Cairn University, Langhorne PA

I arrived last night (with my friends Chris and Quentin) at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, held on the campus of Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. 

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It is my first time ever on this lovely campus, and it happens to be Cairn University's hundredth anniversary this year. Its history dates to 1913, though in a different location, under different names, and as two separate institutions which merged in 1951 to form Philadelphia Bible Institute, a school which offered only three-year diplomas and focused primarily on the training of lay people. In 1958, PBI became Philadelphia College of Bible and began to offer a four-year program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Bible degree. In 1979, the College relocated from Center City Philadelphia to the Bucks County suburb of Langhorne, Pennsylvania and in 2000 it became Philadelphia Biblical University. In 2012, the university’s Board of Trustees changed the name to Cairn University, in an effort to overcome the perception that the University’s educational offerings were limited and had a narrow vocational focus (according to the school's website).

The conference here, which started Wednesday and runs through Saturday afternoon, offers numerous workshops, plenary sessions (usually in the chapel, above), appointments with editors and agents, and more. It is a whirlwind of teaching and activity designed to equip and encourage Christians to "write His answer," as the conference's website says. 

Most of the classes, workshops, and appointments take place in the Biblical Learning Center on campus.

 And the sprawling campus offers puhlenty of opportunity to walk. And walk. And walk. But though it rained heavily through this morning and into the afternoon, the setting is thoroughly enjoyable and worth the walk.