko Jimenez, Otto Josan, Tracy Kenyon, Daniel Latini, Maykel Mariano, Thiago Nascimento, Kairo Oliveira, Marcus Peace, Sam Robinson, Joel Sathyadass, Colin Smith, Jackson Springthorpe, Philip Staib, Jadon Yoder
Head Coach: Justin Lough
Soccer has always been a huge part of my life, but I used to play for the wrong reasons. I played for fun, but I also played to show others my abilities in a self-centered and prideful way. Here at the Bible Institute, I learned that it’s not about me, it’s about God. I feel like I have purpose while playing soccer here because we don’t play for ourselves. Rather, we use soccer as a platform to reach others for Christ. Whether we win or lose, we play to be a witness to others, and ultimately, we play to bring glory to God. – Daniel Amesbury
94 | Class of 2021
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Team Roster:
Emily Barton, Alexia Bleuer, Madison Gibson, Hannah Hall, Alana Hunter, Grace Johnson, Selah Laber, Cammy Law, Madison McNally, Emily Mergian, Claudia Motyl, Ester Moura, Erin O’Brien, Rochelle Patricio, Suzie Patrossi, Bella Phelps, Angie Rodier, Grace Sheaffer
Head Coach: Ethan Morin
My favorite part of playing soccer at WOLBI is the ministry I get to take part in and the girls on my team. I appreciate that my team’s goal is not to just win, but through our testimonies, to win the other team for the Lord. Our priority is not the score on the board, but our example. If we can be a light for Christ on the field, that can change the game! – Grace Johnson
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MUSIC and DRAMA MINISTRY TEAMS
98 | Class of 2021
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“Being able to evangelize through drama has been a blessing beyond compare. God has given our team the opportunity to see His glory through the gifts He has given us; choosing to utilize them that way has changed my perspective in a really incredible way.” – Joy Melville
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New Opportunities, New Blessings!
As the snow melts, the green of the turf and the blue of the lake start to pop, and one can’t help but admire them while walking to class. Pinks, purples, and oranges dance across the sky in the mornings as the sun rises above the Bollback Student Life Center. Students gather in pods throughout campus; clusters of volleyball players, musicians, study groups, and beach goers spread out in shorts and t-shirts, basking in the welcome spring sunshine. With windows down and music blasting, friends drive through Schroon Lake, getting a taste of the summer to come. This is spring in the Adirondacks. This is the buildup of excitement for summer ministry. But before getting to that point, there’s something important left – spring ministry! This year has been an opportunity for growth and change, and even though it’s been difficult, it has been good change. It’s been change that produces steadfast endurance. Change that tests and improves patience. Change that results in more intimate relationships with Christ. New opportunities have given us new perspectives on God’s sovereignty, and new ways to see His grace. This year, we’ve seen God work through change, and now we see His hand in the springtime of our lives. All of campus has seen God move in mighty ways through WOLBI’s new spring ministries. From the gaming ministry, to the local church ministry, to the arts recital, lives were touched and hearts were changed. Students learned to serve with love and faithfulness. They learned what it means to serve others through their gifts and passions. We have all been given the opportunity to learn what it looks like to serve the way Jesus served. Above all else, this year’s Bible Institute students have learned not to overlook new opportunities. Just because a ministry opportunity looks different doesn’t mean it’s a loss! These new spring ministries brought blessings that the student body may not have experienced otherwise. Ministry does not always look how we expect it to. Sometimes it’s sitting on top of a tube hill, or dancing on stage, or having a conversation with someone over a game. Don’t miss an opportunity to share the gospel because it looks different than you expected. Change is an open door to share God’s goodness in brand new ways.
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wayumi
116 | Class of 2021
Every year, hundreds of Word of Life students flood the streets of cities near and far, and share the gospel with interested passerbys. This year, first year students were sent to Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy, and Albany. They were divided into groups, then split up and spread out when they reached the city. Sharing the gospel during open-air evangelism can take many different forms. Sometimes, students illustrated the gospel with a rope trick. Other students captured attention and broke the ice by opening with a riddle. Finally, some students just started conversations and followed where they led. This kind of evangelism takes a lot of courage, and every student who participated in OAE this year had bravery in spades. Many times, the conversations started during OAE just plant seeds for future evangelization. Sometimes, though, these street-side conversations lead to on-the-spot salvation. Moments like those are what every open-air evangelist hopes for. May we all continue to hope and pray for many more!
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5-6
OPEN AIR EVANGELISM 2020-2021
Student Marketing Team 2020-2021
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