I Was an FI Student … for a Week

A Church member who attended one of the 2014 FI Continuing Education sessions in Allen, Texas, recounts her experience of being an FI student for a week.

Thirst for knowledge seems to be all-consuming in our technological age. We human beings want to know about things we don’t understand. Since graduating from college a long time ago, I have taken additional college classes, gone to workshops, participated in online courses, read magazines and books, and regularly attended church services and Bible studies.

While I was employed full-time, I would muse about one day attending some workshops or classes on various topics that were of special interest to me. One of those happened to be classes offered by the Church on the Bible and Christian living.

The best-case scenario would be to participate in the nine-month Foundation Institute program! But that has not worked out for me yet. So I considered the five-day FI Continuing Education seminar offered in the summer. This might not have become a reality except that a very close friend was also interested in attending one of the two summer sessions. She kept pressing another friend and me to attend.

After all was said and done, I was able to attend the second summer session (July 21-25) at the FI classroom in Allen, Texas, with 23 other students.

My week as an FI student

When I arrived the morning of the first class, we all (young and old, singles and couples, from all over the U.S. and even Australia) excitedly introduced ourselves to each other. The tone for the week was set, and at 8:30 a.m. we began our first class with David Johnson teaching on the book of James—a class that, he explained, could be titled “Practical Christianity 101”!

Each of the five days consisted of six one-hour classes. The following is a list of topics covered and instructors:

• James: Practical Christianity 101—David Johnson (10 hours)
• Obadiah: Prophet to an Embittered Nation—Ralph Levy (two hours)
• Jonah: Prophet to an Enemy Nation—Ralph Levy (three hours)
• Micah: Prophet to God’s Nations—Ralph Levy (five hours)
• Postmodernism, Moral Relativism and the Christian—Doug Horchak (three hours)
• Breaking the 5-S Cycle—Clyde Kilough (one hour)
• Former Prophets: Tackling the Tough Issues—Clyde Kilough (two hours)
• Doctrine of Three Days and Three Nights—Jim Franks (one hour)
• Doctrine of Repentance—Britton Taylor (one hour)
• Doctrine of Baptism—Britton Taylor (one hour)

That is a total of 29 hours of biblical instruction!

Basically we began each day at 8:30 a.m. There was a 10-minute snack break between each class, and we were treated to the most wonderful lunches—healthy and light—midday! And then each day ended at 4:30 p.m.

Needless to say, the program was intense! I think all of us went home mentally exhausted—but spiritually charged.

A great week

A tour of the Church office was scheduled on Friday for those who wanted to meet the Church employees and take a peek at the offices and video studio.

There were also opportunities for fellowship outside of classes. One evening we all met at a nearby restaurant and were able to fellowship in a different atmosphere. And a local member invited any of the students who weren’t leaving immediately after classes concluded to come to her place for a delicious, home-cooked meal Friday evening. A number of students stayed over for the Sabbath and were able to visit one last time at services in Dallas.

Some students stayed in the FI apartments used for the nine-month FI program. Others stayed in hotels or with friends or family. I stayed in a nearby RV park.

All in all, the week was a great success, and I am looking forward to participating again next year. Maybe I will get brave and try the nine-month program. But in any case, I would highly recommend the seminars to any of you who are considering the nine-month course. The weeklong session gives you an authentic taste for the real thing.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the dates for the 2015 FI Continuing Education seminars. And go to Foundation Institute to learn more about the nine-month program.