WBST News - Christmas 2001
News from the Baptist Theological Seminary, Warsaw (Vol. 4, Issue 2)

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

This week we are completing the Autumn semester in the Seminary and School of English.
At this special time on behalf of all the staff and students I would like to send you our warmest Christian greetings. 
Thank you for your interest,  prayers and financial help this year.

WINTER STUDENT RETREAT

In the second week of January we are taking our students - part and full time  - on a winter retreat to the mountains.
The main lectures will be on leadership development, but there will also be time for them to get
to know each other better and to learn to ski! It will also be a week when the students
can meet some experienced Polish Christian leaders.

Please pray that this week will strengthen biblical perspectives on leadership, and stimulate personal growth.  
  

CATECHETICAL INSTITUTE
 

In February we are starting a new one-year part-time program for teachers of Sunday School for children.
I hope this is just the first step to establishing a School of Christian education at the Seminary
which would be capable of issuing bachelors degrees.  In Poland we have religious education in the schools,
of course mostly taught by the Catholic church.  But on completing our Catechetical Institute, 
Protestant teachers will be recognised by the state as able to provide an equivalent religious education
to that provided by the Catholic church.  In practical terms this means that Sunday School lessons
in our churches will be treated as equivalent to the child having attended religious education class at school.
Also it will give opportunities for Protestant teachers to teach
Christian Ethics (not directly religious education classes) in the state schools.  

This is a very exciting development and I would encourage you to pray that this would be
just the beginning of a breakthrough in the Polish education system.  
   

PREPARED FOR TOMORROW

This is an exciting plan to offer a Master's Program at the seminary.
You may have already heard about it - but in case you haven't, here is a summary:

Having a Master's Program will allow the Seminary to serve as part of the foundation
of Christian theological life in Eastern Europe.  Since an evangelical Master's Degree
is not offered in Poland, it will keep our own gifted students in Poland
and draw students from other nations. 
It will take us to a new level of theological and academic excellence. 

Achieving the Master's Program will require a tremendous commitment on the part of the faculty,
administration and friends of the Seminary.  Over the next few years, we must, among other efforts:

·	Have at least 8 full-time professors.  This, by Polish law, is the minimum requirement for a school that offers a Master's Program.
·	Set up endowments and scholarship for the different academic chairs totalling 3 million US dollars.     

Please contact us for more information or if you would like to make a contribution to the endowment funds
it may be send to the following address: 
WBST Fund 692.  Kentucky Baptist Foundation, 10605 Shelbyville Road, PO Box 436389, Louisville, KY 40253-638

Wyższe Baptystyczne Seminarium Teologiczne ▪ Ul. Szczytnowska 35-39 ▪ 04-812 
Warszawa ▪ Poland Tel:   00 48 22 615 5033
Email   Website