The Journal: News of the Churches of God

IBLC heads to California

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. -The International Bible Learning Center is completing its move to the Los Angeles area from its former location in Big Sandy and Hawkins, Texas.

Rachel Kaplan, daughter of IBLC faculty member Mark Kaplan, is office manager. Miss Kaplan's duties include maintaining the mailing list, order fulfillment, general secretarial work and seeing that video- and audiotapes are duplicated.

The IBLC's new phone number is (818) 951-4252 (or 951-IBLC). A permanent mailing address in the Los Angeles area will be announced in August.

Students and anyone requesting course materials and information may still write the IBLC at 7 Berean Way, Hawkins, Texas 75765, until the Southern California address is announced.

"Due to the fact that two of the board members are located in Southern California and the secretary-treasurer is in Southern California, it was decided by the board to move the financial and the fulfillment aspects of the IBLC to Southern California," said John-Barry Skidmore of Aliso Viejo, Calif., a board member and secretary-treasurer.

John Merritt of Oconomowoc, Wis., who will continue to serve as IBLC chairman until the end of this year, said that duplication and editing of tapes continue to be handled in Texas.

Since the departure of the IBLC's first president, Don Ward, to set up his own nonprofit Center for Bible Education at the end of June (see related article, page 7), the IBLC's board of directors has divided up management and oversight responsibilities for its Sabbatarian distance-learning operation.

Dr. Merritt, the IBLC's first chairman of the board of regents, also visited the Church of God (Seventh Day) biennial general conference in Knoxville, Tenn., July 7-12, promoting the IBLC. IBLC regent Linda White is a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day). (See article about the conference beginning on page 1.)

The IBLC has produced a promotional videotape narrated by Judd Kirk, a former presenter on The World Tomorrow, the Worldwide Church of God's now-defunct telecast. The script was written by Mrs. White and Mr. Skidmore. Dr. Merritt said the tape will be released after final editing.

"The transition to the new IBLC home office went better than we had expected," said Dr. Merritt. "The reorganization is still developing."

Founding board member John Robinson of Decatur, Ind., left the board when his term ended in June but remains on an advisory panel, Dr. Merritt said. Others on the advisory panel include Leon Walker and Leslie L. McCullough of Big Sandy, both United Church of God council members, and Samuele Bacchiocchi of Berrien Springs, Mich., a Seventh-day Adventist professor and lecturer.

The operations committee consists of Mrs. White and regent Rick Stanczak of Keizer, Ore., while Mrs. White and newly appointed regent Carolyn Sharpen of Mission Viejo, Calif., who replaced Mr. Robinson, are on the publications committee.

Founding board member Dale Stogner, whose term also ended in June, has been replaced as treasurer by Mr. Skidmore, another of the four original regents who established the IBLC in June 1996 to serve as an educational resource for Sabbatarians. Mr. Skidmore's new title is secretary-treasurer.

Mr. Stanczak's duties include updating the IBLC's Web site on the Internet (www.iblc.org).

"We thank everyone for their support and for the continual support of students signing up for courses," said Mr. Skidmore. "We are committed to continuing to produce new courses. We have a Feast of Tabernacles course coming out that will be released prior to the holy days."

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