The end of the calendar year is a crucial time for the financial well-being of ministries such as Bethlehem College & Seminary.
Thank you for praying for our year-end needs. I want to give you an update regarding where we’re at financially now that we know the final December numbers.
First, let me say that we serve an amazing and gracious God! As you know, our financial needs are not insignificant. We knew going into December that we would need a very strong month in order to enter into the spring semester with any confidence that we would be able to continue to serve our students well. I was personally praying that the Lord would give us $500,000 in the month of December. What he gave us was nearly $740,000!
Coming into the last day of the year, it looked like we were going to fall far short of the financial goals we had set for ourselves. I spent the weekend preparing myself for a series of hard decisions and contingency plans for how we would move ahead under potentially very difficult financial stress. However, that’s when the Lord opened the doors of provision for us. The online giving picked up considerably on Wednesday evening and we received thousands of dollars of gifts from individuals that evening. But God wasn’t done yet! When we came in to the office on Monday, January 5th, there were several checks that had arrived in the mail totaling over $280,000! We had no idea that gifts of that amount were in the offing! The Lord surprised us and has taught us much in the process!
Please keep praying! While this December outpouring is amazing, we still need to raise another $550,000 by the end of the fiscal year in order to make budget. However, we are greatly encouraged by these developments and look forward to seeing what the Lord might be pleased to do for our school in the months and years to come!
Thank you all so much for your prayers, and for your financial contributions as well. It is encouraging that so many of you have chosen to be part of the growing number of financial partners who are making this ministry possible. What a joy and privilege it is to partner with you in this crucial mission of training the next generation of pastors, missionaries, elders, and many others who will carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth!
Yours in Christ,
Tim Tomlinson
President
Bethlehem College & Seminary
Prayer Requests …
- Praise God for his outpouring of provision for the year-end giving!
- Pray for his continued grace and mercy as we finish our fiscal year (ends June 30th).
- Please pray for faculty and students as they prepare for the start of the spring semester later this month.
