My warmest greeting to the IEMELIF Bible College Community:
It is my honor and privilege to serve you as the school’s president once again in the name of our Lord Jesus. This is a great challenge, but on the other hand, it is a noble privilege and a great honor for me as a lowly servant of the Lord.
Indeed, this situation that we are facing now due to covid-19 pandemic is extremely challenging for all of us, and I shall say, that on a daily basis, we encounter worries and uncertainties.
As we continue to journey together as partners in the theological education ministry of the IEMELIF Church, facing the disruptions and challenges caused by this global crisis, I’d like to express my gratitude for how our IBC community and the administration has been responding, and to reflect on what guides our decision-making during this challenging time by the grace of God.
I truly appreciate the sacrifices of hard work, dedication, and creativity shown by our faculty and staff in the past weeks. Also, I would like to acknowledge the support and commitment of our church leadership led by Bishop Noel M. Abiog, and our generous and dedicated sponsors and donors through the ILoveIBC program for their whole-hearted support and assistance to our beloved IBC. Our administrative staff and support personnel have worked earnestly to think and execute ways and means to guide and support our students and help sustain their academic developments.
I also would like to thank our students for being patient, flexible and all the more dedicated under such stressful and demanding circumstances. We know very well how difficult it is to cope and adjust to the radical paradigm shift of doing studies and ministries – from traditional way characterized by personal touch, intimate communication, and face-to-face encounter to digital-technology driven method of doing things and virtualization of almost all aspects of our day-to- day activities.
This covid-19 pandemic has taken away our opportunities and ability to come together as teachers, learners, performers, spectators, participants and audience, and it has taken away opportunities and precious moments to celebrate students’ achievement and success. For two consecutive years since 2020, we held our school’s Commencement Exercises virtually, and we indeed missed the joy and sweetness of being together physically celebrating with the parents and rejoicing with the students in their accomplishments. Sadly speaking, we are also mandated to keep our distance away from the people we love and care most - our parents, our colleagues, members and friends. But we sacrificially do these for the greater good, and to protect the most vulnerable among us.
And throughout these difficult and trying times, we have strengthened our grip on our commonness, our unity and oneness in Christ. We come to the realization that we need each other as one community of faith, and we are strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Sustainer.
This pandemic crisis is far from over but we will remain committed to move on and will respond to the challenges to the best of our ability and skill that God has bestowed upon each one of us. The theological education ministry of IBC will go on unhampered by the grace of God. We will not be disrupted by this crisis in doing the equipping, training, and educating the future workers and laborers of the Lord’s Vineyard through the IEMELIF Church.
I am praying and hoping, and looking forward to seeing you on IBC campus in Beulah Land again sooner. For now, with unwavering faith and dedication, we will work together all the more using all the available resources from God. Let us help one another, strive to encourage, strengthen and lifting each other up in the Lord.
I am greatly thanking the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him through our beloved IBC.
To God be the Glory,
Rev. Dr. Jaime O. Pante
IBC President