A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

Academy was established in 1902 as a Bible and language school, thanks largely to the efforts of Isaac Harms, the leading minister of the Corn M. B. Church. During the first four years of its existence the school operated a children's as well as a young people's department.' From 1906 to 1919 it was conducted only for young people with one instructor and three-year course. In 1920 the curriculum was expanded and two teachers were employed until 1934, when it was fully accredited with the state of Oklahoma and more instructors were added to the staff. Since 1934 the Corn Bible Academy has combined biblical instruction with a four-year high school course. For a number of years the enrollment has been around 100, with students coming from the large local congregation and from M. B. churches in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. Many early church leaders received their "Fundamentals of Faith" in this school under the able leadership of such men as J. F. Duerksen, H. D. Wiebe, J. J. Wiebe, H. R. Wiens and J. W. Vogt. The Enid (Okla.) Bible School and Academy" (1921-1940) Mennonite Brethren of the Enid community had made several attempts prior to 1921 to provide religious instruction for their young people. Peter F. Duerksen was engaged in the German Department of the North Enid school system for several years, until this program had to be discontinued. The desire of many brethren for a school of their own culminated in the organizing of the Enid Bible School in 1921 with P. H. Berg (later manager of the M. B. Publishing House) as the first instructor. H. S. Friesen from Hillsboro (Kansas) was engaged for the 1922-23 school year. Interest in the school continued to grow so that in 1925 a suitable building was erected on a section of the church premises. From 1925 to 1927 P. E. Nikkei from Inman (Kansas) served as teacher. From 1929 to TRAININC FOR LIFE AND SERVICE 257 1931 D. J. Dick was the main teacher who was followed by G. C. Wiens of Bessie (Oklahoma) who taught for another five years. When R. C. Seibel came to Enid in 1936, he set up a more standardized curriculum to meet associated state high school requirements. J. K. Siemens, who was engaged two years later, carried on the work with a dwindling number of students. Better educational facilities in the public high schools was one of the major factors in the decline of the student body which led to the closing of the school. The fact that R. C. Seibel, the pastor of the Enid Mennonite Brethren Church, was an instructor in the Kremlin High School nearby, in all probability also influenced parents to send their children to the public school. Some sixty students were graduated from the Enid Bible School and Academy during the twenty years of its operation. Fairview (Okla.) Bible School (1926-1943) The Fairview community felt the need for a Bible school to educate its young people. Responding to the initiative of several brethren, the Sued-Hoffn