Written by Jason Ferenczi, OC Vice President of International Partnerships

Jason Ferenczi and Dr. Ashish Chrispal with Petrus Maryono, ETSIJ President, (middle) in the seminary library

On a recent trip with OC’s Regional Director for Asia, Dr. Ashish Chrispal, I was able to see first-hand the work of our four partner seminaries in Indonesia. Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim, constituting the largest Muslim population in a single country in the world. Yet Indonesia’s focus on preserving religious diversity provides a broad stage for Christian ministry. It was very encouraging to see our partner seminaries deeply involved not only in training, but also in compassionate ministries, such as counseling and work among children and poverty-stricken families. Through these ministries, they are showing the love and peace of Christ. These are not seminaries that hide behind high walls, but rather institutions that seek to be transformative in their environments.

Dr. Chrispal and Jason with an NBS alumnus and his wife outside of their church plant in Malang

In Malang, East Java, two OC partners are demonstrating this in different ways. The Indonesian Bible Institute (IBI), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will convene a conference later this year on Christian peacemaking, drawing together several thousand key Christian leaders from across the nation. This allows the seminary to be a leavening agent throughout the country, providing training and encouragement in a critical area. Also in Malang, Ashish and I had the

Dr. Chrispal and Jason with Francis Nawahoke, NBS President, and his wife, Sonny

opportunity to meet several alumni of the Nusantara Bible Seminary (NBS), one of OC’s longest-term partnerships, dating to the late 1970s. One of these alumni has planted a church in a poor area of Malang (pictured). The church serves as a center for children’s ministry, including after school programs and counseling.

Asia, with 60% of the world’s population, presents many contrasts – rich and poor, urban and rural. It is a place where religious pluralism is a fact of daily life, as deeply rooted religious traditions interact on a daily basis. OC works to equip those training centers that are preparing leaders for the 21st century Asian Church, leaders who can preach the Gospel in both word and deed.

Christianity is the predominant religion of Nagaland, the state in which Shalom Bible Seminary (SBS) is located in northeast India. SBS is “one of the youngest yet fastest developing seminaries emerging in the Indian subcontinent in the recent past.” Founded in 1996, the seminary says churches view it with “great expectation to raise servant leadership and missionaries to do the ongoing ministry of Christ.” Since its inception, faculty and students have been sought out frequently to preach, teach and lead various ministries.

Some of the greatest challenges confronting SBS and the society today include political instability/corruption, a widening gulf between the rich and poor, conflict and confusion of Christian ideals, and religious extremism. SBS says the Church is the most effective force to address these challenges, but many churches are suffering from a lack of trained leaders and pastors. For example, in the Lower Assam Baptist Union, there are 232 churches with only 27 theologically trained people out of its nearly 40,000 members. In addition, faculty scholar Ketouseno Iralu says there is an alarming trend of youth dropping out of churches in Nagaland, which she believes stems from the lack of specifically designed youth training received by youth leaders. She says her “involvement in Christian higher education through SBS is crucial in equipping future pastors and leaders to understand and address the needs of youth…[because] youth hold immense potential for the Church.”

“SBS is ever grateful for what OC has been doing all along,” says Huzo Meru, SBS Principal. “[SBS] is becoming a leading seminary in the whole of northeast India all because of OC’s inputs, support and encouragement.” Until 2004, SBS operated in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. In 2005, a 25-acre permanent campus site was acquired in nearby Sechüma in order to develop the main Shalom Complex, OC Fellowship Hall and the Shalom Men’s and Women’s Hostels. Along with library resources and student/faculty scholarships, OC contributed significantly toward these campus developments, which were dedicated in 2003 and 2006. “With the unstinted support and encouragement of OC, we will strive to make our seminary the best in the region for the glory of God.”

Adapted from “The Ripened Fields Newsletter,” March 2008 issue. ©2008 by Rose-Ellen Blosser, Vice Principal of PPBS. Used by permission.

Having earned his Diploma in Christian Ministry from Phnom Penh Bible School (PPBS) in Cambodia, Haun Kimsong discovered that he had good writing and speaking skills while earning his bachelor’s degree. As he prayed for God’s guidance regarding his future, a Trans World Radio (TWR) representative saw potential in him. Kimsong learned that the youth producer for the TWR program, “Nih Neh!” (“It’s Yours”), was leaving near the end of the school term, and he got the job.

Today, God is using Kimsong, along with two teammates, as a “pastor of the youth culture” through the 30 minute discussion/talk radio program, interspersed with Christian and popular music, on six FM stations around Cambodia. The team counsels and shares the Gospel with its listeners, who are encouraged to call in with their problems and questions. As “an anonymous voice of friendship,” young people feel comfortable sharing with Kimsong, and he points them to Jesus’ love and forgiveness. The diverse audience consists of young people from all walks of life: rich and poor, Buddhist monks, Muslim teenagers and troubled Christian youth. Kimsong has many stories of non-believers coming to faith in Christ through the radio program. PPBS is thankful that Kimsong’s training has led to this weekly ministry that is reaching thousands of youth. He is also writing a book that speaks to youth problems and is active in his local church.

OC Asia Regional Director Dr. Ashish Chrispal says that, although the Church in Cambodia is young and still feeling the aftereffects of the national upheavals of the past, PPBS is one of the most significant schools in the country. Graduates are slowly becoming national leaders, serving both churches and NGOs.

Four OC 2009 Institutes for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development took place over the past few months: March 30 - April 3 in Lusaka, Zambia; April 20-24 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; May 11-12 in Kowloon, Hong Kong; and May 14-15 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Lusaka Institute gathered 26 leaders from strategic training programs, representing Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Buenos Aires Institute brought together 25 leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Portugal and Uruguay, and the Kowloon and Taipei Institutes convened 40 school presidents and board members from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The four and five-day Institutes in Lusaka and Buenos Aires, themed “Nurturing Spiritual Formation in the Seminary,” focused on the hearts of students, not simply their head and hands, as part of a holistic approach to student growth. The seminary leaders were equipped with a deeper understanding of spiritual formation, so that it can be intentionally integrated into the entire program, curriculum and culture of their seminaries. The two-day Institutes in Hong Kong and Taiwan focused on governance. The sessions were designed to draw on the rich experience in the room, with ample opportunity for discussion of common issues and challenges facing boards.

To read more about the Lusaka Institute, click here; the Buenos Aires Institute, click here; and the Hong Kong/Taiwan Institutes, click here.

The next Institutes for Excellence will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Click here for the 2009 schedule.

[See Lusaka and Buenos Aires Institute speaker lists in sidebar]

Please join OC in praise and prayer for Asia:

• Praise God for the two-day Institutes in Hong Kong and Taiwan where 40 school presidents and board members discussed governance
• Pray for Indonesia’s presidential elections in July. While government policy promotes respect for all religions, fundamentalist Islamic groups are an important political force. Pray that openness for Christian ministry would continue in this great country.
• Pray for the nation of Sri Lanka as it emerges from decades-long civil war. Pray that Christians from all ethnic groups would be agents of peace and reconciliation. Pray for OC partners Colombo Theological Seminary (CTS) and Lanka Bible College and Seminary (LBCS) as they train leaders from diverse ethnic and denominational backgrounds.
• Pray for Christians who experience persecution in places throughout Asia