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Fresno, Calif.
New Seminary students


Equipping for missions. Theological and academic preparation for ministering to others. Learning to better serve God in the church and the world.

These are just a few reasons why seven students with an interest in global mission have enrolled at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (MBBS) in Fresno, Ca. this fall. All seven have ties to MBMS International, the global mission agency of Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada and the United States.

Sara Fast, a full-time student in the Intercultural Mission program, first felt called to missions at Estes 95, a US MB youth event, when she was a senior in high school.

“I made a commitment to serve (God) wherever and however He wanted me to,” Fast recalls. “He has led me step by step in that calling. On a YMI (Youth Mission International) trip to Bogota, Colombia I had my first real taste of overseas missions and it made me hungry for more.”

Seven is a high number of potential missionaries to elect studies at MBBS, according to Ron Penner, MBMS International’s Director for Personnel Services. Three of the students are affiliated with the Church Planting Residency (CPR) program and four are on scholarships from MBMS International. One student is working through the application process for future service with the agency, while Shahna Duerksen is completing an MA in intercultural studies while serving with her husband Darren as half-time resource missionaries for Asian Indian ministry.

The CPR Program involves one year of study at Seminary and two years interning in the field. Ideally the internship is designed to be completed on local soil, testing the candidates’ skills without having to complete language study. If the candidates are already proficient in another language they can be sent out for an overseas internship. The program was established with MBBS, Canadian MB Conference Board of Evangelism and Mission USA as a home missions planting effort in Canada and the US.

After the two-year internship, the candidate is placed in a long-term church planting effort, Penner explained.

Rick and Karen Sanchez were the first to complete the CPR program. They are now a part of Team 2000, a group of six missionaries and their children who moved to Thailand almost two years ago to begin a 10-year church-planting effort.

Miguel Diaz, a recent graduate of Fresno Pacific University, explained, “I chose MBBS for several reasons. One, it’s close to home and two, MBBS is a diverse campus in the middle of a largely diverse community.”

Diaz’s long-term goal is to serve with MBMS International as a missionary to a Spanish-speaking country. “My vision is to work with young people and empower and train them to be leaders in their community and in their church,” said Diaz.

Katherine Henshaw from Edmonton, completed the CPR program in spring 2001, and served her internship in Thailand. She has returned to the Seminary to further her training in cross-cultural missions work.

The students all feel called to missions, but Ilone Kasdorf summed up her calling this way: “I believe that every Christian is called to ministry in one way or the other. My years at Fresno Pacific University were when I received confidence and affirmation of a specific call to global missions.”

If you are interested in learning more about the CPR program with MBMS International, contact Ron Penner at (559) 456-4600 or e-mail ronpen@mbmsinternation.org

 – Lisa Alvey, MBMS International

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Last modified November 30, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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