Alumni Spotlights
Most of the students attending New England Bible College & Seminary come from New England. They bring with them a wide variety of backgrounds, ages, interests and goals. Some are enrolled full-time, while many others are enrolled as part-time students. They typically have busy schedules and are seeking educational opportunities they can coordinate with family responsibilities and work obligations. Yet all of them are dedicated to gaining a deeper knowledge of the Bible, a broader knowledge of Christian faith and history, and greater skill in applying what they believe to their everyday lives.
Ian Jewett
Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church
I chose to attend NEBC/GES because it offers an affordable, local, high quality Christian Education. I looked far and wide at a variety of schools, but it just didn’t make sense to rack up piles of debt at a big name school when there was a high quality option available here in Maine. I am attending school debt free thanks to NEBCS!
I believe God has called me into vocational ministry, so my goal for the future is to pursue that calling! God willing, I hope one day to serve the Church through pastoral ministry. NEBCS has allowed me to pursue that calling through a flexible, high quality education. Their unique and flexible class schedule has made it possible for me to both attend school and serve part time at a local church; learning the bible and gaining real-life ministry experience at the same time. God has done cool things with me here at NEBCS, and I am excited to see what He will do in the future!
If you are looking for a place to pursue your calling, or if you just want to take a class here and there to increase your biblical knowledge, please prayerfully consider whether NEBCS is where God is leading you. It’s not right for everyone, but it might be just right for you.
Deb Nadeau
I became a full time student at Grace Evangelical College and Seminary in the fall of 2008. I had been teaching and mentoring women in my church for many years and really felt the pull of the Holy Spirit to enter seminary and receive more formal training. Grace is a local program that is geared towards bi-vocational adults looking to go deeper in their study of God’s Word. I graduated in 2012 with a BA in Ministry.
My time at Grace gave me a wonderful opportunity to explore my own faith, my personal relationship with God and my call to ministry. Each professor played a unique and important role in my formation as a student, a leader in my church and in the Body of Christ. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to join in with this community and further my education.
I currently work in full-time ministry at Crosspoint Church in Bangor as the Director of Women’s Ministry. I can honestly say that without GECS my road to ministry would have been far more difficult to navigate. I have been blessed by the education and by the many deep and abiding relationships that I formed during my years of study.
Russell Cotnoir, Jr.
Retired Senior Pastor, Fayette Baptist Church
First Light Radio Ministries
I came to faith in Jesus Christ in my mid-twenties, and began to read extensively concerning the faith. After leading many of our friends to the Lord, my wife and I hosted weekly Bible studies. My role as a teacher immediately emerged through the intensive study of the Scriptures, prayer, and the confirmation of other Christians. Over the course of a few years God's call upon my life for full-time ministry became unavoidable. I discovered that I loved the Word of God and I loved to teach it!
Through much prayer and encouragement by my wife, my pastor, and other Christians, I decided to enter full-time study. Having been accepted to a Bible College in Pennsylvania, God changed my plans. I was pointed to a local, affordable, yet every bit as rigorous, course of study at NEBC. Upon enrollment my chief goal was to become a better student and handler of the Scriptures; to develop and hone my ability to understand and communicate the Truth with clarity and creativity.
I found the classroom experience at NEBC to be challenging, but extremely invigorating. I was exposed to some great teaching and preaching by a staff of knowledgeable and dedicated men and women of integrity and character! This served to inspire and direct me toward the place I am today as the senior pastor of Fayette Baptist Church and teacher on our First Light radio broadcasts.
Clearly, there are significant family, societal and global issues that we encounter every day. Yet, for me, the most significant challenge of our times is no different than it has been throughout the ages. It is for people to wholeheartedly embrace the grace & truth God has revealed and live it. Truth is the watershed issue of our times. God has revealed truth in His Son and through His word. The challenge is not where to find truth or what truth is, the challenge is to embrace what deep inside everyone knows. Romans 1 speaks directly to this. We are all without excuse. Instead of being embraced, the truth is suppressed. That is precisely why I am so committed to communicating biblical truth in a relevant way in order to effect spiritual change.
After over 30 years in ministry, I am deeply grateful for the significant role NEBC has played in my biblical training and spiritual formation.