Maranatha Baptist Bible College

My kinda guy!

 

"To the praise of His glory!" Maranatha, He cometh!

 

I have never been to Maranatha. I have heard a lot of good things about the school. In fact, my pastor is a Marantha graduate. He is doing a great job here at Trinity Baptist Church, so they must be turning out a pretty good product!

 

One of my former pastors, David C. Auckland, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Sellersville PA, later on was an adjunct professor at MBBC prior to his death (In 2008 I think.). Pastor Auckland was a Greek Scholar, & I learned much sitting under his pastoral ministry (1969-72).

 

Having attended MBBC from 1982-83, knowing Dr. Cedarholm, Dr. Weeks, and also knowing the incoming President, Arno Q. Weniger (family friend), I felt like the college would one day move into the accredited column. The academic work was challenging, the professors were very professional in their jobs, and MBBC was just a good, solid, IFB school. I noticed that someone mentioned a Dr. Auckland. I'm not sure if it's the same man or not, but I believe that while I was there in 82-83, I believe I was part of a group that helped him try to start a church in Horicon, WI in an old, abandoned Catholic church building. It started out well, but I lost track of it and don't know what happened. Would really like to know if it's the same man.

 

Quite possibly Dr David C. Auckland was indeed did move to an adjunct professorship at MBBC. Prior to his move to MBBC, he was the Founding Pastor of the Faith Baptist Church in Sellersville PA. I, as a very young babe in Christ (3 YO to be exact) had the privilege of having him as my pastor from 1969-1972, when I moved to TN. He was the one who instilled in me the fact that unless a child of God is as educated in the Bible & its related subjects, he/she may very well be "led astray by every wind of doctrine" that the cults, which ARE in fact a very successful in luring away so many of God's family into outright falsehoods that are out there in today's anti-Christian society. I owe much to his perception. As a general rule, Pastor Auckland would expository preach THREE different Bible books each week (One on Sun AM, another on Sun PA, and another on Wed PM!) Moreover he also founded Faith Baptist Bible Institute. FBB would meet on Mon nights (& occasionally on Tues nights too!); it offered an even more intense study that can't be done at a regularly scheduled worship service. I understand that David Auckland went home to be with his Savior in 2008. The folks at F B Church were blessed indeed to have a real giant of a scholar in David Auckland.

 

It definitely sounds like the same man. I didn't have the opportunity to be in any of his classes at MBBC, but I did have the opportunity to be on of the founding members of the church when it was planted, along with three or four of my schoolmates. I ended up going to Bible Baptist Church in Beaver Dam to help in the deaf ministry the second semester, and that was the beginning of my losing track of Dr. Auckland. I liked him very much. Good preacher!

 

The local church that Pastor Auckland founded in the early 1960s is still in existence this day. Over the years it has, of course, undergone some rather dramatic changes. It no longer meets in the Sellersville PA fire hall. Today its campus is probably THE largest one of all in of the Pennridge area of Bucks County PA. It also includes Faith Christian Academy's educational buildings & sports facilities, and other miscellaneous structures necessary to maintain these facilities. Its main auditorium has undergone an extensive re-arrangement to meet the needs of her 21st Century membership. Its current pastor, Doug Gardner, still preaches God's Word in an expository way, & the people in that area of the Keystone State are still as on fire for Jesus as they were some 60 years ago. If any of you folks would like to both see & hear the services at Faith, all you need to do is to contact the church's Business Office during regular business hours @ 215-257-5031 and, for a nominal love offering, they will mail you a months' at-a-time set of color DVDs for your edification.

 

The church in Horicon, WI was mainly attended by students who didn't like Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown. I had no problem with Calvary in Watertown, but wanted to assist in the planting of another church between Beaver Dam and Watertown. It was VERY rural, and people were hard to reach with the truth of the Gospel. Still, some were won. They usually ended up going to Bible Baptist in Beaver Dam. Pastor Johnson was an excellent pastor there. I miss him a lot.
I'm thankful to know that Dr. Aucklands other work after MBBC is still continuing on.

 

I get Faith Church's DVDs every month via USPS. While Faith Church has changed since I left her in 1972, IMHO, she still stands firm on the truths of God's Word!

 

According to the Fiftieth Anniversary Fall Festival at Maranatha Baptist University, a Dr. David Auckland was on the faculty from 1989 until 1997. He was listed among the "faculty and staff who had gone Home to their eternal reward."

Here is a link. You will find Dr. Auckland at the 1:00:23 mark.

50th Year Fall Festival - YouTube

 

I don't know if Dr. Auckland was teaching at the college or not at the time when I was there, but it was Dr. Auckland who started the church, or attempted to start a church in Horicon, WI at the time I was there. I've been trying to see if I can find a copy of the bulletin for one of the Sundays that I was there trying to help get it started. There was some talk about his health, so he may not have been on staff when I was there in 82 and 83. That's been almost 40 years ago, and it truly is hard to recall after so many years.