No.14
Multicultural Bible Institute
During the early 80s, thousands of Asian refugees were pouring into the Santa Clara Valley. SJBC students had the opportunity to reach these people for Christ, but were faced with the challenge of communicating in a language that wasn’t familiar to most students. Former student and alum Frank Schattner (’85) felt a call to minister to the growing population of Southeast Asian refugees coming to the San Jose region.
“As an immigrant myself, I thought it was important to make sure these people could know the Lord,” Frank recalled. As he prayed about ways to meet this challenge, Frank came in touch with a Cambodian pastor from Southern California named Moses Samol Seth. Together, the duo began an evening program known as the Multicultural Bible Institute. Te program reached foreign students and was designed to teach the Bible and later mobilize them for church planting in their native tongue.
MCBI utilized ethnic Christians to train their own culture and build strong relationships across various immigrant communities. By cooperating with churches and parachurch organizations involved in cross-cultural communication, MCBI’s training efforts were undoubtedly enhanced.
Te effort experienced significant growth in a relatively short period of time. MCBI extension campuses were established throughout the Central
Valley including Stockton, Modesto and Fresno. Te program also reached Palo Alto, Richmond and Vallejo. Te Bible was taught in seven languages including Amharic, Cambodian, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tamale and Vietnamese.
MCBI also sought to break down cultural barriers amongst various ethnic groups thereby unifying people that may not have experienced fellowship without the support of the program. Many churches were started on the campus of SJBC and later grew to acquire their own facilities. As a result of MCBI’s efforts, 27 churches were planted during a three to four year period.
In the late 1990s, Samol Seth rejoined some of the pastors he had trained and sent back to Cambodia. Together they have planted over 1,200 churches in Cambodia and almost 100 churches in Vietnam. All of these efforts are being done under the umbrella of Agape International Missions (AIM).
No.15 Student Government
As a leadership-inspired university, we seek to provide opportunity for students to develop their skills, gifts and talents. Our student leadership and government programs provide practical, focused opportunities for leadership development. Te student leadership team is comprised of campus ministries student staff, orientation assistants, resident assistants and student government. Each provide an opportunity for students to learn and develop leadership skills that will aid in every aspect of life.
No.16 Chapel
One of the most memorable experiences shared by alumni across all generations is our wonderful chapel services. Chapel continues to be a staple that brings students, staff and faculty together for worship. In the early years, students were given a small sheet of paper that included a task of some sort; whether it be to memorize scripture or apply a specific concept to their spiritual life. Chapel currently hosts a wealth of well-known speakers who share God’s word in a relevant format for many of our youth today and continues to be open to the public, welcoming all who would like to join the Jessup community as we give God glory.
No.17
Partnership with the Church
In partnership with the Church, the purpose of William Jessup University is to prepare Christians for leadership and service in church and society, through Christian higher education, spiritual formation and directed experiences.
JESSUP MAGAZINE | 13
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