Much
of these two months were spent in preparation of our 7th Annual National Soul
Winning and Leadership Conference, which took place in the last week of April.
We were privileged to once again host the founder of our mission board, Dr.
Mike Cox [pictured with IBC Calabar pastor & deacons], and also Bro. Don Wattenbarger, whose Bibles Beyond Boundaries
ministry helped us to get in a recent shipment of Bibles. This particular
conference was very refreshing to me, as we saw a noticeable increase in the
number of churches represented; it was innovative in that we held the
first-ever alumni meeting for our Providence Baptist College and Seminary and
also conducted a seminar with Bro. Wattenbarger before the conference to
advertise our Revivals Christian Correspondence College, and it was challenging
as pastors responded to Dr. Cox's plea to train their own people and start more
churches. Please pray with me about two regional Soul-Winning and Leadership
Conferences that I am planning with Dr. Cox for September.
The week after our successful conference,
the great majority of our seminary students began their two-month internship,
many with their home church and others with new church plants or pastors who can
host the extra help. At least 15 of
these students [most pictured right] will be completing their seminary training (three years of
classes and two internships) by the end of this year, and we still have 12 more
students who will continue their studies into 2016. Though we attempt to keep the tuition and
room fees very low, these students are still responsible to provide for their
own feeding, and most have very little support from their family or church. Centered
On Remote Evangelism (CORE ministries already helps to support four of our
pastors), has made an easy and accessible way that you can be a help to our
college students. You can donate directly through their website (coremissions.org) by going to the Sons of the Prophet page, and anything
you give regularly will be used to help a future church planter complete his
training.
At the end of May, if the Lord will,
the Grand Opening is being planned for a church within the city limits of
Abuja; Grace & Glory Baptist Church is the second work that our family will
be personally involved in planting, while those that have been trained or
ordained by our ministry have now started nearly 30 other churches. I will continue to oversee Truth Baptist
Church, the home of our colleges and conferences, which will celebrate its 9th
anniversary in May and continues to strengthen with an average of 200 attendees
on Sunday mornings. June will be ten years since Sabrina and I came with Joseph
to begin as missionaries in Nigeria; it is exhilarating after a decade to be
looking forward to another new beginning.
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