The Return of An Alumnus

An Alumnus’s Return to and Journey with MCS: A Reflection on Change

In September of 1998 I first walked onto the campus of Master’s College and Seminary (MCS, named Eastern Pentecostal Bible College at the time). I had only heard wondrous mythological tales of the place from friends who had attended. Google didn’t exist yet, so I naively wondered if there might be a pool. Regardless, I knew God had directed me there, so I was optimistic for the future and the change that was about to come in my life.

On January 8, 2024, I returned to the MCS campus at 780 Argyle Street in Peterborough. Since I was quite satisfied with serving at Horizon College & Seminary in Saskatoon, where I had lived since 2010, I couldn’t have imagined that I would now be walking onto the MCS campus as its new Vice President of Academics (while continuing my service at Horizon).

I walked through the grey double doors at the front entrance to find a staff, faculty, and students who had grown to love the campus as much as I had. And, like those who had gone before them, they were dedicated to the transformational work of God that was still happening there.

I walked through the upper hall and remembered my former professor asking my class to bow our heads in prayer before we recited α, β, γ, δ, ε. I walked through the gym and remembered raising my hands and weeping before the Lord during chapel. I walked by the stairway that led to the basement of the women’s residence and remembered how I knocked on the door to pick up my girlfriend (now wife) for our first date. Each person now living and working on campus had likewise built their own memories of MCS.

Unfortunately, for the second time in its history, MCS could not continue to function on this campus. A difficult change was coming.

The next day, Dr. Jeromey Martini and I drove to the other side of Toronto to visit a church that was excited for the changes to come. The church we visited was planning to start training ministry leaders on site. Like many churches, they had students who didn’t want to move away to a new city to be trained for ministry. And this church was ready to partner with MCS toward this endeavor.

Our drive across Toronto happened to be during the first winter storm of the season.

At one point, I pushed my foot on the brake pedal. We started to slide to the right. I figured we were heading into the ditch. We then slid back to the left. I figured we were going to ram into the cement median. I had lost control, but I did what I could. Somehow, I managed to get the tires back on the grey lines running down one lane of the highway between all the snow and ice.

I wonder if God sent an angel to push the vehicle back where it needed to go. In a way, this pointed to God’s continuing and gracious guidance that was still to come through all the changes.

The new campus was fresh and renovated to suit our needs.
But what would remain of MCS?

We didn’t bring the cinder block walls, but we brought the grad photos that hung on them.

We didn’t bring the hard wooden chairs from the library, but we brought the knowledge held in the library.

We could not bring the beautiful view of the flagpoles and trees in the back park, but we brought the vision of equipping Pentecostal leaders for ministry.

Given the move, we had braced ourselves for a significant decline in enrolment. Not every student returned. And we blessed those who decided to study elsewhere.

But at the beginning of September, we gave thanks to God that our first-year class was 108% larger than the previous fall. And the majority of our students were significantly engaged in practical and mentored ministry at one of the many church hubs that we had established leading up to the fall.

That’s not to say that everything went according to plan. And from time to time, someone will still make a comment that indicates frustration and continued grieving of the loss of what was.

This is reasonable and to be expected.

At the same time, our recent student survey indicated that overall student satisfaction has increased from previous years. And we have had students testify that,

Many things have changed at MCS, but many things have remained the same.

Today I am returning to MCS again to celebrate with our graduating students, and I thank God that those studying with MCS continue to experience the transformational work of God. And through this, God is continuing to use MCS to equip Pentecostal leaders for ministry in Canada and around the world.

Praise the Lord!