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PARTNERING WITH INDIGENOUS BIBLE SCHOOLS
by Bruce Peters and Keith Peters
Madan Singh Rana was enrolled as a student at CARWE
Bible School in the 1980s. His Hindu parents were
having discipline issues with him at home and sent him
to this school. Little did they know that God would
use this school to reveal Himself to him and prepare
him for leadership in the church. Madan, a Tharu,
was one of the first believers among his people group
and today is leading a church planting movement
seeing many come to the Lord.
There are more than 25,000 who
now find their identity in Christ
among the Tharu.
Many of the leaders that AIM partners with in Asia
have been trained in schools like CARWE Bible
School. In order to lead an effective and faithful church
planting work, appropriate training is necessary.
This is why Advancing Indigenous Missions has made
partnership with missionary training schools one of
the particular foci of our ministry.
Our partners consistently talk about the need to send
well trained pastors and missionaries into the ripe
harvest fields around them. The challenge they face,
however, is keeping a school running.
Operating a Bible School is no small venture. Even in
North America most Bible Schools face the perennial
financial challenge of keeping the doors open. Tuition
fees only account
for a portion of the
actual cost of education.
Remaining
amounts are raised
from generous friends and through various fundraising
events. Additionally, the need for faithful intercessors
is a critical requirement for all Bible Schools. Spiritual
challenges are many.
Partnership is key for these schools to thrive. What would
the Bible Schools you know here in Canada do without
the many generous and faithful praying friends who
make their ministry possible? Our partners have the
same needs.
The Biblical concept of believers sharing what God
has provided is a necessary aspect of how the Lord
carries out His work in the world. This principle is
outlined in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. Believers
are urged to help churches in other places in order that
there be equality as one had abundance and one lacked.
Our partner Bible Schools in Asia need friends to come
alongside them in order for them to address some of
the issues they face.
CARWE Bible School in Northern India was recently
reopened with a renovated facility: financial support
is necessary for this school to continue training leaders
among the Tharu people. Calcutta Bible College
in West Bengal, India has seen an increased Bengali
student body which is cause for praise. Finances,
however, are needed to maintain operations. Issues
on the campus are in need of prayer as well. Judson
Bible College recently received a miracle from the
Lord in resourcing a new building. This enabled an
expansion of the student numbers from 12 to 57 in
4 years. Students are now paying more tuition, but
financial help is needed with the increases in food costs
due to unusual flooding in agricultural areas in the last
two years. Joel Faith Bible School is in need of a
teacher/administrator to function again. A beautiful
facility is vacant in this Nepal school and resources
are needed for the operating budget. Faith Bible
School in Bangladesh did not open this year due
to very limited financial support. These are critical
times for these schools.
Each of these schools require faithful partners so
that they continue to train many other leaders like
Madan. Can you take on at least one of these schools
in regular prayer? Can you give as God prompts?
Some of these schools are praying for our churches
in Canada as we bring different pastors and
individuals to share in the ministry there. We are
sharing in each other’s ministries, an interdependent
global Body, as Christ envisioned it and as Paul
and others taught in the New Testament.
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updated on December 20, 2016
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