You definitely might want to check this out before heading into some of the documentation on our site. Don't worry, we have to refer to it sometimes as well and it can feel like the military with all the abbreviations around here. Have fun!
BCOM - Bethany College of Missions
BI -Bethany International- BCOM's parent organization; headquarters located on campus
BIM - Bethany International Ministries - the mission-sending division of BI; headquartered on campus; BIM has over 200 full-time missionaries fielded in over 25 countries around the world. BIM fields our students on Global Internship, and works very closely with the college in preparing B.A. students for this phase of their program.
BPI - Bethany Press International - Bethany's print division; runs as a for-profit business, but funnels a high percentage of profits toward the ministries of BI; located on campus
GO100 - a division of BI, headquartered on campus - a consulting service which assists churches around the world in establishing their own mission training schools
BHOP -Bethany House of Prayer; located on campus; consists of a staff on campus who head up prayer and worship initiatives and maintain a place on campus where people from the community and Bethany associates can go 24 hours per day, 7 days a week to spend time with God.
BHOP staff are part of the college staff as well, and present course material and instruction related to personal spiritual development.
HA - Honor Academy - a division of Teen Mania Ministries; the Honor Academy North is located on the Bethany campus; interns with the HA North are part of an intensive leadership and discipleship program, separate from the BCOM program, but share facilities, dorm space, and office space with the college; HA interns eat meals with BCOM students and they have some chapels and special events together. The Honor Academy South campus is located in Garden Valley, Texas.
GI or HAGI -Honor Academy Graduate Intern; this is a designation given to Honor Academy interns who have completed their one-year discipleship program with the Honor Academy and are now serving as staff for the Honor Academy, while simultaneously enrolled full-time as BCOM students. The GI s retain this status for one year, and then transition to being full-time BCOM students only, earning their B.A. degree in Cross-cultural Studies.
P.T. -Practical Training; This is a required service component of the BCOM program. Students serve in a department on campus for approximately 4 hours per day in a Practical Training position. P.T. gives opportunities for students to engage with supervisors and teammates, learn new skills, develop a good work and team ethic, and advance into leadership roles. Students are not paid for this service. It is a requirement of the college training program.
Outreach Practicum- This is a required, graded, for-credit, ministry component of the BCOM program. Students take part in a specified number of hours in the House of Prayer and participate in various ministry events and activities throughout the year.
Global Internship- Students in the Bachelor of Arts degree program spend 16 months overseas on a Global Internship. This portion of the B.A. program combines real-life missionary experience on the field with coursework, small groups, and special projects to fulfill the majority of credits required to earn our B.A. degree.
Mentors- Mentors are post-graduate BCOM students who have been asked to serve for a minimum of one year as resident supervisors to our undergrad students. Mentors engage in on-going leadership training and are supervised by the Dean of Men and Dean of Women. They also receive support, advice, and encouragement from an Advisor assigned to their group. Mentors lead weekly cell groups meetings with their students, and meet individually with students on a regular basis. Mentors are considered part of the college staff.
Advisors - Adult volunteers from among Bethany associates, Bethany alumni, and Bethany Church, who agree to commit to a small group of students and mentor for a minimum of one year for the purpose of offering godly advice and support to the Mentors and students. Advisors meet weekly with cell groups and are available for individual meetings. They often help with special initiatives and events on campus as well.
MI - Ministry Intern; Ministry Interns are BCOM graduates, friends of Bethany, people from the larger community, former students, and others who apply to serve in any division of Bethany International for a minimum of one year in a volunteer capacity. They live on campus at a minimal cost and give 30+ hours per week of service. They receive training and experience specialized to their interests and department of service.
STEM -Short Term Evangelical Missions - an independent short-term mission-sending agency, headquartered on the Bethany campus. Bethany alumni co-founded STEM and we have enjoyed an on-going, mutually beneficial relationship with this excellent organization.
HR - Human Resources; located in the BPI building, Human Resources takes care of all matters related to employment on campus
Welcome Center - the main reception desk for the Bethany Campus; located in the B entrance of the Administration Building
The Oasis - the student lounge, currently located in the basement level of the Far East building
The Barn - this actually is a barn building (our property was originally a pumpkin farm!); The lower level of the Barn is a very nice meeting facility and can be rented for special events.
The Back 40 - the undeveloped acreage at the far Northwestern corner of our property. This is where our playing fields and bike path are located. Also a great place for Capture the Flag!
BHP - Bethany House Publishers; though currently owned by Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, a division of BHP still operates out of a building on the near Northeastern corner of our property
The Sally (or Sally Ann) - a drop-off area for good quality used items; anyone can visit the Sally and take items that have been donated, free-of-charge; the name is said to be a derivative of Salvation Army or it is named after a missionary named Sally Ann (at least these are two of the stories) - - the true origin is a bit of a mystery!
The Prayer Room - located in the Administration Building; this is where corporate chapels are held and is the main meeting place for the Bethany House of Prayer; classes are sometimes held in the Prayer Room as well
The Call Center - There are actually two call centers in the Administration Building; One in the basement level, from which the Honor Academy does business; the other is on the ground level floor and serves the college
