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Join Us in Celebrating Our NBC Students!

On a special Wednesday in May, faculty and staff gathered for a special chapel service, celebrating three NBC students who received awards this year. 

The General Superintendents' Ministerial Scholarship was created for Nazarene students at Nazarene colleges who were called into preaching ministry. The primary purpose is to encourage such students to be actively preaching while they pursue ministerial training. This program seeks to assist schools in the development of a generation of preachers inclined toward evangelistic outreach. 

This year, NBC has two students receiving this award. Rev. Nicolle Boone from the Central California District, who is enrolled in the pastoral leadership major, and Rev. Timothy Dolin from the North Carolina District, who is enrolled in the pastoral ministry major. 

Rev. Nicolle Boone:
What are a couple of your favorite things about your current ministry opportunity?

I am lucky to be working in the church where I grew up, and I currently work in the youth department. My favorite things are watching these students grow in their faith with God. These students want to learn and understand what it means to be a Christian, and it is amazing. Watching them read their Bibles, pray, and ask questions to deepen their faith is so amazing I do not know how to describe it. I feel so lucky to be part of it all and watch God work through them.

My second favorite thing is running my Bible study. Five years ago, I started a Bible study for kids who wanted to dig deeper into God’s Word. This group has been so much fun, and I would say we have all learned so much. Last year, I had a student come up to me and ask to help lead it. I said yes. This last year with her as a leader has been so much fun and has changed the group for the better. It was also a great experience because I got to mentor her as she was learning to be a leader, which was an experience I had not gotten to explore yet. She became such a strong leader - so strong she took on other leadership roles in the church. Getting to do this with her was probably my favorite thing I got to do this year.

What are a couple of your favorite things about NBC and your experience here?

I would say my absolute favorite thing about NBC is all the support I have received from the school - from the counselors, professors, students, and faculty members. All of these people have been so supportive in my journey here, and I was not expecting that at all. I honestly thought I would be doing this alone, but NBC reminded me that I was not alone and have so many people in my corner who are here to help me and pray for me. This has made my experience so much better. 

Rev. Timothy Dolin
What are a couple of your favorite things about your current ministry opportunity?

I serve in two ministry roles. One of them started last week technically, and it's an internship with my church to work with discipleship. But the main one I'm currently doing is I am the young adult liaison for the North Carolina Nazarene District, a brand-new role. We never had it before in my district. We just had someone in charge of planning a retreat every year. 

When I went up for my district license last year, they asked me what God called me to do. I said God has put young adults on my heart. Then twelve days later, our NYI president called me and said, I have this new role open for you. The new role I'm starting I'm really excited about because I'm a hands-on type of person. I'll get to go do hospital visits and visit people, learn how to write Sunday school lessons and things like that and learn how to teach it. It's all the tools on the tool belt that I can feel more confident in knowing that when I graduate, I am fully capable of fulfilling my calling. 

What are a couple of your favorite things about NBC and your experience here?

I love how I've worked with the professors. I love each part, I feel like I've learned something. It sounds weird, but sometimes you just check off that you did a class. I remember when I took it taught me to do a church map when you get a new church and go visit what's around you.

I was able to learn something in sociology that when I get my first pastor role, I'm for sure doing. 

I feel more comfortable with my calling, more confident in it as well, where I see these opportunities from God. I know this is what I need to do. But two years ago, I was still asking "God, are you sure that is this is what you want me to do? Is the ministry really my thing?" 

This is my end all goal - to be improving myself daily so I can be there for other people to help them improve daily. And so I've been really grateful for that.

The Evangelism Award is provided by the Chic Shaver Center for Evangelism. Dr. Chic Shaver has been a commissioned evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene for many years and was the professor of evangelism at Nazarene Theological Seminary. The Chic Shaver Center for Evangelism recognizes the importance of highlighting the need for evangelism among our pastors and people. Therefore, they have established this award for a graduating senior or a student entering his or her senior year who shows the greatest concern for and effectiveness in reaching lost people for Christ. 

This year's NBC recipient is graduating senior Rev. Carlos Huertas from the South Central Ohio District, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry with a major in Hispanic pastoral ministries. 

Carlos, tell us where you live, what church you attend, and what kind of ministry you're involved in at your church. 

Well, my family and I, we are originally from Colombia, but we are living in the state of Ohio in a city called Grove City, outside of Columbus.

We are part of a very ambitious church called the Grove City Church of the Nazarene. My wife and I start leading the Spanish ministry or multicultural ministry. This is a ministry that was started post pandemic. So we are reaching this month our fifth year on the ministry.

We started working with other churches around and finding people and sharing the gospel to people, from all different countries. As God was moving all these people to our country, and we have this opportunity now, being involved in this ministry to over 22 different nationalities. We teach English but also we share the gospel. 

We have prayers with them, and we've been having Muslim people, Catholic people, agnostics, everybody, and we are just pouring the love to these people and see them come back and receive that love. So see how God is moving in all these things. That's what amazed me about all these rich opportunities. 

The Association for Biblical Higher Education's Delta Epsilon Chi Honor Society exists to encourage and recognize graduating seniors and alumni from among the accredited institutions of ABHE who have distinguished themselves in intellectual achievement, Christian character, and leadership ability. The NBC faculty has elected Rev. Carlos Huertas to this honor for 2025.