MACHIAS – Since his childhood, Frank Puffer always dreamed about going to a Bible school.
But as he grew older, the dream became less realistic. Puffer just couldn’t afford it after getting married and becoming the father of five children.
In 1998, Puffer moved his family from Georgia to Washington, where he worked as a custodian for the city of Lynnwood.
One day, a neighbor invited Puffer to the Machias Community Church.
Seven years later, Puffer, 39, thinks the Lord led him there.
“We had no idea that there’s a school there, and it was free,” he said.
The church started a free Bible school in 1995 for those who can’t attend a Bible school for financial reasons, Pastor Ron Sallee said. The evening school has four volunteer instructors and offers a rigorous two-year program with classes such as pastoral ministry and the New Testament survey.
“It’s definitely college level,” Sallee said.
The school, which has about 20 students, doesn’t give an official college degree to its students, but it trains them to serve as pastors in rural communities through a program called Village Missions, Sallee said.
Before coming to Machias, Sallee served as a pastor in a rural part of Oregon through Village Missions for six and a half years.
Many people graduate from a Bible school in debt, Sallee said. If they serve in rural ministries, they don’t often earn enough to pay off the debt. As a result, rural communities have a serious shortage of pastors.
“There are so many communities that have no church at all,” Sallee said.
That’s why he began the free Bible school. The school meets for three terms every year, and each termcosts a student about $100 for study materials. The church offers scholarships for those who can’t afford the materials.
Pete McGwire of Lake Stevens has attended the school since March.
“I want to know what it takes to be a pastor and strengthen my belief and know what I believe,” said McGwire, 39, a father of three.
The program is challenging, but the free tuition helps McGwire, an electronic technician.
Eight couples who graduated from the school now serve as pastors in rural areas in Washington, Oregon and California, Sallee said.
Puffer and his wife, Lynn, are among them. After graduating in 2000, Puffer quit his job in Lynnwood and moved to Woodland, about 35 miles north of Portland, Ore., to serve as a pastor.
The school was rigorous, but didn’t affect his work or leave him with a debt, Puffer said.
“I’m just thankful that (Sallee) and the Machias Church had a desire to begin this,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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