We are pleased to welcome back Ken Ham for the Pinter Lecture Series. Attend in person or watch online: Monday and Tuesday, January 24 & 25. Details: abc.edu/pinterlectures
ABC News
Greek Grammar II puts smiles on these faces! Or maybe it's because it is Friday? The first week of the spring 2022 semester is already complete.
A new semester begins tomorrow. Would you take a moment to pray for everyone traveling today and for a healthy campus family—physically and spiritually?
Campus is a special kind of beautiful when blanketed in snow. And did you know it's just 20 miles to the nearest ski resort?
Teens: visit ABC and enjoy our Alpine Ministries Winter Camp, including a day on the slopes! Info here: abc.edu/experience
Please join us for these events! Stay tuned for further details.
UPDATE: the Anderson Leadership Symposium has been canceled for this year.
Calendar: abc.edu/news-and-events/calendar/
2️⃣1️⃣ photos to close out the year. God gave us a full and blessed semester!
Longtime faculty member and daughter of founding president Dr. Pipkin, Sarah Vernice (Pipkin) Shook entered the presence of her Savior on December 24, 2021 after an extended bout with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 81.
Born on June 25, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Lester Eugene Pipkin and Vernice Gretchen (Hartz) Pipkin, Sarah was the eldest of five children, and was named in honor of her two grandmothers, Sarah (Stephens) Pipkin and Vernice (Harris) Hartz. In 1950, the Pipkin family moved to Whitesville, WV, where Sarah’s father founded the Appalachian Bible Institute (now known as Appalachian Bible College), which was relocated to Bradley, WV in 1956. Sarah attended the school herself, receiving her diploma in 1960. She furthered her studies at Concord College and then at Bob Jones University, where she earned a B.A. in Sacred Music in 1964 and a M.A. in Fine Arts, Piano in 1966.
Sarah was a gifted pianist and organist, with her music training beginning at a young age under the tutelage of her mother. Although she performed in numerous concerts, she was uncomfortable being directly in the spotlight. Her favorite role was that of accompanist to an untold number of soloists, choirs, and musical groups at concerts, weddings, and other celebrations. She was committed to local church ministry, serving as pianist or organist for congregational worship in every church she attended from the time she was a young girl until a few years ago when her disease prevented it. She and her husband also faithfully and generously supported mission work around the globe.
In 1966, Sarah joined the faculty of the Appalachian Bible Institute as a music instructor, where she taught for 19 years and eventually became the Chair of the school’s Music Department. She married John Russell Shook, Jr. on December 19, 1981. When John joined the army in 1985, military life took them to several different posts, including a couple of years in New Carrolton, MD, during which time Sarah taught music at Washington Bible College. After her husband completed his military service, Sarah joined the music faculty at Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, MO, where John was also on staff. During her tenure at Calvary, Sarah directed and choreographed several major musical productions, including a performance of Fiddler on the Roof for which she also designed and built the sets. In 2002, the Shooks moved to McAllen, Texas, where Sarah worked with the music programs of several schools in the Rio Grande Valley and taught piano privately.
Sarah’s creative talents extended well beyond her musical and teaching prowess. She was an exceptional seamstress, sewing not only many of her own clothes, but also the bridesmaid dresses for the weddings of two of her sisters. Her nieces recall the dresses, dolls, and quiet books she made for them as children, many of which have already been passed down to the next generation. For Christmas, she frequently made personalized gifts for family members which continue to grace their homes every holiday season. In addition to sewing, she embroidered, worked with fabric mâché, made wall hangings, quilted, and braided rugs. She liked to garden and was particularly fond of roses and dogwood trees. Extremely intelligent and well-read, one of her favorite past-times was working diagramless crossword puzzles.
Because she had no children of her own, Sarah’s nieces and nephews occupied a special place in her heart. She opened her home to them and engaged in their lives as much as she could. She especially enjoyed those opportunities where their interests overlapped with hers. Additionally, through conducting children’s choirs in her local church, traveling with college ensembles and choral groups, directing musicals and other performances, and giving piano and organ lessons, she became close to many of her music students, often referring to them as “her kids”. She continued to keep in touch with many of them after they stopped studying with her. While known for her exacting standards and attention to detail, her students also recall her patience with them even when their skill and dedication did not match her own. Inspired by the work of her grandfather, Otto Hartz, Sarah spent the last several decades of her life doing genealogical research, documenting more than 4,000 people in her family tree. She was as meticulous and thorough in her research as she was in her musical preparation, compiling much of it from paper documents without the assistance of internet resources. She wrote a 250-page history of the Pipkin family and was working on producing a similar narrative for both the Shook and Hartz branches of the family tree. Her extensive quality research has ensured her family’s rich legacy and heritage will be propagated and enjoyed for many generations to come.
Sarah was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and a sister, Rhoda Jean Barker. She is survived by two sisters, Ruth Anne Wegner and Rebecca Joy Merrell, a brother, L. Stephen Savage, and 9 nephews and nieces. The family will receive friends on January 4, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon at Funeraria Del Angel, 3811 N. Taylor Road, Mission, TX. A memorial service will commence at noon (Facebook live stream available at facebook.com/FDAValleyMemorial/), followed by interment at Valley Memorial Gardens in Mission, TX.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to the Sarah V. Shook Memorial Fund to benefit the Music Department of Appalachian Bible College. Donations may be mailed to Appalachian Bible College, 161 College Dr., Mount Hope, WV 25880, or may be made securely online at abc.edu/give by choosing Other and specifying the Sarah V. Shook Memorial Fund.
Through another year, Appalachian Bible Fellowship has been effectively led by its board of directors. Thank you to the men and women who serve in this way, usually behind the scenes.
Board members: abc.edu/about-abc/board.php
Have a blessed Christmas celebrating the Incarnation.
Watch the Chorale sing "See Amid the Winter's Snow" with lyrics by Edward Caswall:
https://youtu.be/9wKodZoImBk?t=1807
Have a blessed Christmas celebrating the Incarnation.
Watch the Chorale sing "See Amid the Winter's Snow" with lyrics by Edward Caswall:
https://youtu.be/9wKodZoImBk?t=1807