Home 9 News 9 Institution / General 9 Harvest Festival attendees partner with Providence in providing scholarships and bursaries to more than 175 students

Harvest Festival attendees partner with Providence in providing scholarships and bursaries to more than 175 students

Oct 2, 2018 | Institution / General, News

Providence welcomed more than 250 people to the Otterburne campus for its annual Harvest Festival celebration on Friday, September 28.

Comprised of new and long-time supporters, alumni, faculty, students and board and corporation members, the attendees raised $67,821.40 through gifts, table sponsorships and a generous $20,000 match. The funds will be directed toward scholarship and bursary offerings at Providence, which currently benefit about 175 students, including those designated by the Myitkyina Kachin Baptist Association in Myanmar.

The connection between Providence and Myanmar’s Christian community was a prominent theme at the Harvest Festival, and in his after-dinner speech President Dr. David Johnson recapped the November 2017 trip to the country’s northeastern Kachin State undertaken by a Providence contingent.

“Providence has a reputation among the Kachin for training their leaders,” he said. “Tonight we are asking you to partner with Providence in training leaders for the church of the future.”

La Wom Gumling, a Kachin alumnus of Providence, was profiled in a video shown to the audience that underlined the importance of scholarships. Current student Amelia Reimer and faculty members Dr. Stan Hamm and Dr. Rebecca Dielschneider also featured in the short film.

Following a Thanksgiving-style dinner of turkey, stuffing, potatoes and salad dressed with Prairie oils, guest speaker Dr. Tremper Longman turned to Proverbs to discuss the topic of generosity in Old Testament Wisdom Literature. Musician Cody Anderson and his band then provided an enjoyable performance, part of which drew from his latest album, “Hymn and Chorus.”

The entire gathering joined in the singing of Providence school hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” to conclude the evening.

“It was a pleasure to connect with so many of our supporters and to celebrate God’s provision towards Providence as a community,” remarked Samantha Groenendijk, Providence Fund Coordinator. “I would like to thank each member of the Providence community who attended our Harvest Festival banquet for their role in making the night a success.”

Providence
publicrelations@prov.ca
@provmanitoba