Calvary Chapel Bible College prepares students for Spirit-filled life and ministry through the study of Scripture in Christ-centered community.
What happens in the classroom is only part of how we achieve this mission at CCBC. Connecting the truths found in Scripture, with practical experience, is a time-tested formula that has defined CCBC for nearly 50 years.
Establishing an environment where students can exercise their gifts each semester, regardless of age or experience, is foundational to who we are. One of the ways we will be accomplishing this, starting Spring 2025, is by reestablishing mission trips led by CCBC staff and faculty.
I will lead a two-to-three-week trip partnering with A Heart for Wisdom (AHFW), a Christian pre-K-12th grade school in Cambodia. AHFW meets the spiritual and physical needs of students by teaching God’s Word in a predominantly Buddhist nation while providing quality education rivaling the best schools in the nation.
Another possible trip is with a faculty member who church planted in Brazil for 8 years, as they return to revisit and encourage those still serving there. I am excited to partner with the global church as we provide opportunities for our students to step out in faith, declaring, “Here I am, send me.” (Isaiah 8:8)
Please pray with me for our students.
For those of you who attended CCBC, you know the outside world does not stop turning while being emersed in this environment. Pray for our students who are excited to return home to share what they have learned. Pray for those who are returning to unbelieving friends and family who could care less. Pray for those who are eager to come back in January, and for those who have no idea how they can afford to do so. Pray for those in a season of flourishing and those in a season of pruning. Thank you.
-Michael Ancheta, Director of CCBC
The Value of Writing, Literature, and Community with Katie Lindsey, CCBC Faculty
Why is writing and literature a valued subject that students should learn about?
Writing and literature are essential for students to learn regardless of their career path. They will have to read and write something eventually. Being able to communicate effectively is vital to being a successful human.
For Bible College students in particular, God is going to take them out to ministry, and I don’t just mean pastorally. In ministry, a person has to be effective and a good steward of what they’ve been given. Meaning they have to be a good communicator. They have to have a good grasp of literature and writing as it will help them to be a good communicator.
In my WRIT101 course, Writing for College and Ministry, I tell my students, “Whatever your future entails, wherever God takes you, you can be prepared with the needed skills.” If a student pursues further education, they need to be able to read and analyze a text. They need to be able to write and clearly express their thoughts. If they go into ministry they need to be able to analyze the word of God and write/explain it. How can you expect to understand a metaphor within God’s word if you can’t identify it within a simple novel? How can you expect yourself to identify an allusion within scripture and know how to do further research on it if you don’t understand what that looks like within a novel? It is the training wheels before you learn to ride the “big kid” bike.
One of my favorite books to teach is Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury uses literary devices to craft a story that serves as a good warning book for believers. If we stop caring about knowledge, society will tell us what to think. We see that right now with gender and marital norms—if we are not meticulous in following the Word of God, we will adhere to what the world tells us. Fahrenheit 451 embodies the message to think for oneself, and in our case to think Biblically.
Can you tell me about your heart for starting a community young adult group? Why is it essential for young adults to get plugged into the community?
In the midst of a sabbath I was working through, I had a few young adults come up to me and tell me they liked listening to me. Through prayer, I felt the push to start a young adult group for them. After talking to my pastor and my husband, they both enthusiastically agreed this was a good thing to begin.
I wanted this group to be a safe space for people to process the tough things that are often glossed over by the church and get plugged into community. We are told constantly in the Word to get involved. You almost live in arrogance that you know better than God when you don’t get plugged in. Jesus had twelve friends, how much more do we need community and friends around us?
A community where you can be authentically yourself, tear down the masks, and vocalize the things you need or have wanted to vocalize is important. When you bring something to the light, the enemy has no power over it.
I love the camaraderie that has developed—no one feels the need to put on a show; we can be vulnerable about the good, bad, and ugly. And because of the safety that we’ve created, the community isn’t a singular night of safety, it’s a culture of safety for them and myself. It’s encouraging to my spirit because I can see how God has used everything I’ve gone through for His glory and my good; making beauties from ashes. Now I get to be a part of that for others.
Experience CCBC Recap From Current Student Cade
I thought Experience CCBC was a great way to show potential students what a day in the life here at CCBC really looks like, from class environments to events and even chapel.
My favorite part of Experience CCBC was the event on Friday night. We had a fall festival, where we broke into teams to play a bunch of fall-themed games. I got to know all the potential students and even had a few of them on my team.
The community of the school was shown so well in how quickly everyone became friends. I can’t wait for my new friends to come to CCBC in the upcoming semesters!
Check out the recap video here on Instagram.