Here is a text, which will be familiar.

Luke 17:11-19 (New International Version) 

Ten Healed of Leprosy 

¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I want you to know that I am rarely the leper in this passage who comes back to Jesus to thank Him. I am more commonly found in the group of nine who, preoccupied with their relief at being healed, have quickly moved on to the superficial preoccupations of their lives.

Like them, I am daily healed and renewed by a living God, who knows my need. Like them, too, I have a deep seated forgetfulness that is rooted in my old nature, which is at root narcissistic. Narcissism, as you remember, is not simply a form of self-absorption.  While it is very complicated, it is essentially a form of self-idolatry. You may remember the nasty quip from Winston Churchill about Stafford Cripps when he said of Cripps “There but for the grace of God goes God”. I know that there are many of you who do not feel that the indictment of this passage applies to you. You regularly turn to God as a pattern of your prayer and conversation with thanksgiving and adoration. I know many people to be like that. I am not one of them.

So this thanksgiving, I simply offer you this passage. Not in condemnation or criticism, but as a simple encouragement and a signpost of grace. I am tempted to tell you of the many things that I am thankful for, but I often find it easier to tell others of my thankfulness, while forgetting to thank God. My thankfulness, therefore, becomes a form of spiritual exhibitionism. I’d rather receive the accolades of others for being thankful, than to offer my thankfulness in worship to the God I am indebted to. And so for my first thanksgiving letter in many years, I will leave you to thank the Lord for the many great and wonderful things He has given you and I will spend some time this week, in the aftermath of thanksgiving, talking to the Lord Himself about what I am thankful for, because that’s what I need to learn to do.

Warmly,

In Christ,

Jeremy Bell

The CBWC have long had a history of contributing to the life and formation of undergrads in the West. Brandon College, Baptist Leadership Training School, Ascent, and the Carey Hall residency at University of British Columbia have all contributed to this ethos.

In recent years we have not been as active in undergrad formation. Part of what has contributed to that lack of involvement is the rise of some very good para-church organizations like Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Navigators, and Campus Crusade as well as many others. The closing of BLTS and the Ascent program posed the need for new initiatives in this area. Three of our own Baptist Union personnel already teach at Rocky Mountain in Calgary; Joyce Peasgood, Rod Olson and John Prociuk. This agreement was signed in the spring of 2007 to partner with Rocky Mountain College. Our first students are beginning to work with us this fall. Our first major intake we believe will be in January 2008.
 
The denomination over Western Canada has many graduates in leadership; Gary Nelson, our CBM General Secretary; Andy Trevoy, a man with many hats which include BUDF President, Gull Lake board chair and our legal counsel; Faye Reynolds who is the coordinator for Women in Focus; Jeff Dyer at Gull Lake; Myrna Sears, Registrar at Carey Centre; Peter Burnham, Geologist and member of the BUDF Loans Committee, David Bentall, Laura Nelson, Jennifer Pierre, Gillian Fowler and far too many more to mention. This list simply gives you an idea of how an undergraduate program broadens and gifts people for service within a church community. BLTS and Ascent produced over 2000 graduates who have brought numerous gifts and skills to Western Canada. Our relationship with Rocky Mountain College will accomplish this.
 
What does this program offer to the students involved in it?
Check out the website to see.
http://www.rockymountaincollege.ca
 
Who are the go-to people for this initiative? How can you become more involved?

Speak with either Rod Olson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
or Joyce Peasgood ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Warmly,

In Christ,

Jeremy Bell