Founded in 1899

ONEIDA MOUNTAINEERVOL. 97, NO. 2

A bi-monthly newsletter of Oneida Baptist Institute Education for Time and Eternity May/June 2020

Meet some of our 2020 graduates

Oneida was life-changing for Hope

(Hope continued p. 2)

Hopewasstruggling inadifficultfamily situation in central Kentucky.Adopted by their paternal grandpar-ents, Hope and her brother had spo-radic contact with their mother andstepfather and no contact with theirfather. Hope began getting into trou-bleatschoolandsaid,“Iwasrebellingagainst my family and failing all of my classes.Ijustkindofstoppedcaring.... My [grandmother] brought me toOneidatogetawayfromallthat.” Ajuniorwhensheenrolled,Hopeadmitted that she purposely did the “bareminimum”atOBIandrefusedtosocialize.Oneeveningatsupper,thecheerleading coach approached her.“She looked at me and said, ‘You’dmakeagoodbase.I’llseeyouatprac-tice!’Iwastiredofsittingaroundalone,so I went. I met friends, and that’swhenIfiguredoutthatIlikedithere.”

Dear Partners in the Gospel, Ourworldhascertainlybeenflippedupsidedowninthepastfewmonths,butGodisgoodandisclearlyatworkduringthisunusualtime.Likemostallministriesandbusinesses,thispandemichasimpactedOBIinunprecedentedwaysandsomedifficultdecisionsregardingtheOBIministryhavebeenmade.Theremainderofour traditionalschoolyearwascancelledandourstudentsfinishedtheircourseworkonline.Thereweresomechallenges,butourteach-ersandstudentsadaptedwonderfully.Wearestillholdingouthopetohaveatraditional, in-persongraduationceremonysometime this fall.WesuspendedtheconstructionofUnderwoodHall,ournewdininghall,buthopetoresumetheprojectwhenthetimeisright.Wehaveworkedtofindfinancialsavingsineverywaypossible.Wecancelledourvolunteerseason.Somedifficultdecisionsre-gardingourstaffhavealsobeenmade.Noneofthesedecisionswereeasytomake,butIamgratefulfortheLord’sdirectionandprovision. Wewill,ofcourse,followmandatessetforthbyourGovernorandlocalandnationalhealthofficials,butweareplanningtoopenthe2020-21schoolyearonAugust10.Ianticipatethestudentbodywillconsistofmostlydaystudentsandlimitedboardingstudents,butwewilldoourverybesttoprovideanEducation for Time and EternityforallstudentstheLordsendsourway. ManyhaveaskedhowtheycanhelpOneidaduringthistime.Pleaseprayforusand if theLord leadsyoutodosopleasegivemonetarily.TheferventprayersandsacrificialgivingoffaithfulpeoplehavesustainedtheworkofOBIfor120years.TheLordhasmetOneida’severyneed throughsomedifficultdaysandwearegratefulforyourroleinHimdoingjustthatonceagain. Itisatremendousprivilegetobeapartofthisamazingministryanditisin-crediblyhumblingtoleadthisministry.Thankyouforyourloveandsupportand

maytheLordblesseachofyouwithhealth,grace,peace,andprosperity.

WithaGratefulHeart,LarryA.Gritton,Jr.,President

Would you like to contact us?www.oneidaschool.orgtelephone:606-847-4111

Emerald grew in faith and friendships(Hope continued)Shewentontojoinchoir,softballandgolf. She was named the Most Im-provedGolferandearnedathleticlet-tersincheerleadingandsoftball.Shemade thehonor roll and receivedanacademicaward.Afteremergingfromher dorm room, Hope said, “I didn’twanttobelikethatanymore,soIde-cidedtochange.” WhileHopewasmakingimprove-ments in her social life, God wasworking on her heart. Before com-ing toOneida,shesaid, “Wewent tochurcheverySunday, but I didn’t re-allylistentoanythingtheyhadtosay.”Daily chapel services at OBI offeredsomethingdifferent.“I really likedev-eryone’s testimonies,”shesaid.Aftermuchdiscussionwithhergrandmoth-er,shegaveherlifetoChristandwasbaptizedatherhomechurchthedaybefore she returned to OBI to beginhersenioryear.Shesaid,“Ifeltlikeacompletelydifferentpersonafterthat.” Reflecting on her two years atOneida,Hopesaid,“Itwasgood,be-cause Iwouldn’t be the person I amnow, and I wouldn’t be following theLord if I had not come here. Some-times we need a life-changing eventtorealizeweneedhelp.” HopewouldliketoworkforAmeri-corps after graduation. She said, “Iwant toworkwithkidsandhelppeo-ple.”

From Pennsylvania, Emerald enrolledat OBI in the seventh grade. Family mem-bershadattendedOneidamanyyearsago.HereflectedonwhatbroughthimtoOBI:“Ithinkmymomneededsomewhereformetogountilshewasmorestable.Wehadmovedaroundalot.AtfirstIthought,‘WhyamIcom-ing here?’But I realized the reasonwas tohelpmymom.Itwashard,though.” Emeralddescribedhimselfasveryso-cial which eased his transition to boardingschool.Headded, “Thefirst thing that Ino-ticedaboutOneidawas that itwasverydi-

verse.Imetalotofpeoplefromallovertheworld!”HeagreedthatOneidafriend-shipsareunique.“Youeventuallyformabondwiththefriendsyoumakehere.Youbecomelikebrothersandsistersinaway,”hesaid. RoomchoresandafterschooljobsandactivitieswereeasyforEmeraldwhocommented,“Mymomtaughtmethatcleaningandworkingisallpartoflife,soIwasusedtothat.”HeworkedasasupervisorofcleaningcrewsearningOut-standingWorkerawards.Healsoparticipatedinbasketballandtrackandfield. Baptized in thefifthgrade,Emerald said, “I becameaChristianata veryyoungage,butIkindoffelloff.AtOneida,Ifeltmyfaithcomingbackandgettingstronger.Now,ItendtotalktoGodalot.”Headded,“Ilookedforwardtogoingtochapel.Sometimes,Ifeltliketheyweretalkingtomedirectly.” Lookingforwardtograduation,Emeraldsaidwithasmile,“WhateverIdo,it’sgoingtobebig!”

Erica is the second offourchildrenwhowerehome-schooled until 2014 whenthey enrolled at OBI as daystudents.Theirfather,anOBIalum, wanted them to experi-ence OBI’s Christian envion-mentandextracurriculars. As a sixth grader, Ericaneeded academic support.She recalled, “I wasn’t reallygreat at math and reading, so they put me in the tutoring lab. It helpedme a lot.” Sheneeded one-on-one attention inotherclasses,too.Ericaex-plained,“Iusedtonotwantto

work.MysixthgradeteacheratOBIinstilledaworkethicinme.” Beginninginthe7thgrade,EricabecameastraightAstudent.Inhighschool,sheenrolledinhonorsanddualcreditclasses.TheOBIfacultyvotedEricatheMostStudiousandMostOutstandinggirlinherclassingrades9-11.“We’renotjustanumberhere;theteachersactuallygettoknowyou,”shesaid.Ericagradu-atedastheSalutatorianoftheClassof2020. EricawasactiveinsportsatOBIbeginninginthesixthgrade.Inhighschool,sheearnedhervarsityletterjacketandqualifiedforthestatetennistournamentandtheClassAstategolftournament.Outsideofschool,EricaisactiveinherhomechurchandhasworkedasacounseloratYouthHavenBibleCamp. Beginninganursingprogramthisfall,Ericasaid,“HopefullyIcancomebacktoClayCountytoservethepeoplehere.I’vegrownuphere,andIseeaneed.”

Erica got the support she needed for success

Ways Kentucky Baptists Can Support Oneida during 2020• Pray for OBI and its stu-

dents. James 5:16 “...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

• Give as you are led. Thebackbone of our financialsupport—65%—comesfromindividuals, churches andothersources.

• Share the Oneida story with families who may need our ministry.Youcandirectpeo-ple to our website:www.oneidaschool.org

Sisters, tennis doubles partners and top scholars Erin Metzger ’19 (left) and Erica Metzger ’20

Anna blossomed into her full potential AdoptedfromChinaatageseven,Annagrew up with her family in North Carolina.Shebeganhavingproblemsatherpreviousschoolandsaid,“Iwasbulliedalotaboutmyrace.”Hergradeshaddropped,andAnna’scounselor recommended boarding school.“Shetoldmehersonwenttoboardingschool,anditchangedhislife.Iwantedtochangemylife,too!”Annasaid. Annahadbeentochurchafewtimes,but during her first semester at OBI, shebecameverycuriousaboutGodandaskedmanyquestions.Shesaid,“Iwantedtogotoheaven,soIwantedtogetsaved,butIdidn’t

knowhoworwhentodoit.”Twoofherfriendsledher inprayer.“Igotsaved,andIgothappy!”shesmiled.Whenshemadethehonorrollasafreshman,sherecalled,“Iwassohappy,andmyparentswerehappy,too!” Withheracademics inhand,sheexploredafterschoolactivities includingdramaandtrackandfield.SheworkedonthefarmandparticipatedinFFAandlivestockshowingallfouryearsofhighschool.Shesaid,“Ilikedhowthefarmdidadevotionaleveryday,andweprayedbeforewewenttowork.Also,ifyoudidn’tunderstandhowtodosomethingtheywouldhelpyou.AtOBI,theywillnevergiveuponyouandtheywillhelpyousucceed.” Annaplanstouseherlivestockshowingskillsatajobasapetgroomeraftergraduation.AnnasaidshewillmissherOBIfarmfriends.“Onceyouworktherealotit’slikeafamily,andIwillmissseeingthemandsharingallthelaughterwehad.”

Frankgrewupinanurbancityinwest-ern Kentucky. The oldest of four children,Frank said that he and his single motherwere having frequent and heated conflicts.“Iwasahardheadedkid. ... Iwashangingaroundpeople [who] didn’t care about any-thing.Iwasalwaysdisrespectingandlyingtomymom.Iwasslackingatschool,”hesaid.FriendsfromchurchrecommendedOBI. Agreeingthatheneededachangedidnotmean that Frank was excited to attendOBIhissophomoreyear.Thelongerhewashere, the more his outlook changed. “Thepeople here are so friendly. You find a lot

ofhard-workingpeoplehere,anditchangesyourwholementality.Itmotivatesyou,”hesaid.Withextrahelpfromteachers,Frankstartedpassinghisclasses.“Icaredmoreaboutmystudieshere;Iactuallylearned,”hesaid. EvenOneida’sruralsettingmadeapositiveimpression.“IcouldlookaroundandseethefieldsandtheflowersandappreciateGod’sbeauty.Bytheendoftheyear,IwantedtocomebacktoOBI,”hesaid. Hisjunioryear,FrankenrolledinweldingclassattheOBIfarm.Thefollowingsummerathome,heappliedforajobatadieselenginerepairshop.Herecalled,“Atfirst,theydidn’twantmebutItoldthemIknewhowtoweldbecauseIlearneditatOBI.”Afterdemonstratinghisskills,Franksaidhewashired.Heplans toobtainhiscertificationinweldingandisconsideringmilitaryservice. WhenhefirstcametoOBI,hisgoalwastoreturnhomeasquicklyaspos-sible. Now, Frank has advice for younger students: “Get involved and talk topeoplehere,becauseyouwillfindpeoplewithasimilarsituationtoyou.”

Frank found a fresh outlook, God’s beauty

Anne appreciated college prep support

A first-year international studentfrom Tanzania, Anne said, “It’s onlybythegraceofGodthatI’mhere,soIamreallygrateful.”Herolderbroth-er graduated from OBI in 2015, butcircumstances had changed for herfamilywhen itcametime forAnne toconsiderstudyingabroad.Betweenapromotion for her father and a family friend helping with the airline ticket,Annewasablepursuehereducationalgoals.“Godjustopenedthedoor!Lifeathomeishard.Ihavebetteruniver-sityoptionsinAmericawhichwillhelpmemakeastrong foundation formyfuture,”Annesaid. AnnecomesfromastrongChris-tianfamilyandappreciateddailycha-pel services at Oneida. “It helped tobuild my relationship with God. Dr.Pricetalkedtousinawaythatwasre-latable.Healwayshadstories!Itwasfuntolistenandnotboring!”shesaid. AnneobservedthattheministryofOneidaextendedoutsideof the cha-pelservice.Sheexplained, “The realactioniswhathappensinthedorm.Isawhouseparentstalkingtostudentsall the time, to help them with hygiene or to confront them about their be-havior.Thehouseparentstrainyoutoputthewordsyouhearinchapelintopractice.” AtOneida,Annehasappreciatedthesupportshehasreceivedwithhercollegeapplicationprocess this year.Shesaid,“Atmyoldschool...lookingforscholarships,applying tocolleges...youhavetodothatallonyourown,”sheexplained.SheplanstoremaininKentuckyforcollegeandmajorinso-cialworkorbusiness.

Michaellivesjustfiveminutesfromcampus,soitwasaneasychoicetoattendOBIbeginning inthe seventh grade. “A bunch ofmy friendswerecominghere,too,”headded. MichaelgrewupgoingtoSundaySchoolinhislocalchurch.Hesaid,“WemoreorlesslearnedtheOldTestament.”InhismiddleschoolBibleclassatOBI,he learnedmoreabout theNewTestament.His Bible teacher was also his history teacherandMichaelrecalled,“Hewasdifferentthanotherteachers. He was always kind of energetic.” Mi-chael’smiddleschoolteachersvotedhimtheMost

Studious7thGradeBoyandtheMostOutstanding8thGradeBoy. Attendingdaily chapel throughoutmiddle andhigh school helped to keepMichaelgroundedinhisfaith.Hesaid,“Chapelisaprettygoodthing.It’sare-fresherifyou’veheardsomeofitbefore.Thestafftestimoniesletyouknowalittlebitmoreaboutsomeofthestaffworkingherethantheywouldnormallytellyouabout.Chapelgivesyouatimetorestwhereyouaren’thavingtowriteanythingdown.” Inhisfreetimeathome,Michaelhelpsoutonhisfamily’ssweetpotatofarm.“We raise a little of everything, but sweet potatoes are the biggest thing,” heexplained.AtOBI,Michaeltookacoupleofagricultureclasses,includingsmallenginerepair,aselectives.Forthepast threesummers,hehasworkedintheareaofmaintenanceataU.S.ForestServicerangerstationnotfarfromOneidaintheDanielBooneNationalForest.Aftergraduation,MichaelplanstocontinuethisjobparttimewhileattendingSomersetCommunityCollegetostudyelectricaltechnology.WhenaskedwhatkepthimreturningtoOBIthroughhissenioryear,Michaelreplied,“Imadealotofnewfriendshere.”

Michael gained friends, work skills at OBI

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Oneida, KYPermit No. 4

Bits & Tidbits

•MarkyourcalendarforHomecomingonOctober

17,2020.

•Registrationforthe2019-2020schoolyearisnowopen.Localstudentsat-tendFREE!E-mail:admis-sions@oneidaschool.orgorcall:606-847-4111,x233

• FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: AUGUST 10, 2020

•Weareplanninganin-per-songraduationceremonyfortheClassof2020onSeptember5,2020.

•FollowusonFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/

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