For decades, conferences have looked for ways to help Bible worker programs go the distance. Even strong programs can find it difficult to stay fully staffed once conference subsidies wind down, leaving trained and eager workers without a way to support themselves long-term.
Streams of Light Training Institute (SOLTI), operated by Streams of Light International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is building on the strengths of traditional Bible worker training with a model designed for long-term sustainability. Alongside conventional preparation, we equip Bible workers with a marketable trade, so their ministry can stand on its own two feet from the very start, rather than depending indefinitely on outside support.
Our Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technician program is a leading example. Housed at our Gulf Coast Campus in Lumberton, Mississippi, the two-semester program trains students for entry-level careers as HVAC technicians, a field in high demand nationwide that combines technical precision with physical, hands-on work. Students graduate with three credentials: a SOLTI Certificate of Completion, EPA Section 608 Certification for refrigerant handling, and NATE “Ready to Work” Certification, an industry-recognized mark of entry-level competency.
The technical training is only half the program. Courses in our Foundations of Evangelism, grounded in the Three Angels’ Messages and the writings of Ellen G. White, prepare students for a lifestyle of gospel labor, not just a job search after graduation. Supervised work experience on campus and in the local community rounds out the preparation, giving students real-world job readiness alongside their ministry formation.
“Our school is dedicated to preparing Bible-grounded missionaries who are equipped for the specific challenges of urban ministry,” says William Polk, our Trade Program Director. “Our vision is to send out self-supporting ‘blue-collar’ missionaries who help reach the large cities with the Three Angels’ Messages through hands-on service and comprehensive evangelism.”
At Streams of Light, we treat a career as more than a paycheck. It’s a platform for ministry. Our graduates enter the workforce equipped to share the gospel through their trade, gaining access to hearts and minds through the marketplace itself.
Our program’s success depends on qualified instructors, and that need is growing. As we develop additional trade pathways, including Electrician and Welding programs, we are seeking Seventh-day Adventist professionals who are experts in their trades and passionate about finishing the work.
To learn more about the HVAC Technician program, explore other trade pathways, or find out how to support or teach within these programs, visit streamsoflightinstitute.net.
Licensed by the Mississippi Commission on Proprietary School and College Registration, Certificate No. 768. Licensure indicates only that minimum standards have been met; it is not an endorsement or guarantee of quality. Licensure is not equivalent to or synonymous with accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.