Sang Hwan Lee, South Korea: Serving a school with a new name and new accreditation
The name of my school was changed this year from Gospel Theological Seminary to Asia Life University. My university was accredited by the Korean government this year to offer a PhD. degree. There are 10 PhD students at the moment. The university runs an international program under a strong belief that “Asia mission has to be done with the hands of Asians.” We selectively recruit graduate students from third-world countries, train them under the MDiv and ThM courses, and send them to their own counties to promote Christian mission there when they finish their course. We do not charge any expenses for their tuition fees and accommodation; in some cases we even offer their living expenses. You may recommend good graduate student to me.
Pavel Cerny, Czech Republic: Unleashing new pastors in old Europe
I have experienced a busy September and October as our academic year 2004-05 started. It has been a great joy to interview new candidates for Pastor’s ordination helping them to start their internship and further Theological education and spiritual formation. I am to prepare a special workshop for them in the area of Homiletics and Pastoral Ministry.
In public I got engaged in serious discussions with various Parliament members regarding proposal of homosexual marriages. Sometimes it is difficult and painful discussion as various politicians don’t appreciate family values very much and are typical products of postmodern era.
My responsibility in last month was also to publish several articles in various Christian magazines and one also for the Theological Revue of the University. In November I am invited to lecture at the Synod of the Lutheran Church on the subject: Christian witness in the time of Post modernity. You can see that different churches seek new ways how to address our fellow countrymen by the Gospel.
Samuel Jayakumar: Principal and author in India
I continue to serve as the Principal of Madras Theological Seminary, a premier theological institution of the Evangelical Church of India, one of the largest indigenous church planting movements of this century. We are serving in the midst of severe opposition by movements that continue to undermine the ethos of our pluralistic society.
My recent book: Mission Reader: Historical Models for Wholistic Mission, with a foreword by Canon Dr. Chris Sugden, has been published by the Indian SPCK and Regnum, Oxford.
Randee Olu Ijatuyi-Morphe, Nigeria: New Ministry Leadership
I am currently directing Hokma House—Centre for Biblical Research and Preaching in Plateau State, Nigeria. Starting with its (non-residential) second major component, the Hokma Forum (i.e., Society of Biblical Scholars [SBS]). Hokma House organized a two-day congress seminar on 29-30 October, 2004 on the theme: “Biblical Scholarship and Preaching in Africa: Past, Present and Future Contributions and Challenges.” A second and final Congress Seminar/Consultation on the same time will be held next year, 28-30 October 2005 (tentative). Selected papers from these meetings will be revised for publication as a monograph.
Hokma House, as a private Christian centre for biblical research and preaching, seeks to promote constructive research into all dimensions of the Bible, and its faithful exposition, through a critical engagement with the Bible, theology and culture, and thereby equip the corporate church and individual Christians for holistic ministry and discipleship.