Fort Wayne Bible College - Vine / Light Tower Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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LIGHT TOWER Tl-IE CLASS OF l93Z Surely we, the class of '32 do praise the Lord for His bountiful grace manifested toward us in the short time we have been privileged to spend here at the good old Bible Institute. As we draw near the close of our School year we look back with regret upon the many minutes and hours wasted-time which could have been much more prohtably spent in prayer to our Heavenly Father or in the reading of His Word. How many times have we failed to take advantage of the opportunities for service which have been presented to us! And yet, our hearts are made to rejoice when We think of all the Lord has done for us. Our hearts go out in gratitude to Him who has set us free from the clutches and snares of the Evil One. He gave His all for us. He suffered and died on Calvary for us that we might have life through His blood. We never will be able to repay Him for all He has done for us, but the least we can do is to surrender ourselves entirely to Him. He alone can make out of these worthless lives channels of blessing, carrying the blessed XVord of Life and Light to many who are groping blindly in heathen darkness. Space does not permit us to recount separately the many different experiences of the mem- bers of the class. Some in early youth, although not out in sin like others, felt the need, cona fessed their sins, and with simple child-like faith, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. ' Several more, in spite of a background of sound teaching and godly example, resolved to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season . Finally, like the prodigal son, they came to themselves and returned to the Father, who forgave and abundantly pardoned them. One of our number was considered the black sheep of his family and wandered far away from the Lord, but the Good Shepherd, who gave His life for His sheep, brought him back to the fold. After several years in college, during which time what little faith he had was shatter- ed, he found himself at the Bible Institute, the last place on earth he expected to be. Needless to say, it was not long until he was gloriously saved. How wonderful to note the grace of God as manifested in his life! Another proved that a person can be a church member and at the same time a Hbootleggerl' and the vilest of sinners. After repeated attempts to reform himself, he gave it up as a hopeless task and called upon God for mercy. His life was immediately transformed. Old things had passed awayg behold, all things had become new. Still others were drawn to the Lord by observing the lives of faithful Christians. A desire to be like them led to a deep hunger which could only be satisfied in Jesus, the Bread of Life. Oh, that our lives might be so filled with the love of God that others might be drawn to Him and Hnd peace and rest! God has indeed been good to us in giving us an opportunity of coming to a place where we may better prepare ourselves for His service. Sacrifices have had to be made, and the future has not always looked bright and rosy, but He has always been true to His promise, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. While receiving these many blessings from the hand of the Lord, we are not unmindful of our duty to those who have not been so fortunate as we. In obedience to the Go ye into all the world , over half the class are looking toward the far-distant harvest fields of the world. Several have been called to evangelistic work here in the homeland, while the remaining ones are ready to go anywhere He leads. As the true commencement of life's service begins and the time draws near when we shall be separated from one another, may we as a class press forward in our Master's service, spread- ing the glad tidings wherever we go, until that glad day when we shall see Him face to face and hear His Child, well done . Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Fatherg to Him be glory and d0111i1'1l0l1 f0l' CWI' and ever- Amenj' CYRIL EICHER. X

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TO DO THY XVILL, O GOD LIGHT We, the Class of 1932, have chosen this as our motto because it is the purpose and desire of our hearts. Our wills have been yielded to God and we are ready to do anything, go anywhere, and be anything He would desire. Wi1l', means the faculty of the mind by which one chooses or determines, or it means de- sire. In the will of God we have the highest expression of His perfection. Creation owes its be- ing and beauty to it-it is the manifestation of God's will. For this man was created with a free will in order that he might have the power to choose of his own accord to do Godis will. But lo! man sinned by doing his own will rather than God's. jesus came to this world to bring us back to doing God's will. He gave Himself a sacrifice to win for us the power to live and do the will of God. Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. These words uttered through the Holy Spirit by one of His prophets long before Christys birth are the key to His life on earth. Wfherever He went this inspired Him--the will of the Father was to be accomplished in Him and by Him. He has given to us the power to consecrate ourselves entirely to God's will. If we are to follow Christ we must speak His words as ours, I seek not my own will but the will of the Fatherf, The only business of our lives should be to learn and to do the will ol' God. He wants ro make it known to us. He desires that we work out His will through our wills. Our wills are to be merged in Christ's, voluntarily brought into accord with His, so that we do glad- ly and heartily the things He would have us do. Our prayer should be Our wills are ours to make them thinef' The divine will settles everything of duty. When we know surely what our Master would have us do there is no longer the question as to what we should do. All we have to do is to obey. When Jesus told Peter to let down the nets, he replied unhesitatingly, At thy word, I will. We must be prompt in our obedience to God's will. His word must be supreme authority for us. The best human wisdom is fallible and may easily be mistaken. Even those who love us mayferr in the counsel they give. Our God never errs in judgment. He is never mistaken in His decision as to what we ought to do. We are sure His commands are both right and wise. It may seem to us that the course which He asks us to take can lead only to disaster, but He knows best. We may always safely say, At thy word, I will. We need never question. Who are we that we could know better than God what is best for us? God's way does not always lie in the sunshine. We may find ourselves facing obstacles and difficulties but still be in His way. He leads us many times away from the path we would have taken. He may ask us to do some lowly task when we think we could do more good and make more out of our lives if we could get out into a wider sphere and have greater things to do. But let us remember that the way to be ready for the call to a wider field is to a little more than fill the place in which we are now serving. No matter how small the place v'e fill, it is a glorious thing to do God's will. We must surrender our preference and accept His. God's will may not call us always to activity. Sometimes they serve Him best who only stand and waitf' One writes, No time of seeming inactivity is laid upon us by God without a just reason. We have only one thing to do-to yield to His plan. It may mean the setting aside of cherished plans, the giving up of things that are dearest to us, a life of pain and suffering but in any case it is ours to obey with- out question. God's will for us is found in His Word, which is said to be a lamp unto our feet, not a great sun shining high in the heavens, illuminating a hemisphere, but a little lantern that we may carry and hold so its light shall fall on the road on which we are walking. It will not lighten a whole mile for us at a time but will make the next step clear and so on until we have gone the last mile of the way. A SENIOR- TOWER

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ex xx x X 195.2 SENIORS CLASS OFFICERS CYRIL EICHER-President Fort Wayne, Indiana Faithful is he that ealleth you who also will do it. - I Thess. 5:24. JOHN NUSSBAUM-Vice President Berne, Indiana Bat watch thou in all things endure ajlictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy min- istry. --II Tim. 4:5. FAYE OPLIGER-Secretary Berne, Indiana The Lord is my strength and in y shield g my heart trust- ed in him, and I am helped : therefore my heart greatly re- joicethg and with my song will I praise him. -Psa. 28:7. LAWRENCE R. SCHOENHALS- Brown City, Michigan Treasurer The Lord will perfect that which eoncerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, eizdureth for- ever: forsake not the work of I thine own hands. --Ps. 138:8. 4 I I. I GI-I T TOWER