Jeffery Levine
Executive Director, Long Beach Rescue Mission
Biblical and Theological Studies, B.A. '13
Come with an expectation that you will hear from God. Be faithful in your studies. Apply what you learn and you will blessed.
How did your program at Biola prepare you for your career?
The Biblical and Theological Studies program laid a foundation for my teaching, preaching and counseling. It gave me a deep appreciation for the Gospel, for myself personally, but also for it's power to transform the lives of men and women here at the mission.
What did you appreciate most about your time at Biola?
I was working full-time at the mission while studying at Biola. It was wonderful to be able to take the things I was learning into my ministry and apply them immediately. I was able to share with our clients the things I was learning and was able to bring my experiences at the mission into the classroom to share with other students. The faculty at Biola were incredible and left deep impressions on my heart of the otherness of God's word. I would leave a class in tears, fully convinced that God has spoken to us in the Bible.
How did Biola equip you to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ?
It taught me the importance of following Jesus' call on your life. I served at the rescue mission for 12 years before Jesus called me to become the Lead Pastor of Bethany Church Long Beach in 2018. It was confirmed in so many ways that I was to leave the mission and lead my church. Last year when the Executive Director position became available I felt no prompting from God to pursue it. I didn't feel released from Bethany. I began serving on the Board of Directors for the mission when I transitioned to Bethany and was helping out with programs and operations at the mission while they were searching for the next director. But in January 2022 God started to tug at my heart and through prayer and through circumstance revealed to me that I was being called back. It is incredibly hard leaving a church you love so deeply to be obedient to God's call away. But I'm fully convinced this is where I'm supposed to be and have loved being back serving our community in the name of Jesus.
What advice would you give to students considering your degree program?
Come with an expectation that you will hear from God. Be faithful in your studies. Apply what you learn and you will blessed.