I was immensely shaped by the community and curriculum championed by Bethlehem College and Seminary, so it was easily the highlight of my year at work to welcome in all the new faces and families into our school. My years in college and seminary were the most formative years of my life, so being able to bring others into this place is something I truly cherish. Working in admissions, you get the privilege of hearing students’s stories, goals, and aspirations but are limited to phone calls and reading application files to get that information. Seeing the bright-eyed students and their families up close for welcome week filled my heart with gratitude as I was able to put faces, stories, and smiles to names I’ve had on my roster all year. Welcome week is the one week where the admissions team gets to see the fruit of their labor up close. This past year there was some serious labor, but in God’s kindness, we were blessed with plenty of fruit. Welcome week was a fresh wind in the sails of the admissions team, and the rest of the school, as we welcomed one of our largest classes of new students and families into this life-changing place.
We kicked off Welcome Week with Move-In Day on Monday. Our school was full of life as new students, along with their families, began settling into their dorms and apartments. After our new students took many trips to IKEA, Walmart, Target, etc. to get their spaces just right, or maybe took naps instead, the day concluded with a BBQ at our Four Plex. The BBQ provided a chance for students to meet one another and for parents to meet our staff. We played volleyball, enjoyed good food, and shared lots of laughs, setting the tone for the rest of the week.
Tuesday marked the official orientation for both our college and seminary students. It was, without a doubt, one of the best orientations we’ve had in years. The day began with a series of inspiring talks from our president, staff, and local pastors, who shared their vision of our school and reminded us all of our higher purpose as a learning community. From program overviews to a campus tour and an introduction to student life, the day was packed with essential information, encouragement, and fun. We wrapped up the day with a welcome picnic that brought together new students, their families, and returning students. The park was alive with activities—volleyball, football, spikeball, and the joyous sight of kids running around everywhere. It was a beautiful snapshot of the highly-relational community we cherish at Bethlehem.
Wednesday and Thursday took our students off-campus for our college and seminary retreat. This retreat was a time for deepening camaraderie through having fun and sharing testimonies. It provided space for students to reflect on God’s grace in their lives and lay the foundation for four years of studying and living together with their classmates. During our time at Camp Lebanon, we ate meals together, played ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, and basketball, had field day competitions, and even had an intense battle of king of the hill on the lake trampoline. Not too many schools have their academic deans and admissions directors wrestling their students into a lake while sharing their testimonies on the same day. Praise God no one was seriously hurt. Late-night conversations launched connections that will last far beyond those first few days. We returned Thursday afternoon, sleep-deprived but with hearts filled with new friendships and fun memories.
Finally, on Friday, we concluded Welcome Week with a City Vision Tour of Minneapolis. This tour gave our students insight into the ministry opportunities and needs of our city, as well as a taste of the fun activities and different cultures Minneapolis has to offer. From the vibrant diversity to the numerous ministries working to serve those in need, our students left feeling excited about the ways they could engage with the community both spiritually and socially.
Our students are now wrapping up their second week of classes and are reawakening their student muscles that may have been dormant throughout the summer. Our admissions team is now looking forward to next year’s class and looking to God for His help once again to have plenty of students and families join what God is doing at Bethlehem by starting programs next year.
Ryan Deck, M.Div. ’24
Director of Admissions
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that our students adjust well to a rigorous program and that their studies would increase their joy in God.
- Pray that seminarians would quickly find rhythms of balancing family life and studies.
- Pray that God would favor our admissions team to have another successful year.
- Pray that the parents of our college students will have peace knowing their young men and women are in good hands.
- Pray that all of our students will quickly enter into community in local churches.