Gap Year in Theology 

At the College we want to encourage people of all ages and abilities to get to know God's word better. That's why we offer courses like Evening Classes and our Gap Year programme. The Gap Year in Theology is a one year course for those aged 18–24. They will enjoy a tailored programme that includes classes on Bible communication, evangelism, worship, the Gospels, and Christianity and culture (among others). These classes will be supplemented by some guided reading and a tutorial in which to discuss theological issues. If you would be interested read more here or get in touch! Read on to find out what our current Gap Year in Theology student, Annabelle, thinks so far:

My name is Annabelle Millen and I have attended Moira Baptist Church with my family for most of my life. I recently completed my A levels in June of 2023 and am now doing the Gap Year in Theology programme at the Irish Baptist College. I first thought about doing this programme in April of last year, as I was feeling unsure about attending university that September. I decided to have a look at the College’s website, to see what they were possibly offering and came across the Gap Year programme, which sounded like the perfect fit.

I began to pray that God would lead me in the right direction, and had conversations with elders at my church as well as my friend Ana Rut, who had just completed her first year of the Preparation for Ministry course and highly recommended the College. After much encouragement from both my church and family, I applied for the Gap Year programme in the Summer, as I believed that God was pointing me in that direction.

Among the numerous lessons and skills I have learnt this year, I feel that the most invaluable is the deeper understanding of God’s Word I have gained. Each of the College modules have shown me amazing ways that the Lord has worked in biblical history that I had never realised before. I would highly recommend the Gap Year programme to anyone who wants to gain both experience of ministry and serving God, and a higher appreciation for His character and how much He has done for us.

The biggest challenge at IBC has probably been adjusting to a different environment than school. This has involved getting to know people who are older than me as well as keeping up with many different essays and the attached reading. However, I am grateful to God for these challenges and how He has helped me to step out in faith. I feel that I have gained invaluable experience this year by being pushed out of my comfort zone.

One of my favourite experiences at College was our evangelism teams in October. Our group went to Castlederg Baptist for a week and engaged in many outreach activities, such as taking RE classes in local schools as well as some door-to-door work. I was incredibly nervous before each of these activities as I felt inexperienced, but I remember simply praying to God for His help and peace and feeling a wave of comfort wash over me when I realised that no matter where I went or who I encountered, God would be with me no matter what.

I would really appreciate it if you could pray for me in this coming year, as I head off to Queen’s University to study Maths. Here are a few prayer points:

• That I would rely fully on God’s strength instead of my own, as I face the anxieties I feel about next year
• For my organisational skills
• To have more passion to work hard for God’s glory