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Musicians
on Mission
Bruce and Nancy Muskrat
Fort Worth, Texas
December 2007 |
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Another year has come and gone, and we have celebrated the second Christmas in our Fort Worth home. As we sit by the fireplace, we reflect on the goodness of our Lord and all the blessings He has brought to our lives during this year. We had a new “little elf”,
Claire, bringing joy to our Christmas celebration, along with her big brother Luke. It was so good to have all the family together for an early Christmas the
weekend  before the 25th.
On Christmas Eve we participated in Agape Baptist
Church’s Christmas cantata, “The Holy Light,” written by our choir director, C.L. Bass. Bruce accompanied at the organ, and Nancy played violin in a small instrumental ensemble.
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 Tis the season for singing . . . In August, Nancy & Bruce enjoyed beginning another season with the
Schola Cantorum of
Texas. The group’s “Homecoming” concert at Texas Christian University kicked off the festivities for Schola’s 45th anniversary season. Sadly, that concert was also the final performance with Schola’s musical director and conductor, Dr. Donald Bailey, due to serious health concerns. In October, Nancy was asked to serve as alto section leader and a member of the search committee for a new conductor for the group. The Christmas concert, always the highlight of the year, was presented in three different venues.
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 B.
H. Carroll Theological Institute concluded a very busy and eventful year. Two new Fellows joined the staff in 2007 with additional personnel coming January 2008. With its growing number of staff, BHCTI is still searching for adequate space to house the administrative offices.
Now in its fourth year, BHCTI has approximately 1,700 students in 20 teaching churches in Texas cities, one teaching church in Arkansas, and six teaching churches in Cuba. Over 800 certificates were granted at a
graduation ceremony in Cuba in November. Carroll Institute hosted its Fall Colloquy with guest lecturer Richard Swinburne from Oxford University, one of the most distinguished theistic philosophers of our time. Presently, Carroll Institute is in the process of submitting an application for accreditation with SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools).
BHCTI was represented at various conventions, meetings, and academic gatherings during the past few months. We continue to be grateful to the Lord for allowing us to serve alongside such wonderful colleagues at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute.
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 Amy Muskrat Bihl graduated in August with a Master of Science in Social Work from the
University of Texas at Arlington . In November, she passed the exam to become a “Licensed Master Social Worker. Currently she is the care manager in the Sub Acute Care Unit of
St. Catherine
Center, a division of Providence Health Center in Waco, TX. Her husband, Danny, continues working as a fireman/paramedic in
Harker Heights, TX and is working on various programs of certification upgrades. He continues to train for various athletic meets.
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 In September, Andy was called as Minister of Music and Worship at
HighPointe Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, TX. The church has two morning services. The early service is in a traditional style where Andy leads in singing hymns and Heather accompanies at the piano. In the second service, Andy plays and leads from the piano in a more blended style, incorporating several hymns with the contemporary choruses. Andy directs a hand chimes group as well as the praise band. He continues his studies at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. Also in September, Andy’s wife, Heather, presented the first of two piano recitals that are part of the requirements for a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from
Texas Christian
University. Click on the next link to read more about the TCU advertising
campaign in which Heather was featured. She plans to graduate in May of 2008.
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 Daniel & Sara continue to adjust well to their new environment in Mt. Pleasant, TX. where Daniel is
Vice President and information Technology Officer where he oversees
all technology and data processing operations at Guaranty Bond
Bank. A few months after Claire’s birth in July, Sara went back to work
as Speech Language Pathologist at Titus Regional Medical Center, part-time. “Papi and Nana”
(Bruce and Nancy), as well as Uncle Andy & Aunt Heather, had the wonderful joy of being present at the baby dedication service when Luke and Claire were presented at the
First Baptist Church where Daniel and Sara are members.
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 On September 7-13, Bruce and Nancy attended the
International Mission
Board's "Year of the Emeriti" Conference at Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. There were 1,000 retired missionaries present, representing more than
26,000 years of missionary service around the world. On Tuesday evening, September 11, a total of 60 missionaries were honored in a special retirement recognition service. The Muskrats were recognized for their 29 years of service in
Argentina. It was a special time of reunion with many retired missionaries from Argentina, as well as renewing acquaintances with other missionaries that the Muskrats have known through the years.
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“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you . . .” Colossians 1:3
May this year be filled with God’s presence, love, and blessing in your lives.
Thank you for the blessing you are to our lives.
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Bruce
and Nancy Muskrat are
at B. H. Carroll
Theological Institute, where Bruce serves as as Professor of
Church Music and Missions and is also Director of Business Affairs.
Now "emeritus" missionaries to Argentina, the Muskrats
served 29 years under appointment of the International
Mission Board, SBC. Appointed in 1977 as seminary music teachers,
the Muskrats taught courses in church music and worship in the International
Baptist Theological Seminary, Buenos Aires (1979-2000), and
ministered through music evangelism and participation in church
planting through the mission's Pro-Meta
team. Bruce served as Administrative Support Leader for the Argentine
Baptist Mission, the organization of Southern Baptist
missionaries in that country.
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bmuskrat (at) gmail.com