Papa Dan's Pastoral Days

MISSIONARY INTERNSHIP The summer of 1957, following my graduation from Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) I had a summer job at Chrysler's in Chatham.  During that time I started thinking about my next step.  I had gone to CBC at the suggestion of Elmer Thompson who wanted me to have more education.  Now I was thinking I still needed more training. I had heard of Missionary Internship which was an internship ministry in Detroit and Chicago for prospective missionaries.  I wrote to the West Indies Mission asking if I should apply to MI.  They responded that since I was not an accepted candidate with WIM that I could go to MI but would have to pay my own expenses, which was my transportation and registration.  The church where I would be assigned would look after my board and room, car expenses and a few dollars pocket money. So I applied to Missionary Internship , was accepted and on about the third week of Septemb...

SENIOR YEAR & GRADUATION Dan & his roommate entertaining themselves Being a senior in a Bible college for the second time around meant that I had another opportunity to give a senior message in a chapel.  At Prairie Bible Institute my chapel message was given to the entire student body.  Though we had a chapel every school day at Columbia Bible College, once a week we had a class chapel.  My senior message was shared with my senior class.  I've forgotten my exact text, and I don't know what I did with my sermon notes.  The point that I sought to make was that we should not try to be a copy-cat and seek to imitate another preacher, missionary, etc. but that we should be ourselves and be what God made us to be.  We will reach and interact with people that no other classmate will ever meet.  In my ministry over the years, I have tried my best to be me and not someone else.  I studied other preachers and learned from them, but I...

COLUMBIA BIBLE COLLEGE / COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Main campus during my college days I am so thankful that I eventually went to Columbia Bible College and followed Elmer Thompson's advice.  I had three wonderful years there.  The spiritual emphasis and the vision of the school was very similar to that taught at Prairie Bible Institute.  The school was founded in 1923, one year following PBI, with Robert McQuilkin  the founding president.  He served as president until his death in 1952.  In my days there, the student body was around 400. Today it is over 1,100. The professors were tops.  I particularly enjoyed Frank Sells, who taught a Bible survey course of the Old and New Testament.  I took the New Testament survey, even though I had had the same at PBI and given credit for it at CBC.  I wished that I had also taken his Old Testament survey.  I regret that I was never ever able to fit his elective course on...