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Issue No. 3
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March 2009 A.D.
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"I am immortal till my work is accomplished, . . . And although I see few results, future missionaries will see conversions following every sermon. May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom with few rays to cheer, except such as flow from faith in the precious promises of God´s Word."
David Livingstone
March 19 marks the 196th birthday anniversary of the most famous missionary of modern times - David Livingstone. He was a Scottish missionary to the heart of Africa. No man did more in the nineteenth century to open up Africa for missionary work, for commerce and for the abolition of the exceedingly cruel slave trade. When he was found near the shores of Lake Tanganyika by American news reporter Henry Stanley in 1871, after being out of touch with Europe for more than two years, Stanley spent four intense months at his side, and then wrote in his journal: "I challenge any man to find a fault in his character. . . . The secret is that his religion is a constant, earnest and sincere practice."
Today Livingstone´s prophecy quoted above is being fulfilled daily throughout much of sub-Sahara Africa; conversions are indeed following every sermon. I urge us to take a moment to remember the great pioneers who helped to make it possible!
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Praise Notes
1. February was a busy month at WATS, with the hustle and bustle of campus life, compounded by the visit of several adjunct faculty from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. One positive but temporarily stressful sign of growth was that mid-month the WATS chapel had to contend with lack of enough seats for the expanding student body - we have finally reached the point where we have run out of chapel seating space. Pray with us that God will hasten the building of our new chapel (see below)!
2. Masters modules in February were led by Dr. Russell Lovett (from Africa Nazarene University, Kenya), teaching Biblical History and Criticism II, Dr. Joseph Mensah (Accra, Ghana) teaching Wesley and Discipleship, Dr. Uzo Obed (Glory Tabernacle, Ibadan, Nigeria) teaching Transformational Church Growth for Africa, Dr. Charles Osume, Ruth Veltkamp and Sola Ajibulu, team-teaching Apologetics for Missions, and Oumar Coulibaly, teaching Mastering Biblical Hebrew. On February 23 Dr. Bridget Onwuasoanya started a module on Educational Ministry of the Church, and Solo Obasi took on New Testament Introduction.
3. Our Public Relations team at WATS continued to work throughout February as they energetically followed up on the January 22 fundraiser in Abuja. Good results are beginning to flow in. Rev. Kofi Obiako and Pastor Femi Martins made two trips back to Abuja, and made intensive efforts in Lagos as well.
4. We thank God for progress in February toward some of our fundraising goals through Friends of WATS in the US. This year we are asking God for 200 new student scholarships, and by the end of February we have already raised more than 70!! A one-week road trip to Memphis and Houston resulted in 41 new scholarships, including 24 from Dr. Ralph Douglas West and The Church Without Walls in Houston. WOW! Hallelujah!
5. Toward the end of the month I had the privilege of being a part of the third annual missions convention at a small church in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Their special speaker for the four-day convention was Pastor William Udotong (completing his PhD at Asbury Theological Seminary), along with his wife Victoria and their five children. This small group (Cornerstone Church), with an average Sunday morning attendance of 22, underwrote TWO student scholarships for WATS last year, and are renewing that pledge for this coming year and planning the sending of a mission team to WATS. Their giving to missions exceeded $50,000 over the past two years, and they have sent a mission team to Jamaica! Unbelievable! Hooray for King Jesus!!
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Prayer Requests
1. Please pray that we can get Dr. Emmanuel Ogunyemi and his family back to WATS as quickly as possible. This is urgent, urgent, urgent. Dr. Ogunyemi has completed his PhD in Education Administration at Trinity International University, and he is greatly needed at WATS. However, we have been stymied by the need for over $20,000 to cover air fares, shipping of their personal belongings, and getting them re-settled in Nigeria. Dr. Ogunyemi is scheduled to start teaching a Masters module March 17. Pray that God will meet this need and get this good man and his wife and four children back to Africa!!
2. Continue to pray for our five PR people working at WATS to see that while US-side funding is DOWN it will go UP in Nigeria. Pray for Rev. Kofi Obiako, Pastor Femi Martins, Jide Moye, Obaleke Obashoyin and Julius Adegbola
3. Pray for Masters modules going on in March. Dr. Bridget Onwuasoanya and Solo Obasi conclude their modules early in the month. By March 17 we are to welcome Dr. Emmanuel Ogunyemi back to teach Research Methods. Dr. Zamani Kafang (provost of ECWA Theological Seminary in Kagoro, Kaduna State, Nigeria) returns to teach a module in Old Testament Theology. And Professor E. A. Uka (University of Calabar) returns to teach Topics in Church History.
4. Pray for the building of the new WATS chapel. At this point strategic funds have been pledged but we are praying that they will come in as quickly as possible. Dr. Ira Pence (Atlanta-based retired engineer who traveled to WATS twice last year on building assignments) plans to return to WATS mid-month to oversee this project, and is hoping to see it completed before our graduation and 20th anniversary celebrations in May. PRAY with us that the new chapel—seating about 1,000 people, and built as a new mezzanine level in our main building—will be a reality SOON.
5. Pray for one of our WATS trustees, Brig. General Samuel Teidi (rtd), who travels to the UK this month for urgent medical treatment. Pray for his complete healing. Gen. Teidi has been exceedingly active in encouraging and giving direction to our WATS PR teams.
6. Pray for Rev. Donnie Plemons, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Moline, Illinois, as he prepares for the shipping of TWO overseas containers to WATS over the next 30 to 60 days. Donnie is our MOLINE MIRACLE MAN, for sure! We need the help of God to get these containers out the door and onto the trucks, trains and ships that will carry them to Africa.
7. These are tough times that try the souls of the faintest, especially on the economic front. Yet we believe that 2009 will be a YEAR OF MIRACLES for WATS. Pray for plans that are already afoot for the twentieth anniversary celebrations at WATS - which culminate on Saturday, May 23. We want God to smile on us and to make this a time of great celebration. And in the meantime we need the help of heaven on the WATS campus and in our US-side efforts to boost the training of leadership in Africa.
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| Thank you for joining us to believe God for a great year of ministry at WATS! The best of all: God is with us!! |
| BULLETIN: |
(1) We need Bibles and other Christian books! See us about getting them to Illinois for shipment to Nigeria. |
| (2) We are looking for assistance in the shipping of our next container, including the tractor. We need to include 225 sheets of 3/4 in plywood. Can you help? |
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(3) Check www.watsonline.org for giving online,
either using your credit card or an automatic bank draft.
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| Friends of WATS |
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WEST AFRICA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY |
| PO Box 490306 |
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PMB 003, Ipaja |
| Lawrenceville, GA 30049 |
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Lagos, NIGERIA |
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| Ph: 678-226-4733 or 404-895-0018 |
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Ph: +234-1-898-1676 or 1914 |
| Fax: 404-806-4433 |
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EM: GMAfrica@aol.com |
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Yours for the African Harvest,
Dr. Gary S. Maxey |
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