Equipping Spring 2013 - PAOC
Equipping A Publication of GlobalEd, an Equipping Arm of International Missions S p r i n g
We Can’t Send Them Away When I served as Academic Dean at Pentecostal Bible College in Nyang’ori, Kenya, I witnessed the plight of so many students whom I had the difficult responsibility to send home because they couldn’t pay their fees. These were fine young men and women, aspiring to enter the ministry and serve the growing church in Africa. Since then, this challenge has captured my heart and when I was given the responsibilities of GlobalEd Coordinator with PAOC missions, I knew I had to address the critical need, to help theological/leadership students finish their training. Thus the Timothy Fund was established to provide scholarships for these developing leaders. In this edition, Franco Onaga addresses the need for leadership training in Africa and the necessity to continue helping students. Also, a number of students share their testimonies of how the Timothy Fund has helped them. Enjoy the read as you see the difference PAOC global workers and national leaders are making through training students around the world.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Tanzania - Expansive Church Growth ...............2 Cambodia - From Genocide to the Gospel ........3 32 Scholarships to Date ...................................4 Dedicated Discipleship (M. Cornelius) ..............4 Editor: Irving Whitt Editorial Assistant: Valerie Penney
2 0 1 3
Training Pastors for Church and Community (Ugandan Pastor Shares with Irving Whitt)
F
ranco Onaga is a pastor at Watoto Church in Kampala, Uganda, with a weekly attendance (with satellites) of 17,500. He is a graduate of one of our PAOC partner schools and chairman of the board of Pentecostal Theological College in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. In an interview with him, this is what he had to say about leadership training in Africa. “One day I was going with my wife to a Bible School graduation. When asked to address the graduates, my wife spoke, saying, ‘Today we are graduating 49 pastors. Those are 49 churches saved from heresy.’ Training is very important to us because people need to be grounded, because heresy is everywhere. “In Uganda, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God has grown to over 5,000 congregations in every corner
of the country. However, we have less than 15% of our pastors who have been trained, so the church is growing faster than we can multiply leaders. “We have to equip leaders who can bring change in their communities. The church actually helped during the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in Uganda. I thank God the church was involved right from the beginning. Christianity must be relevant. We believe the solution to the problems in the community is found in the church. “Pentecostal Theological College was started with the help of PAOC. They have been our partners through the hard times and the good times. Right now one of our challenges at PTC is school fees. Most of our students are pastors who come from rural areas whose income is very low. You can help someone who will transform a church, which will transform a community.”
TA N Z A N I A – E X PA N S I V E C H U R C H G R O W T H Healed of Meningitis
studen
While studying in Mwanza, Tanzania, Emmanuel continues doing evangelism every weekend and during the holidays. His calling to ministry came when he was very sick with meningitis. His backbone was seriously infected and he could no longer talk or walk. “Servants of God came and prayed for me and I was completely healed,” he writes. “When God healed me, I heard his voice calling me into the ministry. God has been using me since then. I started doing evangelism and I could see people getting saved, delivered from demon possession and receiving other miracles.” Emmanuel’s vision is to become an outstanding evangelist and to preach the gospel all over the world.
PAG Bib le Coll ege, Ta nzani
a
t
Risper 2012-201 3
studeiant
God Calls the Fatherless As a 20-year-old woman in the Kagera region of Tanzania, Risper serves her church in leading worship and teaching Sunday school. Her vision in coming to Bible College is to know the Bible so well that her teaching ministry will be transformed among the children. She knows the hardships children often face, having lost her father when she was still young. Being raised in a single parent family with three siblings, getting a primary and secondary education was a rare privilege, but her heart is to be better equipped to share the gospel with children.
anzan llege, T o C e l ib PAG B Emmanuel 2012-2013
Growing to Meet the Needs of Tanzania Pentecostal Assemblies of God Bible College (PAGBC) was started in 1967 with a certificate program in Kiswahili. In 1988, the school developed beyond the central location to include eight regional centres. In 2005, a BA in Bible and Theology was introduced through an affiliation with Pan Africa Christian University. The changes reflect the everchanging culture of Tanzania. PAGBC serves its fellowship of 1,000+ churches and other Pentecostal denominations.
According to recent research most church growth is in Pentecostal/ Charismatic churches. Consequently, “Leadership development and theological training must become top priorities in the church [since] there is a critical lack of trained mature leaders,” states Operation World.
Tanzania - Church and Challenge
43.7
million people includes over 120 different ethnic groups
3
million orphans (largely due to HIV/AIDS)
45%
Christian, 45% Muslim & 10% follow indigenous beliefs
Sources: Operation World, ed. 2010; http://www.shika.org.uk/our-work/where-we-work/tanzania-facts; UNICEF
Evangelicals in Tanzania: 2.4 million in 1990. Today there are over
8 million
788
grads since inception of 1967 at PAGBC
75
current students at PAGBC
CAMBODIA – FROM GENOCIDE TO THE GOSPEL 19 Years of Training Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI) has been training national Christian leaders since 1994. The PAOC partners with the Assemblies of God in this ministry. CBI offers an Associate of Arts degree and a four-year degree to prepare pastors, church planters and teachers for the work of ministry. The program is very practical and expects students to be actively involved in ministry during their time of study. PAOC global worker, Ian Rowley, writes, “It is our privilege to partner with the Cambodian Bible Institute in leadership training. We are dreaming big for God to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders, worshippers and church planters, for they are the ones that will shape the nation.”
Cambodia: Place of Huge Smiles and Deep Scars
3%
83%
of population Christian
of population Buddhist
Language of the people:
Khmer
38% living below poverty line
Khmer Rouge genocide in late
70’s
was one of the worst in 20th century
Resisting the Call Leksmi is the pastor at Covenant Assembly of God Church located in Kandal Province, Cambodia. He writes, “When I accepted Jesus Christ, the Lord put a burden in my heart to enter the ministry, but I continually resisted my calling to pastor. However, thank the Lord that He eventually brought me to study at Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI). In this school God taught me how to understand the Word of God as a tool for serving the Lord. “God is so great, and I give Him glory! I am thankful that CBI provided me a Timothy Fund scholarship and has brought good teachers to teach me how to live and do ministry. Without this scholarship I would have no means to continue my studies.”
Bible Cambodia Institute
Student 8904
ID# 465121
Leksmi 3 Year 2012/1
Cambodia Bible Institute
Student
ID# 4651200178
9
Nith Year 2012/13
No Longer a Gangster Nith was a gangster in his hometown in Cambodia. He would fight, carouse, and drink. In 1996, he decided to follow Jesus through studying English with a Pilipino missionary. His life was dramatically changed as he became involved in a local church. Six years later, God called him to study at CBI. Soon, he was married and became pastor of an Assembly of God church in Phnom Penh. “CBI taught me how to take care of the church and the people in the church,” he writes. “The Bible is a most treasured weapon in serving the Lord Jesus.” Nith credits his training at the Bible school for being able to stand strong in his ministry.
32 Scholarships to Date
Deliberate, Diverse and Dedicated Discipleship
Thanks for 32 Timothy Fund scholarships so far in 2013! Students have already received these scholarships in Zimbabwe, Siberia, Tanzania, Liberia and a school in a restricted access nation. As one student in Kenya said last year: “Glory to God. I want to say thanks for your concern for my fees through the Timothy Fund. Surely I was not in a position to come back to college this term. I was just waiting upon the Lord to provide. May God bless you. Let us pray for each other.” Jema (Student at Pentecostal Bible College, Nyang’ori, Kenya) Currently, PBC is building a new dormitory. If you are interested in investing in this project, send funds to GlobalEd Projects—PBC.
In building the kingdom of God, the deliberate, diverse and dedicated discipleship of national leaders remains a priority. We multiply our impact when we mobilize thousands of kingdom-minded leaders. The PAOC currently has over 2,500 students in full-time study in 29 partner institutions as well as 5,000+ students engaged in extension education around the world. In 2011, almost 1,500 men and women graduated from these programs and entered full-time ministry. Last year, the Timothy Fund provided 187 scholarships to students in 13 of our international colleges. In partnering to make biblical leadership training available to those who sense a call to ministry, we extend the capacity of national churches to reach their countries for Christ. I urge you to consider making Timothy Fund scholarships part of your missions portfolio. —D. Murray Cornelius Assistant Superintendent for International Missions, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Irving Whitt Global Education Coordinator 416.500.3140 [email protected]
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada 2450 Milltower Court Mississauga, ON, Canada, L5N 5Z6 905.542.7400 www.paocglobalEd.org Contribute online to the Timothy Fund
YES, I would like to invest in the life of a student through the Timothy Fund. Please accept my monthly scholarship contribution of: Please accept my one time gift of $ Investment Options:
VISA
M/Card
$100
$50
Other $
($600 would assist one student for one year)
Cheque
(made payable to PAOC or attach void cheque for monthly contribution)
Card #
Expiry date
Name on Card
Signature
/
Name Address
City
Prov/State Telephone (
Postal Code/Zip )
Country
To contribute online, please go to: www.paocglobalEd.org
Email
Please mail your donation to: PAOC, c/o GlobalEd, 2450 Milltower Court, Mississauga, ON, Canada, L5N 5Z6
Spring 2013
We Can’t Send Them Away When I served as Academic Dean at Pentecostal Bible College in Nyang’ori, Kenya, I witnessed the plight of so many students whom I had the difficult responsibility to send home because they couldn’t pay their fees. These were fine young men and women, aspiring to enter the ministry and serve the growing church in Africa. Since then, this challenge has captured my heart and when I was given the responsibilities of GlobalEd Coordinator with PAOC missions, I knew I had to address the critical need, to help theological/leadership students finish their training. Thus the Timothy Fund was established to provide scholarships for these developing leaders. In this edition, Franco Onaga addresses the need for leadership training in Africa and the necessity to continue helping students. Also, a number of students share their testimonies of how the Timothy Fund has helped them. Enjoy the read as you see the difference PAOC global workers and national leaders are making through training students around the world.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Tanzania - Expansive Church Growth ...............2 Cambodia - From Genocide to the Gospel ........3 32 Scholarships to Date ...................................4 Dedicated Discipleship (M. Cornelius) ..............4 Editor: Irving Whitt Editorial Assistant: Valerie Penney
2 0 1 3
Training Pastors for Church and Community (Ugandan Pastor Shares with Irving Whitt)
F
ranco Onaga is a pastor at Watoto Church in Kampala, Uganda, with a weekly attendance (with satellites) of 17,500. He is a graduate of one of our PAOC partner schools and chairman of the board of Pentecostal Theological College in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. In an interview with him, this is what he had to say about leadership training in Africa. “One day I was going with my wife to a Bible School graduation. When asked to address the graduates, my wife spoke, saying, ‘Today we are graduating 49 pastors. Those are 49 churches saved from heresy.’ Training is very important to us because people need to be grounded, because heresy is everywhere. “In Uganda, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God has grown to over 5,000 congregations in every corner
of the country. However, we have less than 15% of our pastors who have been trained, so the church is growing faster than we can multiply leaders. “We have to equip leaders who can bring change in their communities. The church actually helped during the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in Uganda. I thank God the church was involved right from the beginning. Christianity must be relevant. We believe the solution to the problems in the community is found in the church. “Pentecostal Theological College was started with the help of PAOC. They have been our partners through the hard times and the good times. Right now one of our challenges at PTC is school fees. Most of our students are pastors who come from rural areas whose income is very low. You can help someone who will transform a church, which will transform a community.”
TA N Z A N I A – E X PA N S I V E C H U R C H G R O W T H Healed of Meningitis
studen
While studying in Mwanza, Tanzania, Emmanuel continues doing evangelism every weekend and during the holidays. His calling to ministry came when he was very sick with meningitis. His backbone was seriously infected and he could no longer talk or walk. “Servants of God came and prayed for me and I was completely healed,” he writes. “When God healed me, I heard his voice calling me into the ministry. God has been using me since then. I started doing evangelism and I could see people getting saved, delivered from demon possession and receiving other miracles.” Emmanuel’s vision is to become an outstanding evangelist and to preach the gospel all over the world.
PAG Bib le Coll ege, Ta nzani
a
t
Risper 2012-201 3
studeiant
God Calls the Fatherless As a 20-year-old woman in the Kagera region of Tanzania, Risper serves her church in leading worship and teaching Sunday school. Her vision in coming to Bible College is to know the Bible so well that her teaching ministry will be transformed among the children. She knows the hardships children often face, having lost her father when she was still young. Being raised in a single parent family with three siblings, getting a primary and secondary education was a rare privilege, but her heart is to be better equipped to share the gospel with children.
anzan llege, T o C e l ib PAG B Emmanuel 2012-2013
Growing to Meet the Needs of Tanzania Pentecostal Assemblies of God Bible College (PAGBC) was started in 1967 with a certificate program in Kiswahili. In 1988, the school developed beyond the central location to include eight regional centres. In 2005, a BA in Bible and Theology was introduced through an affiliation with Pan Africa Christian University. The changes reflect the everchanging culture of Tanzania. PAGBC serves its fellowship of 1,000+ churches and other Pentecostal denominations.
According to recent research most church growth is in Pentecostal/ Charismatic churches. Consequently, “Leadership development and theological training must become top priorities in the church [since] there is a critical lack of trained mature leaders,” states Operation World.
Tanzania - Church and Challenge
43.7
million people includes over 120 different ethnic groups
3
million orphans (largely due to HIV/AIDS)
45%
Christian, 45% Muslim & 10% follow indigenous beliefs
Sources: Operation World, ed. 2010; http://www.shika.org.uk/our-work/where-we-work/tanzania-facts; UNICEF
Evangelicals in Tanzania: 2.4 million in 1990. Today there are over
8 million
788
grads since inception of 1967 at PAGBC
75
current students at PAGBC
CAMBODIA – FROM GENOCIDE TO THE GOSPEL 19 Years of Training Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI) has been training national Christian leaders since 1994. The PAOC partners with the Assemblies of God in this ministry. CBI offers an Associate of Arts degree and a four-year degree to prepare pastors, church planters and teachers for the work of ministry. The program is very practical and expects students to be actively involved in ministry during their time of study. PAOC global worker, Ian Rowley, writes, “It is our privilege to partner with the Cambodian Bible Institute in leadership training. We are dreaming big for God to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders, worshippers and church planters, for they are the ones that will shape the nation.”
Cambodia: Place of Huge Smiles and Deep Scars
3%
83%
of population Christian
of population Buddhist
Language of the people:
Khmer
38% living below poverty line
Khmer Rouge genocide in late
70’s
was one of the worst in 20th century
Resisting the Call Leksmi is the pastor at Covenant Assembly of God Church located in Kandal Province, Cambodia. He writes, “When I accepted Jesus Christ, the Lord put a burden in my heart to enter the ministry, but I continually resisted my calling to pastor. However, thank the Lord that He eventually brought me to study at Cambodia Bible Institute (CBI). In this school God taught me how to understand the Word of God as a tool for serving the Lord. “God is so great, and I give Him glory! I am thankful that CBI provided me a Timothy Fund scholarship and has brought good teachers to teach me how to live and do ministry. Without this scholarship I would have no means to continue my studies.”
Bible Cambodia Institute
Student 8904
ID# 465121
Leksmi 3 Year 2012/1
Cambodia Bible Institute
Student
ID# 4651200178
9
Nith Year 2012/13
No Longer a Gangster Nith was a gangster in his hometown in Cambodia. He would fight, carouse, and drink. In 1996, he decided to follow Jesus through studying English with a Pilipino missionary. His life was dramatically changed as he became involved in a local church. Six years later, God called him to study at CBI. Soon, he was married and became pastor of an Assembly of God church in Phnom Penh. “CBI taught me how to take care of the church and the people in the church,” he writes. “The Bible is a most treasured weapon in serving the Lord Jesus.” Nith credits his training at the Bible school for being able to stand strong in his ministry.
32 Scholarships to Date
Deliberate, Diverse and Dedicated Discipleship
Thanks for 32 Timothy Fund scholarships so far in 2013! Students have already received these scholarships in Zimbabwe, Siberia, Tanzania, Liberia and a school in a restricted access nation. As one student in Kenya said last year: “Glory to God. I want to say thanks for your concern for my fees through the Timothy Fund. Surely I was not in a position to come back to college this term. I was just waiting upon the Lord to provide. May God bless you. Let us pray for each other.” Jema (Student at Pentecostal Bible College, Nyang’ori, Kenya) Currently, PBC is building a new dormitory. If you are interested in investing in this project, send funds to GlobalEd Projects—PBC.
In building the kingdom of God, the deliberate, diverse and dedicated discipleship of national leaders remains a priority. We multiply our impact when we mobilize thousands of kingdom-minded leaders. The PAOC currently has over 2,500 students in full-time study in 29 partner institutions as well as 5,000+ students engaged in extension education around the world. In 2011, almost 1,500 men and women graduated from these programs and entered full-time ministry. Last year, the Timothy Fund provided 187 scholarships to students in 13 of our international colleges. In partnering to make biblical leadership training available to those who sense a call to ministry, we extend the capacity of national churches to reach their countries for Christ. I urge you to consider making Timothy Fund scholarships part of your missions portfolio. —D. Murray Cornelius Assistant Superintendent for International Missions, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Irving Whitt Global Education Coordinator 416.500.3140 [email protected]
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada 2450 Milltower Court Mississauga, ON, Canada, L5N 5Z6 905.542.7400 www.paocglobalEd.org Contribute online to the Timothy Fund
YES, I would like to invest in the life of a student through the Timothy Fund. Please accept my monthly scholarship contribution of: Please accept my one time gift of $ Investment Options:
VISA
M/Card
$100
$50
Other $
($600 would assist one student for one year)
Cheque
(made payable to PAOC or attach void cheque for monthly contribution)
Card #
Expiry date
Name on Card
Signature
/
Name Address
City
Prov/State Telephone (
Postal Code/Zip )
Country
To contribute online, please go to: www.paocglobalEd.org
Please mail your donation to: PAOC, c/o GlobalEd, 2450 Milltower Court, Mississauga, ON, Canada, L5N 5Z6
Spring 2013
