For the last two years, students from around the world have come to Washington D.C. to be immersed in God’s Word for 10 weeks at Immanuel Bible Church. These students either postponed college, took a semester off while in college, or came right after finishing college in order to grow in their love for Christ.
Many parents, at first, are a little hesitant to let their kids delay a college degree. They really want their children to get on with their education so that they can make money and start a family. As I observe college students on various college campuses, I am more and more convinced that so many high school seniors are simply not ready to go away and start a life away from home. They aren’t mature enough, they don’t know God’s Word well enough, and they haven’t developed godly habits that will ensure that they will be able to handle the stress and temptations they’ll find in college. It is also worth noting that universities are becoming more opposed to the Gospel with each passing year, and so the hostility toward Christians is growing with each passing second. Of course, 10 weeks will not fix everything, but it will be a great preparation for college and it will expose these young adults to essential tools that they will be able to keep for the rest of their lives.
With all the gap year programs around, I wanted to write a blog post to show what is unique about The Foundry Bible Immersion. There are six reasons to come to DC and do our immersion program.
1. Read the Entire Bible
This is perhaps the best reason to attend the Bible Immersion: you will read the entire Bible in 10 weeks. It is very challenging to be sure, but you’ll love learning about God and seeing His Sovereignty in history in such a short time. As a young adult, you are in a unique time in life where you have more flexibility. I did a similar program while in Italy, and though I’m a big fan of reading through the Bible slowly and meditating on Scripture, I have benefitted incredibly by reading it so fast. You may never get another chance to do something like this.
2. Learn Evangelism
Whether you are about to go to college, in college, or have just graduated from college, you are surrounded by unbelievers. Our goal at the Bible Immersion is to train your eyes to stop seeing bodies everywhere and instead see souls. You will be stretched, but you will learn valuable tools that will propel you towards a lifetime of faithfulness in the area of evangelism.
3. Get Immersed in a Great Church
Many gap year programs take you off into some Christian campground area and train you apart from the context of the local church. Here at the Bible Immersion, we stress the importance of making sure that everything we do in the Christian life is connected to the local church. Whether it is community service, evangelism, studying, or even fun. Our belief is that the best way to grow and serve God is through involvement in a local church.
4. Study Theology Under Biblically Faithful Pastors
Many gap year programs pride themselves on being ecumenical. They seem to want to hear from God in so many places except God’s Word. The Bible Immersion is all about God’s Word. We believe the Word is inerrant, that doctrine is important, and that theology is life. If you attend the Bible Immersion, you will know exactly what you will be taught since all of the pastors at Immanuel Bible Church agree on a thorough doctrinal statement.
5. Make Incredible Life-long Friends
Because of this narrow focus in doctrine and theology, the Bible Immersion attracts like-minded students. You will make friends who love God’s Word and whose desire is to please their Lord Jesus Christ. You will spend 10 weeks together growing in love for Christ and encouraging one another throughout.
6. Get Ready for College
These 10 weeks can serve as a great preparation for the rest of your life. They will deepen your faith, give you an opportunity to leave your house and live with a godly family that is part of Immanuel Bible Church, it will teach you a biblical worldview that you will be able to bring into whatever classroom you enter into in the future and will teach you hard work and how to work together as a team.
If you’d like to find out more about the program, watch some video testimonies from people who’ve done it in the past or fill out an application please visit our website at bibleimmersion.com. If you have any questions, email me at Standridge@ibc.church.
This article originally appeared on TheCripplegate.com. Used with permission.
Jordan Standridge is a pastoral associate at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, VA, where he leads the college ministry. He is the founder of The Foundry Bible Immersion.
Image courtesy: ©Thinkstock/MonkeyBusinessImages
Publication date: July 3, 2017