Hobby Lobby Founder and 2003 Assemblies of God Superintendent's Medal of Honor recipient David Green has become an answer to prayer for Zion Bible College, the Assemblies of God Bible school located in Barrington, Rhode Island.

According to recently retired Southern New England District Superintendent and Zion's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Otis Stanley, through a "remarkable act of generosity," an affiliate of Green's Hobby Lobby stores will purchase the former Bradford College campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The 18-acre, multi-million dollar campus, which features eight buildings, including three signature halls, will then be given to Zion Bible College.

"How do you describe this?" Stanley asks rhetorically. "It is simply unbelievable what God has done."

Bradford College, a former liberal arts institution, closed in 2000. Since that time, the community of about 60,000 located just north of Boston, has been seeking another college to purchase the campus. Zion had expressed interest in the campus last year, but pulled out of negotiations when estimates of the costs of refurbishing and repairs were made known.

Then, only days before the property was to be auctioned, Green and Hobby Lobby stepped in.

"The likelihood of Zion acquiring the Bradford College property seemed remote at best," Stanley says. "However, once Hobby Lobby became interested, the negotiations moved quickly and an agreement in principle was reached a few days before the auction. On September 21, a formal purchase and sale agreement was executed and a deposit made."

Stanley explains that details of the transaction are confidential under the terms of the agreement. "However, we are looking forward to being there on campus for the fall semester of 2008," he says.

But much work needs to be done prior to the school's opening on a new campus. An estimated $4 to $5 million worth of repairs and upgrades will be needed to be done before the shuttered campus can reopen - a cost once again to be covered by Green and his affiliates.

Although the miracle of acquiring the new campus has ignited much excitement at Zion Bible College, Stanley says the news has become even better.

"Charles Crabtree [who chose to bring to an end his 14 years of service as the Assemblies of God assistant general superintendent this year] has agreed to come serve as our new president," Stanley says. "God has just blessed us tremendously . . . , I'm trying to think of a word that is more than a miracle, but I haven't come up with any. This is a miracle plus!"

Stanley believes Crabtree coming to serve as president is strategic for the school. Not only did his parents pastor in the New England area and have connections to Zion Bible prior to becoming an AG institution, but Crabtree is well-known and admired throughout the Southern and Northern New England districts - and beyond.

"I just spoke with Northern New England District Superintendent Dennis Marquardt, and we agreed that Charles is the perfect person for this position," Stanley says. "His name is known throughout the world, he is well qualified and students will be drawn to Zion because of him."

"Students are drawn to Charles Crabtree - he speaks to them, meeting them where they are at," agrees AG General Superintendent Thomas Trask. "He is thoroughly Pentecostal, he is a premier preacher of the gospel, he is passionate about the kingdom of God, he loves the Word of God and he has unquestionable integrity - those things draw people of all ages to him."

"God has performed incredible miracles to move Zion onto its new campus," Crabtree says. "It is my honor to join with the staff at Zion in helping to shape the next generation of Pentecostal ministers and leaders. I'm pleased to be given this opportunity as I believe God's plan for Zion doesn't stop with simply a new campus - I believe He has much greater, eternally significant things in store."

Crabtree's appointment was approved unanimously by both the Zion Board of Trustees and the Executive Presbytery of Southern New England.

For more information on Zion Bible College, see its Web site at http://www.zbc.edu/.