by Robert Meyer and Barb Tucker

A buzzword heard frequently today from politicians and those who run government programs is “empowerment.” The idea behind empowerment is to train and to give responsibility to those who have found themselves on welfare rolls, so that they can obtain jobs, support themselves, and end the cycle of dependence on the government.

The idea of empowerment is nothing new to the world of missions, even if the words we use are “training,” “discipling,” and “teaching.” BIMI has been in the business of empowering nationals on the mission fields across the world for thirty years. We know that the best person to reach a Brazilian, Kenyan, or Australian is another Brazilian, Kenyan, or Australian. To that end, BIMI invests much time and prayer and many resources in training converts on the field in Christian work.

The result has been a network of Bible colleges and institutes across six continents, established and run independently by BIMI missionaries. The opening of each one in a new area is part of an ongoing adventure fulfilling Matthew 28:18-20.

The latest step in this adventure has taken place in a remote, often primitive land north of Australia--Papua New Guinea. Lae Baptist Bible College, founded in 1982, has now obtained a twenty-acre tract of land that will enable them to build and grow. The faculty and students of Lae Baptist Bible College are now saying,

MIPELA AMAMAS TRU MIPELA KISIM GRAUN PINISH! (We are rejoicing that the property is ours!)

CAUSE FOR REJOICING

Why the joy? Because Lae Baptist Bible College now has a permanent home. Up until now, it has been holding classes three nights per week at Calvary Baptist Church. There has been no dormitory space or room for a library or offices. Thanks to a New Guinean church member, a large, level piece of land became available recently for a 99-year lease.

Thanks also to home supporters who have donated over $15,000 so far for a sawmill to be purchased and shipped to New Guinea. The sawmill has been used to clear the forest on the land, and it will continue to benefit to the college students as buildings are constructed from the remaining wood.

Plans for the property include classroom buildings, dorms, married student housing, staff housing, teacher residences, and a chapel. Donations have also come in to help pay for the land. Presently on the land are a teacher’s duplex, a small residence for a caretaker, a workshop, and a missionary residence. The first step in developing a campus will be a classroom building, now that the debt on the land has been retired.

Lae Baptist Bible College was begun as a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in 1982 by BIMI missionary John L. Owens. Calvary Baptist Church was the first church established in that area by BIMI personnel. Calvary Baptist Church has been a cornerstone for evangelism and training in the northwest highlands of Papua New Guinea since 1970. The church has reproduced itself in fifteen mission churches, all pastored by nationals.

Lae Baptist Bible College has graduated fifty students in the last ten years. Fifteen of those are now preaching or serving as missionaries, and twenty churches have been planted by graduates. Upon graduation, most students return to their villages to continue the spread of the Gospel among their own people. The graduates have reached to as far away as Vanimo, 1000 miles to the west. Lae B.B.C. students, like most nationals studying on the field, will not have to deal with culture shock, and after turning to Christ from paganism are highly motivated to share the good news. These factors make them fine candidates to work among fellow New Guineans.

Students at Lae B.B.C. follow a curriculum similar to that of other Bible institutes. They study the entire Bible, focussing on the Pentateuch, Romans, and the Epistles. They take courses that would help them study the Bible on their own, such as Hermeneutics, Homiletics, and Theology. They pursue other helpful subjects such as missions, principles of Christian living and service, and pastoral theology. The women also take a course in Christian womanhood.

Lae B.B.C. is administered by veteran missionaries John Owens, who serves as Chancellor; Jim Stackhouse, President; and Lewis Guthrie, Vice President. Gary Poch was also highly involved in the ministry of Lae B.B.C. until his sudden death in October of 1993. Missionaries and nationals serve as faculty members.

CAUSE FOR PRAYER

The vision of Lae B.B.C. and its leadership is to spread the good news of Christ over the dense and forbidding terrain of New Guinea. New Guinea is a large island over 1500 miles long, surrounded by smaller islands. It is composed of two political units--Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea. Although they share the same island space, these two units are separate in history and government. Irian Jaya is governed by Indonesia, which is located to its west. Papua New Guinea became an independent nation in 1975 after being a territory of Australia for 26 years. Previously, the island had been controlled by Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Japan at different times since the early 19th century.

The people of New Guinea are a type of Pacific people who have dark skin and black hair. Their geographical isolation has kept most of them primitive and separated from modern civilization. Most education until recently has been done by missionary groups. The diet is basic--pork, sweet potatoes, and roots. Clothing and housing are basic also. The land, although rich in minerals, has not been economically developed.

The famous missionary biography Peace Child by Don Richardson gives a vivid portrayal of the darkness and fear under which the island people, especially those in the isolated highlands, live. Beyond the tragic idol worship that enslaves the people, what is most daunting to missionary work is the complexity of languages. 700 different ones are spoken. Many who live inland cannot speak the language of their neighbors a few miles away. Those in the area around Lae speak a pidgin English, a combination of English, German, and other languages. However, in many ways, missionaries enjoy freedom and openness in New Guinea.

The BIMI missionaries working in Papua New Guinea are rejoicing to see God’s power and God’s message breaking down language, cultural, and spiritual barriers. They are joyous to see God calling out a people for His name through Calvary Baptist Church, its sister churches, and Lae Baptist Bible College. As John Owens writes:

Sunday night I was listening to one of our students preaching at Bethel Baptist Church, and I was greatly impressed. These Papua New Guinea preachers can do a better job in their own language than we missionaries can. Any given Sunday we have graduates teaching and preaching the Gospel in many different languages. I believe Lae Baptist Bible College has the potential to reach all 700 tribes in Papua New Guinea through training pastors, evangelists, and teachers. I am praying that someday we will have graduates preaching in every language in this country.

The means God will use to fulfill this vision are our prayers and encouragement for his servants, and the funds that we are able to donate. Buildings are being erected on a prudent, one-by-one basis. $10,000 is needed to complete the classroom building. Another $10,000 will be used for the dormitory, which will allow better housing conditions for the students and the ability to accommodate more every school year.

May it not be long before the missionaries and nationals of Lae, Papua New Guinea can say again, “Mipela Amamas” as they see their campus growing!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jonathon & Mandy Crews -  BRAZIL
Joel C & Brooke Daku -  KIRIBATI
Paul W & Martha Daku -  FIJI ISLANDS