Every student’s path to Faith Baptist Bible College looks a little different. Some grew up hearing about the school their whole lives. Others stumbled onto it almost by accident, or found themselves there after a plan somewhere else fell apart.
In August, we asked alumni whether they were first, second, or third-generation students, and how they ended up on campus. Their answers paint a picture of a school that has been drawing people one relationship, one recommendation, one leap of faith at a time, for generations.
A Family Legacy
For some alumni, Faith runs in the blood. Alana Ward is a second-generation graduate, with aunts, cousins, and now siblings who have also walked the halls. “I always wanted to go to Faith and become a teacher just like my mom,” she says, “and that’s exactly where God took me.”
Don Johnston’s connection to the school stretches back even further. His aunt, Lola Johnston, may have attended Omaha Baptist Bible College in the late 1940s, though he was the first in his immediate family to enroll. He studied at FBBC from 1970 to 1976, earning a B.S., a B.A., and a Th.B., and later served as a trustee for two decades, from 1995 to 2015. All four of his children attended FBBC in the 1990s and 2000s, and his granddaughter, Isabel, graduated just this past May. More grandchildren are already planning to follow.
Nathan Gast calls himself “a first and a half generation student.” His father had attended FBBC in the early ’90s while working toward a church planter’s degree, after earlier attending Pillsbury in the late ’70s. Nathan’s own arrival at Faith in January 2002, though, wasn’t exactly eager. “I came kicking and screaming,” he admits. He had dedicated his life to the Lord as a young teen, then decided he knew better. He didn’t want to attend FBBC. “God obviously had other plans for my life.”
The Ones Who Pointed the Way
For most alumni, though, the road to Faith started with someone else — a pastor, a youth leader, a friend who saw something in them before they saw it themselves.
Andrea Pabody, a first-generation student, ended up at Faith alongside her twin sister after years of encounters with the summer music ministry teams, whose testimonies at camps and youth activities pointed the sisters toward Christ.
Tammy (Walters) Gerig first heard about Faith from her youth pastor, Glenn Amos.
Jonathan Seaman’s path started with his grandparents. During his senior year of college, they began looking at schools together, and a retired pastor at their church recommended Faith. “Paul Mann’s recommendation connected us to a small Bible college we had never heard of,” Jonathan says. “I applied, toured, and attended.”
Susan Smith heard about Faith through her church and the GARBC’s list of approved colleges, but it was the people who sealed the decision. “The biggest reason I chose Faith was due to the Faith alums I met — pastors, missionaries, and others,” she says. “They were all high-caliber people, easy to relate to, and had a zeal for the mission of Christ. I respected them highly.” A scholarship she won through Talents for Christ, accepted by Faith, sealed the deal.
A Change in Plans
Not every story followed a straight line. Tom Petro had already been accepted to a different school. But once he set foot on that campus, he knew it wasn’t the right fit. Faith’s president at the time happened to be his former pastor, the same man who had baptized him years earlier. Tom called Pastor Shipp and asked if he could enroll at Faith instead. The answer was yes, and Tom was in Ankeny about 24 hours later.
Christie (Paige) Moore’s story took a similar turn. She was attending CBF at UNI when a group from her fellowship visited Faith. That visit was enough to convince her to transfer in the middle of her sophomore year. Six of her eight children have since graduated from Faith as well.
Proximity, Print, and Providence
For a few alumni, geography or a printed page made all the difference. Melody Mains grew up in Ames, close enough to have plenty of exposure to Faith long before she enrolled. Gerald J. Napper read about the school in an advertisement in the Baptist Bulletin in January 1966. He applied, was accepted, and joined the freshman class that fall at what was then Omaha Baptist Bible College.
Whether it came through a family legacy, a youth pastor’s suggestion, a change of plans, or an ad in a magazine, each of these stories carries the same thread: something, or someone, pointed the way to Faith.
Decades later, that path is still shaping families, churches, and the next generation of students walking through Ankeny for the first time.
