As of September 2007 there is a new face to the many areas of ministry that comprise Verbo Nicaragua. The Instituto Biblico Verbo will be an outreach of the central Verbo church in Managua. By mid September over 130 students have enrolled.
Nicaragua's New Instituto Biblico Verbo
Beginning on September 22, 2007, there will be a new facet to the many areas of ministry that comprise Verbo Nicaragua. The Instituto Biblico Verbo will be an outreach of the central Verbo church in Managua. As of mid September, we have over 130 students enrolled. In the coming months, we will be exploring how to best serve the other Verbo churches in Nicaragua in both Puerto Cabezas, the site of the recent hurricane, Bluefields and perhaps some others.
The initial course of study in the Institute will consist of a 2 year certificate program with 8 core classes and a number of electives. The core classes include: El primer año: La vida de Cristo, El panorama de Antiguo Testamento, Teologia sistemática 1, Teología sistemática 2. El Segundo año: El panorama del Nuevo Testamento, Ministerio de equipo-liderazgo, Hermenéuticas y exégesis, Administración de la iglesia-gobierno de la iglesia. Seven elective classes will include: El griego, El libro de Isaías, El hebreo, Los profetas y profetizar, La historia de la iglesia, El libro de Salmos, Los libros de Romanos y Gálatas.
So. . . . who are we? We are Artie and Susan Hall. We are the new kids on the block with Verbo. Both of us have been career educators with over 55 years of experience between the two of us. We've been married for 32 years and we are still best friends. We have grown children, all girls, who are quite delightful and pleased to have Mom and Dad begin a new phase of life. Prior to moving to Nicaragua, we were both life-long residents of South Carolina.
I (Artie) have also been involved in various aspects of Christian ministry both full and part-time for over 30 years. I have been a classroom teacher for every grade level from 5th grade to college level seminary grad students, a special education teacher, a public high school assistant principal, the headmaster of a small Christian school, an adjunct college professor, and an associate pastor on a church staff. My formal degrees include: B. A. degree in Classical Greek; M. Ed. in elementary education; M. A. in Old Testament; Ph. D. in Biblical Studies. From 1999 to the present, I have held memberships in the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS).
I (Susan) have been a classroom teacher for various grades, primarily at the middle school level and also have been involved in administrative work. My last secular job was as a curriculum specialist at the middle school level. I currently serve as the principal at Nicaragua Christian Academy here in Managua. I am a member of numerous professional organizations including the Council for the Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In the past few years, I served as the president and a board member of the South Carolina Council for Teachers of Mathematics. Over the years, I have participated in presenting various methods workshops at both state and national level math organizations. I have a M. Ed. in elementary education and National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Mathematics.
However, more important than all these experiences, we both hopelessly love Jesus. As much as lies within us, we seek to glorify Him and "find Him" in all that we do. Our desire is to offer nothing less than Christ Jesus and Him crucified in every endeavor we undertake. Jesus, and the sharing of His life and message with others, is the one true hope for the people of Nicaragua and the rest of the world as well. We know that without Him and His work in us, we have nothing to offer anyone.
