Great gospel results in Kenya

Dear brethren, 

Today marks the forth day since we at KSOP resumed classes from Monday January 13th of 2025. This is the 7th class of 2024 to 2026. Classes began with Dr. Michael Reese teaching two short courses in two weeks - The Godhead and Christian Evidences. After he shall be done then we, African instructors (Charles, Phabian and Elias) will come in to teach 5 other courses: Introduction to Hermeneutics, Homiletics 2, English Skills 2, The Book of Matthew and Old Testament II (Exodus to Deuteronomy).

We are so happy to share with the brethren the good work which our current students managed to do in their home congregations during that long holiday. It had been by God's mercy and grace that many gospel meetings (34) had been conducted and supported in November/December, 42 local churches were served by the students, door knocking carried out in villages and centres, lessons taught and Bible questions answered. All these resulted in 74 baptisms performed, 25 erring church members restored and untold numbers received edification.

We do not know much about current students, for it is still early but, surely, they have started very well and we give God the glory due Him! This encourages us more than anything else. We hope that sending them to different congregations while in school will add to their knowledge and experience as they meet and learn from different mature preachers in sound congregations. They will implement what they learn in class and at the same time meet challenges in their evangelism trips.

We still ask prayers on behalf of these men and for the work at this school as we pray also for God's servants everywhere. May you be blessed so much.

Your brother Elias Omollo.

Many activities in Nigeria

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Compliments of the Season!  

We are delighted to share a summary of our activities for the first month of 2025.  

Overview

1. End-of-the-Year Program  

2. Conclusion of Second Semester Classes  

3. January Weekend Evangelism Outreach  

4. Two Congregations Planted  

5. Opening of a Study Center in Ijebu Land  

END -OF- THE -YEAR PROGRAM: 

The students and staff of BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN actively participated in an end-of-the-year program across the Western States of Nigeria from December 21, 2024, to January 5, 2025.  

This two-week program featured Open-Air Bible Lectureship and House-to-House Evangelism in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Kwara, and Ekiti States. By God’s grace, these efforts resulted in:  

11 conversions and 16 restorations of erring brethren . 

CONCLUSION OF SECOND SEMESTER CLASSES:

By God’s will, the second semester’s classes, tests, and projects will conclude on February 7, 2025.  

Courses and Instructors:

- *Life of Christ - 2 (Mark) and Galatians — Bro. Olaniyan Isaac  

- *Evangelism - 2 (Church Planting) and Acts of the Apostles — Bro. Eniafe Olukayode  

- *How We Got the Bible and Basic Bible Doctrine — Bro. Makinde John  

- *Christian Evidences and Hermeneutics - 1 (Introduction) — Bro. Israel Tajomavwo  

- *The Preacher’s Life and Work — Bro. Oladokun Samuel  

- *World Religions and Cost of Discipleship — Bro. Ebenezer Ojo  

- *Computer Training — Bro. Folorunso Richard and Sister Esther Oyenuga  

- *Hermeneutics - 2 (In-depth Studies) and Homiletics - 1 (Introduction) — Bro. Makinde Ebens  

The third semester will commence on March 10, 2025, following a four-week Vacation Studies program.  

JANUARY 2025 WEEKEND EVANGELISM OUTREACH

In January, students were divided into 12 groups for evangelism outreach on the following dates:  

- January 10–12  

- January 17–19  

- January 24–26  

Evangelism efforts were focused on Ajia Town, Badeku, Jago, Egbeda, Felele, Felele Rab, Elewura, Fasade, Butubutu, Lamini, Laduntan (all in Oyo State), and Asejire (in Osun State).  

By God’s grace, nine souls were converted at Hausa's  community during outreach efforts in Butubutu, Lamini, and Laduntan. To God be the glory! 

TWO CONGREGATIONS PLANTED

In early January 2025, BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN staff and students in collaboration with some like minded gospel preachers in Lagos and Ogun States planted two congregations:  

1. Iworo Town (via Badagry, Lagos State)  

2. Kajola/Interchange Area (Sagamu, Ogun State)  

These new congregations, located in areas heavily influenced by denominationalism, require moral and financial support to thrive.  

BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN OPENED A STUDY CENTER IN IJEBU LAND:  

Ijebu Land has historically been resistant to the Gospel. However, through divine intervention, two congregations were planted in the area in previous years by the school, bringing the total number of congregations there to eight or ten.  

On January 11, 2025, BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN opened a new study center in Sabo Sagamu, Ogun State. The center began with 11 students, and by the time of this report, the number had grown to 15, representing five congregations in Ijebu Land.  

The study center is coordinated by Bro. Olowe Bode (a BVBIN degree student and evangelist at Sabo Sagamu COC), assisted by Bro. Olaegbe Samuel (a graduate of WNCC and the School of Biblical Studies, Abeokuta) and Bro. Oladokun Samuel (a BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN instructor).  

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

Bro. Siyanbola Mumini Olukayode is one of our year -1-students. A native of Ibadan City in Oyo State. Converted from Islamic religion to Christianity in 2022. 

Born in 1948. Blessed with children. His mission of coming to BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN is to acquire more knowledge of the Scriptures and to spend his remaining life for God and salvation of mankind starting from his family.

In Conclusion: Lord's willing, I will be using my support from Dorman and Donna Lough to sponsor three of my fellow workers to this year Great Workshop in Ogoja, Cross River State on February 18 through 22,2025.

Thanks once again for your service and love towards the growth of the Lord's Church in Africa most especially in Nigeria. May the Lord continue to bless all our work together in Christ Jesus name, amen.

Sincerely yours in His Grace & Love as a servant,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi 

The Chief Servant of BVBIN & SWSE-IBADAN and WBSFUW 

A new intake of students in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Happy new year, 2025, to you and your entire family. We praise God, from whom all blessings flow, for His great mercy to all us all as He has allowed us to be part of the year 2025 and to continue His work here in this part of the globe.

We do hope you are doing well and the blessings of the new year are very much around you and those within your influence. God is too faithful to fail! We pray and hope for an even  better year than 2024 in all aspects of life and ministry.

God has blessed the Bear Valley Bible Institute here in Cameroon to commence with the 8th (Theta) batch of students. They came to Wotutu on the 4th of January 2025 to start their two-year training in Biblical studies. As of now we are moving on with 18 students rather than our normal 20 as some, who after passing the entrance exams and coming to Wotutu to start, were not willing to stay after the first week as they felt different in the program than what they had prepared themselves for mentally. Keep these 18 in your daily prayers as they invest the rest of their lives in the service of God and His church, as preachers of the gospel.

Evangelism is our mission and that is top on our agenda. We engage in hinterland missions to nurture and encourage Christians who have felt as though they have been abandoned. Most congregations in the hinterland are suffering from serious spiritual kwashiorkor (malnutrition) because of the absence of trained preachers there. It is clear that the gospel is needed in villages, as well as in town and cities. It is also clear that there is a dire need to penetrate the hinterland which is very difficult because of bad roads or no roads at all. We must trek many miles inside the virgin forest to meet Christians there.

Our students in the theta batch have started house to house evangelism in the Wotutu community, as they share the gospel in follow up to our early morning radio program, “Back to the Bible.” This early morning program started since June of 2011 and has been going continually until today. Our PA and speaker system as well as our backup generator are not very good at all anymore. Even the chief of the village has asked if we can update them. We are praying for a replacement because the radio program eases the evangelistic efforts of the school and the congregation here in Wotutu as we reach out to over 20,000 people daily from 5 AM to 6 AM, a time when their hearts are still empty of life’s bustles. Because we trust that the hearts of many are empty at that time, we take that advantage to put the words of God there, which will make a difference to those lives. The testimonies are enormous! Please, if you can help us or can tell someone that can help us replace our machines it will be a milestone for us here. You can contact our school coordinator, David Ballard if you are interested in helping in this way.

Comfort Mande and Katie Esowe obeyed the gospel. Our student preachers admonished them beside the river before their baptism. I was there as well observing these new students to see if they needed any instruction or correction in their administration of the event.

Plans

The top item on our agenda is always evangelism as we have given this batch the name of “Revival” as we will be sending them to help bring revival the congregations in the hinterland.

Appreciations

We thank you for your love for the gospel and for all you are doing to make the gospel move. Thanks for your prayers and support. God is watching! Please share this report with others.

Elangwe and family

By His grace Director of BVBIC-Wotutu

Graduation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Dear brethren,

We are good and continue with the work of God in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

We have 29 students in Dar es Salaam right now. Temeke has 15 students and Temeke has 14 students for the Saturday program. We also have 14 attending our Monday classes. Our teachers are still progressing: Iddy, Kihwele, Justine and Essau Ruheta.

Evangelism is doing well through classes in cooperation with their teachers.

Thanks to Brother Chad Wagner for coming here to Dar es Salaam in December. He attended our graduation ceremony and conducted a very huge evangelism workshop with more than one hundred participants.

Apart from that, we are also excited about our new location for Temeke class shifting to another nice place. Around this February, we will start using this place which will house our program much better than our current arrangement. 

May God bless you more and more for what you are doing here Dar es Salaam!

The new year is off to a good start in Accra, Ghana

Overview 

As we begin the year 2025, we reflect on our initiatives and activities at the Bear Valley Bible Institute (BVBI). January has been a month of growth, outreach, and preparation as we look forward to the new year schedules. 

Staff Meeting: A staff meeting was held on January 8th to discuss the following key points:

Schedule and the topics for the Top Radio program: The house planned and selected topics for the year

Student Support Services: Discussion on enhancing academic, spiritual and financial support for students, including counseling and mentoring programs.

Event Planning: Planning for upcoming events, including the 7th Graduation and the 8th Matriculation ceremony and lectureship for the Alumni 

Classroom Activities: Throughout January, our class sessions focused on several key areas:

Church History: Students engaged in a comprehensive review of the early church, exploring significant events and figures that shaped Christianity. 

Information and Communication Technology (ICT): This course covered the integration of technology in modern ministry. Students learned about digital tools for outreach and engagement.

Pastoral Epistles: A deep dive into the letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus, focusing on leadership, church organization, and pastoral care.

Major Prophets: The class studied the messages and themes of major prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, emphasizing their relevance in contemporary society.

Greek: The students started their study of Koine Greek, focusing on the learning and writing of the alphabet.

Every afternoon is a session where students are given fifteen minutes and are assessed on their preaching skills.

 Radio Program 

Our radio program continues to be a vital outreach tool for BVBI, allowing us to connect with the community and share the Gospel.

Weekly Broadcasts: our topic for the month is still on the church of the Bible, specifically on the New Testament Worship. The church of the Bible has been selected again for the month of January because listeners are asking many questions.

Audience Engagement: We saw an increase in listener interactions, with many reaching out via phone calls and social media and to share how the program has impacted their lives.

Campaign for New Students: 

As most of the students are through with their course, January was dedicated to our campaign for new students:

Visitation letters: Letters has been sent to churches, requesting their approval to campaign in their churches.

Scholarship Opportunities: We promoted scholarship programs available for incoming students, incentivizing applications and providing financial support for those in need.

The campaign was fruitful and five (5) students has been admitted 

Planned Visitation

Looking ahead, we have several planned visitation initiatives to strengthen our community ties and outreach efforts:

Scheduled Visits: we have visited the Akwamu and the Akotuakrom congregations in the Eastern Region of Ghana on Wednesday evenings, our presence motivated them and as a result increasing church attendance. This is being done to strengthen and edify the local congregations established by the school to grow and assist in evangelism.

Conclusion 

January 2025 has been a fruitful month for the Bear Valley Bible Institute, with successful outreach initiatives and preparations for the new year. We are excited about the impact of our radio program, the progress made in the response to our campaign for new students, and the upcoming planned visitations. As we move forward, we remain committed to our mission of equipping leaders for service in the Kingdom of God.

We remain grateful to our partners, alumni, and friends’ prayers, encouragement and financial contributions

May the Lord bless our endeavors as we strive to fulfil our mission.

By E.O. Larbi

Many Updates from the Warri, Nigeria Extended School

REPORT OF THE BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE NIGERIA – WARRI CENTERS

DECEMBER-JANUARY 2025 

INTRODUCTION

It is another opportunity to take statistics of the work done so far. We are grateful to God Almighty for his abundant grace and mercy. The staff and students have journeyed all through the year from one point to another and have enjoyed God’s protection all the way. Our international partners have also traversed the length and breadth of many countries under God’s guidance. Our immense gratitude goes to the Bear Valley Family for the awesome support for the good work around the world. We pray the good Lord keep this great work going as many gospel preachers are enjoying the tremendous support. Support for the teachers (Preachers) both financially and the fact of the studies they are making as they teach these courses, and the support the student preacher gains as they study, interact and use the bear valley material. They gain more knowledge in the process. On the whole, it is an amazing work.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

DSC CENTER

The month of December, Solomon Usim continued discussion on the book of John. The gospel of John has been the long-awaited book because of the recent controversy on the Godhead. It became very important that the director ends that discussion once and for all. The outcome of the course shows that Jesus was not created (John 1:1-3). He was from eternity and will exist through eternity. A total of nineteen people sat for the examination.

As the new year opened, Gabi Alaba discussed the cause, Preacher and His Work. The Preacher and his Work is a course aimed at informing the gospel preacher what God expects of him, and how he can better fortify himself for the divine mission. The Preacher is one among the leaders appointed by Jesus Christ in the local Church for the equipping of saints unto Ministerial functions. It is a course divided into three major sections: (1) The Preacher's Preaching (2) The Preacher's Life (3) The Preacher and the Church. In each of these sections, several instructions and warnings especially from Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus were given to the Preacher/anyone intending to become a Preacher. A total of sixteen (16) persons attended the course.

PTI CENTER

In the month of December, Godwin Ojocheogwu, taught the class on Church History. This course reveals the beginning of the church of Christ, the departures from God’s Scriptural pattern and restoration to its original states. It also tells us the church Early growth as against false religions and persecution fought by reformers. The development of creeds and councils. Then departures from the faith and how it resulted into apostasy and into Roman Catholicism as well as other Protestant churches. A total of fifteen (15) persons were in attendance.

Solomon Usim was at the PTI center in January. The cause was denominational doctrines. The cause centered on the fact that the church of Jesus Christ was in the mind of God. It was not an accident. The many denominational churches today were a product of the reformation mainly. Twelve (12) persons sat for the examination.

UGHELLI CENTER

 In the month of December, Abiola Ojoade, discussed the course Christian Evidences. At the end of the Course, the students were able to learn and understand that

1. All Christians are commanded to be ready always to give a defense of their hope in light of I Peter 3:15.

2. The Christian Faith is an intelligent and rational faith.

3. The various arguments about God show that God exists.

4. The many faces of Unbelief are reasons why people reject God's existence.

5. Evolution is not the standard to prove the work of creation.

A total of seven (7) students attended the class.

In the month of January, Ejay Bliss led the class through the course Christian Ethics. Christian Ethics is a study of the conduct that should characterize the true Christian in view of Biblical principles, statements and implications that are properly interpreted and rightly divided. It deals with matters of right and wrong. Students were made to learn to raise their standard of morality, living as shining amour among the people of the world. A total of eight persons attended the class.

EVANGELISM CAMPAIGNS

The Church of Christ Ovwor Olomu led the brethren to the reestablishment of the church of Christ Okpe Olomu in December 2024. The programme lasted for four days from 5th-8th of December 2024. Seven persons have been baptized so far. There were 25 members in attendance on the day of inauguration.

On the 7th of December 2024, another evangelism was held. The sisters of Egini Church of Christ in Udu L.G.A of Delta State came out in their numbers. Sisters from other congregations attended the program and all went to reach out to the lost souls with the Gospel of Christ and the evangelism was fruitful for Sis. Florence Oyibo was added to the Lord's Church.

Furthermore, on the 17th and 18th of January, the Great Evangelism was organized by the Egini Church of Christ in Udu L.G.A of Delta State. The two days of evangelism witnessed door to door and opening Air evangelism. Brethren from various congregations were in attendance and saturated the Egini Community with the Gospel of Christ. About 150 prospects were reached with the Gospel of Christ and the evangelism was fruitful. Four persons were added to the Church.

CHALLENGES AND PROSPECT

The struggle continues as both staff and students deal with the current hardship in the country. However, we have remained resilient. Some of the students who travel from afar have paid their price coming to the school these four years. At some point the entire class would contribute transportation for these preachers. It has been a joint effort and the battle is almost won. The program will be completed in March 2025. To this end, the school has scheduled their lectureship and graduation for the 28th of February and 1st of March respectively. The total monetary expenditure is about two million two hundred thousand. The students and the faculty have been able to raise over a million naira so far. We trust God to see us through. The lectureship has become very important as crucial questions plaguing the churches in this area would be answered. In fact, the issue of marriage, divorce and remarry has remained a thorny issue. Also, the controversy of appointment of city elders in contradistinction with congregational elders will be resolved. We request that you join us in prayers and support us in any way you can to enable us achieve this lofty agenda.

STATISTICS

1.  Number of Students: Fifty-nine (59), Seventeen (17) at PTI, Twenty-seven (27) at DSC and Fifteen (15) at Ughelli center.

2.  Number of Graduates (if any this year) None

3.  Number of Campaigns: Three Campaigns at Okpe Olomu, Egini Sisters Evangelism and Egini General evangelism.

4.  Number of Baptisms: 25 baptisms.

5.  Number of any New Churches Planted: None.

6.  Number of Churches Restored: Okpe Olomu church of Christ was reestablished.

7.  Number of Teachers: Seven (7)

8.  Number of Restorations: None

CONCLUSION

To God be the glory for all the efforts. The combined efforts have yielded greatly. The year is just starting and we pray for a great harvest to the glory of God. Once again, we are grateful to the entire Bear Valley for the kingdom's work. Happy New year! Brethren.

Port Harcourt, Nigeria has its Second Graduation Ceremony

FIRST QUARTER 2025 REPORT FROM BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA 

First quarter 2025 was full of great events in BVBI Port Harcourt study centers. Interesting activities such as campaign/practical field work, matriculation and 2nd graduation ceremony happened. 

CAMPAIGN/ PRACTICAL FIELD WORK IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2025

At the close of 2024 activities, we resolved that January 2025 will be used for campaign/practical field work. From the first to the third week of January 2025, we sent out our students to various congregations in Rivers State and neighboring States while the teachers supervised them. Our students taught Bibles classes and preached sermons in various congregations, they also engaged in House to House and open air evangelism for three weeks. At the end of the campaign, they had 12 baptisms, 9 restorations and revived weak congregations.

We resumed our Friday and Saturday lectures after the weeks of the campaign in early January, 2025. And the teachers had also resumed ONLINE classes for B. A. Degree with WNCC.

MATRICULATION AND 2ND GRADUATION CEREMONY ON 8TH FEBRUARY, 2025

We are glad to report that we had a matriculation and 2nd graduation ceremony on February 8th 2025. The event was very colorful with Chad Wagner in attendance. 17 students graduated and 31 students took the matriculation oat. Brother Obinna Joe, who is the Provost of the Nigerian Christian Bible College Ukpom Abak Akwa Ibom Ibom State Nigeria, was the guest speaker, his topic was “curbing the menace of denominational influence in the church: The need for sound Biblical literacy.” Other Notable brethren that attended are: Solomon Usim, the Director of BVBI Aba, Abia State Nigeria, Dr. Chinwendu Onyema a lecturer at the same center and a representative of Sunday Uyai from NCBC Ukopm, Akwa Ibom state. 

About 40 congregations in Rivers State and Other neighboring States in Nigeria attended. And over 300 persons including the representatives of the Nigerian News papers attended the ceremony.  Because the ceremony ended very well, prospective students are calling indicating their interest to register as students.      

The teachers and students of BVBI Port Harcourt centers are grateful to our sponsors in United States of America for their financial and moral supports. We want them to know that their efforts and the supports are getting great results and success in our schools in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Report from:
Anthony Ejike Oluria (Director BVBI Rivers State Nigeria, West Africa)

Students work with Congregations in Ikorodou, Nigeria

The students and staff of Ikorodu BVBIN are grateful to God and BVBI management. God has sustained our lives to witness the new year 2025. To God be the glory.

1. In Ikorodu Study Centre, we have 23 students presently. All are regular and punctual to class activities.

2. Four students graduated on August 2024 at Butubutu Ibadan, Oyo State.

3. We had four campaigns in 2024.

4. During these campaigns, we were able to baptize 16 souls, all are active in their various local congregations.

5. We were able to restore one congregation at Pakisha Ogun State. We placed one of our students as a preacher there. The school is also helping them in their evangelism.

6. Ikorodu Study Centre have three instructors, they are Bro. Mfon Etim Adeh, Bro. Okoro Chinyere and Bro Israel Tayomavwo. They are all active in the class and evangelism.

7. In our campaigns, we were able to restore thirteen souls back to the Lord.

8. In 2025, we had the first workshop at Ikorodu Study Centre. This program produced two souls for baptism.

9. In January 2025, the first lecture was on 1st Thessalonians taken by bro Okoro Chinyere.

10. For February 2025, we are still handling 2nd Corinthians (handled by bro. Israel Tajomavwo).

We are grateful to God for your support, without your support we may not be able to achieve what we have today. Today we face denominational pastors.

We remain grateful to God and you. God bless you in Jesus name (Amen).

Mfon Etim Adeh

Ikorodu Study Centre

Academic and Evangelistic Progress in Onitsha, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

We are pleased to submit this report, highlighting the activities, achievements, and challenges of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Nigeria, Onitsha/Nnewi Centers in Anambra State.

We shall continue to appreciate the noble work the leadership of Bear Valley is doing in our country. We will not fail to mention and thank you for the milestone achievement of registering Bear Valley with the Nigeria government. Also, your support for the Directors and lectures to improve themselves more in the knowledge of the Word of God.

May our loving Father bless and reward you all greatly in Jesus Christ.

1. ACADEMIC PROGRESS

The following courses were taught form the month of October 2024 - January 2025:

    A. Awada and Okpoko centers: The New Testament Church,  Personal Evangelism, 1&2 Peter and Jude, 1&2 Thessalonians and Bible Geography.

     B. Nnewi center: Wisdom Literature, Scheme of Redemption, Christian Ethics and Acts of the Apostles. All our six lecturers took part in delivering the aforementioned courses to our students. 

2. EVANGELISM

      Many of our students, and lectures took active part in the Anambra State Annual Seminar in the month of October 2024, which over seven hundred youths attended front various parts of our country.

Many of our Lecturers and the Director are anchoring the three radio evangelism being sponsored by Anambra brethren and brother Jerry Canfield. The Lord has brought many souls to Himself through the radio program.

3. CHALLENGES/ OPPORTUNITIES 

     One of the challenges we are facing presently of the dropping of many of our students on monthly basis in our centers. After a thorough investigation on the cause of it,  majority complained that the economic hardship in our country and challenge of "sit at home" being observed in the South Eastern States of our country is really affecting them in their businesses. In other to accommodate these our brethren, we have changed our days of school to Mondays in our various centers to enable them to carry out their businesses on Saturdays. Others complained about the distance of our center (Nnewi center) to their location. The effect of the above complaints has adversely affected the number of our students. Presently, we have:  Awada 15 (2 new students join December 2024 and January 2025), Okpoko 9, Nnewi 11)

Despite, the above challenges, Bear Valley Family in Anambra is bridging the gap. Presently, we have three of our students ministering in three congregations in Anambra. Other congregations that do not have ministers are looking up to Bear Valley to assist in producing men that would serve in that capacity. Many of our students are doing us proud in their various congregations.

We are making efforts in encouraging those our students to still come back to continue their studies.

We are planning to hold our lectureship and matriculation by first week of April this year by God's grace. 

4.  CONCLUSION 

     Once again, we say thank you very much for the wonderful opportunity our Noble Institution (Bear Valley Bible Institute) is offering to the brotherhood, we have never had it so good as it is today despite the challenges. May our good Lord bless the leadership and the sponsors of Bear Valley Bible Institute.

In His Service,

Ezeh Chijioke Shedrack (Director BVBIN, Onitsha/Nnewi centers Anambra State Nigeria)

Several Positive Updates from Owerri, Nigeria

BVBIN OWERRI CENTER

THIRD QUARTER REPORT (JAN -FEB) 2025

Calvary greetings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We are indeed grateful to God and you for your unalloyed support to us in preparing workers for our masters work. 

We will always remain grateful God and we will continue to put in our best despite the challenges we are facing.

OUTREACH 

We had two outreach programs in conjunction with Amaigbo street congregations which resulted in three baptisms.

Also the school in partnership with some preachers are working seriously to restore a congregations in Mbaise area whose preacher polluted the congregation with false doctrine.

We are glad to also inform you that through our efforts, normalcy has fully returned in the congregation at Nekede, Owerri while efforts at reviving the congregation at MCC Urratta, a suburb of Owerri which went comatose is yielding positive results.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We are organizing a preachers gospel meeting in April with the theme DESTROYING THE CHURCH WITH PERSONAL OPINIONS.

Also our matriculation will be on March 29th 2025.

STUDENTS

We are happy that the security situation has greatly improved so attendance to class has improved, currently we have a total of 23 students with consistent attendance between 14 and 16 with encouraging commitment.

INSTRUCTORS

Also our dear Dr Gideon, who is one of the instructors, informed us that due to his age that he will no longer be active; hence we are shopping for very competent hands to replace them.

BAPTISM 

Within this period through our efforts, the Lord added three souls to His fold.

We want to sincerely thank you all for finding us useful; we assure you that we must keep the flag high and your confidence in us will not be in vain while you pray for us.

May God continue to bless and keep you all as you work for Him.

Yours because of Christ,

Chinedu Akandu

Director

Extended School in Ondo State, Nigeria, set to Graduate first Students in August

Report Of Bear Valley Bible Institute, Ondo State (Oct, 2024 - Jan, 2025)

Dear Brethren, 

With a grateful heart, l am writing this report! We are eternally grateful for your love, care, and support over the years! We are grateful to God Almighty for His grace, blessings we are receiving as a School. We also thanked the Bear Valley Eldership and the entire members for their support always! Thank you so much! 

Evangelism Report: As a School, Evangelism is our watchword. On the 30th of November, 2024! We set out for evangelism at Oka area in Ondo City! All the students were fully presented in the spiritual exercise! The local Church in that area are reaping the Work there with 2 Souls won to the Lord! 

Also, in Akure center, through the help of our God, One of our students with the assistance of the School at Akure were able to establish the Church at Kajola area in Ilu - Abo, Akure around December 15 - 18, 2024 with 3 day house to house evangelism. We now have two congregations of the Lord in that area established by the School! To God be the glory, Amen.

Also, l was invited as one of the resource person to speak on leadership seminar with Bear Valley Bible Institute, Ibadan, last week! 

Classroom Activities: We are functioning as a School. Classroom work is going on as expected.

October, 2024 - Brother Godwin Emmanuel taught "Denominational Doctrine" in Ondo City, While Brother Victor Fasonu taught "Hermeneutic 2" in Akure center that same month. 

November 2024 - Brother Victor Fasonu taught "Hermeneutic 2"  in Ondo Center, While Brother Godwin Emmanuel taught "Denominational Doctrine" in Akure center. 

December 2024 - Brother Victor Fasonu taught "Homiletics 3" in Ondo City, while Brother Philemon Ohaebuka taught "World Religion" in Akure center. 

January 2025 - Brother Philemon Ohaebuka taught "World Religion" in Ondo City while Brother Victor Fasonu taught "Homiletics 2" in Akure center. 

Lord's willing, our first set of students will be graduating by August, 2025!

Brother Emmanuel Samuyiwa is one of the newly admitted students of the School. He is the Son of our year 4 student of the School, brother Ebenezer Samuyiwa. Brother Emmanuel is 19 years Old! He is a promising student with serious eagerness to learn and willing to preach the gospel after completing his course of study! We are catching them young for our God Almighty.

Financial Report: We are grateful for the support received so far! We have received support for January to March, 2025. Thank you and remain blessed for this great sacrifice of love! 

Miscellaneous Report: for now, we are happy with the provision of what we have received as a support for the School. 

Conclusively, the School is in her fourth year of study! That means supporting us as a School is what great commendation from Bear Valley Bible Institute, Denver, Colorado, USA. Thank you for your love, sacrifice, and support! We remain committed to this course! God willing, we are on the right track heading towards the expansion of the frontier of the kingdom of Christ on earth.

Fasonu Victor, Coordinator,

Bear Valley Bible Institute, Ondo State

Evangelistic work results in Several Baptisms in Afikpo, Nigeria

REPORT FROM BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE, AFIKPO CENTER, EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA.

1. Afikpo extension center of Bear Valley Bible Institute commenced her academic work on 4th January, 2025 of after conducting her exams and students admitted. Eighteen(18) students were admitted currently.

2. The center met for her academic and spiritual work on 4th January, 2025; 11th January, 2025; 18th January, 2025; 25th January, 2025; 1st February, 2025; and 8th February, 2025 with Students' attendance of 11, 13, 13, 14, 14 and 11 respectively.

3. Our collective and individual evangelical work from January, 2025 till this day, 8th February, 2025 resulted to a total of SEVEN (7) BAPTISMS.

4. Evangelism is scheduled to hold on 15th February, 2025 in the hours of morning before class work.

5. Matriculation ceremony of the new students is fixed to hold on 23rd February, 2025. Guest of Honour: Chad Wagner.

Reuben Uche Egwu, Director, BVBI, Afikpo Extension Center reporting today, February, 8, 2025

Updates from Extended School in Enugu, Nigeria

BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE - NIGERIA

Enugu Study Center - First Quarter Report

*Introduction* 

All glory must be to the Lord Almighty, and to the management board of the international and national body of Bear Valley Bible Institute world wide.

The principal, goals, and objectives of BVBI Family was observed within the period of writing this report, and will continue to be the parament goal of the BVBIN Enugu Study Center.

We are grateful to God for another Year to work for Him.

 *I. ACTIVITIES* 

1. In January, we had our classes for the four (4) Saturdays of the month.

The course studied this Month is the Life of Christ Matthew.  By Onwuka SJ Kelechukwu (Evang./ Instructor).

2. We had one day Evangelism with the Church of Christ Garriki.

3. In this month of February the course under Study is Homiletics by Hillary Johnson C C. (Evang./Instructor).

*II. UPCOMING EVENTS.* 

Graduation of the first set of BVBIN Students in Enugu Study Center. 28/2/2025.

Students campaign by March.

*Summary* 

We appreciate your support in the program and pray that God will continue to bless your efforts and other supporters.

Thank you,

Onwuka SJ Kelechukwu

Director, BVBIN Enugu Study Center

Students continue their Studies and Outreach in Bor, South Sudan

Hello Keith.

I believe you are doing well there and we are fine by God's grace.

The school resumed in January 13th with classes taking effect.  

Courses 

First Year Quarter 1 have ended today and on Monday quarter 2 will start with 2 long courses.

Students Performance 

The students are going on well as we are trying our best to help those who have difficulty with English while they're good with local language. Only two students are very poor in performance during this first quarter, we will evaluate their overall grades and see if they will improve or will not make it.

Teachers

We now have another addition of one teacher whom we have assigned to teach Hermeneutics-Biblical interpretation. He is a graduate from Mutare School of Preaching.

Evangelism 

We have started last Sunday sending out students to evangelized and help 5 congregations that are in Bor. We arranged the tabletime to dispatch 2 fair which make 10 students each Sunday.

Students Health 

The students are all healthy currently only at the end of last month were one students was admitted in the hospital, and he has recovered now feeling better. We also have First Aid medicine that in the school which solves headaches, fever, and other small cases.

With that May God bless us all to continue do his work!

Have a blessed day and goodnight to others here!

Your Brother in Christ, 

Jacob Ajak.M

BV-SSSOP

Bear Valley Bible Institute in Benin City Continues its Successful work for the Lord

With a grateful heart to God Almighty and deep appreciation for the Bear Valley family and partners worldwide, I present the report of Benin City School for the last quarter of 2024 and January 2025. This period was filled with enriching activities, including classroom instruction, fieldwork, lectureships, revival visits to congregations, and baptisms.

Academic Activities

Our instructors, under my close supervision, diligently taught courses such as The Christian Home, Religious Dogma, the Book of Daniel, and Psalms. Examinations were conducted, and students actively participated, demonstrating their commitment to Biblical studies and spiritual growth.

Lectureship & Evangelism Efforts

One of the highlights of this period was on October 26, 2024, when BVBIN-Benin City hosted churches from across the city for a special lectureship themed "Polishing the Pulpit." The program was well attended, and by God’s grace, Brother Oronsaye was added to the Lord’s church through immersion baptism.

On November 30, 2024, in collaboration with the Church of Christ, Uwasota, we visited the Iyowa community to strengthen the young congregation there. Engaging in both door-knocking and open-air preaching, we were blessed to witness another soul baptized into Christ.

Impact & Growth

The presence of Bear Valley Bible Institute in Benin City continues to be a significant catalyst for the growth and development of the church in this region. Many young congregations are being established through the collective efforts of the school and its students.

As part of our commitment to nurturing these congregations, I personally visit them weekly to teach Bible classes and encourage the brethren, in addition to our quarterly evangelism initiatives. Some of the congregations on our regular visitation list include Utagban, Egbean, Egba, Ogbebuya, Ugbineh, Sule Camp, and Elele in far Edo North, among others.

Baptisms & Thanksgiving

We are witnessing a remarkable increase in baptisms, a testament to God’s work through Bear Valley’s influence in Benin City. We give all glory to God and extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Bear Valley family worldwide for their unwavering support.

Dunia Christopher
Director, BVBIN-Benin City

Students in Lagos Island continue Studies and Evangelistic Efforts

SABO ONIBA/LAGOS ISLAND CENTERS REPORT  (September 2024 to January 2025 by Tim Iwe)

Introduction

The Lagos team is grateful to God for the opportunity to serve as workers in the kingdom, especially as local missionaries in Lagos and its environs. Witnessing God's work in the lives of individuals and communities has been a privilege. This report highlights the key activities and accomplishments of our work. Last year ended with a lecture in the Sabo Oniba Center with the theme: Effective Evangelism in a Digital Age. All the schools in Lagos were in attendance. It was a colorful gathering. The New Year also started in active service as some of us participated in the Ibadan Main Campus Leaders Seminar that just ended.

BEAR VALLEY WORK

We have just concluded the 32nd circle in our academic calendar in Sabo Oniba Center.  1 & 2 THESSALONIANS was facilitated by Chinyere Okoro as OLD TESTAMENT 3B (Job & Ecc.) was guided by Emmanuel Odo, while the book of HEBREWS was taught by Suleiman Yusuf and Revelation by Noel Brain Otuwho

In Lagos Island Center, we had presently concluded their 12th circle, which implies a year of academic work. Hermeneutics 2: was taken by Augustine Ani as Oluwafemi Adewuyi led the class on Denominational Doctrine, and the Book of Galatians was directed by Tim Iwe. Also, 1, 2 and 3rd John was led by Ibanga Udoh. 

Church Visits/Lectureship: 

Sabo-Oniba hosted this year's Lagos BVBIN Annual Lectureship. We had more than 100 youths from different parts of Lagos and other states in attendance. Also, more than 200 participants watched the program online, for it was streamed live. The goal was to call the attention of the youth to how they can use social media to do effective evangelism. Most of them are online daily; therefore, there is a need to call their attention to what they can do for God while online. Some of our best hands on the social media platform were used as facilitators during the event. 

WBS ENROLLMENT/SOCIAL MEDIA EVANGELISM/BAPTISM:

Bro Sadiq Bachure from Yola sent in 153 Introductory Lessons collected from schools in Yola. We are still expecting the ones from Bro Madaki from Taraba state. These are efforts to extend the WBS program once again to the Northeast. Thanks to Owen, Carla Jeffrey & Sharon Tomblin, and Bro Chad for their support of this work. Bro Mike Udam stopped over in December, spending two days training preachers in Lagos on how to do effective social media evangelism. This effort will be spread over the nation very soon.

LAGOS WBS ONLINE WORK: 

Active Online Study Helpers: 6

Online Students Active: 136

Under Follow Up: 2

Completed Lessons: 5,637

Certificates Awarded: 1,494 

Baptisms: 3

Appreciation/Conclusion

We are deeply grateful for the support and partnership of Sis Owen Carla, Jeffrey & Sharon Tomblin family, and Stoney Point Church of Christ, who have been supporting the Lagos Island Bear Valley project from inception. Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support have been invaluable in enabling us to fulfill our missionary calling. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve as a local missionary. I look forward to continuing to partner with God and with you to advance the Kingdom in Nigeria and beyond.

Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers.

TIM IWE

Positive Updates from Moundou, Chad

Dear beloved Coordinator,

On behalf of the staff of instructors of Bear Valley MOUNDOU-TCHAD, on behalf of the students of the second promotion of Bear Valley MOUNDOU-TCHAD, and on behalf of the assembly of the Church of Christ on Campus, receive my best wishes for health, peace, and joy for yourself, and for your biological and spiritual family for the year 2025 and the years to come!  If possible, please convey these same wishes to the Creekside congregation and the great family of the Bear Valley BIBLE INSTITUTE of Denver.

Mr. Coordinator, the purpose of this report is to update you on the activities and operation of our Bible training center. Indeed, our new students actually started classes on January 6, 2025. The classes are going very well. We have two weeks of classes left before going on an internship. The internship will begin next Saturday, February 15.

Speaking of evangelism, there were two outings on the weekends and God added a soul to his Church through the work of our new students. May God strengthen our new sister in Jesus Christ! We have planned a two-day evangelism seminar (on weekends) in a locality located 27 kilometers from Kelo (132 km from Moundou) when we return from vacation, but transportation is a challenge because the village is not on the main road. This outing is very important for the establishment of an assembly of the Church of Christ in this village. Pray a lot for us.

  Mr. Coordinator, allow me to also speak about the former students (the 7 graduates), trained in Chad. I had a meeting today, February 3, with the seven graduates and the teaching staff. I informed the graduates of the importance of reporting their work and their participation in the Alumni activities. I made the same remark to the instructors. I will keep you informed, in real time, of the progress of the work of these brothers.

  Such, Mr. Coordinator, is some useful information for the moment. May God bless you abundantly in Jesus for his ministry!

Fraternally in Christ, Datoudji

Gueckedou Bear Valley Bible Institute celebrates a Successful Year

By His grace we, the Gueckedou Bear Valley Bible Institute, did come to the close of the year 2024. Yes, God kept us alive, in good health despite some challenges and in active mood of gospel services which include in and outdoor activities of lectures, trainings and evangelism during the month of December. All went well to the glory of God and we are glad to report and share some details of these events.

Classroom: 

We had brother Francis Lavaley who took the students on the course "the Life of Christ" with the books of Matthew and Mark.

Then brother Antoine Fassa Tolno continued with the last part of "Christian Evidence" part III. All 15 students were in attendance and in good shape.

Classes were closed on 20 December  for the year end season.

Evangelism and Church Leaders Seminar:

Once again in response to our invitation, brother Mike Udam travelled from Nigeria to Gueckedou which again was one of his evangelistic mission plans to Sierra Leone and Guinea.

In Guinea, especially around the Gueckedou area, some 30 brethren, church leaders, and evangelists from various congregations attended. We have been motivated and encouraged not only for what is our usual routine activity of preaching and growing congregations, but to also associate and conduct seminars in our various congregations on a routine schedule.

This exercise along with other activities are gear toward strengthening church leaders, evangelists and congregants.

It was a 1 day, but intensive and successful seminar.

Our first meeting for preliminary discussions is scheduled to hold in early February.

Evangelism:

There were various evangelistic missions of follow ups to help and build up congregations especially the newly planted at the villages of Katcho and Yiffo where we had some baptisms.

Mostly, it was our team leaders that were involved in these follow up works.

On the other hand, there was 1 evangelistic campaign conducted in the Kissidougou area, the village of Gbangbadou with 1 soul converted. Brother Balla Kamano who planned the campaign is the leader and evangelist in the central town of Kissidougou.

There were in total 6 conversions of all the said evangelistic missions.

Conclusion:

The year 2024 has ended and we are grateful to you the Bear Valley Bible Institute administration in the US for all the support rendered to us at the Bible lnstitute again in December and in Guinea during the year 2024.

This is a partnership that we have enjoyed for another 12 months and therefore fulfilled our duty of training and evangelism.  

As stated in our internal statistics report for December, the Gueckedou Bear Valley Bible Institute graduated 9 evangelists, planted 7 congregations, restored 2 others and in all baptised 143 souls not counting seminars and other related activities in 2024.

We are also grateful to our Coordinator, Steven Ashcraft through whom a lot other evangelistic works and worship hall roofings are being done. 

Special appreciations to the 9th Ave and the Niceville churches through Halley Dobbs and Ken Stanley respectively as well as the French World Outreach through brother Barry Baggott for their great contributions of various sorts.

May God bless all of you and keep us safe and strong to the glory of His name.

Until then, we remain grateful to you all.

Students in Kara, Togo work with local congregations

OPERATING REPORT BEAR VALLEY INSTITUTE KARA- TOGO (Fourth quarter 2024)

EXTENDED PROGRAM ; BVBI- KARA – TOGO

January 22nd, 2025

INTRODUCTION

Having arrived at the threshold of this new year 2025 in good health, please accept our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year. We pray that God will grant you perfect health, great and much courage to continue fighting to expand God’s kingdom  together. We continue to encourage our students to make sure that at the end of their training they can be effective in the fight to win lost souls and enlarge the kingdom of God.

OPERATING REPORT

1-     The current number of students : 6

2-     The courses already taught the fourth quarter 2024 :

a-    Evangelical Ethics : by KAGNON Luc

b-    The Comparative Study of Religions : by TALAKI Nicodeme

c-     The Major Cult : by BEDJELSI Fidele

3-    The courses that will be taught during the first quarter 2025 :

a-    Biblical Doctrine : by KAGNON Luc

b-    Church Development : by TALAKI Nicodeme

c-     1-2 Timotheus and Titus : by BEDJELSI Fidele 

4-     Instructors’ meeting :

Teachers noted during their quarterly meeting the absence of three (3) students towards the end of December 2024. The reason for their absence is that the Togolese government organized civil service employment exams and three (3) of their students passed these exams and immediately left for their respective training. The teachers were not happy about this situation, but they made a commitment to continue encouraging and motivating the six (6) students to remain firm until the end of the courses.

The teachers noted with satisfaction the baptism of a denominational Young brother during our practical evangelism to the village of Lama. They also noted the visit of Evangelist Roger from Ivory Coast, who strongly encouraged the students who were very happy.

5-     Congregational Activities :

a-   Worship and edification :

During this quarter we selected the local churches of Kara University and Soumdina Pida for an edification campaign program. During the execution of these programs, we were able to restore who had abandoned the faith to return to the Catholic Church. They made a firm decision to worship in Christ’s church from now on.

We continue to salute the good collaboration between the Evangelistes. A teaching program is drawn up, and in turn evangelists, with the help of students, build up local churches.

b-     Denominational program :

With this program, we were able to plant two (2) churches : one in Lassa Lao and the other in Tchitchao Kigbeleng. In Tchitchao Kigbeleng we have baptized 4 people and one of them decided to study at Bear Valley Bible School.

c-     Door-to-door evangelism :

Under the leadership of evangelists, each local church has a program for door-to-door evangelism. Each local church program is supported by all the evangelists, who work together as a team with the other members of each local church. There is a very good influence of this work in each locality. We baptized a total of 5 people this quarter, including 4 in Tchitchao Kigbeleng and 1 in Lama, and restored 1 person at the Kara University local church.

d-   Seminar :

In November 2024, we held a seminar for evangelists from the north and some from southern Togo to discuss unity and relational leadership for three days. The number of participants was 30 evangelists. And here we salute the efforts and wisdom of Missionary STEVEN in supporting this seminar.

e-     « Read and speak kabiye program » :

This program is designed above all to help the brothers in each local church master the local language to help during worship. They will also help as monitors in each local church. Each member must be able to read and understand God’s word in his or her own language. This will help each member grow spiritually. Each participant in this program is very diligent in mastering the language.

f-      Prayers for newborn babies :

God has blessed two families with new babies at Lama and Kara-University. These moments of prayer were moments of joy that saw the participation of members of other churches. These were moments of advice given to these families.

g-     End-of-year camp :  

This program brings together all the brothers and sisters of each local church for nearly three days around a special theme that the chosen preachers will help the members to fully understand. This program helps the members towards spiritual maturity. This year’s participants numbered around 150. The general topic was : The Church of Christ.

h-   Radio Program :

This program continues to help us reach the most remote villages with the gospel. It also helps us to make contact with certain members of the denominations with whom we organize study programs. Some accept and appreciate the teachings, but reject these comprehensive study programs.

i-       End-of-year program :

Some churches gathered on the night of December 31st, 2024 in Kara-University local church, singing and thanking the Almighty for his protection and blessings for the year 2024. The new year 2025 was greeted with a cheerful atmosphere, and everyone made a commitment to make a little more effort in their service with the Lord in 2025.

In Christ,

Fidele

Ukraine Updates

Bear Valley Bible Institute Report – 2024-2025

The year 2024 has come to an end. Currently, three students are studying at our institute, and two of them will graduate this year. We continue to make every effort to increase the number of students.

Initiatives to Attract Students

To attract more people to the institute, we have launched online courses on various topics, such as Time Management and Financial Stewardship. People are joining these courses and participating remotely.

At the end of January, we will also begin an in-depth Greek Language Study course. These efforts aim to keep the institute visible and help people learn more about our programs.

Courses Taught This Year

This year, we have offered the following courses:

• In January, I taught the course on World Religions.

• Alexander Ratkevich taught the second part of Homiletics.

• Currently, Michael Underwood is teaching the course on Prison Epistles.

Visit to Missionaries in the Czech Republic

During the winter break, we visited Bear Valley missionary Tony Orlean and his wife, who are currently serving in Olomouc, Czech Republic. They are in the early stages of establishing a church there. While their congregation is still small, it includes a Ukrainian family and a few local Czech individuals.

We pray that the Lord blesses their ministry. We hope that our visit was an encouragement to them, as they were to us.

Churches in Europe remain very weak, as many people are primarily focused on earning money and material pursuits. Please continue to pray for the church in Europe, that materialism and distorted worldviews do not consume the hearts of its people.

The War in Ukraine

Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues with no visible changes on the battlefield. Soldiers and civilians lose their lives daily, and the frontline is gradually moving closer to central Ukraine. Large parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, remain under occupation.

We ask you to continue praying for the following:

• The recruitment of new students for the upcoming academic year.

• The Church in Ukraine during these challenging times.

• Wisdom for preachers and teachers as they carry out their ministry.

Family Update

My family and I remain in Germany, where we attend a church in Leipzig. We also have a small Bible study group at our home, for which we are very grateful.

Encouraging News from Uzhhorod

In Uzhhorod, our brother and teacher, Oleg Fofanov, continues to baptize new believers, and the church there is growing steadily.

Special thanks to Brother Terry Harman, who has been holding online classes to support this church.

Gratitude

We are sincerely thankful to all sponsors, teachers, institute staff, preachers, and everyone who supports our work. Your contributions and prayers are invaluable to us.

With love and respect,

Your brother in Christ,

Denys Sopelnyk