Volume 2, Issue 1, March 1997

A New Name:

With this issue of EBI’s newsletter we introduce a new name, THE VISION. Cedarville College uses the previous name, The Update. Not wanting to compete with them and wanting to find a name that represents the purpose of this newsletter, we decided on the name, THE VISION. We hope that through this news-letter, we can share our vision for the future of EBI, and by doing so, you will share in our excitement and pray for the projects and approaching events.

EBI Board Meeting:

EBI’s board met on February 4th and 5th. Two facil-ities related issues are of interest. Because of the over-crowding in our current building, the board authorized the staff to take steps to modify the current building to maximize space utilization and to prepare a five-year plan, including space allocation needs. (The staff will have its first draft of a long-range plan and space allo-cation needs available by March 15th.) Several pieces of equipment are needed, but the primary need is for a replacement folder. The board authorized the purchase of a used folder for about $15,000, as funds become available.

Three new ventures are being considered. One is in the area of training nationals through Sunday school workshops and through pastoral training conferences. The first would train teachers how to use our Sunday school materials more effectively. The second is for the training of pastors who did not receive adequate training in Bible school. These might include leadership training, counseling, or other specialized courses. A second exciting prospect is the publication of textbooks for Bible institutes and seminaries. There is a need for textbooks that train at the level needed for effective pastoring today. The third area involves the Internet. We hope to have our own web page before the end of the year. This will allow users to place orders directly from an online order form. It would also allow us to make available information that may not be published, such as sermon notes, short commentaries on select passages, hints for teaching or preaching, etc. It would give users a direct line to ask questions, and it would also give us a forum to make the answers available to anyone who could use them.

The monthly Committee of 1000 giving has been increasing over the last few months. Sales have been holding steady. Some bad news is that the available cash, that which is used to pay normal expenses, is declining. This can be directly attributed to increased expenditures for supplies purchased to keep pace with an accelerated publishing schedule. This is one of those good news/bad news things. The good news is we are printing more material than in past years. The bad news is that we are spending faster than new funds are coming in.

Praise:

Two substantial gifts were received in December and January. Though designated, they will pay for pro-jects that would have been paid for out of the general funds. We need to be reminded that God not only knows what we need but also when we need it.

Darrel and Lori Jingst moved to Sebring in Novem-ber. Using his expertise, Darrel streamlined our pre-press work, and we are now printing more in less time.

Both the Jingsts and the Stephenses received additional support since the last newsletter.

Though Marvin and Joan Stephens do not have full support, the mission has approved their request for release to full-time status.

A veteran, Spanish-speaking missionary couple have expressed interest in joining our staff.

Prayer:

The Jingsts and the Stephenses still need addi-tional monthly support. The Jingsts will work as short-term missionaries until they reach full support. They will be traveling on deputation again during April. Bob and Georgia Owen will also be on deputation this spring. Their plans to go back to the Central African Republic are on hold due to the political unrest.

Funds are needed for the new folder.

The staff needs wisdom as it works on the follow-ing areas: publications, additional staff members, new ventures, additional equipment and the difficult space requirement issue.

The couple considering an association with EBI seeks guidance.