eBridge August, 2001

Cambridge is beginning classes this week with approximately 70 students... some students are just hearing about Cambridge and are registering even this week. Enrollment has doubled again this year and we are beginning to wonder if this yearly doubling of enrollment is a permanent pattern! We are so grateful to the Lord for growth that we believe is truly His doing and to have the privilege of providing a very unique educational experience to so many students. We have students coming from Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, Plant City, Brandon, Babson Park and Riverview... we are thrilled about getting to know so many families in the central Florida area... and Bruce will be teaching a new adult class of 10 students... last year's adult class of 6 students will continue into its second year.

The Lord has provided a wonderful facility to house the study center this year. The congregation of First Christian Church at 541 South Florida Avenue has offered us the educational wing under their sanctuary as a temporary place for our classes. Work began last week cleaning out the rooms, patching, painting, moving furniture, BOOKS and BOOKSHELVES! We are so thankful for the many volunteers: students, parents and friends who came out to get everything ready by Monday so that the first classes could begin. Our new friends at First Christian have been so encouraging and helpful with the many details that have had to be sorted out. We thank them and all those who have given of their time, energy and furniture! Thank you! Each of the four faculty members have a combination study/classroom and the students have a large lounge area with drink and snack machines where they can "hang out" or study between classes. This room will also be used for the student's Film Fridays. The building contains a kitchen that is being converted into a darkroom for the arts class and a work room for the faculty where we will have the copier, files, fax, etc. We also hope to have a reception area just inside the study center doors for parents and visitors. The classrooms have been furnished and decorated to keep the relaxed, welcoming environment we believe to be so important to the Cambridge learning experience. We are amazed at what the Lord has accomplished through His people in just a week! We hope you will stop to say hello and take a look around! The Cambridge entrance is on the south side of the church on Hickory Street... enter under the brick archway at the "The Cambridge Study Center" sign.

In the midst of welcoming so many new friends this week, our thoughts and prayers are with our seniors from last year who are on their way to college: Katie Mesh, Jacqueline Thrush and Dustin Douglass to Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and Jonathan Streets to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Josiah Armes, who finished his formal high school studies but is still only 13 will remain in Lakeland with his family studying at Cambridge while pursuing advanced organ studies at Stetson University. We are glad not to have to say good-bye to Josiah just yet! Please pray for these young people as they make the transition to college life.

We also are pleased to announce that beginning this month Eric Fullgraf is a full time faculty member of the study center. Eric will be teaching some of the new Thoughts Captive classes as well as Cambridge Prep Year and Language Truth and Manners, classes for which he wrote the curricula. Eric has been a tremendous asset to the study center and we are thrilled to have him on board full time. We also welcome Cannon Kirby as an adjunct facility member. Cannon has written the curriculum and is teaching our fine arts class, Creative in His Image, and also is teaching a first year Thoughts Captive class.

Cambridge Study Center
541 South Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33801
Phone: (863) 686-4862
FAX: (863) 686-4872