A Legacy is a tradition that is handed down from one generation to another. It can be good or evil, valuable or worthless, spiritual or carnal. A Legacy is the impact that we want to leave with others.
In our 30th year, we are both looking back at the Legacy that faithful men and women in the first thirty years of BCC have handed to the current staff AND we are planning for a future Legacy that we hope to leave for the next generation when our time is complete. As we look back over the seasons of ministry, we marvel at the faithfulness of God and how we have been sustained in good times and difficult times as well.
Humble Beginnings
BCC was started in a single church office, in downtown Arlington Heights. No other “biblical counseling” center existed in Chicago, and Dr. Ron and Sherry Allchin were determined that needed to change.
The word began to spread that Biblical Counseling Center could help those in need, through the hope of the scriptures and a strengthened relationship with Christ. BCC began to grow.
Expansion as a ministry
Within a few years, BCC added staff and expanded our mission to become a training center for churches. Multiplying resources and developing leaders who could impact their churches became central to our mission. Dr. Craig Rowe, Dr. Jeff Forrey, Dr. Kerri Wemett, Karen Coulter, Jeff Temple, Jim and Marie Phillips, and others joined the staff to provide life-giving counsel.
Faithfulness and Growth
During the 1990s and 2000s, BCC trained hundreds of students per year. We had six counseling offices regularly counseling 1000s per year. God continued to bless BCC with many opportunities around the world to train pastors in developing countries. Thousands of pastors overseas were trained through this time period.
Transitions and New Beginnings
In 2010, Dr. Ron and Sherry expanded BCC and started BCC in Northwest Indiana. In 2012, Dr. Ron Allchin expressed to the board the need for a transition plan beyond his primary leadership.
In 2015, Dr. Tim Allchin became the 2nd Executive Director. Dr. Donna Hart was added to our team and now numerous other staff members have joined our team as well. Our training programs were greatly expanded through starting an online school for training students in biblical counseling.
Celebrating a “Legacy of Faithfulness”
In 2019, our theme of legacy will be based upon Psalm 100:5.
“For the Lord is Good, his unfailing love lasts forever and his faithfulness continues to every generation.”
Our prayer is that BCC continues the legacy of faithfulness that the committed staff, students and supporters have been entrusted with. We are merely broken servants of the Lord, working for his glory. However, we can proclaim like the Psalmist, that God had been faithful in his love and we are committed to continue to share that faithful love with those in need.
One of the greatest reasons that we know that BCC is making an impact is how faithfully those who have been impacted by it, continue to support it. Virtually every significant gift to BCC comes from those who have been directly impacted and helped.
Your gifts help others like you, people in a time of need who reach out for help. Our counseling fees cover less than half of our budget each year. We keep our costs affordable so that we can reach more people, and we don’t turn away anyone regardless of financial need.
As we finish this year, would you consider helping BCC and our counselors continue to help those in need? Our goal is to raise $60,000 through year-end gifts to help prepare us to make an impact in the year ahead. We ask for your help in moving forward and continuing to build a strong legacy of people comforted and committed by Christ and his Word.
