BANGOR – Grace Evangelical Seminary will offer its first classes starting Sept. 10 at Bangor Christian Schools on outer Broadway with a faculty of five pastors from churches in Penobscot, Hancock and Washington counties. Dedication services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7.

The Rev. W. Lyman “Terry” Phillips, seminary president, said seven students already are enrolled.

The college and seminary were part of Bangor Baptist Church’s long-term vision identified by senior pastor, the Rev. Jerry Mick Jr., when the church burned its mortgage in November. The Bangor Baptist Church gave Grace Evangelical $25,000 in seed money and offered use of Bangor Christian Schools’ classrooms. That means only evening classes can be offered during the academic year.

The 2001-2002 program offers one-year certificates in biblical studies, local church leadership or general Christian studies, nicknamed “The Believer’s Power Pak.” The program in biblical studies is designed for Christian teachers, Phillips said, while the one in church leadership benefits trustees, deacons, church officers and other lay leaders.

Hal Britton, 54, of Houlton was the first student. Britton is a Houlton town councilor who plans to make the 240-mile round trip to Bangor twice a week for classes. He is branch manager of a medical supply company in Aroostook County and attends Court Street Baptist Church and New Limerick Free Will Baptist Church.

“The Bible is one book that the more you learn about it, the less you know,” Britton said. “[Religion] is not about the name that’s over the door of a church, it’s about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. … I’ve got a calling in my life. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. One of my prayers is ‘Lord, I want to go where few men have been and no one has gone.’ I want to help others grow. I believe a walk with the Lord is not a yearly, weekly, monthly or daily thing, but a moment by moment walk.”

The Rev. Will Hough, pastor of the Millinocket Baptist Church, will teach introduction to theology and theological concepts. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in biblical and theological studies from Gordon College and a master of divinity degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. Hough taught systematic theology at the Lay Pastoral Institute in Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s.

“I am very excited about teaching theology this fall,” the minister said. “I do not think there is any other subject as rewarding as the study of God and his holy word. A few centuries ago, theology was considered the queen of the sciences. I believe this is true today.

“The true study of biblical … theology is the most practical and relevant study available. The Bible and the doctrines therein were written in response to humankind’s most practical questions and needs,” Hough said. “True biblical theology is never to be studied in a vacuum devoid of everyday life’s experience; rather it is to be studied in the context of the human experience.”

Phillips, who will teach the New Testament survey course and “Loving God – Loving My Neighbor,” a class on the parables of Jesus, said he is looking forward to teaching adults. “They are adults who really know why they’re there and have made a choice to be there,” he said. “I have a sense that this will be a shared enterprise. I’ll be bringing resources but we’ll be learning together – sharing of the learning process.”

Phillips said he is excited about the seminary’s first year because ministers and laity across the state have responded positively. Some have expressed concern that the school does not yet have enough students to “make it work,” but he said he believes Grace Evangelical can succeed because of a movement toward lifelong learning.

“My hope is that as we go along people will see the value in this and come along and be part of the process and the adventure,” he said. “Lifelong learning is more and more an accepted thing. That’s what our evening program is all about. This kind of development is as important in faith as it is a profession.”

Satisfactory completion of work for the certificates includes 30 credit hours or 10 three-hour courses. Tuition is $500 per course or $2,500 for a full-time, 15-credit-hour program.

Total cost for earning the certificate is $2,500. Courses may be audited for $100 and a “spouse (opposite gender, married) of a student taking a course for full credit may take the same course, also for credit, for half the regular tuition, or $250,” according to the catalog.

For more information, call 947-6576.