More progress in Guinea

Introduction

In order to maintain a good collaboration, there must of necessity be a good communication. That is why we at the Bear Valley extension lnstitute in Gueckedou report to the International school the results of our activities at the end of each month. Now for the month of November 2022, you will see below the activities carried out by the Gueckedou, Guinea school.

Teaching / Classroom

In 1 Corinthians 11 :1 Paul tells us to « be imitators of me as I am of Christ » and later in Acts 19 :9 we learn that Paul taught daily in the school of a man named Tyrannus. In this same spirit, the Bear Valley Extension School in Gueckedou teaches students daily for edification. During the 30 days of November we had the following 4 lessons taught : 

1- Old Testament 2 – History By Saa Robert Kamano

2- Life of Christ 1 – Matthieu by Antoine Fassa Tolno

3- Godhead, french by Niouma 2 Kamano

4- The New Testament Church 1 (One True Church) by Antoine Fassa Tolno

Evangelism

In order to multiply disciples, the Lord has commanded us to go all over the world preaching the good news and baptizing those who will believe for their eternal salvation. In obedience to this commission we have adopted several methods in the process including mass evangelism, door-to-door and public evangelism. Thus, it is our pleasure to inform you that the results of these different methods mentioned above yielded a satisfactory result because 20 persons accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and were born again in the waters of baptism.

Of this total;

 2 souls are from the village congregations of Kendessoua,

4 from N’Dendessou and

12 other people from the village of Kole Kama which formed the nucleus of a new congregation in that area.

 It is important to note the contribution of 3 plus 1 graduate of the second and first batches of the Gueckedou Bear Valley school namely : Abel Lelano, Elie Dembadouno, Alexis Dembadouno and brother Justin Malaya Simbiano respectively. This dynamism shows that the Bear Valley Gueckedou Extension School and her graduates are working as a team to rescue lost souls to the Lord.

Building

We wish to inform you that the local congregations established here as a result of our evangelism are now on their feet gathering materials to build worship shelters. Among these we can mention the villages of Fouedou, Fassaba, Dakadou, Koindou and Ledoumboulo.

Agriculture

Through this report, we wish to reiterate our commitment with Healing Hands International to resume her agricultural activities with the Gueckedou Bear Valley lnstitute starting with the training of personnel. This is important for the development of the school and the church.

Personal Profile

We would like to introduce you to a brother in Christ, Eloi Tolno, a graduate of the 2nd class of the Bear Valley School in Gueckedou, Guinea. He was a leader in the Protestant Church before his conversion to the Lord’s Church. Today, we are please to testify of his faithfulness, his love and his motivation to serve the Lord. Brother Eloi played a great role in the planting of the Church in his and the neighboring villages of Fassaba and Dakadou respectively. He is a prospect in whom we see a lot of potentials for the growth of the Church of Christ in his community.

Other information

We will like to inform you that evangelistic teams are being formed in Guinea for the growth of the church of Christ. These teams, though independent of the Bear Valley school nevertheless have the same goal, the saving of lost souls and it’s through the Bear Valley West Africa Coordinator, Steven Ashcraft that the supports are being obtained. Hence, there are times when we not only exchange ideas with the men of these teams, but also collaborate. It is for these and other reasons that we are giving you a briefing and to let you know that funds were provided to purchase 3 motorbikes plus an additional amount to complete for a fourth one to facilitate the movements of the evangelic teams in Gueckedou and Conakry. We are grateful to those generous men who desire to boost the work of God in Guinea. The beneficiaries with joy commit themselves to use these machines in good faith for the work of God.

Thanks / Appreciations

As in all things, God must be the first to give thanks to for his mercy in making us live to serve him. Then, we thank the Bear Valley International for their spiritual, moral, financial and material support through our valiant coordinator Steven Ashcraft. We also thank  Ken, Barry and all the other people who are working for the flourishing of the Lord’s Church in Guinea.

We humbly ask that you continue to also support us spiritually – in prayers for the flourishing of the Lord’s Church in Guinea.

A new school in Malawi!

Eager to Learn

We have been very impressed by the student body’s efforts to go the extra mile to learn God’s Word.  Inside the classroom learning is expected, but the student families are doing more outside of the classroom. They are learning how to serve their local congregation. The local church only had one toilet for both men and women. One day, all of the men joined forces and finished a partial outhouse the church had started several months ago. Now the church can do the culturally correct thing and have separate toilets. 

Not only are the husbands and wives learning, the children are too! This month, several of the older boys took advantage of a Bible and songbook program we have. They said all the books of the Bible, which earned them a free Bible, as well as Psalm 100 which earned them a free song book. To say the least, these older boys were setting a great example for all the younger children on campus. But wait. That is not the best news. Two of those same boys were baptized this month!

Chapel Attendance

Chapel is a devotional held on a morning break from the men’s program.  Although not required, the women are consistently coming to learn more, be with their husbands, and add their voices to the song service.  Although it has added the need for everything to be translated, it has been a true blessing. They bring many smiles as well as encouragement to their husbands for the few minutes they are together in the mornings. In addition, it gives all the students an opportunity to practice translating in a safe environment. When one makes a mistake or is searching for the right word, his classmates will gently assist him with a word and a smile. Although a challenge for some, this valuable life lesson is one more way we are equipping men for the Lord’s work.

Classes and Campaigns

This month the men enjoyed their first research week. Then they participated in Acts 2, Personal Evangelism, and Matthew taught by three different teachers. Next month they will have Homiletics 1 followed by their first campaign. The women continued in their studies of James and Christ’s Culture. These two classes will finish at the same time as the men’s classes so they will be able to participate with their husbands in the campaign.

The first campaign will focus on evangelism in the 5 villages around the school. Following the campaign, all the students will travel home for two weeks. This will be especially important as they will need to arrange for contract work in their fields as well as maintain relationships with their home congregation.

We solicit your prayers and support as we continue in this training exercise.

Dale Kastner

Sowing the seed in Ghana

BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE, TAMALE - GHANA

POST OFFICE BOX TL 925

OCTOBER 2022 OPERATING REPORT

Several activities took place in the month of October, 2022 in Bear Valley Institute of Biblical Studies; Tamale Campus. We owe God praises for all things that happened in this great month. We give God the glory for our special sponsors and servants all over the World that work to make good things happen to us in Bear Valley Tamale.

VISITATION AND MARRIAGE REPRESENTATION

Brother James Bisong Legend visited the congregation at Gbingbani and Bazua respectively. He also on that same journey assisted Brother Baaba Elijah in his efforts to get married to a sister in the Gbingbnai congregation. Things were very smooth and successful. The issue of evangelistic team formation for the Bonkurugu area was also finalized on the journey. God be praised.

KPALSI SOUTH CONGREGATION

The plastering and painting work for the external and part of the internal work on the local congregation in Kpalsi were completed successfully in the month of October, 2022. We wish to use this opportunity to appreciate all who contributed sacrificially in getting a place of work for a great beginning of this great congregation. We can see a great light ahead of us as a congregation. We pray that in the near future, as the church continues to grow in its giving capacity, we will resume work on the windows, electrification, plumbing and the completion of the toilet and wash rooms, plastering and other finishing touches. We humbly thank our brother Steven and his family as well as Brother Kojo for their extraordinary work towards this young congregation. We are on course towards the direction of our mission as a church, in evangelizing our locality and everywhere our strength will lead us to. In the month of October also, we recorded one baptism to the glory of God. We thank you Jesus.

INSTRUCTORS QUARTERS

The roofing working for the three bedrooms of the quarter where the residence instructors are residing have been roofed successfully. Funds were released by Brother Steven, and the job has been successfully done. However, there is still more work to be done on it.

LECTURESHIP

Four courses were successfully treated in the month of October as the students were almost through with their term for the two years Diploma Course. The courses are; World Religion (Daniel Adjei Mensah), Congregational Development (James Bisong Legend), Church History (Yaw Amoo Gyima) and Logic and the Bible (Daniel Adjei Mensah).

SCHOOL GARDEN AND IRRIGATION WORK

The maize cultivated on the compound of the school land was harvested in the month of November to aid the feeding of the new incoming students. We are yet to thrash them for proper storage purposes.

We have also started with the irrigation work being sponsored by Healing Hands International on a similar effort of complementing the feeding expenses of the students. We have raised the beds on a portion of the land, one of the poly tanks has been installed and the drip kits fixed and transplanting have been done.

Things are working appropriately in Tamale by the grace of God.

Thank you sir,

Bear Valley, Tamale

Fiji school celebrates two graduates

BIR SCHOOL UPDATE:

 Jason and I finished the regular school term on the 21st of October at the Bible Institute at Raiwaqa.  Jason finished up his study of the Greek language.  I taught a class on Critical Thinking in which we did a brief survey of rhetoric, argumentation, logic, and fallacies.  The purpose of the course was to help our students think more critically so as to evaluate the arguments and propositions used by others and be able to determine their validity.  Another goal of the class was to help them form better propositions and arguments so as to more effectively communicate the truth of God’s word.  

 SHORT COURSE TEACHERS:

Following the close of the regular term we were privileged to have two short course teachers come to us from Jackson, Mississippi.  We had Andy Dulaney, his wonderful wife Dana, and Derek Broome were able to come to Fiji to help us out.  Andy serves as an elder of the Lord’s church and Derek as an associate minister.  Andy and Dana are no strangers to Fiji and have made several previous trips.  However, this was Derek’s first time in Fiji, though he has previous mission experience in Europe and Central America.  Andy taught a course for us on the Parables of Matthew’s Gospel and Derek taught First Corinthians.  Both did an excellent job.  Dana was an encouragement to Debbie and Devan as well as conducting a lady’s devotional for the ladies at Raiwaqa.  

 BIR 2022 GRADUATION:

Andy, Dana, and Derek were able to help us celebrate our 2022 graduation.  We were very fortunate to have two graduates this year from the village of Vatudamu on the northern island of Vanua Levu.  Romulus and Meriani O’Brien are a husband and wife team who have six children.  They were able to persevere in spite of the challenges posed to us by the Covid19 lock downs of 2021 to complete their course requirements.  On Tuesday evening, October 25 we had a banquet at the school in their honor.  The staff, students, and their wives came together to help them celebrate their well-deserved achievement.  Upon completion of their program it is Romulus and Meriani’s plan to return to the village where Romulus will resume his duties as the local evangelist.  We look forward to great things from this dedicated Christian couple.  

Peru school takes a class on communication skills

We have satisfactorily concluded one more course of our program. I am referring to the oratory course, which was presented by Brother Andrés Nuñez. Both the instructor and the students had a good time training and coaching. I will now share some notes from both the teacher and the students, I think it is a good way to know the experiences of some of them during the course. I hope this is encouraging to all who may read this short report.

Andres Nuñez's report:
In the month of October 2022 I had the privilege of being able to teach this Oratory course, very essential for every Christian, especially for our student brothers who are preparing to teach, preach and evangelize using the word of God throughout their lives. It is better that our future servants of God prepare themselves in Oratory, which is the art of speaking eloquently, of delighting, persuading and moving through the word of God. Well, the persevering practice of speaking to convince, together with the knowledge and good use of oratory techniques, makes the speaker. The BVBI-PERU Bible Institute has this purpose for its students.

Our student brothers participated in this course:
1. Mariela Ramirez Salazar
2. Ethel Lapa
3. Alejandro Manrique Matos
4. Jose Medina Atoche.
5. Victor Quijandria.
6. Jose Daniel Chiuyare.

It was a special experience because I used a new study material focused first on “The main techniques of public speaking”. (1) Its importance, concepts, conditions, qualities, speech, preparation, pronunciation, reading, diction, tone and voice, presentation, theme. (2) How to use your body and hands when speaking in public, stage fright, fillers, the image of the speaker, time, support materials.

We gave each student the Study Material. "Oratory the art of speaking" and "The course of biblical oratory.” The classes were virtual and face-to-face, and the truth is that the brothers were very enthusiastic about knowing and learning more about the art of speaking in public, together with the different techniques of Oratory.

Personally, I really enjoyed teaching our brothers. They showed great interest, a desire to know and learn more about the course. It was a good, positive experience and I know that the brothers feel more motivated, with great expectations of the next course next month "Hermeneutics" that will be taught by our brother Juan Abanto. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to teach our brothers the word of God.

Now we will share the thoughts of some of the students:

“I learned to communicate the word of God in a better way, both in posture and in putting a better intonation of voice, so that I can come forward to serve God, and the listeners can understand better (José Daniel Chuyare)

“About the Oratory course: What I think and say is very interesting, since one learns ways of speaking, how to speak eloquently, knowing how to reach the hearts of the listeners, public or auditorium, it is very good and recommended for the Christian and to do a good job in the work of the Lord” (Ethel Lapa)

“Thank God for giving me the opportunity to study this oratory course and to you as teachers, my personal appreciation goes out to you. The public speaking course has allowed me to realize many errors that I have been practicing without realizing it, such as fillers, also knowing that our body also speaks, the diction of my words, loud and clear vocalization. Only practice and perseverance will help me to polish all my mistakes regarding the exposition of a message of God's writing or a study" (Alejandro Manrique M.).

“Many thanks to brother Andrés, for the oratory course. I learned a lot. I did not know that we use oratory for everything. I learned new teachings in oratory. Diction, which is very important, and realizing my filler words, and I also have to practice a lot so that I can be heard loud and clear when I speak, and it does not mean that I have to shout, thank you very much again” (Mariela Ramirez)

With the favor of God, this Saturday, November 5, we will be starting the Hermeneutics course. We ask for your prayers to continue with our program of biblical instruction and for new students to continue to be added.
Thank you for the time you have taken to read these lines, God continue to bless you!!

Guinea school conducts their second graduation

Introduction

The greatest work that man should embrace in this world is to serve God, not only to save his own soul, but also to help other lost souls to be saved.

This is also how the Gueckedou Bear Valley Bible Institute is and we work together with the same feeling and spirit in carrying out the various activities that are detailed in this report.

Teaching / Classroom :

To build up and enlarge the church, we must first train and or edify evangelists; and to edify the evangelists, we must teach them the word of God. That is why during the 31 days of October, the Gueckedou Bear Valley school taught the following subjects :

-The plan of Salvation by Balla Kamano from the 26th/9/ to 3th/10/2022

- Hermeneutics 1 by Antoine Fassa Tolno from 4th to the 10th/10/2022

- Homiletics 1 by Niouma 2 Kamano from the 11th to the 17th/10/2022

- The Gospel of Matthew by Antoine Fassa Tolno from the 18h to the 21th /10/2022

A written evaluation was done at the end of the teaching of each course and the results were satisfactory.

Evangelism :

The heart of our activities is evangelism. This is so because evangelism is the mission that the Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to the disciples to lead lost souls on the way to eternal salvation.

During the month under review, this mission was carried out in several forms, namely, door-to-door personal evangelism, the radio gospel broadcast and the gospel campaign all of which yielded to the conversion of 20 precious souls who accepted Christ under the following descriptions :

1. A new congregation was planted in the village of Kendessoua. This was possible as a result of a strong contribution of student Balla Frangadouno, one of those currently in studies here at the Bear Valley school and through the support and preaching done that night resulting in 7 baptisms by our brother, Francis Musa.

2. The productive presence of our Coordinator, Steven Ashcraft who gave a strong hand in the conversion of 9 souls – 6 and 3 on Sunday October 30, 2022 in the villages of Kendessoua and Bouliedou respectively.

We are proud to mention and appreciate the great courage of our Coordinator, Steven who despite the bad state of our roads went with us to the distant villages to preach the good news during his brief visit.

Graduation ceremony

As it is customary with Bear Valley, at the end of the training of each class, a ceremony must be organized for the official presentation of the diplomas to the graduates.

Such a ceremony was therefore held on October 29, 2022 for the graduation of the second batch of students from the Gueckedou Bear Valley Bible Institute here in Guinea. This ceremony was preceded by a day of Bible teaching in a seminar on October 28.

We are pleased to inform you that the ceremony was successful to the glory of the Lord. About 850 persons were present among which were the representatives of the Prefectural and Communal authorities.

Thanks

We thank our God the Alpha and the Omega for his infinite love to help us in our weaknesses through Jesus Christ our Savior.

We thank and give appreciation with special emphasis to our Coordinator, Steven Ashcraft for his courage and determination to be available night and day in seasons, favorable and unfavorable conditions to serve Christ in the context of flourishing the church of God in Guinea.

We also thank Bear Valley International for their unconditional support of God’s work in Guinea through its extension school in Gueckedou.

In short, we are thankful to all those who contributed in any way to the success of the graduation ceremony of the second class of students here at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Gueckedou, Guinea.

May God abundantly bless each one of you according to your works of labor.

West Coast School of Preaching students near graduation

OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR OCTOBER, 2022

CLASSROOM WORK

Most of the full-time students are left with just a few months to complete their two years academic journey in West Coast school of preaching. So much has been taught and studied during this period. There has been massive improvement in the students from when they first arrived at our gate. Classroom work proceeded very smoothly in the month of October. Currently, some of the courses being taught include: Christian Ethics, Book of Revelation, Godhead, World Religions and Denominational Doctrines. 

Part-time classes are also proceeding very well and at a very good pace. Their classroom work still continues on Fridays and Saturdays. Joshua Aidoo and Douglas Armah were the instructors who taught them in the month of October. Bro. Joshua taught them Advanced Hermeneutics and Advanced Homiletics while Bro. Douglas taught Preacher & His work.

PERSONAL EVANGELISM AND BAPTISM

Current and Past students of West Coast School of Preaching continued to spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the month of October. God who is always faithful saved some souls through their efforts. 

Thank you.

Joshua

Wotutu staff and students restore a congregation

Dearest in Christ,

I am sure everyone is doing great as we mark the last days of the year 2022. The year has been a fruitful one for family and for the work that has been entrusted in our hands. We continue to thank Him for His grace that we see upon us and on the work as we have witnessed much expansion of the kingdom of God here in our lovely country of Cameroon.

Welisane John is one of our students who has returned from his last mission work. It was successful! This brother had a great two-years stay here in Wotutu. He will be working in the congregation of Mbonge after his graduation. The Mbonge congregation is one of the oldest in Cameroon. The preacher there died many years ago, and there has been no one to help the congregation since. During weekend evangelism, and the end of quarter mission week, Welisane was sent there. They have now deemed it good for him to work with them full time. Please pray for him and that great spiritual things will continue to take place there.

 Our students are “fully baked,” and are ready to take the gospel to the ends of our country. They are ready to “rob from the strong man’s house,” they continue to “think souls.” Please keep them in your prayers. Be praying for them to have the zeal and courage, to do great things for the Lord everywhere they find themselves.

The last class for this batch was “Marriage and Family.” In this class, we allowed people in the community, and in the Wotutu congregation, to come and be in the class to learn. This always goes a long way in the building up of their families, which also helps to make our community a happier, safer, and healthier one.

At the end of the class, arrangements were made with the local government authorities to draw up marriage papers for each couple. They were very happy for us to pay some amount of money so that the students could have a legalized marriage certificate from the government.

We always round up the class with the famous, “CHOOSE YOUR MATE AGAIN BANQUET.” All of the couples were back in the Wotutu congregation for the joyous banquet which involved their families and many people from their communities. Many of our students considered the event to be their original wedding ceremony.

Part of the ceremony was the cutting of the, “CHOOSING YOUR MATE AGAIN CAKE.” The beautiful wedding cake depicted the beauty of the occasion well. This class, and the banquet that follows it, is always a turning point in the lives of many families.

Be praying for the Malende congregation in the Muyuka subdivision. The preacher that had been preaching in that congregation for over 40 years, died in his home country of Nigeria. I was part of the Cameroonian delegation that travelled to Nigeria for the funeral. Sadly, since then, the congregation has begun to collapse, as the sheep were all scattered because there was no one to preach for them. Our students have actively evangelized the village and some Christians were encouraged to stay faithful and others were restored. The congregation is presently alive and healthy again. Please, we need your prayers as we engage in these types of works.

Graduation bells are ringing! This year, graduation celebrations will be December 7th and 8th of 2022. Everything is almost set for the day. Some Christians are already moving towards Wotutu. For some, coming to Wotutu may feel similar to how the children of Israel may have felt as they journeyed to Jerusalem. The journey can be long, but the remembrance, renewal, and fellowship are much anticipated. Please keep our graduation events in your prayers, that all goes well, as we entrust it into God’s hands.

The smiles on the faces of the students, tell you how ready these students are to go out into the world to preach the gospel. Please keep them in your prayers, that God will continue the work He has started in their lives, as they see his grace and mercy working in their personal life, in their families, in their congregations, and in their villages.

APPRECIATIONS

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. We are very thankful to God for all His priceless support in our lives as we commit to doing all that is entrusted in our hands to do. Thank you very much for your fervent prayers and deep support that helps to keep this work going. God sees, and will reward in due season. Please do your best to share this report with others. We shall soon compile the end of year report, which will carry the summary of all what took place in BVBIC-Wotutu and the congregation here in 2022.

God bless you! Make a great day!

By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Sierra Leone students conduct campaign

ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR OCTOBER, 2022

Full-Time and the Extended Programs

 INTRODUCTION                     

The family of the Kenema Bear Valley Bible Institute, Sierra Leone brings you greetings. We are hopeful that God has been taking care of you all, just as He has been doing for us here. This is another opportunity we have to share with you our exciting and successful October report.  In October, our full-time students completed year one and went on a month's break. Our extended program continued. We also held one Bible Lectureship at the school campus. Moreover, our coordinator, Brother Steve Ashcraft visited us; three souls were converted, and we attended the Bear Valley graduation in the Republic of Guinea.

END OF YEAR ONE (Full-Time Program)

Our full-time students successfully ended their first year by completing all the fourth quarter courses on October 25, 2022. In that quarter, eight (8) courses were covered: Old Testament 3: Wisdom Literature, Life of Christ 3 (Luke), New Testament Church 2 (Worship), Homiletics 2, 2 Corinthians, Personal Evangelism 2,  Computer Studies 4, and Basic English Grammar 4. All the courses were completely taught and our staff was committed to their tasks. As you know, while our full-time students went on break, our extended students continued with their classes. You can see that our staff barely have time here to rest.

WEEKEND EVANGELISM AND CONVERSION OF SOULS

As we informed you before, our students (full-time), some members of the churches of Christ in Kenema, and some staff go for evangelism every weekend and the month of October was no exception. The month of October was not so fruitful for us with respect to conversions because we recorded only three baptisms. However, we are grateful to the Lord for the three souls He added to His Church. 

LECTURESHIP       

As far as we remember, we requested your prayers in our September report regarding the lectureship that had been scheduled to take place on 7th to 9th October, 2022. We thank you for your prayers; the lectureship was successfully held and many people attended the program. The caption for the lectureship was, “FACTORS AFFECTING MARRIAGE AMONG CHRISTIANS IN CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN KENEMA DISTRICT.” The rationale behind this topic is that a home is a very important unit that contributes greatly toward the growth of every local congregation. If Christian homes are not built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, then there is no way we can have a church that pleases God.  

OUR COORDINATOR’S (Steve Ashcraft) VISIT

We are very thankful to God for the visit of our dear brother, Steve Ashcraft, from the U.S.A. Brother Steve had some health challenges prior to his visitation; we prayed and even though he had not completely recovered, he came down to Africa. We were so encouraged by his arrival. Upon his visitation, he benevolently encouraged our students to remain focused and dedicated to the cause of Christ and their studies. Not only that, but he also shared some gifts with our students and staff. Moreover, he held a very successful meeting with the staff of KBVBI. Brother Steve indeed is a lover of God and a leader to follow. This is so because he is very committed to the work of God. We are very privileged to have him as our coordinator. 

THE BEAR VALLEY GRADUATION AT GUINEA

Our administration was invited to the Gueckedou, Guinea graduation exercise which took place from the 28th-29th of October 2022. Nine of us as staff attended the program, and in the end, it was very successful. We are very grateful for the privilege to serve through Bear Valley.

CONCLUSION

As we are all serving our Master, may He say to us on the last day, “Well done my humble servants…”  

Church planting in Nigeria

Dear fellow Soldiers of Christ Jesus. Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ. Below are some of our activities for the month of November 2022.

OVERVIEW:

i- SECOND SEMESTER CLASSES BEGINS
ii- WEEKEND EVANGELISM
iii- BVBIN & SWSE – CHIEF SERVANT BECOME A MEMBER OF BOT
iv- DEGREE STUDENTS CONTINUE THEIR CLASSES
v- SWKA STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THEIR FIRST TERM EXAMINATION.

SECOND SEMESTER CLASSES BEGINS FOR THE 2022/23 SESSION:
The Second semester classes begin on Oct. 31, 2022 with twenty (20) students in year – 1 and eight(8) students in year – 2. This second semester program will come to an end Lord’s willing on December 23, 2022. The following are the instructors for this semester: Bro. Isaac Olaniyan, Bro. Kayode Eniafe, Bro. Andrew Adeolu, Bro. Makinde John, Bro. Israel Tajomavwo, Bro. Oke Michael , myself – Bro. Makinde Ebens and Sis. Dorcas Clement [Computer].

WEEKEND EVANGELISM
The staff and students of BVBIN & SWSE – IBADAN evangelized several towns and villages of South Western States of Nigeria in this month of November. Among places evangelized are Butubutu village, Jago, Badeku, Egbeda, Felele – Ibadan, Asejire – Osun State, Abeokuta – Ogun State, Gambari village etc.
Our effort with the Badeku group resulted into the conversion of a denominational Pastor and five of his members at Ojoku village via Badeku in Ona – Ara LGA of Oyo State while other groups reported six baptisms. Total baptism for this month of November is eleven (11).

BVBIN & SWSE CHIEF SERVANT BECOME A MEMBER OF BOT
I attended the National General Meeting of Church of Christ – Nigeria on November 19 held at the Church of Christ, Ikot Ekpere Road, Uyo, Akwa – Ibom State with one of the School Instructors, Bro. Kayode Eniafe.
At this general meeting, I and another three gospel ministers were appointed as members of Board of Trustees to replace some members who have successfully completed their eight years tenure.

DEGREE STUDENTS CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES
The second batch of our degree program resumed their two weeks class on November 28, which will end Lord,’s willing on December 9, 2022. I, Bro. Makinde Ebens is serving as first week instructor teaching on Advanced Fundamentals of Faith – 2 while Bro. Isaac Olaniyan will also serve as an Instructor for the second week teaching on Research & Writing – 2.

ABOUT A STUDENT
Bro. Ogor Joseph Orjim is one of our year – 2 students born on March 14, 2002 at Obudu in Cross River State. He became a member of the Lord’s Church in year 2018. He gained admission into our ministerial department in January 2020. His mission is to be one of the seasoned ministers of God within and outside the Republic of Nigeria.

COMING EVENT
Lord’s willing; the school will be actively involved in planting of the Lord’s Church in Eleekara area via Oyo township, Oyo State between Dec. 8 – 11, 2022. There is a sister that is living very close to Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo.
She is presently worshipping with Ajegunle Congregation, Oyo which is very far to where she reside.
The Ajegunle Church of Christ, Oyo and this sister are pleading with us to assist them in planting of the Lord’s Church in Eleekara area which is close to Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, Oyo State. They also request for a preacher from the school after the church planting.
We therefore, call for partnership from concerned brethren there because we see this as a great opportunity for the spreading of the gospel of Christ in the ancient city of Oyo of over one million populace with only two congregations of our Lord.

CONCLUSION:
We appreciate you for all your moral and financial supports toward the growth of the Lord’s Church in Africa and the world as a whole. May the Lord keep on blessing all you do for His name is our fervent prayers in Jesus Christ name. Amen.
Sincerely His & Yours,
Makinde E. Olufemi
(The Chief Servant of BVBIN & SWSE and WBSFUW)

Luanshya, Zambia school graduates 11 preachers

October 2022

Report

INTRODUCTION

We send our greetings to you all brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ! We give honor and glory to God who has given us this rare opportunity to work in His Kingdom. This is another good time to report what is happening at BVBI-Zambia during the month of October 2022.

GRADUATION CEREMONY (2022)

BVBI-Zambia organized the 3rd graduation day on October 22, 2022. The graduation ceremony was attended by many brethren around the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Just to make the graduation day more meaningful, women from Chiwempala church of Christ sang a Bemba song encouraging the graduates to go and fearlessly preach the word.

We were also grateful that our coordinator, Brother Donnie Estep, and Brother Paul Gidden from Woodland Oaks graced this momentous occasion. Being our guest of honor, Paul Gidden gave a keynote speech during the ceremony. Donnie also gave some encouraging words to all of us and especially to the graduates.

Eleven men completed two years studying with us at BVBI-Zambia and they were awarded Advanced Diplomas in Biblical Studies from Bear Valley Bible Institute International in Denver, Colorado, USA.

All the students performed extremely well. Four men graduated with distinctions and four others graduated with merits while the rest graduated with credits. We have seen an improvement in the passing rate of these students.

Lackson Muwindwa and Gershom Chansa will be working with Chiwempala Church of Christ. Leaders from Chiwempala attended the Graduation ceremony and they handpicked Lackson and Gershom to go and work with the church there.

Boyd Kalaba will remain in Luanshya and help the church in the district.

Jelly Siawaza goes back to Livingstone, Southern Province of Zambia where he will be working with a certain congregation.

Daniel Kapata goes back to teach at one of the Government schools in Zimba, Southern Province of Zambia. Daniel was one of the excellent students. He is not only excellent in academics, but he has also become a very good preacher.

The rest of the graduates have eagerly gone back to work with their respective congregations. We continue to solicit your prayers for these young men.

Added to the Lord’s Body

It was with much happiness that we saw five souls put on Christ in baptism in the month of October. It is always such a joy to see souls added to our family. Prayers are with these young men and two ladies.

Restorations

We saw nine souls restored in the sheepfold. We had seven restorations in Luanshya and two in Ndola. Though we had a very busy schedule due to our graduation ceremony, we never stopped evangelism and fruit came forth. 

News from our alumni! 

We continue to receive positive and very encouraging reports from our alumni. Hornbye Mupengu reports from Ndola that he has been quite busy with personal evangelism. He is also one of the workers involved with World Bible School. Apart from recruiting students for World Bible School, he has also set up a number of Bible studies in different homes of Christians and non-Christians in his hometown of Ndola. 

As we mentioned in our previous communiqués that Hornbye is not the only graduate who is busy preaching the Gospel. Nelson Sikazindu, Austin Musonda, and Joseph Ilunga are also doing the same. Nelson and Austin preach for congregations in Mpongwe and Baluba districts respectively. Joseph Ilunga preaches for Sakania church of Christ. Sakania is a small town bordering the DRC.   

Conclusion

Thank you to all our visitors for their presence at our graduation ceremony, and a big thank you to Donnie Estep who represented the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, and Paul Gidden who represented our sponsoring congregation in Woodland Oaks. Indeed we are so privileged to be in the Kingdom and our prayer to God is that He strengthens this partnership we have in this work. Without your financial help, the work here would be insurmountable. We continue to pray for the success of every good work that you do.

Thank you once again! 

Brotherly,

Cephas and Fred

Students evangelizing college campuses on the weekends in Tirupati, India

Dear beloved brethren in Christ greetings to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank you so much for your continual prayers and all your efforts for the smooth function of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Extension Center at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh-state in India. We are happy to share with you a brief report for October.

Visitors:  As we have reported to you in the last report, Mr. Steve Snider was able to stay with us from October 1-7, 2022.  We praise God for the success of the classes and his safe travel back to home .

On October 11th  some brothers and sisters from the US were able to visit our Bible School.  From Graymere Church of Christ Mr. John R.Vaughan, Mr. Jonathan Winchester, Mr. Matthew Bowling, Mr. Jon Compton. Mr. Michael Miller and from Foothill Church of Christ (elders) Mr. Larry Nokes and Mr. Dennis Widner from Berry’s Church of Christ –Mrs. Jackie Hill and from Woodson Chapel Church of Christ Mrs. Linda Smith . These brothers and sisters visited our school as they were on the way traveling to various places to meet  other preachers who work at different towns and villages.  We are happy to share with you that each one of them spoke for a few minutes and encouraged all the students and teaching staff and non-teaching staff.  Mr. John R. Vaughan said that preaching the  gospel is a most joyful job on this planet.

Class Room Work: In the month of October we completed  Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Job and from the New Testament first John, Second John and Third John .

Baptisms: In the month of October 13 souls were baptized and added to the body of Christ.

Student Ministry :- Our extension centre is located in the city where seven universities are available. There are hundreds of students who are taking their secular education in these universities.  Our staff and students have begun a student ministry, where we visit the campuses to meet the students, given them tracts, and discuss the Bible with them.

We praise God for this great opportunity to work with BVBI.

Thanking you.

Yours brother in Christ.

Vijay , behalf of BVBI –Tirupati ‘s extension centre in India.

More progress in Accra

September Report

End of May 2022

We give glory to God for the end of the month. May His Name be blessed forever, Amen!

Vacation and Resumption date for quarter four.

According to the academic calendar for the year 2022, the third term was scheduled to end on the 9th of September. Students departed to their various destinations on this date after a week of Campaign for souls. The school was scheduled to reopen on 2nd October 2022.

New Campaign Team for Accra

The Accra school has organized a new campaign team with the aim of helping the weekend schools in the Eastern, Southern, Central, and other places of Ghana in church planting and follow-up evangelism. As part of the administrative goal, each weekend school is to plant one church a year with our students being the preachers for such congregations.

School Building

The school building project is in good progress as laborers and masons are doing their best with what has been given them. This progress is hoped to continue in the next months and hence till the end of the year.

Safe Arrival and Departure of Bro Stephen Ashcraft.

Ashcraft’s travel to the country was safe as always, thanks to God. His trips to various parts of the country were safe as well. He departed from the country after honoring his schedules, and we have learned that this departure trip was also without any mishap. We give glory to God very much for this! We are grateful for God’s healing mercies upon our beloved brother Steven Ashcraft when he was taken ill in Ghana.

Some Baptisms of the Month

We are grateful to the Lord as souls accepted the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Four (4) souls were baptized during the visit of our brother E.O. Larbi at Okushebade Golden City. Our Brother and student, Yaw Boadu preaches for this congregation. We say glory be to God.

Appreciation

We are most thankful to God for a successful month and term. We also express our gratitude to the management of the Bear Valley Bible Institute USA for their support both physically and spiritually. To all staff members too, we glorify God because of your effort and dedication to duty. May He continually bless you.

Bereavements

We are sad to report the death of two (2) of our members (a student – Bro. Adams of Nsawam Weekend School and Bro. Asare, a graduate in April 2019 – of Nsawam school). Brother Jacob Asare was buried on the 7th of October, 2022, and Brother Adams will be buried same time later on the 19th of November 2022.

These are updates for the month. We request you to keep praying with us.

Looking to enroll more students in Enugu

Dear Brother Keith,

Greetings from all the nine churches of Christ in Kogi State, Enugu State and in Ebonyi State all in Mbanabo Mission, where we worked in this third quarter of the year 2022. The work was personal visits to members who are backsliding in faith and intensive teachings to these congregations, to encourage members to be steadfast in faith, regardless all the hardship the churches now face because of the backsliding economy, insecurity and high cost of all things in the country. The mission also intensified her benevolence to help some of the members of the churches in supporting those that needed to be supported.

We had some baptized, during these visits. These people are some members who used to worship with the church but have not been baptized.  The Bear Valley Part time Bible School is ongoing and we are putting in more efforts to enroll more people as I have planed Church Seminars to talk about the importance of Education in Church development. All the students we have now are doing fine as they to study hard and help us in evangelism around the Enugu Urban and nearby towns. Please pray for these works.    

Conclusion let us remember that we are on pilgrims in this wicked world, we should live to glorify God always, fear God, trust Him and His promise to save us, living in faith, patient and hope of eternal life so that we will not lose heart because of these little afflictions we are undergoing now. 2Cor. 4:17; Rome 8:18-25.

Ihe Town, Awgu L.G.A Enugu

Herbert Nwankwo Chukwu

Graduation in Malawi

Bear Valley Bible Institute Ekwendeni is one of the extension schools for BVBI - International of Denver Colorado. We are dedicated to training preachers the health Doctrine (Sound Doctrine). It has taken us 3 years to graduate the current class due to the breaks we had because of the pandemic. Otherwise it is a 2 years course to get one graduate. We are thankful that our students persevered all this long and today they have sung a song of Joy.

This month of October was a blessed month that we had 3 visitors from states; Brother Donnie came to teach short course from the 10th to the 14th of October, 2022, while Brother Tim and Mike from Hillcrest Missouri (USA) came to see the work of construction they have done through their congregation support and officially handing the building to the BV Ekwendeni school. It was a moment full of excitement for all of us including the traditional chiefs who came to witness this. The short course also ended with a graduation ceremony which took place on the 15th of October, 2022 whereby Tim was the guest of honor!

Seeing our graduating students, we were also excited with the news they shared about baptisms happening in their respective homes. It is really all about good news!

Short course

Donnie Estep taught the last class before the graduation and was impressed with the performance of the students and the change they have made so far. It really proved to him that he was teaching the graduates.

Graduation

In life there's alot of things people cerebrate and feel the joy of life, things like birthdays, weddings but more to this when someone finishes a higher diploma course at any institution, this too brings Joy and excitement. It was on the 15th of October 2022 when BV Ekwendeni new campus was covered in full excitement and joy. Students dressed nicely as they cerebrate their day of award after completing 3 years of Biblical studies. Chiefs around the school campus were invited, former students, one of Mzuzu Bible college teachers and not forgetting the congregation that has always been hosting our students that is Chinungu church of Christ members were available! We praise God for the joy shared. We had 14 students graduated this year.

Construction work

The construction work is in progress, as we reported that the hostels are finished, the toilets and shower rooms finished and now we want to start the kitchen and possibly the guest house constructed once the funds allow us to. The guest house is very important that it will be able to accommodate the short course teachers, visitors from states would be accommodated with no lodging costs as of now all visitors from abroad we have to accommodate them at the lodge but when we have the guest house at school campus, this could save their costings at the lodge. The Group Village Head has promised us in presence of our visitors, that if BVBI - International wants more development at the campus in Ekwendeni Malawi, they are happy to extend the land for us even more!

Baptisms

The students have reported 15 baptisms at the end of their practical work before their graduation and also 6 more souls restored. Our students are coming from almost the whole part of Malawi. We have students from Pharombe boadering Mozambique, Machinga, Blantyre, kasungu, mzimba, Karonga, Ntchisi and also Nkhataby districts. The news about school is everywhere. Our purpose is that as long as we have the Ability and Opportunity; Responsibility to train more men is with us - 2 Timothy 2:2

Next semester

Our next semester will reopen the first week of February, 2023. We like opening in this month, that we give enough time our students to cultivate their land and plant crops, as subsistence farming is our major source of food. November, December and January is farming time. This time we have 30 prospective students enrolled. Pray for their families as they have stepped into this path of learning God's word.

We always appreciate the effort the BVBI-International give us through monthly support. We remember you and your families in our daily prayers. God has a reward for you for this work. We also remember to give praise to God for the brethren at Hillcrest Missouri for helping us with all the construction work which is still in progress. God guide you in all you do to make sure BV Ekwendeni is independent with our campus well built. This has put the BV Ekwendeni school on the map with the good looking buildings.

There are still souls to be saved - Think Souls!

Yours truly brothers in Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Inaugural graduation in Dar es Salaam upcoming

I have to gave you report of work relating to School activities here at Dar es Salaam. We are continue well with academic activities with 3 classes. Mbagala has 11 students and Temeke has 12 students and 7 students for the Monday class. Total students now are 23.

We are still have 4 teachers as normal were Iddy Nyabusani, Zuberi Mwakyami, Essau Ruheta, and Justin Rwaha were teaching. In cooperation teachers and students conducted evangelism campaigns and 9 baptisms were reported.

We are working also for preparation of graduation ceremony of 13 students on 27/10/2022 here at Temeke.

Thank you to everyone who makes this school possible - it is accomplishing much for the Kingdom! We need to pray for each other for the work of God.

Thanks,

Ombeni Mwambata

Director - BV Dar es Salaam

Trusting the Almighty in Ukraine

Dear brothers and sisters, as well as the congregations,  

The war continues in our country and we feel it every day. Ukraine is being hit by the Russian missiles, and it doesn't matter to what part of the country you relocated - the missiles land everywhere. Last week the city, where I live got attacked. The kamikaze drones manufactured in Iran were targeting the military base and all the barracks were blown up. My children and my wife were terrified and we rushed to the basement of the multi apartment building to wait this night strikes out. Undoubtedly, it influences the people's character, children being especially vulnerable. Many people are very unstable emotionally with fewer smiles and less compassion. It is understandable because every second can be your last one. We ask you to keep praying for peace in Ukraine. The war took lives of so many civilians and the military fatalities are not even known to the general population. 

The Bila Tserkva Church of Christ.  

We keep ministering to the refugees who relocated to our city. We purchase groceries and distribute them weekly. We invite people to the church building, then have some evangelical classes, answer their questions and after that give them groceries, clothes and the Christian tracts and literature. Unfortunately, some people took food and never came back. But we also have a few people who lived in the church building in the beginning of the war who still come to the services.  

The Bible Institute in Chernivtsy.  

The students are having the time of evangelical involvement right now but earlier this month they had The Minor Prophets (part 2) taught by Vitaly Rodichev and Leadership course taught by Dmitro Galiuk. The evangelical practice of our students takes place in a children's boarding school in Zacarpathian region. The children who reside there are originally from the city of Dnipro. This city is under constant military pressure. The classes will resume in the end of October. 

We are very thankful to all the brethren and congregations who donate towards the needs of the refugees. It's a very critical ministry because so many of then lost literally everything. They are so glad to take the necessary provisions.  

God has everything in control. We panic occasionally but He is faithful and almighty. 

Your brother in Christ,  

Dennis Sopelnik

Outreach in Liberia

BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE-LIBERIA

OPERATIONS REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF August 2022

INTRODUCTION:

It is another wonderful opportunity we have been afforded to share with you the happenings here in Ganta Liberia. The school is making great impart in the lives of churches and the country. The school is being regarded as Sound in Doctrine and her products respected for their works out there. Thank you for all your prayers.

VISIT TO FISH TOWN RIVER GEE COUNTY

My visit to Fist Town, River Gee county, a very hard to reach county from Nimba county was all meant to encourage two of our past students who are there working very well in that part of the country. River Gee county is located in the south eastern part of Liberia. Bear Valley both graduates : Brother Winston Carrick and Brother Julius Nowon both came from that far side of Liberia to school with us in Ganta Nimba county. After their graduation, they both returned to Fish Town and got strictly working together on house to house evangelism and radio preaching which I paid for. They started the first and only congregation for now in Fish town through their efforts in the community and on the Radio. This is the only church in the whole of River Gee county. Julius and Winston have also established a huge agriculture farm from the agriculture knowledge gained from Bear Valley as they work to support themselves whiles they involve in preaching the gospel of our Lord.

During my stay with them, I was able to visit their agriculture farm, I went to the Radio station with them, form part of their weekend visitations and evangelism outreach etc. I was given the opportunity to teach and preached on the Lord's day. On that Sunday, the Lord added to His church, six precious souls. I was also able to meet with their parents who appreciated Bear Valley so much for the level of transformation seen in their children since their returned home from the Bible school.

Three men from the church decided to attend the school next intake. This made me so very happy because for a whole county to just have one church with a huge population in such county, is worrisome. But thank for the two young brother (preachers) who took the lead and for all they are doing in that part of Liberia. It is difficult for them financially, but they are very determined to preach the gospel of Christ no matter what. It was very challenging to get there to them and back but I thank God I made it to them safely and the church was so happy that we can come to them and encourage them. Thanks so much for all your prayers.

PROFILE OF LENIN COOPER

Brother Lenin Cooper has accepted our invitations three time to offer his services to the school. Lenin has been one of our short course teacher for three times now since this ongoing badge on students.

Lenin currently lived with His wife and son in Monrovia and teaches at the Liberia Bible College. He is a 2015 graduate from the School of Biblical Studies located in Jos, Nigeria. He holds a BA Degree in Biblical Studies. He also hold a Diploma in Advance English from the Sunset International Bible Institute accredited by the state of Texas, USA

Lenin was born on August 9, 1989. He is currently the assistant preacher for the Church of Christ that meet at Tower Hill, RIA high way. He said His passage is to bring many people to Christ.

In my opinion, he is a good teacher and someone willing to work for God. He has gone with us twice to our campaign and county lectureship and has come to Ganta on invitation to preach and teach.

APPRECIATION / CONCLUSION

We are grateful to all of you for your prayers and support toward this extension program in Liberia. You are highly appreciated for all the lives you are changing through your support. May God bless and keep you all safe.

13 more baptisms in Sierra Leone

Bear Valley Bible Institute Sierra Leone

(An Extension of the)

Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, Colorado, USA

ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER, 2022

Full Time and the Extended Programs 

INTRODUCTION                    

Greetings to you beloved in the Lord! On behalf of the administration and the students of the Kenema Bear Valley Bible Institute Sierra Leone, I want to open this write up by giving thanks and acknowledgement to God Almighty for His love that He continues to bestow upon us. We are grateful to Him for this opportunity again to share with you the continuous outcome of the work that is going on in Sierra Leone here. The month of September served as another remarkable month for us; it was so because some exciting activities took place here. Some of these activities included an evangelistic campaign, conversion of souls and the restorations of some brethren, lectureship, and the continuation of academic activities. Please may you keep on reading for the details as they are arranged under the following subheadings:

EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN, CONVERSION OF SOULS AND RESTORATION OF BRETHREN

The motive of Bear Valley worldwide, that is, to take the gospel to every soul “Until all have heard” and are saved is really commendable. It is God’s desire truly that no one should perish but come to repentance (2 Peter 3.9), and it was in light of this that we embarked on another successful evangelistic campaign in September. This time around, we directed our campaign to Pujehun, the southern part of Sierra Leone. Pujehun is 102 Miles away from Kenema. It is the headquarter town of Pujehun District. We decided to go to Pujehun because the brethren at the congregation there requested that we go there to help strengthen the congregation and help to evangelize the area. The Pujehun congregation was established in 2009 through the WBS correspondence which is handled by Brother Jacob Sesay till date. When the congregation was established, there was no preacher that would lead those converts. They made a request to Brother Jacob to be going there to be teaching them, but he informed them that he is unable to do that, but that he would seek for someone to send there. He sought for one Liberian brother, Martin Gashua (around 73 years now), who resides at Bandajuma around the territory of Pujehun. Brother Martin has been the preacher there since then till now. Since the time that the congregation was established till now, they have a membership of 12 brethren, who do not even all come regularly. During the one week spent, we engaged the congregation and held a meeting. They told us a lot of factors that have been contributing to poor growth of the Lord’s Church there. These factors range from ineffective leadership, lack of interest in evangelism, lack of effective preacher who is committed to the work that can motivate others, lack of sound biblical teachers, etc. With all of these, we decided to encourage one brother among them who stays in Pujehun there, Brother Vincent, who is a graduate of the 21st Century Global Mission, to be serving as an assistant preacher to Brother Martin who stays somehow far. Brother Vincent accepted but also alerted us that he is a Bike Rider, therefore, his effectiveness in the work of the Church is questionable. However, we told the congregation that since it is the Lord’s desire that His church functions effectively everywhere, we would include them on our external mission list so that our staff and the students would be going there. Having said all of these, I want to let you understand dear reader that Pujehun is a very fertile town for the Gospel to be received. The people of Pujehun just need someone to teach them and they are ready to accept the truth. So for the one week we spent there, 10 souls were converted and 4 brethren who left the congregation long ago were restored. We believed that we could do more but for almost 3 days, we could not preach because it was raining. But God is to be praised for those He added to the congregation at Pujehun. During our regular weekly evangelism outreaches, 3 souls were converted. Please may we pray for those new converts and for the Church at Pujehun. We want to emphatically let you know our supporters that evangelistic campaigns and our weekend evangelism outreaches are very rewarding; do not hesitate to send in whatever financial support you have. All will be and has been used for all the intended purposes.

RESUMPTION OF THE SECOND SEMESTER FOR THE EXTENDED PROGRAM

You will recall that in our August report, we informed you that the first semester year one for the extended program came to an end and that they were expected to resume on September 3, 2022 for the continuation of their studies. Indeed, all the 15 students resumed except one, Adamson Brima who did not come back again because of family responsibilities. So right now, we have 14 students in the extended program all together. We are grateful for all our students, especially in relation to their commitment to their studies and the work of the Lord.

LECTURESHIP

In the month of September, we held a very successful and timely lectureship which was themed, “UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP IN A LOCAL CHURCH.” The purpose of this lectureship was to begin to teach the brethren in the local congregations in Kenema about the organization of the Lord’s Church, and what impacts that has on the growth of individual Christians and the congregations as a whole. The lectureship was attended by 188 brethren from the four local congregations in Kenema, even though we had one of our speakers from Freetown. Presently, there is no congregation in Kenema with all complete Biblically organized leadership, though some of the congregations here have spent many years in existence. Therefore, it is the desire of the KBVBI to continue to teach the brethren so that in a short while, men will rise up who have met the biblical qualifications and are ready to serve with humility to be elders and deacons in local congregations here. This challenge of ineffective leadership is not only limited to Kenema; many congregations in Sierra Leone also follow suit.

THE DIRECTOR’S MARRIAGE INVITATION

In order to continue to be more effective in the work of God, Brother Peter Sahr Makundu has decided to seek for a helper in the person of sister Patience Boima. We have decided to spend life together and raise up a Christian family. The marriage is scheduled to take place on the 2nd and the 3rd December, 2022, at Kenema here. On this note, we are specially inviting all of you; we require your prayers, guidance and financial support in whatever way. We remain grateful to all the brethren who have been counselling us. We anticipate your coming and may the peace of God be with all of us till that time.

STUDENT’S BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Eric Fayia Turay

Eric Turay is one of our committed and serious minded students. He worships with the Komendeh Church of Christ. Komendeh is about 8 miles away from Koindu, eastern Sierra Leone. He serves as the assistant preacher at his congregation. Brother Eric was born on January 9, 1986. He was added to the Lord’s Church in 2009. Since then, he has been actively involved in the activities of the Church. Brother Eric is a very humble brother who loves to serve with passion. He personally sought for the opportunity to be enrolled at the KBVBI so he could learn more skills to lead God’s church and bring many to Christ. At the end of this report, Brother Eric’s picture will be attached.

CONCLUSION

It is indeed exciting and fulfilling to be found useful in God’s vineyard. And to you brethren, the lives you are changing in Sierra Leone here through your prayers, financial support, guidance and direction, are all duly acknowledged, and may the Lord bless you richly.

Leadership conference in Arusha

We appreciate you reading our report. Back to the Bible, on one occasion  Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). The best I can tell, there's no limitation to this. In other words, shining forth a good example is not restricted to the church building, Sunday service, or when just around church members. Truth be told, where it's most important to let our lights shine is at home, on the job, at school, and even on social media sites. True Christianity radiates from within and is on display everywhere and all the time. I have mentioned all of these because most of the time, I do feel more comfortable after encouraging others.

On the other hand, on September 19 – 24, the ASCOP students had reminders of the house-to-house evangelism campaign at Kwa Moromba near Arusha city. This campaign led to the establishment of a total number of 207 new Bible classes, 5 baptisms, and 2 old Bible classes resumed. This is one of the successful campaigns contacted by our students recently. Best plans are being undertaken to ensure all the classes are followed after that campaign.   Also, normal  ACSOP weekly evangelism is continuing. Let’s remember these fellows and the ACSOP in our regular prayers, for the good they are doing in the kingdom of our dear God.

More also on October 6 – 9, the ACSOP held the Tanzania Leadership Conference, having the theme “Church in Action.”    25 Tanzania congregations were represented, 2 represented Kenya, and 1 represented Uganda. A total number of 101 people excluded ACSOP staff and faculty attended.  Each and everyone who attended appreciated all the teaching and effort which made that conference happen.

So also, the regular classes’ studies are going well here at ACSOP. Since September 26, we have started our fourth quarter and last of this year and we are going to wind up on November 25, then graduation on the 26th.

I wish you a great weekend!

Losotwa Michael       

Dean of Academics, Andrew Connally School of Preaching

A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school

Arusha, TZ