Souls continue to be added to the kingdom as we receive reports of growth throughout the Extension Program. As you know, this work is about training men to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of this program rests in the fact they are being trained in their own language and in their own country.
Ultimately, the design of this program is to prepare men to teach their own people. Considering the traditional missionary model, the challenges of culture, economics, language, and religious background present a number of issues that make reaching more souls difficult. As we see the world’s population grow, we must find the most affective ways to share the gospel with the multiplied billions of people on earth.
Recently, Cy Stafford, Director of TZ2000 in Arusha, Tanzania, addressed the students at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver. During his lesson he pointed out the incredible difference in the growth of the church in Tanzania by the men who have prepared themselves to preach at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching.
While sharing accounts of the growth, he focused his thoughts around the word “door,” as it is used in scripture. One door really stood out to me, the door for the word. Paul asked the church to pray for him, that God would open a door for the word. God has blessed us in opening a door for the word through the opportunity of making a difference in training men to preach in the Extension Program. This work continues to grow and as it does we will need you.
We need you to pray with us for the future of this work.
We need you to share the reports with others who can be involved to help.
We need you to consider how you can help financially in support of our efforts.
We need you to continue to provide encouragement to those who labor in this work.
We are growing and moving into 2012 with diligence as we work to connect with several locations in training more men to preach. We will have more to share about these locations in the weeks ahead.
Now on to the reports...
Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/
Extension Reports
Change Will Be Everywhere: A simple statement in an opening ceremony prayer, but one that is being lived out in the work of the CBIW in Cameroon.
VVBC Students Outreach And Leadership Workshop: The students in Visakhapatnam are seeing fruit in their work, as well as, participating in a leadership workshop.
Tamale Makes Changes For The New Class: After several staff meetings, changes are taking place to help in the development of the new class of students in Ghana.
Studies In Battambang, Cambodia: New developments in Cambodia could possibly produce a new congregation Battambang.
Opening Doors In Siem Reap: Phanat is finding open doors through individuals contacted through recreational activities.
NIBC Lectureship And Graduation: The recent lectureship and graduation of the North India Bible College produced a great opportunity for growth in the church of India.
Final Thoughts
As we approach the final few days of February, I am reminded of how quickly this year is flying by. It seems as if I write one report, only to turn around and write another. The weeks seem to be going by like days. It is such a blessing to be involved with this work and I want to thank you for helping make it all possible.
There is no way to list all the individuals who are involved in the development of the Extension Program, nor to thank each individual who has helped financially. As a friend of mine recently said; “we are partners in this work.” The number of congregations and individuals who are responsible for the overall program is awesome. You are a blessing!
Thank you.
God bless
Bob