20 Years – What a Journey!
By Joshua Walker: Academic Dean
It was twenty years ago this month that I began working at Cornerstone as a part of the team that would eventually birth Eternity Bible College. I had no idea what this journey would entail. By God’s grace, a college was created in 9 months’ time with 100 students in the inaugural class. Twenty years later, and a lot has changed, but our mission has stayed the same.
We have gone from being entirely on campus, to partially online, to now fully online. We started as a ministry of Cornerstone Church and have blossomed into an independent, accredited college. We began in Simi Valley, CA and now exist as a global college with students around the country and the world.
While we have matured and grown through the years, our core values have not changed since that first year. We are still committed to teaching the Bible so that students can gain deep knowledge with the goal being to produce humility. We are still committed to education that is accessible, not only financially, but also geographically and regardless of a student’s schedule.
As I look back over the 20 years, it’s the people who stand out to me. We have been blessed with amazing faculty. They have changed year to year, but God has always been gracious to send us the right people at the right time. We have also been blessed with many wonderful staff over the years. Many people have come and gone, and God used each of them to help the school grow and mature. And most of all, the Lord has graciously entrusted to us many students over those 20 years. It’s been such a privilege to watch them grow in their love for God and people.
Many of you have been a part of this journey as well—as students, friends, supporters, and encouragers. To those who have been here since the beginning, thank you for journeying with us this whole way. For those who have joined us along the way, we rejoice to have you alongside us for the years to come.
As I teach the students in my class on vocation, we only have one real vocation—to glorify God. What that means in a practical sense is that we are designed to put God’s character on display. He has made us mirrors of his character. As I look back, I see many wonderful mirrors of God’s character. I see mirrors of his grace, his love, his justice, his mercy, his generosity, his kindness, his shalom, his patience, his gentleness, his forgiveness, and his compassion. The list goes on. When I look at the world around us, I see a world that desperately needs more of those characteristics on display. That’s why my hope for the next 20 years is that Eternity will continue to be a place where everyone can grow in the love, knowledge, and humility of Christ. May God help us further our mission over the 20 years and beyond, as we seek to become true reflections of our wonderful God.
