Jacob George didn't need to visit campus to know that Southwest Baptist University
was where he belonged.
Surrounded by his church family, including older brother Daniel, Jacob heard stories about SBU but also had the examples of those alumni to follow.
“When I was in high school and thinking about colleges, there were a lot of people from church who graduated from SBU,” said Jacob, a Biblical Studies major with a minor in writing from Marshfield, Mo. “I had thought that these were people I wanted to be like, so I knew I needed to think about that, especially when I was thinking about what ministry is going to be, what I’m going to do and what school would help that the most. Plus, I wanted to stay local.”
Jacob’s youth pastor, Brandon Winkler, a 2009 SBU graduate, helped Jacob along that path.
“I think that had a big impact on me in helping me figure out what ministry would look like,” Jacob said. “When he talked about this place, he always raved about it and certain professors, like Dr. (Bing) Bayer (professor of theology, Old Testament and Hebrew.)”
Jacob had another SBU connection in his pastor and SBU Trustee, Durwin Kicker ’85 – a connection that led to a unique opportunity in the Summer of 2018.
Kicker had worked on the Khirbet el-Maqatir excavation as part of the Associates for Biblical Research, which currently is hosting the “Khirbet el-Maqatir – A Journey through Biblical History” exhibit on SBU’s Bolivar campus.
During an archaeology class with Dr. Bayer, Jacob and his classmates were encouraged to sign up for a scholarship opportunity during a conference held in conjunction with the exhibit. Jacob was selected for the $2,000 scholarship and excited for the chance to visit Shiloh in Israel.
He said he felt like the trip would give him insight of the climate of Israel, as well as being able to visualize the stories.
“We normally don’t get to do that over here,” Jacob said. “We don’t really have that concept of what it would look like for Jesus to be preaching, or the Romans to be in a city.”
The archaeology trip to Shiloh was a bonus to the other mission opportunities Jacob has had at SBU. He has been part of a local ministry called “Good News Club,” as well as a trip to the Pyrenees as part of SBU’s Center for Global Connections.
“With Good News Club, it’s an after-school and children’s program,” said Jacob, who felt called to the ministry as a freshman in high school. “We set up a Bible study with material that we go through that is provided by Child Evangelism Fellowship.
“The Pyrenees was one of the most unique opportunities in CGC because it’s not like an evangelism mission trip as much because you’re not going to a city and building a church or house. You’re walking with people that you've never met before and you’re getting to talk to them in a little more casual setting.”
But having the opportunity to travel to Israel is one that Jacob will never forget. His experience of what Israel was like differed greatly from the “Indiana Jones”/Hollywood version he had envisioned.
“It is really incredible to take 10 days out of the summer and explore the land that Jesus walked and lived on when he was ministering to people,” Jacob said. “It was also interesting to learn about the country of Israel today and the culture, technology and political issues in Israel.
“Education is not only super-important to have to live day by day, but also helps you in your journey of being globally aware, rather than living in a bubble of your culture.”