Lost Lake Tribune December 13, 2008 part 1

Pillsbury finishes its last semester of college classes.- Pillsbury Baptist Bible College of Owatonna, MN had it last week of classes with final exams, final papers and a final chapel this week. Pillsbury announced in October that it would close its doors at then end of 2008. Here is the article from Owatonna.com and the Owatonna People's Press. As Dr. Gregory Huffman preached one of his final sermons at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Thursday, [Pastor] Chad Prigge of Fairmont sat in the back of the chapel video recording his message.The 1991 Pillsbury alumnus doesn’t plan to put it on the YouTube Web site. Rather, it was one last chance to collect a personal memento he’ll have the rest of his life.“It is a sad time, personally,” he said. “We understand God’s hand is in this.”Today, students will pack up their belongings and move on as the semester comes to a close and Pillsbury prepares to close its doors forever. In October, the Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Board of Trustees voted to close the school at the end of the year due to decreasing enrollment and worsening economic conditions.Some students plan on moving back home and working while others will transfer to another college. In one final chapel service during finals week with students, faculty and visitors Thursday, Huffman, the school’s president, told them not to live in fear, but to always have faith no matter what circumstance comes along.In it, he briefly mentioned the school’s closing — which would lead students and faculty to be sad, confused and even frustrated at times. Instead of harboring those feelings, Huffman said people need to trust God in all walks of life. And that would include times of suffering.“Don’t go alone,” Huffman said. “Go with God.”He illustrated his point by telling the story of his son’s attempt to sell his home in Macon, Ga. A potential buyer kept putting off making an offer, while Huffman’s son continued waiting, anticipating the sale.Finally, the person agreed to purchase the home. As it happened, Huffman’s son wound up saving a lot of money when the deadline passed for him to pay a capital gains tax.“Do you think God was involved?” Huffman asked.With finals week coming to a close, Huffman also invoked the theme of “well done” — encouraging students to finish the semester strong and to not blow it in the end.“When God pulls me out of the oven, I want to him say, ‘Well done,’” he said. Sale of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Nearing.- Though no deal is finalized, negotiations are under way for the sale of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, according to school administrators.Dr. Gregory Huffman, Pillsbury’s president, said Friday that a Christian college has visited the campus and that negotiations are in place for a possible sale. Huffman declined to identify the college because a deal has not been finalized. Information on how much the college will be sold for or when the sale would take place was not available.The Minnesota Baptist Association owns the school and is governed by the Board of Trustees. The campus sits on 14.2 acres of land in Owatonna and was assessed by the Steele County Assessor’s Office at $7.48 million in 2004. The sale will be used to meet the obligations to the college’s creditors.On Oct. 21, the school’s Board of Trustees voted to close the school on Dec. 31. Pillsbury spokesman Tom Lawson cited national economic conditions combined with deficits caused by declining enrollment that exhausted the school’s financial reserves as reasons for the school closing. Without necessary funds, the 52-year-old college was not able to complete the remainder of the school year.Before the college officially closes its doors this month, Pillsbury administrators and the Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Board of Trustees will be dealing with the school’s finances and are currently fundraising for a number of projects.Huffman said Friday that at least 10,000 letters were sent to Pillsbury friends, family and alumni seeking donations in order to help administrators present the faculty and staff with severance packages. “We’re working on that to help them with special offerings to help make it a blessing to faculty on the first of January,” Huffman said.Huffman said every faculty and staff member, himself included, will be without a salary when the school closes. One thing he hopes people realize is that God is not expected to forget about them now, even in the slumping economy. Sixty-one administrators, faculty and staff will be without jobs when the school closes.“God’s going to take care of us,” he said.The move to close the school also forced students to find another college. For the last two months, Pillsbury students met with a number of college representatives at the campus to help them transfer course credits to another college. The good news for seniors, Huffman said, is that those credits were able to transfer and that students will be able to graduate with a degree from Pillsbury.Huffman also plans to visit students at various colleges throughout the United States beginning in February. Administrators began collecting donations Thursday and Friday during the Candlelight Christmas performances to help pay for his travel. Huffman said it helps that colleges are also assisting with the effort by offering free housing and lodging.“It’s just really neat to see it all come together,” Huffman said.In addition, L. Werner Lumm, Pillsbury’s executive vice president and academic dean said Friday they’ll be auctioning off Pillsbury memorabilia online at eBay. Some of the items mentioned include banners and trophies.“That’s the only way we know how to sell it and that’s what we’re going to do,” Lumm said Friday. This article is also from Owatonna.com and the Owatonna People's press