History of First Nations Bible College
Many Location Changes, One Consistent Purpose!
Randy Barnetson had a great desire to see Native men and women trained for the work of the Ministry in order to go to every First Nations community with the Good News about Jesus, establish Native churches and then, in turn, carry the Gospel from the First Nations cross-culturally, to every Nation around the world. "To the First Nations and From the First Nations" has always been his motto. This need could best be met, Randy envisioned, by a Native Bible School that met the unique cultural and lifestyle needs of First Nations people.
In 1983 classes began in the Anglican Church on the Kwakiutl First Nations Reserve in Canada, and expanded to the Church on the Quatsino Reserve. Some of the early teachers were Peggy Kennedy, and Basil James Jr. (J.J.).
In 1985 Randy moved the School to Vancouver to be a part of a new urban church plant (Vancouver Native Pentecostal Church). Soon the School had 30 full time students who were the core leadership of a church of over 100 members.
In 1987 The School was adopted as an official College of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (Assemblies of God) denomination. Randy served as the first President, the Administrator was Dorothy Fraser. Instructors included Bruce Brown, Dr. L.T. Holdcroft, George Kallappa, James Kallappa, Basil James Jr., Peggy Kennedy and Lynda Prince.
In 1989 Randy left the leadership of the School and the PAOC saw fit to close the school down a couple of years later.
In 1991 Randy re-opened classes in the Prince George Native Pentecostal Church, a church he went to Pastor in Northern BC. This is where Cheryl Bear joined him!
In 1992 Randy, now married to Cheryl Bear, moved the school to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver under a new church they planted with the Foursquare denomination.
Once again, the School flourished and enrollment was around 40 students, who became the core Leadership of the "Street Church", a church that ministered to hundreds of people and served more than 1 million meals to the homeless and marginalized in the poorest neighbourhood in Canada. Many of the Grads went on to plant new churches. Student Outreach Teams travelled out to hundreds of Reserves in the US, Canada and to many nations around the world.
The School enjoyed great growth and the ministry of many Instructors from the First Nations leadership community: Jeff Yellow Owl, Richard Twiss, Huron Claus, David Hopkins, Hugh Grant, Blake Dunn, Charles Hart, Deborah Chein, Jonathan Maracle, Ken Pretty-on-Top, (Jr & Sr), Lorraine Vickery, Hector Hill, Papa Joe McGillis, Levi Beardy, Linda Louden, and Steen Laursen to name but a few!
In 2005 Randy and Cheryl felt Creator Father's call to move the School to Los Angeles (the Indian capital of North America). The students of the school, once again, were part of helping Randy and Cheryl plant a new church ministering to the 150,000 First Nations people living in Southern California and the many Reservations within short driving distance of LA.
In 2008 Cheryl Bear-Barnetson completed her doctoral studies at the King's University in Los Angeles. Randy and Cheryl felt led to move the school back to Vancouver and changed its format to become an Internet-based on line school with regional Intensive classes and seminars held in various locations. This is an exciting new development. Students are now receiving Bible School training without ever having to leave their communities, villages and reserves.
The School has had hundreds of students over the past 28 years. They are serving Creator Father as pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. The student outreach teams ("The New Warriors") continue to travel widely, just having returned from Russia and are looking forward to more overseas ministry trips in the future.
If you are someone who the Creator has blessed with money to invest in His Kingdom- First Nations Bible College is a proven ministry that has yielded good fruit over many years- please consider helping us to train Indigenous Leadership!
