Helping Pastors in Africa

Good morning,

Next Sunday (4/30) we are welcoming ABCF missionary J.C. Ebersole and his wife Lois to the Bridge!  J.C. will be sharing about their work with the African Association of Bible Schools (AABS).   AABS is working through the African continent to expand the training of church leaders and lay persons in such a way that it will reach many more men and women in many more places than could possibly be trained at campus-based Bible colleges alone.

In recent years J.C. has shepherded the ministry from under the Eastern Mennonite Missions umbrella to becoming an independent missions agency.  AABS has its international headquarters in Ghana, where they are currently going through another round of curriculum printing.  The demand for their curriculum is quite high and continues to grow!

A full set of the AABS curriculum books is 8 volumes (which contain 62 Biblical/theological courses).   Here is a couple of (slightly edited) testimonies that J.C. shared with me about the value of this curriculum:

On behalf of the lecturers and students, I wish to commend AABS for the curriculum you provide. There is so much that can be said about the rich content of the material. Its depth of knowledge or information is outstanding. Some of the lecturers testified there was more to learn in your courses than what they learned at their Bible schools. As a result, they have frequently requested to keep the course materials for their personal study.”

Rev. Burgi, Bible Academy Director in Ghana

The courses have laid a very solid foundation in the lives of our students.  The teachings are practical and useful to prepare them for the field.  The teachings have opened their minds, enlightened their understanding and moved them toward maturity.  Three of our graduates are now pastoring branch churches and are doing very well.

 Rev. Benjamin Boateng, Rock Foundation Theological Institute in Accra, Ghana

J.C. tells me that the cost to produce a full set of their curriculum in Ghana is $60. This is much less than what it would cost if they had to print in the U.S.

As ABCF missionaries, the Ebersoles are supported by the church through the mission’s budget.  However, if you would like to give directly to this project, there will be an opportunity to do so on the 30th.  We’ll have a separate offering basket for your gifts.  Please make checks out to AABS, not the church.  As always when it comes to these giving opportunities, give as you are able.

J.C. and Lois will be joining us for our fellowship meal as well, and I am sure that they would love a chance to tell you more about their ministry during that time!

 

One quick note from Sunday – During the sermon I mentioned that while the Colossian church was a healthy church, it was also under attack by false teachers who were threatening to derail and disrupt the small church.  I also mentioned that we don’t quite know what specific heresy the false teachers were teaching, because Paul never mentions it by name in the letter.

One possible reason why Paul doesn’t mention a specific heresy may be because there were many minor heresies being taught, as opposed to one major one.  The region of Asia Minor that Colossae was located in a culture was well known for mixing all manner of religions, Greek philosophies, astrology, and mystic and occult practices into a sort of religious “stew.”  This practice stands in stark contrast to the Gospel, which teaches that Jesus is the only way, truth, and life!

This practice of mixing religious beliefs and practices still exists today.  In fact, I would suggest that it is just as rampant and just as dangerous to the church today as it was in Paul’s day.  People love what Jesus has to say about loving your neighbor, so they incorporate some of this teachings in their personal faith “stew.”  But they don’t like what He has to say about repenting of our sin, so they leave that out.  Perhaps they add in some Buddhist practices, some folk religion, some wiccan beliefs, some political platforms and a whole bunch of humanism.  To be clear – A LOT of people do this…people all across the political, generational, ethnic, and culture spectrums.

What they end up with is a belief-system that is perfectly tailored to affirming their life in the moment but is also flexible enough to affirm whatever changes they make to their life moving forward.  We must be on guard against such “faiths,” as attractive as they may seem.  These religious “stews” are NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here’s what’s happening:

  1. Junior Youth Road Rally is set for Saturday, 4/22 from 2 – 4 pm. Starting line is at the church.
  2. Senior High Youth meets THIS Sunday, 4/23 at 6:30 in the evening (please note the time change). This is our last youth group with Devon!  Weather permitting, we hope to be outside for much of the evening.
  3. Baptism classes for teens begin this Sunday 4/23 during the Sunday School hour
  4. Men’s Breakfast is on 4/29 this month at 8 am at Hometown Kitchen.
  5. We are having a workday at the church on 4/29 from 9 am to noon(ish). Main project will be repairing and repainting the lobby, but there is other work to do as well.  If you would like to help out, see Gary Barrett.
  6. We will be having a fellowship meal after the worship service on Sunday, April 30th.
  7. Save-the-Date – VBS is set for July 24-28 from 6:30-8:30 pm.

This Sunday we will be looking at Paul’s great defense of the supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20.  We’ll be looking at all the reasons why we should place our trust in Christ and in Christ alone.  It’s going to be a great morning, invite a friend to join you at the Bridge.