This fall Village Schools of the Bible will celebrate 40 years of ministry. It all began at
Village Free Church in Loretto/Maple Plain, MN in the of fall 1982 when Monty Sholund
was asked to teach the whole Bible to friends at this church. This is the story in his words:
“During these early Village Church days, a man came up to me with a well-worn Bible
and said, “Monty, to look at my Bible you’d think I knew it, but my knowledge of it in its
entirety is pathetic. Would you teach me the Bible?” Inquiries were made and others,
who also had a desire to study the Scriptures in a systematic, disciplined way showed interest.
So, Village Schools of the Bible was born in 1982, at the Village Free Church, with a
student body of thirty. Twenty-two graduated nine months later and this first class
was a wonderful foundation for the years to come. The chairman of this school was
Gregg Bergman and the treasurer was his father, Virgil Bergman. Another school was
begun at the Covenant Church in Buffalo, with 25 students enrolling and this,
too, developed into an enthusiastic class of Bible-lovers.”
Monty led Village Schools until his retirement when he remained involved for several
more years. In 1999, Monty entrusted the leadership of VSB to Max Frazier who is
known for his excellence in teaching. Warren Coe, with his vast experience, aptly led VSB
from 2011 until his retirement in 2020. Laurie Besonen then joined VSB as the Executive Director.
God has been faithful through all these years and the ministry has continued to teach
the whole Bible from Cover to Cover at churches around the Twin Cities, in South Africa,
India, and Pakistan, and virtually over the internet since Covid in 2020. Thank you for
your faithful prayers and generous giving that makes this impact possible.
You are a vital part of our mission and we want to hear your stories about Village
Schools of the Bible. When were you a student? Who taught you? What impact did the
course have on you? Is there one moment or verse or comment that stands out in your
memory? Do you have any pictures of your class or our teachers? Please share your
memories with us so that we can remember the highlights of 40 years of ministry.
Send any items to Trish@villageschoolsofthebible.org.
Read our special Anniversary blog posts here!
