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.1 WHITBY Whithby school to train ehurch leaders FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 26, 1984, PAGE 5 Strengthening the role of lay people in the church is the goal of a unique post-secondar education facility that was officially opened before a crowd of about 4,000 people last Satur- day afternoon. The Baptist Leader- ship Education Centre is officiaily operated by the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec but according to prin- cipal Bull Chapman, the school is open to persons from ail denominations. Chapman, himself an ordained minister in the Canadian Baptist Cl4urch, says that the school, located at Taun- ton Rd. W., Whitby provides a unique ser- vice to the church and to the students who attend. The church, 35-year old former transpor- tation engineer says, was not meeting the needs of two groups of young people. Firstly, young people who have just graduated from bigh school often need 'la moral and ethical foun- dation" before they are ready to face the rigors of university life. Then there a re university graduates who are prepared to take up their professions but have the need to make a more positive contribution to the life of the church. To this end ttie centre provides a one-year course of study not only in the Bible itself but in the history of the chur- ch, vocational coun- selling,, computers, media relations and of- fice procedures and administrations as well as other subjects. The school has a seven-member staff which includes three full time teachers. Guest lecturers are a common facet of academic life at the cen- tre which also includes such basic life skills as cooking for the single person. Chapmnan says that the centre will attempt to make the modern Christian church, at least in Canada, more 0f a lay persons movement. "Our pastors are overworked," he says, "They are loaded down." It is personal belief that the laity should "taàke on more of the ac- tuai responsibility for the life of the church. The church," he adds, "should always have been a lay persons' movement." Some pastors in the modern church have been likened by Chap- man to a football coach who spends an entire season training his team and when the big game cornes he sends them to' the showers and plays the game himself. "The roles have been reversed, " she says. 11It bas become Christianity as entertainment. " And that, Chapman stresses, is what the centre is going to try and change. The centre currently bas 47 %tudents, although it has room for 80. Cbapman admnits that first year registration wasn't as large as he hoped when he took on the job last March but is confident that as the centre's reputation grows, more people will become in- terested. In fact, he notes that two senior citizens who have recently retired have already signed up for next year. Fees at the schoôl are just over $2,700 and in- clude tuition, room, and board, books, telephone and other services. Most of the young people in this year's class are at the centre to learn to make a greater contribution to the church. "Imhere to get to know God in' a personal way and be able to tell others about My relationship with Him," says Don Cameron, 20, of Calgary, Alberta who intends to work in the recreational field when he graduates from university. Stephen Wallace, 18, of London, Ont. echoes this sentiment. "I'm here to find out what I want to do with my life," admitting that he hasn't set his career goals yet. While the centre has students from the United, Pentacostal, Reform and Baptist churches, Chapman stresses that registration is not limited to these chur- ches. However, he does expect most of the students to corne from the Baptist Church. "It is part of our denominational heri- tage. We still have people who are willing to dedicate themselves to service," he says ad- ding, "We are going to train laity on a formal basis and build a school to do just that. " Jf]HE NORTH FORJYý Road House Restaurant *WATCH FOR OUR Grand. Opening. Soocn Located on Highway 12 just E4 imiles north of High way 7 - 655-8911 - These five young people are a small part of the 47-meniber student body at the Baptist Leadership Education Centre wbich officially opened its doors last Saturday. The sehool is located on Taunton Rd. in Whitby and is designed to provide the church with trained lay leaders.1 Standing are Don Cameron, 20, of Calgary, Alberta. and Stephen Wallace, 18, 0f London, Ont. Sitting are (from left to right): Maxine Mc- Donald, 19, of Petrolia, Ont.; Marie Wilson, 19, of Arkona, Ont.; and, Virginia Bmngleman, 19, of Brantford, Ont. 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