A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

een around two hundred. A staff of ten to twelve teachers have given instruction in Bible and in courses required in a high school academic program. Other principals of Immanuel Academy were H. R. Wiens, Arthur J. Wiebe, Vernon Janzen, and Dan Neufeld. In both schools. Corn Bible Academy and Immanuel Academy, one can observe a gradual transformation from a Bible school to a high school program. The change no doubt was caused by the increasing demand of young people for a high school education in preparation for vocational training or college. For the Mennonite Brethren churches of the Reedley area Immanuel Academy continues to make a vital contribution to the total Christian education program. 13 The "genius" of Mennonite Brethren in establishing Bible schools found its full expression on the Canadian scene, especially in the prairie provinces. The Herbert Bible School" The Bible school movement among Mennonite Brethren in Canada was formally launched with the founding of the Herbert Bible School in 1913. In God's providence, J. F. Harms had come to the province of Saskatchewan five years earlier. Harms, who had imparted his vision for Christian education to the brotherhood in Kansas, now began to inspire the brethren in Canada by both his precept and practice. For a number of years Harms offered short one-month courses in the Saskatchewan churches during the winter months. TRAINING FOR LIFE AND SERVICE 259 In 1911 the Northern District Conference appointed a committee to study the possibility of establishing a Bible school for the training of young people. The following year the conference accepted a recommendation to open such a school. J. F. Harms became its first principal and teacher in 1913, and continued to serve in this capacity until 1918 when he moved to Seattle, Washington. The man who gave to the school its particular image was Wm. J. Bestvater, who was invited in 1921 to reopen the school which had been closed for two years due to financial difficulties. Training at the Moody Bible Institute, 1 ' and experience as teacher (1898-1908) and city missionary in Winnipeg (1913-1921), equipped Bestvater for his new task. Facilities were enlarged and improved, and the program strengthened. In the midst of a busy schedule as administrator, teacher and Bible conference speaker, Bestvater found time to write two much-needed textbooks: Die Glaubenslehre (Bible Doctrine) and Die Bibelkunde (Biblical Introduction). He also edited and published a modest monthly religious periodical entitled Das Zeugnis der Schrift (The Witness of Scripture). The purpose of the Herbert Bible School as given in the following two statements reflects quite accurately the objectives of most M. B. Bible schools that were established later: 1. To establish and strengthen youth in the fundamental principles and doctrines of the Scriptures. 2. To provide sound Biblical training for definite Christian service i