Beloved in Christ ,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you all from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I bring you greetings from the staff and students of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Nigeria & Southwest School of Evangelism, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.
April 1st was full of marriage ceremonies among the brethren in Lagos and Ogun state. Three of the brothers and three sisters were married on April 1, 2016 and I was blessed with the opportunity to serve as one of the ministers in one of these ceremonies where one of the SWSE foundation members, brother Samuel Ishola, took a wife for his last born, brother Seyi Ishola, at Ifo Registry Center.
May God bless all these new couples is our fervent prayer in Jesus name, amen.
We started our divided classes at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan which centered on “Church Growth.” Three teachers taught for two Lord's days (April 3 & 10). Brother Destiny Sunday Elijah, one of our year-2 students, taught the men. Brother Lawrence Dada, another year-2 student, taught the women, while I taught the youth class. We taught on “Marks of the Growing Church” on April 3 and “A Faithful Christian” on April 10, 2016.
CAMPUS CHURCH: Brother Shotola Segun taught on “A Growing Church” on April 3, while brother Nnamdi Blessing admonished the campus church from the book of Jonah. On April 10, brother Samuel Peter taught on “Remember Your God Now that You are Young” (Eccl. 12), while brother Godwin Tobi admonished the campus church on “An Example” (1 Tim. 4:12).
WEEKEND EVANGELISM: Some staff and students of BVBIN / SWSE and some of the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation evangelized the Iletitun area of Lagelu Local Government of Oyo state, while brother Kayode Eniafe, brother Shotola Dele, brother Samuel Olorode, brother Godwin Ede, and some students evangelized Ikoyi town of Osun state on April 11, 2016 to the glory of God.
REPORT FROM FELLOW WBSFUW AND BVBIN & SWSE GRADUATES: Brother Matthew Odey reported the conversion of two souls during last week at the Mary Land congregation in Lagos state, while brother Matthew Rowland reported the conversion of four souls to the glory of God at the Abusoro congregation in Akure, Ondo state where he is ministering.
GHANA TRIP: In continuation of our master’s program at Bear Valley Bible Institute graduate program in Accra, Ghana, I and brother Isaac Olaniyan will embark in a journey to the Gold country on April 16, Lord's willing, for a week intensive class on “Leadership” by brother Ralph Williams, and we hope to return to our father's land, Nigeria, on April 23, 2016 by God's grace.
We appreciate so much the financial support from brother Steven Ashcraft since last year when we joined the class in Ghana. Also, we appreciate brother Doug and brother Chad Wagner for the connection with the Bear Valley Bible Institute International of Denver, Colorado USA. Lastly, we thank you all for your great and wonderful contribution toward the growth of the Lord's church in Africa. May the Lord of blessing continue to bless you all is our fervent prayer.
Stay blessed and be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please, remember us in your daily prayers for a successful trip to and from Ghana.
Yours in His grace as a servant,
Makimde Ebens (Minister)