University classes offered at Friendship Baptist Church

Jim Darity has been in ministry for 35 years, but he lacked the necessary credentials for some pastoral positions to which he aspired.

So after moving to Columbus a few months ago, Darity enrolled in a university level program at Friendship Baptist Church, located at 831 Sixth Ave. He's now working on a bachelor's of arts in religious studies.

"I always wanted to continue my education in religious studies," said the 50-year-old student, who relocated from Dawson, Ga. "This was really a godsend. I came to Columbus thinking I was going to another city where there was not that opportunity. And, lo-and-behold, here we are less than a year later and the extension became available."

The "extension" that Darity referred to is a Columbus satellite program established a year ago by Beulah Heights University, an accredited, Atlanta-based Christian institution that has existed since 1918, according to its website. In addition to bachelor's degrees in religious studies and business administration, the extension also offers master's and doctorate degrees in religious studies through classes taught in the church's education annex.

Roderick Baptiste, a professor and the extension's administrator, said the university had 20 local students enrolled for the fall semester. Classes are generally held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Another class is held 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays.

The extension is currently registering for the 2016 spring semester, which begins Jan. 11.

"All of the students are not ministers, so we encourage anyone that wants to grow in their knowledge of God to enroll," Baptiste said. "Most of the people that are here are active in their churches -- Sunday school teachers, educational superintendents, preachers and pastors."

Classes in the bachelor's program are "Developing the Healthy Leader," "English Grammar," "Urban Evangelism," "Accounting," "Systematic Theology I" and "Effective Oral Communication." Those in the master's program include "History of Christian Thought II," "Systematic Theology I" and "Hermeneutics."

There is an accelerated doctoral program with classes online and on campus that students can enroll in for the spring 2016 semester. Those classes are listed on the university's website at www.beulah.org.

The subjects are taught by about five local professors who hold master's and doctorate degrees and are able to provide students with a more in-depth understanding of the Christian faith, Baptiste said.

"Though it's a religious setting, we deal with it from an academic standpoint and so there's a difference between Sunday School and academic and religious studies," he explained. "From an academic standpoint, we dig deeper into the historical part, the theology part, what seals our belief system.

"Today we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, he's the propitiator, the go-between, the advocate, he's the one that sits at the right-hand of the Father," he said. "We believe that his blood was shed for the remission of sin. But why? So we dig into the elements of debates, contradictions of philosophical views from what we call 'early church fathers' who were philosophers."

The Rev. Emmett Aniton Jr., pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, said the extension program is just a continuation of the congregation's commitment to education. He said the American Baptist Theological Seminary had a similar extension at the church, which offered certificates and diplomas. After that program was discontinued in 2013, Beulah Heights contacted local church leaders about launching an extension at the location.

He said Baptiste established the program and recruited students, many of whom obtained financial aid and veteran benefits, grants and scholarships. All students enrolled through Columbus receive a substantial student discount.

"We already had the teachers, the facility and some of the students, so they could just continue on with their education under another umbrella," Aniton said. "This May, we will have our first candidate for graduation, we're excited about that. It's been going quite well, and we just need to publicize it so more people will know about it and it will continue to grow."

Buelah heights is an accredited member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and the Association for Biblical Higher Education, according to information provided by Baptiste. To qualify for the program, candidates must have a high school diploma or GED. A formal high school transcript and $30 application fee are also required.

Maurice Delmar, 55, is an assistant pastor at St. James Missionary Baptist Church. He started the master's in religious studies program at Beulah Heights University last year before the local extension opened.

The university's vice president of academic affairs asked him to recommend someone who could help the program in Columbus and he suggested Baptiste. He said driving back and forth to Atlanta made his life more stressful, and he was happy to hear about the new extension.

"I had to drive from Columbus to Atlanta two, sometimes three times a week," he said. "Well, can you imagine what that did to my stress level, my travel time, my gas? It was burning me out. I was taking 15 hours, comprised of three classes at main campus. I'm so glad that we have created this extension and that drive to Atlanta is no more,"

Delmar, who as a bachelor's in education from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., said the classes he's currently taking include Old Testament, New Testament and Introduction to Christian Thought. He's enjoying the experience and is looking forward to earning his master's degree by 2018.

"They're willing to work with your time schedule," he said of the professors and administrators of the program. "They realize that you have other responsibilities -- family, and work, and assignments at your church. So, for me, it fits like a glove."

Alva James-Johnson, 706-571-8521. Reach her on Facebook at AlvaJamesJohnsonLedger.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 10:14 PM with the headline "University classes offered at Friendship Baptist Church ."