Here at The Baptist College of Florida (BCF), the busyness of college life has commenced. Students are slowly getting out of their syllabus shock and preparing to persevere through this semester. While we have started to move quickly into the semester, we don’t want to overlook the amazing first month of school we’ve had. New classes started, new friendships were created, and reunions of old friends took place. It was a wonderful month here at BCF, and to give a little insight, we asked some of our students to share about their first month experience.
When talking about the beginning of a semester, the start of new classes can always be full of stress, but it can also be an exciting time. A couple of our students let us know their favorite class of the semester so far. Izabella Sabo shared that she has enjoyed New Testament Survey with Dr. Winiarski because of the classroom discussions. She added, “The overall connection that Dr. Winiarski shares with his students makes the class time enjoyable.” Linda Santiago’s favorite is Spiritual Formation with Dr. Jumper. Linda is looking forward to the challenge it brings and the opportunity to work on her spiritual disciplines. When it comes to some of the guys on campus, Expository Sermon Preparation, which they are getting to take with our new President, Dr. Cloer, has been one of their favorites. The students in his class love the wisdom and lifelong skills they are learning under his leadership.
While academics take up a substantial part of the first month of school, you cannot have college without some entertainment and events thrown into the mix. Our Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) orchestrated multiple gatherings and events around campus. The Night of Worship was a big hit for the student body, as they joined together and exalted the name of Christ in song. Many students also considered their favorite event to be the bonfire. Students enjoyed smores, songs, and fellowship around the fire on a cold Graceville evening. With the start of the semester also comes the start of intramurals, which brings a certain level of competition to the campus and give students the opportunity to put their athleticism on display during the first intramural of the semester – kickball.
Yet in the eyes of the students, no event surpassed Pizza with the Prez! On Tuesday, January 24th, Dr. Cloer and his wife, Mrs. Linda, gathered with the students in The Wellness Center and talked with students over pizza and donut holes. If you thought having pizza with the President was sweet, The Cloers allowed the student body to ask them 20 questions to get to know them better. If you ever come into a debate about lasagna, one of the first questions asked has got you covered! The Cloers were asked if you have one lasagna and stacked another on top, would you have one or two lasagnas? Mrs. Cloer responded, “You would have one!” On a more serious note, the students came equipped with theological questions for the couple. They were asked at one point to share their testimony, and through their story, you could see God at work. Dr. Cloer was asked about his doctrinal thesis paper to which he gave a brief explanation of the work he did on Samuel Zwemer. After all the questions were asked, Dr. Cloer introduced one last activity for the students – a scavenger hunt in The Wellness Center. After being broken up into teams, the students raced to find the hidden objects to win the competition. After a few minutes of chaotic college students racing against each other, a team was declared the winner! This team earned bragging rights and the invitation to dinner with The Cloers! Overall, it was a night that will continue to resonate with the student body for weeks to come.
Overall, the first month of school here was one for the books. Some students came in with a bit of homesickness while others felt a bit of anxiety over the unknowns that would come with a new semester. However, students were quickly put to ease through the reuniting of friends, and the family atmosphere that BCF provides. As we looked back on the first month, we cannot help but be thankful for how amazing it has been so far, and as we look forward, we cannot wait to see how the Lord works through BCF this semester!
- Emily Robinson, Staff Writer