History


Triangle Bible Institute (TBI), a Christian college, was established in 1993 in a vision by our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ to Reverend Doctor Frederick Samuel Jones who was also pastor of the Star Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, Triangle, VA.

From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Jones, TBI’s first president, organized a pilot program offering several Bible classes to determine the church and community interest in a Bible Institute. These classes continued for four years. It was in the summer of 1997 when Dr. Jones met with a group of educators to discuss the possibilities of expanding the program. He wanted Triangle Bible Institute legally recognized as an approved school functioning under the guidelines of the State of Virginia Department of Education.

In August 1997, Dr. Jones appointed Louevenia A. Quash PhD, a retired educator from Prince William County Board of Education, as Executive Director. Dr. Quash assisted in establishing curricula and guidelines for operating a Christian institute as a ministry of Star Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, and the first official Triangle Bible Institute classes commenced in October 1997 with 18 students. The school was blessed that fall semester with five instructors: Reverend Doctor Frederick S. Jones, Reverend Frank Coaxum, Reverend Donald Miller, Reverend Calvin Lawrence, and Doctor Louevenia A. Quash. Professor Jacquelyn Peterson, of Marymount University, served as treasurer/registrar. At the end of the first semester, Doctor Jones appointed Sister Rebecca Thompson as the Administrative Assistant.

32 repeating students enrolled the spring of 1998. Subsequently, the necessary paperwork was submitted for approval to the State Education Board of Virginia for permission to confer degrees from the associate through the graduate levels. Effective August 17, 1998, the Council for Higher Education to confer degrees approved Triangle Bible Institute.
In May 1999, students who attended the pilot program prior to October 1997 were awarded a Certificate of Completion. These students were instrumental in helping to determine the academic needs, specific programs, and degree rewards.

Annually in May a Commencement and Awards Ceremony is held to recognize students who have completed the necessary requirements to receive a certificate or degree and for those who have excelled in various areas of study. Three Honorary Doctorate Degrees have been awarded. The recipients were: Reverend Alfred Jones, Jr., Pastor, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Triangle, VA; Reverend Calvin Lawrence, Sr., Pastor, Free Union Baptist Church, Culpeper, VA, and a TBI faculty member; and, Myrtle Richardson, a retired educator from the Department of Defense (DoD) school system and faculty member at TBI.