Inmates from Mount Olive graduate with Bible degrees

Danielle Sandler
·2 min read

MOUNT OLIVE, WV (WVNS) — An achievement was made for eight inmates at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex.

Each graduate received their baccalaureate degrees as the Class of 2023 of Mount Olive Bible College. The graduation ceremony was held on January 24, 2024 in the maximum-security prison’s gym. Family members and staff attended the event, as well as staff, and 23 currently enrolled students of the college.

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Some graduates were also recognized for their GPA accomplishments, and per tradition each graduate was also given a Servant’s Mantle, a symbolic towel significant to the college.

“I’m going to continue to be a student of God’s Word for the rest of my life. Being part of the Bible college has reminded me I am loved and I am not forgotten. It has helped me to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord,” one graduate promised.

Mount Olive Bible College is a part of Appalachian Bible College of Mount Hope, West Virginia. This branch of the college works with the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to help run a rehabilitation program for inmates to grow and succeed in life.

Director of Mount Olive Bible College, Dr. Steve Russell expresses how the bible has made a difference in his students life, “As they studied in order to share the Word of God with others, that truth has also shaped and transformed their lives. I believe that the Lord will use each of these men as a powerful testimony to His grace both inside the correctional system and eventually on the outside. And the cycle of instruction begins again with another group
of students!”

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Mount Olive Correctional Complex is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and well as the Association for Biblical Higher Education, which promotes bible study and observance, as well as other educational programs in the prison. The prison also offers Field Service, which gives students a chance to practice and learn outside of the classroom.

Appalachian Bible College has been training men and women to serve in church-related ministries and activities since 1950, and offers a wide variety of courses to study.

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