The Lighthouse Volume 2 – Issue 27 June-July 2015

MISSION WORK REPORT – BENINHIGHLIGHT OF ACTIVITIES

Things on the ground for the past two months were hectic to say the least. We decided rather late to mark the 20th anniversary of BTC. This set into motion various meetings and commitees to see to the implementation of the celebrations. Our work of training gosple preachers and the 12th graduation ceremony also kicked in during this period. The organisation fell on the team below. Our other ministries on the radio, open air evangelism with the Gospel Chariot, and the care of the churches continued without any pause.

(Back row) Koffi, Pierre, Augustin, Mathieu, Adjayi, Achille (Front Row) Jean, Jean-Marie,

Amour Marc, Joseph, Ruth and Léon. In this picture is the Benin Academic Team comprising of our Ruth, our school secretary and out two agricultural technicians. These men and one lady is the motor behind the Benin Bible Training Center. Eight work full time and the others on part time basis. They make my work so easy by always going the extra mile. We have no working hours, no overtime payments, (not asking for one) no distance is too long, no task is too difficult, no sacrifice too great and the attitude is, if it’s a

BTC work, it’s “my” work. They need no supervision once work role is assigned and explained. In addition to these we have Marc, our new driver and two men who teaches electronics who are not in the picture. Please pray for these men, for Ruth and for me.

The BTC team at one of our planning sessions.

PREPARATIONS FOR GRADUATION July 5th was set for the graduation ceremony of the 12th class of our students. This is the class of 2012-2015. This class started with 12 men but only 7 graduated. During the three year period, one student was withdrawn by his local congregation for indiscipline. Two were from the nation of Guinea who went home during the peak of the Ebola pandemic. Despite all advice not to go back home in July 2014, they insisted and went home. They were therefore suspended from the school until the World Health Organization declared the nation of Guinea Ebola free. They can then come back and continue their training if they so wish. Two were expelled, one for laziness and the other for fornication. The rest of the class went through all our courses, took all the tests and exams and participated in all our activities including going out at the weekends and mid weeks to go teach and preach in our village congregations.

2 The Lighthouse

Picture of the 12th graduating class.

As usual, to enable us enjoy the biggest day on our school calendar, the Academic Committee held 4 meetings to plan for the graduation ceremony. We rented the huge tent, 600 plastic chairs and ordered lots of soft drinks and water and for the first time, we handed over all the cooking to a food caterer. Our end of semester exams took place from the 22nd to 27th June. 29th June to 3rd August is for physical preparations while the teachers grade the exams. The students cleaned, washed the floors of their dormitories, classrooms, worship facility and the guest house. Then they trimmed trees and swept the compound clean. All of us were busy working beside them.

PREPARATIONS FOR BTC OLD STUDENTS ALUMINI MEETING TO CELEBRATE THE

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BTC

The Benin Bible Training Center was inaugurated on the 15th of August 1995 by two Elders from the Benton Church of Christ, Bill Morgan and Charles Cavitt and the then United States Ambassador to Benin Ruth Anderson Davis. The task of putting up a program and organization was assigned to me at one of our meetings. I came up with two ideas, invite all our graduates to join us celebrate the 20 years of BTC and also form an alumni association for BTC graduates during the occasion. The

planning committee came up with other wonderful ideas, Tee shirts to wear during the celebrations. There would be white shirts for the church members and yellow shirts for BTC graduates and staff. We ordered 600 pieces of Tee shirts that were sold to the members and graduates. The excitement these shirts produced was amazing. Everyone wants to be a part of the history. They were not enough for all to buy.

We invited all the graduates from Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and representatives from the north and south of Cameroon and one from Chad. These are the nations where we have a considerable number of graduates. The problem of transportation for those from Cameroon and Chad became an issue and the planning committee in a highly motivated spirit decided we should help them with the funds. Two could not make it because of the lack of passports but Daniel Djonga from Chad made it. Even Daniel was covered by the grace of God. The day he went to collect his passport, it was not ready. He left the Central Police

3 The Lighthouse Station and 15 minutes later there was a Boko Haram terrorist bomb explosion killing several people at the police station. Despite this, he went back collected his passport and came to Benin. What an awesome God we serve!!! BTC OLD STUDENTS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION We have trained students from several French-speaking nations of Africa who are separated and often have no relation with BTC after graduation. Several who lives in the same nation also serve in very distant geographical areas thus sharing no common resources. We also feel that this is the time that we should begin to enjoy some returns from the graduates by way of work reports, student recruitments and all the good things that can come with an association of BTC old student’s alumni.

BTC Students Alumni listening to a

presentation

Daniel Djonga giving a report about work in Chad. He said, “we in Chad have been abandoned, left to go at it alone”.

BTC students Alumni. They have beautiful feet.

In all, we have 72 graduates from Benin, Togo, Chad, and Burkina Faso present.

12th BTC GRADUATION AND 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORSHIP SERVICE.

Calendar of events and activities

Friday July 3. Davis Simmons form the USA and 4 church leaders from Ghana arrived. 1.00 pm We had a lunch in honor of graduates and their families. Saturday July 4. BTC old student’s alumni meeting. We had resource persons from Ghana in the persons of Dr. Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah, Dr. Augustine Tawiah and Fred Asare, all of Ghana to address the students on the benefits and work of a student’s alumni. We provided lunch and dinner to all present. From 9.00pm to 12.30 am. Spiritual concert. This was marked with an acapella singing group from Lomé, Tokoin Church of Christ. Several singing groups took part, the BTC students presented a sketch, kids from some of our congregations also presented plays and poetry recitals. It was a time of rejoicing for how far God has brought us. Sunday July 5. Worship and Graduation. From 9.00 to 11.30 am. We had our usual thanksgiving service during which Dr. Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah gave a living sermon. From 11.45 am to 2.00 pm we had our graduation ceremony. Dr. Augustine Tawiah of Ghana gave the keynote speech while David Simmons brought a message of solidarity and support from the FACE Foundation. A light refreshment was served to all present. From 6.00 pm. Graduation dinner. BTC Staff and our wives were fed a good dinner at the Livingstone restaurant paid for by Irene and Bill Morgan.

Under the big tent for worship on Sunday

morning.

4 The Lighthouse

The graduands and professors in procession

Back of procession and attentive crowd

Laying on of hands and consecration prayers NATIONALITIES OF THE NEW GRADUATES The seven men who finished their three year training in July came from the following countries. Benin 4 Togo 2 Guinea Conakry 1

The seven graduates with David Simmons

At the Livingstone Restaurant after graduation

HIGHLIGHTS OF TRAVELS WITH DAVID SIMMONS

It was a pleasure for us to welcome David Simmons and initiate him into the West African culture, food and lifestyle. David took part in all our activities described above and then some more. After the graduation was over, we travelled on Monday to Tchaada, where we have a BTC annex where Christian Todego and another team works training local leadership in the local dialect. We met some of the local preachers and leaders with whom we had a lively chat. On Tuesday we travelled with two other graduates to visit the work of another BTC graduates, Gilles Natabou in Azove. Gilles is probably doing us a great favor in operating a primary school up to sixth grade, whose products are most likely to become BTC graduates. Though the distance to Azove is only 95 miles from our campus, it took us 4 hours to get there because of the very bad nature of the highway.

5 The Lighthouse On Wednesday we (David and I) left Cotonou in the company of Joyce and Prince for Lomé, Togo. We visited with Esperance Mensah, a BTC graduate working with the largest congregation in Lomé (200 members). We then spent the night in the home of Samuel Ayim (FACE board member) where his family showed us great hospitality. On Thursday, July 9 we left Lomé for Accra, Ghana. On Friday we went shopping for a new truck. On Saturday we travelled to Gomoa-Fetteh to spend some time with Fred Asare and the kids of the Village of hope orphanage and schools. Fred fed us a good lunch before we returned to Accra. On Sunday we worshipped with the Nsawam Road Church of Christ in Accra in the company of 1200 other members. On Monday July 13th, David left for home.

15TH CONFERENCE OF FRENCH-WEST AFRICA GOSPEL PREACHERS IN ABIDJAN,

IVORY COAST Our annual 25th conference of the French- West African Gospel preachers meeting took place in Abidjan, from 14th to 20th July. I rode a bus to Abidjan on the 15th and joined my colleagues from Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso for this meeting. I was given two key note speeches but because Arnold could not get there from Senegal, I was given his topic in addition to the other two. My impromptu subject was, THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS PARTICIPATION IN PARTISAN POLITICS. At first I thought this subject irrelevant but when I listened to the Ivorian brethren who came through a short but brutal civil war, I got it. My theme was on “10 points to keep in mind while doing politics and still keep you soul saved”. My other two subjects were: DOCTRINAL DIVERGENCES AMONG BRETHREN. And HOW TO PRESERVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP A PREACHER AND HIS SPONSORS.” I worshipped with a small congregation that meets in the home of Isaac Gnonhou, who accommodated me during my stay in Abidjan. During this trip, a group from Ghana led by Lawrence Oduro came to have discussions with the French-speaking ministers on the possibility of working together in the French missions. I got back to Accra on Monday.

Wednesday July 22nd. I took the school van in which we travelled from Cotonou with David back and returned to Accra on Friday.

French Africa preachers in Abidjan

FENCE WALL AROUND BTC CAMPUS IN

PROGRESS Work on our fence-wall is progressing and also continue. We have now fenced the total length of the front of the property. We would now do the back of the guest house.

THE FRANKIE SMITH AGRICULTURAL PROJECT

We began this agricultural project as a way to provide a means of subsistence for our students. Two young ladies including the young lady in the picture enrolled in the training program which lasted for one year. She graduated and on graduation day also received her

6 The Lighthouse certificate. The other lady was out of town so received hers earlier.

The picture above was taken on the farm, whiles the men were working. Five men in the middle enrolled in the agricultural training program. They would be trained in horticulture, rearing animals and gardening. They are not a part of the Bible Training Program. They are unemployed youth who have dropped out of school for one reason or the other. This opportunity gives them a valuable skill and a new purpose for life. They pay a token fee of $50 for the training. We also get them working for us for free. Others in the picture on both ends are the two trainers.

The singing group from Lomé, Togo

BTC STATISTICS - 12 AFRICAN NATIONS

After 20 years of training, 1995-2015, here are our achievements for the glory of God. BENIN 64 we have 5 graduates making 42.95% of total graduates. TOGO 35 being 23. 48% of graduates CAMEROUN 17 graduates being 11.40% CHAD 13 graduates being 8.72% GUINEE CONAKRY 6 graduates being 4.02%

COTE D’IVOIRE 4 graduates being 2.68% BURKINA FASO 2 graduates being 1.34% CENTRAFRIQUE 3 graduates 2.01% NIGER 2 graduates making 1.34% of total GABON 1 graduate making 0.67% GHANA 1 graduate making 0.67% MALI 1 graduate 0.67% As is always the case, the strength of the French-speaking churches of Christ in Africa now depends on where we have the higher number of trained preachers. Most of the nations listed are virgin mission fields. Anyone willing to do mission work in any of these least evangelized nations should contact us.

Ivory Coast Ministers in a round table discussion

Eglise du Christ de Mpouto, Abidjan

PUBLISHED BY GEORGE AKPABLI

Missionary and Director of the Benin Bible Training Center

EGLISE DU CHRIST

B. P. 01-3268 R. P. COTONOU, BENIN. WEST AFRICA

E-mail: akpabli@yahoo.com

F.A.C.E. FOUNDATION P. O. Box 454

Benton, KY 42025 270-540-1942

-Visit our Webb site www.frenchafricanmissions.com