“This seminar has really changed my spiritual life in reading and understanding the Bible,” says Paul Githinji. Jecinta Wambui was similarly enthusiastic. “The seminar has helped me to see clearly God’s plan of reversing the effect of human sin to establishing his kingdom. It also has helped me to see how the events unfold in the Old and New Testaments.”
Paul and Jecinta were two of the students from the two-week Creation to New Creation course (also known as Introduction to the Bible) conducted during October in Nairobi, Kenya by the Rev Peter Sholl, assistant minister at St Matthew’s, Ashbury.
The course was part of the new PTC in East Africa Program, an initiative of Moore College External Studies Department and African Enterprise. The program aims to teach and ‘plant’ Moore College Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC) subjects such as Creation to New Creation in East Africa by running regular training seminars aimed at church pastors and senior lay people. African Enterprise sees a great need for this sort of training in countries such as Kenya and Uganda, where many important church positions are held by people with little or no theological training.
The program also saw Stephen Liggins from St Thomas’, North Sydney teach New Testament 1 and Creation to New Creation during November and December in Nairobi and Kampala respectively.
“I’m becoming increasingly amazed at the significance of External Studies courses in the lives of third world pastors and teachers,” says the Rev Dr Andrew Cameron, head of Moore College’s External Studies. “Teaching these courses is a simple and effective way for Sydney people to help the cause of the gospel worldwide.”
As well as the ‘strategic importance’, Peter Sholl’s reasons for going to Kenya were, in part, a response to a sermon. “I had been preaching on Acts 20 about the way Paul put aside his own concerns for the sake of the gospel. Soon after this I was contacted about the possibility of lecturing in East Africa. I thought of the reasons not to go – the cost, possible sickness, being out of my comfort zone – and then thought about my own sermon.”
Although it meant leaving his church for two weeks, the congregation of St Matthew’s was very positive about the idea. “There was no question about it not being a good idea to go,” Peter said. “My congregation paid for and prayed for me.”
The feedback Peter received from students was that the course had changed the way they read the Bible and preached. Having seen the value of the course, he believes it would be worthwhile to go back in the future. Stephen Nyutu, a Kenyan church worker and evangelist and one of Peter’s students, agrees. “Our teacher is very good. We would like him back again to impart his knowledge.”
African Enterprise is an interdenominational group involved in evangelism, training, reconciliation and development across Africa. They have an office in Sydney.