Cornerstone University - KUMI ORI Yearbook (Grand Rapids, MI)

Page 10 text:

Dear Students and Friends: Solomon said, There is no new thing under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9). No doubt this wise man was re- ferring to the experiences of life. In this respect he was correct, but Solomon should be living in the last half of the twentieth centuty. He would have been amazed at the new” things which crowd upon us daily. We hear about new medicines for our bodies, new electronic computers to speed our thinking, new automa- tion to replace human skills and energies, new toothpaste to save our teeth, a new look for our enjoyment, a new frontier to explore, and a new society toward which we should bend all efforts. This trend to things new has become a serious infection in our society and has wrought a strange, per- verted twist in thinking. Remember, old philosophies and old traditions and old positions arc not necessarily evil because they are old, nor, on the other hand, are new positions and philosophies right because they are new. The Lord's admonition, Remove not the old landmark (Proverbs 23:10) may have referred to the property boundaries of Palestinian farms, but the admonition is quite applicable to the philosophies, principles, morals, and sacrificial service which should motivate Christian youth of 1965. As you leave these halls of learning remember there is one aspect of new things which can be yours each day—a new surrender to the will of God as He reveals it moment by moment. Beware of anything new which moves contrary to the old Book. Any new liberty, any new morality, any new theology which forsakes the historic landmarks plainly revealed in His Word is not worthy of your pursuit. If you would experience new riches of mind, new liberty of life, a new experience of peace and joy, then pursue a new total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our earnest desire for each student. Yours for a life lived to His glory, W. Wilbert Welch, President 6

Page 9 text:

Dedication September 11, 1964, was a momentous day in the history of the Grand Rapids Baptist Bible Col- lege and Seminary. It was on that day that students for the first time were able to occupy their very own campus. The man who has taken the position of leadership in this expansion project is Dr. W. Wilbert Welch. Dr. Welch was bom February 2, 1918, in Brown City, Michigan. He attended Bob Jones Univer- sity from which he received the A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. He was married in 1942, and is now the father of four boys, David, Robert, Wendyl, and Dale. Dr. Welch was pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Rome, Georgia, from 1945-1950; and pas- tor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Muskegon, Michigan, from 1950-1959. During his ministry both of these churches experienced a tremendous growth in their Sunday School enrollment. At the Muske- gon church a new edifice was constructed, and a few years later an addition was made to this building. On November 1, 1959, Dr. Welch assumed the office of President of the Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College and Seminary. Along with the campus development,.we have seen enrollment increase from 148 students in 1959 to 325 students in 1965 under his administration. We are looking forward to many more accomplishments which God will perform through this faithful servant of His. It is with great pleasure and gratitude that we dedicate this first edition of the Knmi-Ori from our new campus to you, Dr. W. Wilbert Welch.

Page 11 text:

ADMINISTRATION AND FACULTY