Each year the Ambassador Bible Center faculty members look forward to visiting in a variety of local congregations and sharing with brethren a small sample of the classes ABC students receive.

The ABC Continuing Education Seminars, formerly called "Samplers," have been a regular part of the ABC program for several years. Several of the participants have enjoyed the program so much that they make the seminars a regular part of their annual calendar.

The planning team tries to schedule the seminars in areas where there is sufficient interest and we can serve as many brethren as possible. Some areas would eagerly host a seminar every year, and we appreciate their enthusiasm, but we also want to share the program with areas that rarely have the opportunity to host a seminar. Whether an area is large or small, if there is sufficient interest, we are eager to see if we can work it into our annual schedule.

The first and longest seminar each year takes place shortly after the ABC graduation, and is a five-day presentation at the home office. This year, Clyde Kilough, David Register and Jim Franks each gave presentations, along with regular faculty members, Gary Antion, David Johnson and Ralph Levy. Sixty-one people filled our classroom to capacity for the seminar and received ABC Certificates of Completion at the end of the program.

We have also completed five two-day weekend seminars in local areas. Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Calgary, Alberta; and Morton, Illinois, all hosted seminars this year, and over 400 people received certificates.

In the two-day seminars, two faculty members give split sermons on the Sabbath and then alternate with five or six 50-minute presentations on various subjects. The subject matter for each seminar is unique, so even those who have attended previous seminars are able to gain new information each time.

Participant Comments

Each presenter seeks input from the audience, and participants have been very encouraging in their comments about the programs. Here are a few of the comments presenters received this year:

•"The presenter has a knack for making the Bible come alive."

•"It encouraged me to set better goals about my personal studies."

•"I absolutely felt the love he felt in telling about these books! In love with God's words. That's how I feel. I could have listened every day—for many days. I'd like to attend ABC if it's like this!"

•"Great 'meaty' content. Not a lot of fluff. I learned something instead of merely 'doing my duty' of attending church."

•"I feel that these classes are one of the most important programs that the Church has. God seems to call a large portion of new people through converted members. It would seem that preparing the members to live godly lives and be ready to give appropriate answers when asked is very important."

•"I was skeptical of what I would get out of these topics, but the historical background alone was very informative. Not to mention the spiritual aspects of the books. As usual the Bible continues to amaze me in that it truly is the 'living' Bible. Always opening my mind more and more. Thank you for your diligence."

Winter Family Weekend Seminar

This year we are adding one new seminar, and we are hopeful that it will become another annual tradition. We will be conducting a three-day, 18-hour seminar at the Winter Family Weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Sunday through Tuesday we will have six classes per day for all who would like to attend.

Mr. Kilough, along with the three resident faculty members, will give presentations on "The Quest for Character," "Marriage and the Family," "Key Concepts From the Book of Genesis" and "Themes and Insights From the Book of Acts." Even those who cannot attend all the sessions are welcome to attend as their schedule permits. Those who complete all 18-hours will receive the ABC Continuing Education Certificate of Completion.

Those directly involved in the ABC program deeply appreciate the prayers and support of the brethren. We have therefore included most of the costs for these seminars in our annual ABC budget. If you would like to attend a seminar near you, let your pastor know of your interest so he can contact our planning team.

Even though we can only travel to a few locations during the annual ABC break, we will be glad to consider any and all requests as we plan our calendar for next year. UN