Is FI Continuing Education on Your Bucket List?

For the past two years, I have attended the FI Continuing Education classes. I would like to share why I’ve found these classes so beneficial.

Due to a popular movie, the term bucket list has become a common term. Many people now have one, either on paper or in their heads. One that has long been on mine is to attend the nine-month Foundation Institute program. You might have that one on your bucket list as well!

Reality

In order to make that kind of commitment, many circumstances have to fall into line. Those have not happened for me yet, but a shorter version has. For the past three summers, FI has offered a five-day program in the summer that makes a small part of FI available to members who might never be able to attend the full program.

The Church currently offers two Continuing Education classes each summer at the headquarters office in Allen, Texas. I was blessed to attend the second session in 2014 and the first session this year in 2015. You can see my blog from last year’s program: “I Was an FI Student ... for a Week.”

You might ask, why would I return again? I already attended once. Why would I again make the effort to travel (250 miles for me) to Allen, arrange accommodations for the week (either staying with friends or relatives in the area, in the apartments available to attendees through the Church, or in a hotel), and spend eight hours a day for five days immersed in intense Bible study? You mean there is more? Yes!

Here are some great reasons to consider this annual opportunity:

• Reunions and new friends: Besides the joy of seeing some returning friends from last year’s class, I had the blessing of meeting new friends this year. We find it is a small world when we learn there is common ground between us. Sometimes we know each other’s relatives, or we have common friends, or we were called to the truth under similar circumstances. Sometimes we’ve even had international students in attendance—something we hope can happen more often in future classes.

• Growth: FI really does help take your spiritual journey to a new level. The subjects taught this year were not the same as the ones taught last year. All the instructors give a condensed version of the classes they teach in the full nine-month program. Their intense study imparts new meaning to sometimes very familiar scriptures. And, of course, any questions students have are discussed openly so that our understanding is consistent.

A case in point this year was the fact that Mr. Johnson taught a 10-hour class on the book of 1 Peter. Now, who would think you could spend 10 hours studying a book that has only five chapters? No doubt Mr. Johnson spent many more hours researching the background of the book, and his insight into its specific issues was a real boost to my understanding of our fellow Christians’ plight. Occasionally, specific word backgrounds, along with various translations, were covered. This really sharpened my focus on a deeper meaning of God’s inspired words.

• Trial run: If you really are entertaining the thought of attending the full nine-month FI program, this is a great way to find out if you could make that a reality. Yes, it is very intense. However, as I review my notes and discuss the classes with members back in my church area, I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.

Schedule

Our day began at 8:30 a.m. (coffee and tea were available before the start of class and at each break) and concluded at 4:30 p.m. Each class was 60 minutes in length, broken up by 10-minute breaks. There was a 70-minute lunch break in which you could enjoy the delicious, nutritious lunch provided while fellowshipping and reviewing the class material with classmates.

Topics

The following is a list of the subjects the instructors taught this year:

Jim Franks:

• The Holy Spirit: Third Person of the Trinity or the Power of God?

• The Nature of Man: Do You Have an Immortal Soul?

• The Festivals: Commanded or Only Suggested?

Doug Horchak:

• The Incredible Human Potential: Creation and the Angels That Sinned

• The Incredible Human Potential: Man’s Destiny—Spiritual Reproduction

• The Incredible Human Potential: Bridging the Gap—Holy, Righteous Character

David Johnson:

• 1 Peter: Christianity Under Pressure

Clyde Kilough:

• Women of Influence: 27+ Key Figures in Israel’s History

Ralph Levy:

• Leviticus: It’s Not Just for Levites

• Numbers: It’s More Than Just Numbers

Make it a reality

If you are really serious about trying the nine-month program but not sure, why not consider the five-day program or even the shorter three-day version at the Winter Family Weekend? It will whet your appetite and help you decide whether or not you would like to make that commitment.

Either way, you won’t be sorry!

Stay tuned for the announcement of the dates for the 2016 FI Continuing Education seminars. And go to Foundation Institute to learn more about the nine-month program.