Heart & Mind
photo by Scott Streble
“Extraordinary ordinary” donors like Dave and Deb (who wish to remain anonymous) make possible a Bethel Seminary education for innumerable students who wish to serve Christ and build His kingdom.
Ordinary Donors
by Jim Spickelmier
Often this column is about extraordinary gifts to Bethel Seminary. Indeed, it’s exciting when the granddaughter of Bethel’s very first student in 1871 channels a surprising estate gift of $420,000 to a Bethel scholarship. And we can’t help but be interested in a Bethel Seminary graduate who lives his life in mission service to the people of Cameroon and then leaves more than $100,000 to help Cameroonian students who want to study at Bethel Seminary.
But most of us haven’t the resources to give gifts like that. Does that mean we shouldn’t even try to help? Of course not! Bethel is always grateful for the extraordinary gifts, but it is the steady stream of ordinary gifts from God’s people over the years that have made Bethel what it is today. In 1 Corinthians 1:26 Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth: “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” That’s a pretty apt description of the ordinary individuals and churches who have funded Bethel over the years. Gifts of $50,000 are great, but gifts of $100, $200, or $300 – these are the gifts Bethel depends on most to accomplish our mission.
Let me tell you about two ordinary donors who I believe are extraordinary. Dave and Deb are good representatives of the average Bethel Seminary supporter. Both grew up in the homes of ministers. Deb’s dad was a pastor, and Dave’s dad became a denominational executive after a career in the pastorate and in district ministries. Dave and Deb attended Bethel College in the early 1970s, and Dave went on to receive an M.Div. from Bethel Seminary. While today many people find their way into seminary after a career in the business world, Dave found his way into the business world after seminary and a career in ministry. Both are busy people. Dave is a salesman of office products. Deb is a nursing supervisor in a hospital. Their work and family provide the context for much ministry and service to the Lord. And they chose to leave a suburban church some years ago to join a city church where they believed their help was most needed.
Every year, Dave and Deb give an “ordinary” gift to Bethel, and their faithfully given gifts have grown a little each time. They represent Christ and Bethel well in their jobs, their church, and their neighborhood. And they believe enough in the value of what they experienced at Bethel that they are helping new generations of seminary students through their regular gifts. We’re grateful for Dave, Deb, and people like them, without whom Bethel could not exist. Perhaps you, too, would like to be counted among the extraordinary ordinary?
Jim Spickelmier is associate vice president for seminary development at Bethel Seminary.
Bethel University offers assistance to alumni and friends who wish to invest in kingdom work at Bethel Seminary and other worthy ministries. Contact Jim Spickelmier at 651.635.8054 or j-spickelmier@bethel.edu.