Pinecrest – Bethany has a contract on the Salisbury Center Property

As the Board of Pinecrest Bible Training Center, Inc. we wanted to make an announcement concerning the campus property in Up-State New York. On October the 20th we signed a contract with The Whitestone Academy of Whitestone, New York. They have served the New York City area since 1981 where they offer Grades 6-12. They have International Students from many nations and plan to use the campus to teach and to house both national, as well as the International Student.

They will be required to make a very substantial investment into the property to get it up and running so that when they are done it will extend the life of the buildings and campus into the future.

Because of this sale we will be able to pay a great deal towards past liabilities and it will move us forward towards what the Lord has for us here in Virginia. Whenever the Lord closes a door behind us it is exciting to be able to then move forward to what is ahead.

We are so thankful to all of you who pray and financially support this ministry and we ask you to continue to stand in prayer and financial support with us as we move forward into the future. I believe that we are living in exciting times where Jesus is about to reveal Himself and pour out His Spirit once again upon the earth. There is going to be a great need for the Lord to have places, like Pinecrest-Bethany, where the Lord can dwell with His people and where He can train and teach them by His Spirit.

The vision remains the same: To be a place where He can come and be Lord, as well as a place where His people can come apart to learn His voice, study His Word and pursue His heart, while developing a life-transforming relationship with Him. Here at Bethany, as the Bethany of old, we want to be a place where the Lord loves to come. A place where He is welcome and has friends that He love’s and love Him. An atmosphere where when He comes, everything else is set aside so that He can say and/or do whatever He may please.

Pray with us for a campus setting where we can once again house and teach the students that the Lord is, and will be, sending our way.

To all the alumni who have passed through the doors of Pinecrest or Bethany Bible Training Center, I hope that you will always feel a part of and welcome here. I know the name has changed, the location has changed and through the years the students, the staff, the faculty and leadership have changed, but one thing that remains the same is that our heritage and our birthright is from the same vision that the Lord gave in the birthing of this school. We all are partakers of that vision that was in the Lord’s heart as He drew each one of us here as student, visitor, staff, teacher, board member or leader. He brought us, each one, here for the same purpose.

God bless you,
Jack Picataggi

Life After Bethany- Alumni Update

It feels like only yesterday we were attending chapels and classes, as well as working in the kitchen and maintenance. We are happy to share an update of how our lives have changed and progressed in the Lord since attending Bethany!

Almost four months after graduation, we were married in Florida and moved to Virginia. As students, sometimes we get in our minds that after graduation we must become pastors and plant a church. However, that is not always how the Lord works. Daniel became a heating and air conditioning technician and I became a preschool teacher. We quickly became rooted in a church in Fredericksburg, VA, and began serving in any way possible. We did anything from assisting in leading the youth group to greeting at the doors on Sundays. Where ever we were needed, we allowed the Lord to use us. This included our jobs as well. Being a Christian is living for the Lord every day and taking every day as an opportunity to minister in any way we can. The Lord really used the first year and a half of our marriage as a time of pouring out what the Lord had poured into us at Bethany.

A year ago, our lives changed in a very dramatic way. After much prayer and discussion, Daniel and I decided that the Army was the direction in which the Lord was leading us. This was never what we had planned to do, but God has a way of changing "our plans" and guiding us into His own. It was definitely a trying time for both of us. Daniel was gone for 9 months of training to become a cook as well as an Airborne Ranger, with only a few opportunities for us to see each other. Although this was hard on both of us, the Lord was working in and through us each and every day. He taught us to depend on Him completely. Luke 1:37 says "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Daniel has been able to minister to his fellow soldiers, and set a standard that is not "normal" in the military. This is all by the grace of God.

We were stationed in Washington State as of January 2014. We have found a church here, and are looking forward to how the Lord will use us here on the west coast. We are expecting a baby boy in August, which is such a blessing from God. Daniel deploys soon, and we are praying for grace and favor over him where ever he may go. We are so thankful for what the Lord has done, is doing, and will continue to do in our lives.

God Bless you all!

Daniel & Tabitha



Daniel & Tabitha Canton graduated Bethany in May, 2011.

Student Testimonies

My time at Bethany has been one of the most challenging and rewarding seasons of my life. The Lord has helped me to see how real a relationship with Him can be, and He has challenged me to cultivate that relationship as the most important aspect of my life. In the process of cultivating my relationship with Him, He has also been healing me and making me more like Him. It hasn’t been easy at times, but it has definitely been worth it. Besides a personal relationship with Him, the Lord also has individual plans for each one of our lives, and since coming to Bethany He has given me new clarity, purpose and direction regarding His plan for me. He has opened doors for me and is leading me down a path that is better than anything I could have ever imagined or planned for myself. I feel like I’m on the adventure of a lifetime with my best Friend!

Second Year Student, Joseph Bourg
Olympia, Washington



Since being at Bethany, I have come to know the Lord in a very intimate way. I have seen the wonder working power of the blood of Jesus and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has taken away my anger and sadness, and has replaced it with His love and joy. He has led me to His still waters and restored my strength. I will live to testify of His goodness and great faithfulness.

Second Year Student, Exhilda Mwuape
Zambia



Looking back at my first year, I am in awe at the work God did in such a short period of time. I learned what it was to truly desire the Lord, to want Him and only Him. God revealed Himself to me as my Father, my Bridegroom, and my Redeemer. I found my identity in Christ my first year, and everything else just fell away. Now that I am in Virginia for my second year, I am eager and excited to see what the Lord has for me. He has truly remolded my life at Bethany and I know there is only more to come.

Second Year Student, Jaimie Bornemann
Long Island, NY





I am only in my second quarter at Bethany Bible Training Center and already my time here has been very fruitful. The Lord is really placing a hunger in my heart for more of Him. I am becoming more sensitive to God’s voice through seeking Him one on one and through learning to wait on Him. The more time I spend with the Lord, the more I want to get to know Him. The more He reveals of Himself, the more I love Him. This time at Bethany is not just an experience which will be fondly looked back upon. Instead, it is a time of laying the foundation necessary to live a life continually with Christ as the center. I am eager to use this training and let the Lord build upon it.

Second Year Student, Michael Manion
Cazenovia, NY




I had every intention on going to college after graduating High School, but the Lord quickly changed my plans and called me to Bethany. Since being here, the Lord has transformed and healed me. God has met me so personally both in and out of chapels. I sometimes think of what my life could have been if I followed through with my original plans of going to college, but then I realize that nothing could ever replace my time here. I have come to know God in such a deeper way and for that I am forever thankful.

Second Year Graduate, Ashley Negron
Bronx, NY

Thoughts From A Student On Faith

Lately God has been showing me the great importance of faith in our lives and how we should not take it for granted, because “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

Without faith, we are not able to offer God that which He is due or receive anything He wants to give us and bless us with (Hebrews 11:4, 7–8, 11, 17, 27, 30, 33–34).

Everything we are and do is based on our faith in God: “The righteous will live by faith” (Gal. 3:11). Our source of life is God alone, we find our life, righteousness, and freedom in faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:23–24).

By faith, we have assurance about the truths and realities we cannot see and we have confidence in times of trouble (Heb. 11:1). Fear brings doubt, but faith enables us to obey and follow God. Fear prevents us from moving and growing in God, but faith produces fruit and “faithful actions” (James 2:18).

Faith is our shield (Eph. 6:16). We need it every day and in every situation so we can prevent the flaming arrows of the evil one from hurting us.

Through faith, we are able to find strength in weakness, to conquer every situation in our lives, to obtain the promises of God, and to become the mighty men and women He has called us to be. As His people, we are to walk a life of victory which only comes through faith in Him who overcame.

We should remind ourselves of who God has been in our life and believe in who He says He is, no matter the situation or season we are in. He does not change; He is the same yesterday, today and forever! We must not let ourselves be like the Israelites, when they let unbelief come and blamed God by saying that He brought them out of Egypt to kill them. They forgot who He was and what He did for them. God is faithful in all that He does, and wherever we are, God has brought us there with a purpose: to bless us and use us to bless others.

The place of “holding on” might be the hardest one; it is a place where faith has been tested. It is a place of believing and waiting on God. There we can either let unbelief come, which leads to fear, or we can believe in God, in His Word, and in His promises, and go with courage and boldness into the battle, knowing that it has already been won. No matter how long you have been waiting and holding onto His promises, believe that the One who promised is faithful to bring it to pass (Heb. 6:12, 15).

 God has called us as His people to walk a life of faith, taking up our cross and following Him. He is with us, as our Captain and Shepherd, King and Friend, every step of the way. He has provided everything we need so that we can walk as confident sons and daughters in the victory He has already provided for our lives.

Vyara Markova is a Second Year student from Silistra, Bulgaria. Her name means “faith.”

A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord

“The Lord said that He was here to stay and that he was going to make us a habitation, not just a place that He likes to visit. The question is are we ready for revival and the answer is, absolutely yes. We may not feel like we are ready because we are more aware of what we need, and not what He wants.
What is the lord is speaking? Are we ready for a revival? Are we soldiers? What direction is the Lord taking us? The Lord is saying that we are soldiers in His army. Either we understand, or perish.

 I was frustrated because I thought that I was not going to be a part of what the Lord was going to do. We need to understand something and that is, He never takes us to a desert to leave us there. We also need to understand that the hardest part of traveling through the desert is the end. It is at the end when you run out of supplies, you run out of water, and most of the time you’re hopeless. At that point you are ready to step into the oasis. So the Lord’s been saying recently that we are soldiers in His army. As a soldier we are given orders. One of those orders is to not abandon your post. You must carry out your command to the last detail and I believe the Lord has sent us here with a purpose and a plan to accomplish. I believe the Lord has said that He is going to start a revival!

 Let’s turn to 2 Timothy chapter two. Many of us concentrate on the process but as we read this, I want you to focus on the purpose and the reason why we have been enlisted. Focus on why He is calling us soldiers. Do you think it’s just so we can be organized and trained? Are we prepared for a battle that will never come? Are we farmers who sow seeds but never see the harvest? If the lord has called us to be soldiers, surely there will be a battle. If you are a farmer, you are preparing for a harvest. Our strength is found in Christ Jesus, not in ourselves. Our hope is in God.  For me this is a basic principle of revival. I have heard a preacher saying that the common denominator for revival isn’t prayer, although that is a part of it. The key factor for revival is desperation! Is my desire for God so strong that I want nothing else? Am I truly desperate? By enlisting as a soldier, I know that where I will perform is in the battle. I can be very good in the training but when the battle comes, I need to be able to deliver what I’ve trained for. We have been prepared for such a time as this. I asked the Lord if revival is now, then where are the people? The Lord answered me ‘Cast your net!’ What I’m saying is that each one of us has a responsibility. Each one of us has a gift. Maybe you are thinking why am I even here? Maybe you think you are wasting your time. I believe the Lord has brought you here and you do have a purpose in this city.

You are in a time and place where the Lord is waiting for you to respond. This is a time where you are going to use what the Lord has given you. I want you to be aware of the process and purpose that the Lord has called you to. It’s time to become ready and step into it. Let’s be obedient and understanding of what the Lord is doing.”
                                
                                                             Pablo Molina
                                            An excerpt from last Thursday's chapel
                                                         October 10th, 2013

Alumni Highlights

We are so honored to announce Bethany's former graduates Shane and Rachel Roberts’s ordination as Youth Pastors! Congratulations to you both!


Shane and Rachel are originally from Lowville, NY. After graduating High School, Shane felt the Lord prompting him to attend Bible School at Bethany. He was a student from 2009-2011. Rachel later followed in 2011 and graduated in 2013. After completing her course of study, they said their “I do’s” in May, 2013.

Shane and Rachel are members of New Heart Ministries in Syracuse, NY.


Hello Friends!

Rachel and I wanted to share with our Bethany family what the Lord has done in our lives since graduating in May 2013. As of Sunday, September 15th, we were ordained as Youth Pastors in our home church New Heart Ministries. We have felt the call to be youth pastors for many years and we can’t believe that we are actually seeing it come to pass. We were blessed to have our friends and family come and share this moment with us. We were especially honored to have Rod and Wendy Levey be there and share in this exciting new step of our lives. The presence of God was there and it was beautiful. We received prayer and impartation; it was an emotional time for us. Having Rachel’s family there to support us was an even greater blessing. I believe our marriage has been a true testimony to Rachel's parents of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness.

It is a huge responsibility and privilege to minister to the youth and we don't take it lightly. Our hearts desire is to lead a generation sold out for Jesus Christ, who will walk in the destiny that God has for them.

Thank you, for all of your love and support. We know we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys and of course God, guiding and teaching us. We love you and can’t wait to see all of you again.

Feel free to follow New Heart Ministries at www.newheart-ministries.org.

Love,

Shane and Rachel Roberts

We Have Arrived To Chesapeake, Virginia!

We have finally arrived to our new school location in Chesapeake, Virginia! Chapel and classes have resumed and we are excited to see what the Lord is going to do in this new phase of Pinecrest/Bethany's history. Thank you all so much for your prayers and financial support in our endeavor to follow the Lord's leading. Seven years ago when we arrived in Salisbury Center, Joanne and I were sure that we were signing on to a very critical time in the history of Pinecrest, not fully knowing what the Lord had planned. It amazes me how we think we "know" and the whole time the Lord has something else in mind. Thank God the scriptures tell us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him," yet somehow we think we know. I certainly would rather be in the center of His plan than my own. We do have a few events coming up that we would love for you to be apart of. On October 18th, we will be having our Bethany Dedication Service. November 7th-9th we will be having our Fall Women's Conference. Both events will be held at our new school location at New Life Providence Church, located at: 423 Shell Rd. Chesapeake, VA 23323 For more information visit us at bethanybtc.org, or call us at 757-995-5345. May I ask you once again to please continue standing with us, both in your prayers and financial support? We are in a vulnerable stage and need the strength of your prayers, and of course your financial support. Please note our new mailing address. Bethany Bible Training Center P.O. Box 6010 Chesapeake, VA 23323 If you mail something to the Salisbury Center address it will certainly get to us, just a little slower. You can still call us at 315-429-8521 and it will be forwarded to our temporary number. Just leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Our permanent landline should be connected shortly. Once again, to those of you who are supporting us, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for partnering with us. For those who have not yet decided to support us on a monthly basis, may I remind you of your time at the school and how the Lord changed your life? Your help will make it possible for those the Lord is yet to send, to have the same opportunity that you had. Please pray and ask the Lord if He would have you support us and if He says yes, know that we would be most appreciative.