Teaching faithful men to teach faithful men to teach faithful men. No, I did not misquote 2 Timothy 2:2. I am merely describing what is taking place at the Kenya School of Preaching in Kisumu, Kenya. August 13-17, 2013 I taught a short course at KSOP, “The Godhead.” I had fifteen undergraduate students and three Master’s students. All worked extremely hard and had a great attitude. Due to the fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi we had to delay our departure from the US from Thursday, August 8 until Sunday, August 11. We also re-routed our trip through Rwanda and Entebbe, Uganda, where we spent Monday night, rented a van and drove the seven hours to Kisumu, Kenya Tuesday. After a quick lunch of beans and rice I began teaching the short course at 1:00 PM (with only three hours sleep in a bed since Saturday night). I deeply appreciate the cooperation and attitude of the students in staying late each evening and on Saturday to complete the course. This was the last course before the quarter break. The students are now half way through the program.
The Kenya School of Preaching is now offering a Master’s Program to a select number of students in the immediate area of Kisumu. There are numerous reasons for offering the Master’s program at this time. We have several Kenyan and Ugandan students that have begun the Master’s program at Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha, Tanzania and due to the high cost of travel have had to suspend their studies. KSOP is much closer and travel is less expensive for them. We have several short-course teachers scheduled to teach in the program that have their doctorate degrees which allows them to teach Master’s students. By receiving Master’s degrees, these men will be sufficiently qualified to teach at KSOP. Part of the requirements for the Master’s students in the Christian Evidences short course was to teach the undergraduate class for 50 minutes using a Powerpoint presentation complete with a “responsive outline” for each student. I graded their assigned presentations and then the presenters were critiqued by their peers. The design of this assignment was to “teach them how to teach.” The result of this program will be even more qualified teachers for KSOP and her sister schools in Uganda and Tanzania.
Thanks to six suitcases filled to the fifty-pound capacity and generous brethren in the US the library grew by several hundred books. KSOP also has two desktop and three laptop computers in the computer lad for use by the students, once again due to generous brethren in the states. The first day of the quarter in October students received training in proper use of the computer as well as special instruction in Microsoft Word. The new computer lab will allow students to conduct research on the internet as well as type the papers and send to instructors via email.
Overall I would say the KSOP is a tremendous success thus far. Charles Ogutu is a superb director. Likewise, Elias Omallo is a competent and caring Dean. I am convinced we have precisely the right men in these positions; kudos to these men on a job well done. Also, a special thanks to the Charlotte Ave. congregation in Rock Hill, SC for sponsoring the school. Graduation of the first class of the Kenya School of Preaching is scheduled for August of 2014. I am convinced all men in the current class will be graduates at that time, God willing.
Mike Reese