KMBC has a phenomenal history and heritage. The school was founded on a shoestring budget with very humble beginnings. The founders were spiritual giants! They came as pioneers and “missionaries” from Asbury College to a poor land-locked region plagued by feuds, murders, moonshine, and bootleggers. It was a lot like the Wild West. The county was known as “Bloody Breathitt.” Over a 50 year period there was an average of one murder per week in the county. Into this rough territory, they brought the message of full salvation and deliverance from all sin. They came without the promise of a salary. They sacrificed, worked hard, shopped for their clothes at the “Mission Barrel” store, used hand-me-down furniture, and drove old cars, yet they were a happy bunch. They counted it a joy to live simply in order to provide an affordable education for poor Appalachian children. They were poor in what this world values but very rich in what heaven values! They were godly, pious, conscientious, virtuous, unselfish, faithful, dedicated, and humble servants. Many of the stories from the early days of the work sound similar to stories from the book of Acts!

I believe in KMBC because we honor those who went before us, blazing the trail and laying the foundation for what we have today. KMBC has stayed true to its original mission. (Very few colleges have done this.) We often host an annual heritage week in our chapel, retelling the stories and celebrating the lives of our early heroes. Our students love Heritage Week. It is about the most popular series we do in chapel.

It seems that Americans are good at forgetting or rewriting history. It seems to be a popular sport to make villains out of early heroes. When history is forgotten, timeless lessons and principles that made America great are forgotten. At KMBC we don’t want to make the same mistake that our country is making. We seek to revere our forefathers, preserve their virtues, and follow their principles of excellence. We don’t put them down or make them an irrelevant part of a forgotten past. Instead, we lift them up and seek to become great by standing on their shoulders!