Putting the gift of teaching into practice in Johannesburg, South Africa
Vida Li Sik • Jun 09, 2019
The church in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently had the privilege to have Teacher Gilbert Kimeng, from Lagos, Nigeria, conduct a Biblical Interpretation course at the Missions Training Academy (MTA), while two local teachers-in-training Raj Chandra and William Chirwa did a condensed class entitled Digging Deeper, for those who wish to deepen their personal Bible study.
Romans 12:6-7 says "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith, if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach."
And that was what these three brothers did, as they shared their knowledge with the two groups of students during the courses.
Gilbert explained what the experience meant to him. "Last year, I did the New Testament survey course in Joburg, and it's beneficial for the continent to co-teach (with other teachers) because teaching styles are different and complementary. I'm still learning and have had the chance to work with more experienced teachers like Michael Burns (for a course on Culture). It's great for the family in Africa to learn from each other's experiences. We need to develop topics specific for our teaching needs on the continent," he said.
Gilbert added that there is a second generation of potential leaders coming up, and Raj and William are two of these.
Gilbert added that there is a second generation of potential leaders coming up, and Raj and William are two of these.
Raj was born in India and became a disciple in the United States in 2001. A few years ago he came to South Africa on a One Year Challenge, met his wife Angie and stayed on, and now lives and works in Pretoria, South Africa.
He explained his journey through MTA. "Over the years, at different times, I felt my walk with Christ became stagnant as though I was stuck in the mud. I'm very grateful to God for providing me with people and opportunities to learn from so that my faith in Christ can grow, as well as help me grow in practice of my faith in Christ. One of these opportunities was enrolling in MTA in Joburg back in 2011. I'm very grateful for the support I received from the Durban Church of Christ (where I served at the time). By God's grace, I was part of the first graduating class after I completed all the required modules."
Raj conducted the first Digging Deeper workshop along with William in Joburg at the end of April this year. "It was an amazing experience and the participation level in the class was very encouraging. We offer similar courses in Pretoria and my hope is that we can do more to equip and empower each other to handle the word of God correctly and thereby live faithful, impactful and vibrant lives for Christ."
William said, "I'm so grateful for the opportunity afforded and the proactive approach by the full-time staff in Joburg. We were blown away by the willingness of those who enrolled to put aside a Saturday, and their active engagement in learning how to get the most from the Bible."
William said he was encouraged by the mix of old and young Christians who even brought four of their friends to participate in the course.
His love for the scriptures and a desire to become productive and effective in his knowledge of Christ has seen William enroll for online MTA courses, an MTA course in Joburg and a BA in Theology with the Southern Africa Bible College in 2018. "My hope is to contribute in preparing and equipping young Christians with tools that will help in growing their relationship with God, as well as train them to be effective disciple makers," he added.
There are currently no teachers in the Southern African region of churches, so please pray that God will answer this need soon.
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Margaret Chipunza is the CFO of one of the best banks in Zimbabwe, a wife, mother, and a devoted servant in her local church.