The Tabor College Concert Choir of Hillsboro, Kansas, recently headed out west for concerts over spring break to spread the music of our roots. The concert, entitled "The Aroma of Christ," is based on 2 Corinthians 2:15 and explores the themes of Christ in the World, Christ in Us, and With Christ in Eternity.
During the visit, the group of nearly 50 choir students was invited on a tour of the MB Biblical Seminary campus, in Fresno CA. The tour was directed by the seminary's recruiting and Ministry Quest teams made up of Andy Johnson, Sarah Bergen, Cam Priebe, and Mike Rea. Officials said each one of them took a group of students to tour the seminary's campus, meet various faculty members, and have an opportunity to learn from students who live on campus.
Johnson said the students asked lots of really great questions in their meetings with professors Tim Geddert and Mark Baker, both of whom took the opportunity to speak to the groups about why they teach at Seminary and what their courses entail. The groups also toured neighboring Fresno Pacific University, a sister school to Tabor College, and saw "the Tabor tree" planted in honor of FPU's 50th anniversary.
Another member of the team stated by the end of the visit, "We had nearly two dozen students fill out interest cards for both attending seminary as well as receiving books written by our faculty."
After the outdoor concert, several students met with faculty members of the seminary's counseling program: Mary Shamshoian, David Rose, and Delores Friesen, to discuss over lunch the ins and outs of the MFCC degree program. Dr. Rose said "We had a great round table discussion with several of the students. They asked such questions as what kind of ministry experience they should have and about the counseling program itself."
One such student learned that at MB Biblical Seminary they could pursue a counseling degree. Megan Souter, originally from Fairview, Okla. and now a sophomore at Tabor College, spoke about the visit. While she is currently taking Music Ed. she said, "I liked the seminary a lot. It is really nice, and I could definitely see myself coming here."
"MB Biblical seminary is a graduate school of biblical theology and counseling where leaders can be inspired and trained to serve and to lead in the church and in the world," said Mark Isaac, Director of Advancement at MBBS. "Though we aren't the ministry that's transforming communities around the central valley or across the continent or globe, we are inspiring and equipping the leaders of ministries that are. I'm glad these college students got a glimpse of how they might be trained here for such transformational leadership, too."
The idea for the concert and tour was a brainstorm between Tabor choir director Brad Vogel and the seminary administration and staff. It was the first time the seminary hosted the choir on tour, and the benefits were obvious after the positive visit. "We're part of the same family," noted Isaac, "and this was an excellent opportunity to share our unique gifts with each other for the glory of God and the development of new servants and leaders for the church."
Posted: April 03, 2009