Music2theWorld: John Hallett N

Continuing in John Hallett: From A to Z

N = Northeastern Bible College in Essex Fells, New Jersey

Among the many things John Hallett accomplished in his life, one continues to impact students and people around the world. He was a co-founder of a Bible College.

Here is a conversation I had with Ruth about the founding of Northeastern Bible College, formerly of Essex Fells, New Jersey. Additional notes are inserted between parts of the conversation.

Ruth: "When they were at Highland Lake….Daddy Pettengill (Dr. William L. Pettengill, co-editor of the Schofield Reference Bible) and Johnny (at that time the Minister of Music at Brookdale)…and they (along with Dr. Charles W. Anderson, Pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey) just got together and they decided that they needed to have a Bible College. So, that’s how it started with, I don’t know, about how many students.

[Note: It was during the summer of 1950 that the three men met at the Highland Lake Bible Conference, Highland Lake, New York, where they were serving the Lord together.]

How they got that [the place where they established the school]. It used to be a girl’s school and some how they got the property. It was really beautiful up in Essex Fells, New Jersey. That I think was about 1950

Roger: Dr. Pettengill was a co-editor of the Scofield Reference Bible?

Ruth: Right. And those students from that school…Oh, my, they’re missionaries all over, doing wonderful work from that Bible College.

Roger: So, he (Pettengill) wasn’t really associated with the church and Charles Anderson

Ruth: No, he was just at the Bible Conference in Highland Lake. (It’s in) the Tri-States…they come together PA, NJ and NY….Somewhere up…it might have been Pennsylvania. But it all…Port Jervis (sp), up that way. I couldn’t tell you exactly. I think whether its NY or PA; it’s not NJ though.

Roger: One account says, “It started at Brookdale Church in 1950. 6 students from 5 states made up the student body.”

Ruth: Yah, that’s about right. (Laughter) 6 students. And the choir was made up...I forget…of the teachers.”

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Notes about the school’s development: When Dr. Anderson, Dr. Pettengill and John got together in 1950 at the Highland Lake Bible Conference, Highland Lake, New York, they felt that the New York Metropolitan Area needed a daytime Bible Institute. As they talked and prayed, Dr. Anderson began to wonder if perhaps the Lord desired Brookdale Church to use its facilities to begin such a school. So they opened at Brookdale Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey in September 1950. November 11, 1951 they held their first open house. This became a tradition on November 11 in subsequent years and in ’52 the campus was at Essex Fells. By 1955 they had over 125 students.
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Ruth: Yeah. It really grew. And I’m friends with a lot of those students. This one friend of mine we prayed for…her mother had died and.....she came to the school and she was so lonely And the kids would, you know, would come and help you…and I had her help clean my house. And she was so lonely . We prayed that God would send her a good husband and He sent her a fellow with red hair. (laughter) And she didn’t like red hair. (laughter). And then she said to me, “You know that red hair got prettier every time I saw him.” Now, he’s got gray hair.

I have to show you the book she wrote. We had 100,000 copies made of this book. Went into all the prisons in (state). You can take…..preach in the prisons in (mentioned the state) but a lot of the other ones they won’t let you. We had 100,000…my sister and I had printed copies of this book. First I helped her get 7,000 and then after that it went so well we had 100,000. (A) chaplain was on the air plane one day and he saw someone (who) gave him that book. He was so thrilled…he would love it for the prisoners.”

As a result, this book has been placed in prisons and many prisoners have come to know Jesus Christ through this book! Ruth and the author are great friends!

Ruth’s friend and former student of John Hallett? Phyllis Robinson. She is an author and conference speaker. She has written Great Ideas for Banquets. Children’s devotions: Keys for Kids, The Family Devotions Bible, and The One Year Book of Family Devotions, plus several magazine articles and booklets.

The book that God has used to touch thousands of prisoners is entitled Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God (Phyllis Robinson. Published by Insight Publishing Company, Tulsa, OK)

You can find in at Amazon.Com, as well as other sites:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1930027834/sr=1-10/qid=1235528341/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1235528341&sr=1-10

Northeastern Bible College has had hundreds of its alumni serve as missionaries who have gone all around the world. In addition to Phyllis Robinson, Bill and Joan Mial, who we talked about yesterday, were students at Northeastern.

A little further history: The school began as Brookdale Bible School, at the Brookdale Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The college relocated to a campus in Essex Fells, New Jersey, in the fall of 1952. The name was changed in 1964 to Northeastern Collegiate Bible Institute, and finally in 1973 to Northeastern Bible College. In 1999, The King’s College and Campus Crusade for Christ (which has merged with The King’s College in 1997) merged with Northeastern Bible College, formerly of Essex Fells, New Jersey. At that time the campus moved to facilities in the New York City. The King’s College: http://www.tkc.edu/

Photos of musical groups from Northeastern Bible Institute....1950's. (Click on photo to enlarge)