Fall Fundraiser, Week 6: The Historic Meeting and Selection of our School’s Motto

August 10, 2020

The Meeting

Now that we’ve met our cast of characters, we pick up our story behind the motto, “With the Word to the World,” in the office of Dr. Michael O’Doonan at Omaha Baptist Bible College in 1963:

“Mr. Fleming asked Bernice Inman, Charles Bergerson, and myself to be on a committee to develop a school motto,” said Dr. O’Doonan. “We met in my office in the Maytag Building. The motto With the Word to the World was suggested by Miss Inman, and Scriptures for each of those words of the motto were tied to it.”

The motto was approved, but Dr. O’Doonan’s role was not finished quite yet.

“When I was brought on to the faculty in 1962, I had some artistic talent and was asked to be the commercial artist and to develop advertising materials and ads for the Baptist Bulletin,” said O’Doonan. “After we submitted the motto to Mr. Fleming, I was asked to redesign the school seal to include the motto ‘With the Word to the World.’”

The Faculty Trio’s work with the motto may have been finished, but their role in an even more historic moment in Faith’s history was still to come. In the weeks ahead, we’ll learn about the first publication and yearbook with the new motto, a cantata that was written around the new motto, about The Faculty Trio’s intimate involvement with the move from Omaha to Ankeny, and the selection of Faith as the school’s new name.

Would you like to have an impact on our school the way Miss Inman and The Faculty Trio had? You can! If you have been inspired by these individuals, you too can be a significant part of our future story of sending “The Word to the World.” Help us match the $160,000 that has been pledged by three separate donors. Give electronically through our secure website or mail a check to:

FBBC&TS
Attn: Advancement Department
1900 NW Fourth Street
Ankeny, IA 50023