Published: August 01, 2008 10:55 am      

School of Ministry set to open fourth year

By Raymond Billy

rbilly@jacksonvilleprogress.com

RUSK — Heading into its fourth academic year, River of Life School of Ministry continues its efforts to increase knowledge of its existence and expand its services.

The fledgling two-year school, which is housed in a former East Texas Medical Center facility, is staffed for enrollment of up to 100 students, but so far has not had more than 25.

Nancy Jacobian, dean of students at the school, said building the school’s public profile has been a challenge.

“We’d like to have more awareness that we’re here; it just takes time to get the word out,” said Jacobian, who has been with the school since its inception.

As part of its promotional campaign, the school has been listed on the Web site christianconnector.com, which is a directory of Christian colleges throughout the country. The school also recently completed the taping of a new commercial that will air locally.

Jacobian said she’s enjoyed being a part of building a ministry from the ground up.

“It’s very exciting to be part of a new school, on the frontier, because the vision that God has for this school is so big,” she said. “But, it’s also a lot of responsibility because you want to make sure you’re doing it right and getting off to a solid start. It’s very rewarding.”

A subsidiary of River of Life Church, the School of Ministry was originally planned as an Alto enterprise — where the church was located. But, in 2003, Robert Corbell, the church’s pastor, said he felt God was telling him the ETMC building was the place to start.

The ETMC building was donated to the church, which renovated its cafeteria to become its main sanctuary and lecture hall. Hospital rooms were turned into dorms for students and its clinics were transformed into offices for faculty and staff.

Renovations are ongoing on the 38,000 square foot building, and officials with the school say they hope to add housing for married couples and a student dining hall.

Officials with the school say they hope the changes will help the school draw more students, a group they hope will include foreign students and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In June, the school was approved by the Texas Veterans Commission for soldiers to enroll at the School of Ministry using GI benefits.

“As servicemen return from abroad, we knew that some of them would want to be in ministry and devote their lives to serving the Lord, so we wanted to provide another place where returning vets could study ministry,” Jacobian said, noting the school has already enrolled a veteran since being certified by the Veterans Commission.

Graduates of the school will earn a degree in practical theology, which will allow them to apply to be licensed or ordained to preach. But, the school isn’t merely geared toward those interested in ministry — it helps each student find his or her calling, whatever it might be, Jacobian said.

Jacobian was a public school teacher in Missouri for 20 years. She met Corbell and his wife, Lesa, in 2000. Jacobian eventually moved to Texas and attended Christ For The Nations institute in Dallas. The Corbells had also made their way to Texas and started River of Life Church in Alto. After graduating from CFNI, Jacobian said she felt led to join the Corbells’ ministry.

Jacobian said she’s looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the School of Ministry.

“We know we will gradually increase as time goes on, and I think we'’l get better a providing a spiritually-based educational environment for students.”

Registration for the fall semester will begin Aug. 4 and continue through Aug. 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Late registration will be from Aug. 8 until Aug. 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.