Becoming What God Intended Ministries
Vision Statement
To ignite Christian leaders worldwide to inspire others to participate in the life of the Trinity by
breaking down barriers that prohibit a growing, healthy relationship with God the Father.
Our content is the life work of Dr. David Eckman who has spent over 50 years in Biblical research. He is an instructor in the disciplines of spiritual life formation, and he has spent countless hours counseling and discipling individuals. The result is a uniquely gifted individual who effectively communicates God’s truths to a hurting world.
David grew up in a dysfunctional family. He found emotional freedom when he finally experienced how God truly loved him. At Western Seminary, he was involved in extensive teaching, discipling, and counseling for over 40 years. In 1997 he founded BWGI Ministries, which fosters spiritual transformation through helping people understand who they are in Christ.
David Eckman, Ph.D., has been a pastor for 16 years followed by 7 years as a Dean and Executive Vice-President for Western Seminary in San Jose and Portland. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), Master of Theology, Master of Divinity, Doctor of Philosophy (Hebrew Studies and Old Testament). He studied at Oxford University in England from 1982-1986 to work on his doctorate, and received his Ph.D. in Old Testament and Hebrew from Golden Gate Seminary. Dr. Eckman is a member of the National Association of Hebrew Professors and was supervised by Professor James Barr at Oxford University. James Barr is widely acknowledged as the leading Hebrew scholar of the English-speaking world.
David Eckman is an author of numerous books and an international speaker and educator. David Eckman is also a contributor to other books; such as the New King James Study Bible, “Micah through Malachi: Commentary on the Minor Prophets,” and “Who's Afraid of the Holy Spirit?: An Investigation into the Ministry of the Spirit of God Today.”
Making an impact….During his over 25 year career at Western Seminary, he was responsible for the training in the spiritual life for a minimum of 3000 students. Those he has trained have taken that training to many tens of thousands of others. Moreover, at the same time, he was involved in community evangelism involving thousands of participants. He is in active ministry in North America and Asia where many thousands have heard him teach on the spiritual life. Many more have read his books on spiritual life in English and other languages.
BWGI Ministries Board of Directors
STU BAILEY
Stu is a FocalPoint Executive Business Coach located in the San Francisco Bay Area. He brings 20 years of experience working alongside the CIO and CXO suite for large, commercial and government clients as an Information Technology business executive. Overall, Stu has 39 years of business and information technology (IT) experience with Healthcare, Financial Services, Government services, High Tech and Automotive industries.
As a former VP at DXC/HPE/HP/GM/EDS, Stu has broad leadership experience in general management, delivery and sales. He has led business portfolios in excess of $1.4 billion supported by over 5,000 employees. He has been a leader in more than 25 transitions assimilating people and business into large companies. Stu has been a Board Director for a former EDS subsidiaries. Over three decades on multiple continents, Stu has developed strong relationships with many key leaders and individual performers internationally. Stu has been married 34 years and has three grown sons.
MERILYN COPLAND, PH.D. (EMERITUS)
Dr. Merilyn Copland is an expert in Mediterranean archaeology particularly as it relates to the Bible and holds a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology from UC Berkeley. She earned Master's Degrees in History from San Francisco State University and holds degrees in Hebrew language and Literature from Jerusalem University College. Dr. Copland has co-authored a book for Christian touring in Greece and Israel as well as speaking on the Book of Revelations in TV appearances. Dr. Copland has taught at several colleges, universities, and seminaries in the US and abroad, and has retired a professor of Bible, Theology, and Archaeology at William Jessup University in Sacramento, California.
Dr. Copland has extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas of Old Testament, biblical archaeology, biblical backgrounds, Hebrew language and literature, Greek language and literature, Egyptology, Near Eastern archaeology, Classical archaeology, women in the Bible and the Early Church, Islam, Middle Eastern History, Medieval History, and the Seven Churches of Revelation. Dr. Copland is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Biblical Archaeology Society, and Near Eastern Studies Society.
GAYLE E.
Gayle was born in San Francisco and lived in California all her life. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Biological Sciences and from the University of San Francisco for her M.B.A. in Management & Marketing. She began her career at the largest Bioscience company in the world, ThermoFisher, formerly Applied Biosystems. Gayle worked there for almost 20 years as an Operations Manager for the Services & Support Division of North America.
Gayle grew up in a Christian home and attended church all her life. She dedicated her free time serving in church ministries for 14 years but it was only after taking Dr. Eckman’s Becoming What God Intended course at Western Seminary that she encountered the truth that she had been searching for all her life. Not wanting anyone else to have to wait as she did, she dedicated her time to volunteering with BWGI Ministries since 2009.
In 2017, she left her career with ThermoFisher Scientific to follow God’s calling and serve BWGI Ministries full time as the Executive Director. Gayle is currently attending Johns Hopkins University for an M.S. in Educational Technology to further develop BWGI’s 5-Course Discipleship Concentration and deliver world-class instruction and design.
JIMMY LEE
Jimmy Lee grew up in Taiwan and came to US for graduate study in 1978. He is a co-founder of Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI), a semiconductor company. He served as the Chairman and CEO of ISSI for many years and took the company public on NASDAQ. He is now the Executive Vice Chairman at ISSI after the company was acquired by a consortium of Chinese investors in 2015. Mr. Lee also served as a board director in several semiconductor companies including SMIC, the largest Semiconductor IC Foundry in China.
Jimmy has been an elder at Chinese Church in Christ in San Jose (CCIC-SJ) since 1977. His ministry includes teaching, preaching, shepherding, mentoring and discipleship training. He is passionate to help people to connect their faith and work.
Jimmy graduated from National Taiwan University and received MS/EE degree from Texas Tech University. He studied in Western Seminary and graduated from Christian Leadership Institute with a Master Degree in Biblical and Theological Study. Jimmy is married and has two grown sons.
STEVE QUEN (EMERITUS)
Steve grew up in the East Bay of Northern California as a 4th generation Chinese American. He was blessed to have a faithful Uncle and Aunt pray for salvation of his family daily. Then through the witness of some high school friends who attended Bay Area Chinese Bible Church (BACBC), Steve came to follow Jesus as a Senior at Encinal High School.
He received a BS in EECS at UC Berkeley and worked as a Software Engineer for 11 years before following God into vocational ministry in 1988. He and his wife Esther met through the college fellowship at BACBC and married in 1979.
They have 3 adult children, two of whom are married, and two grandsons! Steve enjoys running, chess and reading. He has a M.Div. from Liberty Seminary a D.Min. from Talbot School of Theology.
TIM PAPA - CHAIRMAN
Tim Papa has been connected to BWGI Ministries for over 20 years. Tim has worked for Chevron in Human Resources for 25 years and is currently the General Manager of Compensation. He has held numerous leadership roles in Chevon over his career, including the Secretary to the Board Management Compensation Committee. His tenure has included regional responsibilities for Africa, North America, and South America, international assignments to Nigeria and Venezuela, and extensive multi-national collaboration experience and worldwide travel.
Tim’s career has afforded him the unique opportunity to learn about and partner with various ministries throughout the world and to see the miracle of Christ across many cultures.
Tim has a BA in History and an MBA from Texas A&M University. He has also served in the US Army infantry and as a police officer in Bryan, Texas. He currently lives in Houston, TX with his wife and identical twin daughters.
JIM TOMS
Jim Toms, a graduate of Duke University School of Law, provides strategic advice for the ministry.
Jim and his wife Susan’s friendship with Dr. and Mrs. Eckman extends back almost fifty years, when Jim was a young Naval officer in San Francisco, and Dr. Eckman, then a seminary student, was their Sunday School teacher.
The Toms have two daughters.