Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Encyclopedia
Kentucky Mountain Bible College (KMBC) is a four-year evangelical Christian holiness
Bible college in Vancleve, Kentucky. The college is located near the town of Jackson
in Breathitt County
, and is a ministry of the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association
.
Over 70% of KMBC's graduates have entered diverse fields of Christian ministry. Over 1,000 such alumni are represented, including speakers, missionaries, and pastors in over 60 countries worldwide. KMBC is one of only 6 colleges that mission organization WGM
recommends on its Web site.
Part of KMBC's mission is to keep their program affordable to anyone who wishes to attend: with tuition at just $3,355 per semester, the program is among the most affordable anywhere. KMBC was recently ranked 10th by an independent review of colleges for student acceptance. In an article titled "Colleges Students Don't Turn Down," InsideCollege found that 83.9% of students who are accepted to KMBC enroll.
In a recent re-accreditation, the Association for Higher Biblical Education found Kentucky Mountain Bible College to be excelling in the areas of finances, academics, facilities, student services, and in fulfillment of mission. The college is growing in influence, with more and more graduates reaching out across the world, in academics, with the recent addition of a Music program, and in facilities, with the recent addition of the Helen Matthews Luce Chapel.
foothills of Eastern Kentucky in the areas of ministry and missions.
After the remodeling of the commissary, Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute (KMBI) opened in October, 1931 with Miss Martha Archer as its first principal and teacher, Miss Lela McConnell as a second teacher, and just two students. KMBI initially offered a two year Bible
course. After the first semester, additional faculty and students were added. A men's dormitory was completed in 1937. In 1938, KMBI expanded to a three year program which included practical studies. The program was a full Bible course offering theology, psychology, ethics, church history, English, speech, Greek, homiletics, instrumental music, and vocal music.
On February 5, 1939, heavy snow and rains caused the river to rise and back up, flooding KMBI's buildings. The bridge that connected KMBI with Mount Carmel had also been washed away. Although the WPA
appropriated funds to rebuild the bridges, KMHA workers rebuilt their own bridge within 6 weeks. The other bridges remained closed for almost two years.
At 3:30 am on July 5, 1939 a cloudburst on Frozen Creek caused a flash flood that destroyed the original school, as well 44 nearby homes, 60 barns, livestock, and killed 54 men and women, including several KMBI students and faculty. The effort to recover and bury bodies lasted for weeks, with one student being found 50 miles downstream. This was the first flood on record that had come rushing down the river, as the other floods had been backups which were mostly still water. Both of KMBI's buildings, the old commissary and the dormitory, were destroyed. Of the buildings' sixteen occupants, nine drowned. These included staff member Mr. Horace Myers, his three children Titus, Philip, and Lela Grace, students Elsie Booth and Christine Holman, and three guests of the Myers. Mrs. Myers alone survived her family.
.
.
Several facilities including the Davis Memorial Building, which serves as a library, the renovation of the basement in Brengle Hall, the addition of the Coffeehouse underneath Swauger, and the new Helen Matthews Luce Chapel. Today KMBC continues to grow under the leadership of its fourth president, Dr. Philip Speas, who has been president since 1993.
In 2006, Kentucky Mountain Bible College gained another unlikely moment in the spotlight when Kenneth Parcell
, a character on the sitcom 30 Rock
, claimed the school as his alma mater. However, unlike its fictional counterpart, KMBC does not have wolf problems, remains open, and does not offer a degree in "television theory" nor "Bible sexuality".
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
Bible college in Vancleve, Kentucky. The college is located near the town of Jackson
Jackson, Kentucky
There were 1,005 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had...
in Breathitt County
Breathitt County, Kentucky
Breathitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1839.The population was 13,878 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Jackson, Kentucky. The county is named for John Breathitt who was Governor of Kentucky from 1832 to 1834...
, and is a ministry of the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association
Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association
The Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association is a Christian association and denomination in eastern Kentucky. The Association was begun in 1925 by Lela G. McConnell, a deaconness in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Association maintains a Wesleyan-Holiness doctrine with a strong emphasis on...
.
Over 70% of KMBC's graduates have entered diverse fields of Christian ministry. Over 1,000 such alumni are represented, including speakers, missionaries, and pastors in over 60 countries worldwide. KMBC is one of only 6 colleges that mission organization WGM
World Gospel Mission
The World Gospel Mission is an interdenominational Christian holiness missionary agency headquartered in Marion, Indiana, United States. From its inception, WGM has been aligned with the Wesleyan Holiness tradition of Protestantism...
recommends on its Web site.
Part of KMBC's mission is to keep their program affordable to anyone who wishes to attend: with tuition at just $3,355 per semester, the program is among the most affordable anywhere. KMBC was recently ranked 10th by an independent review of colleges for student acceptance. In an article titled "Colleges Students Don't Turn Down," InsideCollege found that 83.9% of students who are accepted to KMBC enroll.
In a recent re-accreditation, the Association for Higher Biblical Education found Kentucky Mountain Bible College to be excelling in the areas of finances, academics, facilities, student services, and in fulfillment of mission. The college is growing in influence, with more and more graduates reaching out across the world, in academics, with the recent addition of a Music program, and in facilities, with the recent addition of the Helen Matthews Luce Chapel.
1931-1939: Origins and destruction of first campus
Kentucky Mountain Bible College was initially established by Dr. Lela G. McConnell and Rev. Martha Archer in 1931 as an offshoot of the nearby Mount Carmel High School . Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Pelfrey donated the land, which had been at one time used by a defunct coal mining company as a commissary, approximately three miles from the present site. Because of the "young people with the call of God upon them" who "felt the need of further training beyond the high school work in order to fit them better for missionary work", the Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute, signed as the "Vancleve Church School," was established in order to train young people from the AppalachianAppalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
foothills of Eastern Kentucky in the areas of ministry and missions.
After the remodeling of the commissary, Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute (KMBI) opened in October, 1931 with Miss Martha Archer as its first principal and teacher, Miss Lela McConnell as a second teacher, and just two students. KMBI initially offered a two year Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
course. After the first semester, additional faculty and students were added. A men's dormitory was completed in 1937. In 1938, KMBI expanded to a three year program which included practical studies. The program was a full Bible course offering theology, psychology, ethics, church history, English, speech, Greek, homiletics, instrumental music, and vocal music.
On February 5, 1939, heavy snow and rains caused the river to rise and back up, flooding KMBI's buildings. The bridge that connected KMBI with Mount Carmel had also been washed away. Although the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
appropriated funds to rebuild the bridges, KMHA workers rebuilt their own bridge within 6 weeks. The other bridges remained closed for almost two years.
At 3:30 am on July 5, 1939 a cloudburst on Frozen Creek caused a flash flood that destroyed the original school, as well 44 nearby homes, 60 barns, livestock, and killed 54 men and women, including several KMBI students and faculty. The effort to recover and bury bodies lasted for weeks, with one student being found 50 miles downstream. This was the first flood on record that had come rushing down the river, as the other floods had been backups which were mostly still water. Both of KMBI's buildings, the old commissary and the dormitory, were destroyed. Of the buildings' sixteen occupants, nine drowned. These included staff member Mr. Horace Myers, his three children Titus, Philip, and Lela Grace, students Elsie Booth and Christine Holman, and three guests of the Myers. Mrs. Myers alone survived her family.
1939-1948: Second campus and rebuilding
On 20 October 1939, three and a half months after the flood, the school re-opened at a new site donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Fletcher, and his sister, Laura. Located on a hill and above the flood plain, the new three-acre campus featured only a half-finished building with 18 students when it opened. This building was developed into the modern Administration building and girls' dorm. Growth and building continued at a feverish pace, starting with the Myers Chapel in 1940, named for the drowned teacher who had given of himself to KMBI. Swauger Hall was constructed right before Brengle Hall, and by 1945, the campus was well-developed.1948-1970: Continued expansion
Archer Auditorium was begun in the summer of 1961 and was ready for graduation classes for 1962.1981-1993: Dr. Eldon Neihof and Accreditation
In 1989 Candidate Status was granted for institutional accreditation with the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (now Association for Biblical Higher Education). In 1994, KMBC was granted membership with AABCThe Association for Biblical Higher Education
The Association for Biblical Higher Education or ABHE is a nationally recognized accrediting agency in the United States. It is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
.
1993-Present
With the recognition as an accredited school by the AABC, KMBC began offering a four-year B.A. Degree in Religion along with a two-year A.A. Degree in Bible/Biblical StudiesBiblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
.
Several facilities including the Davis Memorial Building, which serves as a library, the renovation of the basement in Brengle Hall, the addition of the Coffeehouse underneath Swauger, and the new Helen Matthews Luce Chapel. Today KMBC continues to grow under the leadership of its fourth president, Dr. Philip Speas, who has been president since 1993.
Recent news
In 2003, Kentucky Mountain Bible College was successfully able to change a phone number that disturbed many callers by including a '666' prefix. The number 666 hearkened to the Biblical mark of the beast. The prefix was changed to 693.In 2006, Kentucky Mountain Bible College gained another unlikely moment in the spotlight when Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
, a character on the sitcom 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, claimed the school as his alma mater. However, unlike its fictional counterpart, KMBC does not have wolf problems, remains open, and does not offer a degree in "television theory" nor "Bible sexuality".
Academics
KMBC continues to offer two degrees: an Associate's degree in Biblical Studies, and a Bachelor's degree in Religion.Campus
The campus of Kentucky Mountain Bible College is located on a hilltop off of Kentucky route 541 in Vancleve. There have been numerous additions in recent years, the most recent of which is the Helen Matthews Luce Chapel & Fine Arts Building.Gibson Library
The Gibson Library is housed in the Davis Memorial Building. Consisting of over 30,000 items including books, CDs, DVDs, videos, sheet music, song flashcards, and Sunday school supplies, it is one of the best Bible college libraries in existence.Missions
Kentucky Mountain Bible College remains a very missions-minded organization. Many of its graduates have gone on to career missionary service, and many of its current students engage in missions trips.Short-term mission trips
- Paraguay - 27 December 2010 - 2 weeks. Still under development.
- Honduras - 16 May 2010 - 2 weeks. Fourteen people, some KMBC students and others from Mount Carmel.
- Ukraine - 19 May 2010 - 6 weeks. One student.
- Ukraine - 2009.
- Hungary - 2009.
Notable alumni
- Rev. Rob Pocai, 2004
- Rev. Holly Pocai, 2004
- Gwen Pinkerton, 1980 - OMS Missionary to Ecuador and Brazil
- Dr. Philip Speas, 1979 - President, Kentucky Mountain Bible College
- Dave Shaferly, Director, Emmaus Bible College; OMS Construction Coordinator, Haiti Mission; Field Director, OMS Haiti
- Larry Byrnes, 1962 - Professor of Nursing, Roberts Wesleyan College; OMS Missionary to Ireland and Indiana; OMS Campus Rep
- Dr. J. Eldon Neihof, 1956 - Asbury University 1989 A Award recipient; Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association president; Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute president
- Rev. David Crane, 1950 - Free Methodist minister and architect; has drawn plans for over 160 churches including the Helen Matthews Luce Chapel at KMBC and supervised construction on over 25.
- Lois M. Henry, Asbury University 1998 A Award Recipient; WGM missionary to Costa Rica and Honduras