At the writing of this note, we are in our second week of the third quarter of the school year. Our Arise Workshop is rapidly approaching—February 26th to March 1st. In conjunction with the Workshop, Rob Whitacre will conduct a “blitz week” on the subject of Evangelism.
We have the largest first-year class in our history of forty-eight years. Sixteen students fill the class from young to not so young—which makes for an interesting dynamic. Some students are a year or two out of high school, while others have managed high-end businesses; another is a retired project manager. We have three sisters who attend full-time and two sons of preachers.
Our second year, while reduced in number to four students, is no less an experience. The mix includes a relatively new convert, with another son of a preacher. We have a brother from Switzerland and one from China. One must admire anyone who attends from another country to brave two challenging years at Southwest immersed in a language not native to them. It is said that the best way to learn a foreign language is to live in and among the people of that language. The English spoken in both families has greatly improved. Some of their children are beginning to forget the language of their homeland as their ability to speak English increases. I admire them.
Two more quarters and our second year students will leave us. Many in the congregation will grieve their departure as is the case every year. The bonds created with students are not superficial. Lasting friendships are developed, which is another reason we look forward to Arise. While it serves as a workshop for everyone, it also serves as SWSBS’s annual reunion.
Let this serve as your invitation to join us.
-Steven Lloyd, Assoc. Director