Ferguson Report - June 2012

CBI Challenges

One of the areas of ministry that I believe is important in the spread of the gospel is through the printed page. I have emphasized this to students I’ve had the privilege to teach, and have tried to practice it in my own ministry for the past few years. People are just so busy these days. And while few people, it seems, will give you an “ear” to discuss spiritual matters, they may actually come closer to reading what you write.

CBI Library

In our work of training men to preach the gospel, it just makes sense to me that we couple our teaching efforts with a good biblical publication. Chad Wagner who has recently moved his family to Chimala to become the new mission administrator is discussing plans to begin such an effort in connection with the Chimala Bible Institute. Here is what Chad had to say about it in his June newsletter:

“We have been talking about the need for preaching in SW Tanzania.  I told the Bible faculty that a preacher can preach the Gospel using a pulpit and also the pen.  Preaching the Gospel with the pen enables the Gospel preacher to visit many more places at one time than he possibly can.  What is written with the pen can be read and re-read many times to teach the congregation and area preachers.  After discussing with Garry Hill, CBI Dean, we are going to start the ‘CBI Bible Digest.’ This publication, written in Swahili, will help encourage the local preachers in the preaching effort and also help to fill the need for sound Swahili material.”   

A great challenge in all of our extension schools is obtaining an adequate library. For schools that are taught in  English, it is  not  quite as  difficult.  But for schools in countries whose mother tongue is not English, it can be quite a challenge. Since CBI is made up of about half English and half Swahili students, an CBI English students taking examinationsEnglish library leaves the program lacking as a whole. Many times while teaching at Chimala the students have come to me complaining about the lack of Swahili books. After telling them “pole sana” (very sorry), I normally use the opportunity to tell them that they don’t have good biblical material in Swahili because they are not writing any. And if they want to solve their problem then they need to start writing.

In preparation to my introduction to graduate studies class, I remember reading, “A writer learns to write well by practicing his craft. Like most other skills, writing is best learned by practice—in this case, by the act of putting words on paper.” Among other obvious things (reading, studying, praying and perspiring), they just have to put forth the effort and do it! Hopefully, Chad’s recent arrival and permanent presence at Chimala will help them to do just that. For now, the students write their essays and research documents primarily with pen and paper. Slowly but surely, newer equipment is making its way to Chimala. With the arrival of useable computers in the near future, we hope good writing will come forth.   Howell

Why Extension Schools?

It is good to be reminded why we are involved in extension preacher-training schools. As it has been said before, we believe the extension program puts in place a program to perpetuate the work of preaching the gospel after missionaries have left. We believe that time will show this to be one of the most successful works among many good works in the brotherhood. Here are some of the basic concepts:

• We are able to train more men, since they do not have to raise expenses to come to the US.

• We are able to train them more inexpensively. Frequently we are able to fully support a man and his family for less than $100/month.

• These men are being trained in an environment conducive to learning. They are surrounded by their countrymen who have the same cultural background, same problems, etc. They help each other and work in each other’s congregations. When a man leaves Bear Valley to go into a mission field, he is virtually alone. This solves that problem.

• In our 40 years of training men, we have frequently trained men from foreign countries. Sadly, two results regularly occurred: (1) The men married an American and stayed here – never entering the ministry; (2) The men became ‘accustomed’ to American life/wealth and wanted to maintain that level when they returned home. This resulted in envy and strife among the very people they were trying to win to Christ. Now these men receive the full program offered here at Bear Valley, and never get accustomed to another way of life.

• We are able to develop a curriculum that specifically identifies their ministry needs.

• We are able to provide similar quality of education our students receive in Denver. The teachers in these extension schools are men who have advanced degrees and are Biblically sound. 

Fill-in Duty

About three weeks before Mary and I embarked on our trip to Ukraine, the congregational minister at North Jackson, where we have our home membership, announced his resignation and decision to relocate. We have grown to love Brian and Beth Giselbach and their family, but this was a change they felt was best for them. They have surely been missed.

About the same time, the North Jackson elders asked if I would act as the interim congregational minister until a permanent replacement could be found. I have been serving in that capacity along with my regular duties as the stateside coordinator for the two BVBID extension schools in Chimala, Tanzania (CBI) and Gorlovka, Ukraine (BVBIU). I will have more to say about this in next month’s report.  Howell

Ferguson Report - May 2012

BVBIU Graduation Class 2012

         Anytime a class graduates from a 2-year accelerated program of concentrated Bible study it gives all of us at the Bear Valley Bible Institute reason to praise God. During an exit interview with one of our graduates, I explained that the idea of a 2-year study program originates in the minds of many people with Acts 19:9, 10: “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”

         Ever since those days when Paul taught in the lower maritime region around Ephesus, the need for concentrated  Bible  study  continues to exist.  Around  

Graduates (front row) & instructors (back row) of BVBIU. 

the world, the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver offers its academic and sound Bible program in partnership with other mission efforts. I have been involved with one such preacher-training effort in Gorlovka, Ukraine since 2008—having made my first visit to its original location in Kramatorsk in 2006. Since that time, I have participated in three graduation exercises—the most recent one on Saturday, May 26^th, 2012. Four men and one lady graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies from BVBIU. 

            From the perspective of having taught a number of classes at BVBIU and having interacted with the students on a personal level, I can attest to the fact that these graduates have worked hard to reach this point in their lives. Unlike the situation in the U.S, there are no ready-made opportunities for the employment of preachers. There are no “preachers-wanted” lists or Bible college professor positions available. While it is 

Graduates: Valarey, Denis, Roman, Denis, & Oksana. 

not our objective to make “professional preachers”, we do try to instill in our students an approach to their work that is professional in effort rather than sloppy and carefree.

         In some ways, the situation in Ukraine is similar to the days of the early restoration movement in the U.S. There were a number of new congregations of disciples with no long history. Most of the Christians were young in the faith having recently left the
 

2012 BVBIU graduation. 

shackles of man-made religion and human tradition. The church was represented by small bodies of believers, not as opportunities for employment. If the church was ever to grow, it would not be an elite group of “clergy” to lead them, but a few hard-working, determined, and dedicated men of faith who believed the gospel of Christ could made a difference in people’s lives. Those are the models we aspire to reproduce in our students because that is very much the situation in Ukraine.

         But like many other preacher-training schools, we believe in the importance of offering Bible training to ladies also. We do the Lord’s church in Ukraine (or 

Ladies of the 1^st-year class of BVBIU. 

(anywhere else) a great disservice if we leave the ladies behind in their knowledge of the Bible. While they will not become the preachers and leaders of the church (cf. 1 Tim. 2:9-15), their influence for the effectiveness of the spread of the gospel is demonstrated through ladies and children’s classes as well as personal studies with others (cf. John 4:28, 29; Acts 16:14, 15; 18:24-26).

         But to make all of this work, we have to have a lighter side—a sense of humor. While we do believe in taking our work seriously, sometimes we have to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. If you want to survive this life, you’ve got to “lighten-up” a little. A little laughter does the heart good. “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Prov. 17:22). With a heart of gratitude and joy, we pray our richest blessings upon the 2012 BVBIU graduates. Well done!  Howell 

Albert, Denis, and Vitaly letting their hair down a little!

Ferguson Report - April 2012

Mid-Spring Update

         “April showers bring May flowers”, so says the old adage, but I’m not sure how many flowers will be found around our place. Most of the needed rains have passed over us here in Jackson, Tennessee for most of the month of April. But God’s showers of another sort have been coming regularly on the BVBID foreign extension program.

         I just recently received a phone call from Brent Smith who checked-in to let me know he had landed safely in Atlanta having completed his visit to Chimala, Tanzania to teach two short courses at the Chimala Bible Institute (CBI). Brent is not only an outstanding Bible teacher, he is also a capable evangelist, preacher, and dedicated family man with a loving wife and four precious children. I’m very thankful to the Trenton church of Christ for letting us borrow Brent on occasions to teach the eager students at CBI. I’m looking forward to hearing how his trip went. Last year Brent threw a little feast for the students with bar-b-que pig. I got a hint from Brent that he was planning to do the same thing again this time. Wish I could have been there!

         Chimala is one of those places where the travel time is long and its destination is hard to reach. But once you’re there and spend a little time getting to know and love the people, experiencing the surrounding culture, and absorbing the unmatched rugged beauty, you’re “hooked” for life. Just ask any of our teaching guests: Brent Smith, Denny Petrillo, Keith Kasarjian, Michael Hite, Denny Landon, Bill Stewart, Josh Barnett, Gary Fallis, Tim Rolland, Jeff Bell, Garry Hill, and Wayne Burger. Not all of them have returned, but all of them want to; and hopefully, one day they will.

         As for me, my tentative plans are to return to Chimala in early November to teach a couple of short courses and to participate in the graduation exercises for the second-year class. It is always a highlight of the year to witness the joy and smiles on the students’ faces as they bring to completion two years of Bible study and Christian training. The time spent in the classroom and actual teaching/preaching experiences will hopefully remain with them long after they have returned to their home villages.  

Many continued thanks go out to all of the good people who support preacher-training at the Chimala Mission—as well as all of the extension preacher-training schools. I have always felt there was no better bounce-per-ounce than what is accomplished in the foreign preacher-training program. Compared to the expense of the same training in the States, the extension schools are the most cost-effective means of training indigenous people to take the gospel to the lost world that I know of. In view of the ever-expanding population of the world (exceeds 6.8 billion!) I can think of no better use of the Lord’s money than extension preacher-training.

         As I have often said in my presentations, “There are just some places you and I can never go, but the people we train can go!” This is nothing new, for Jesus said long ago, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). We don’t do “greater works” in quality—no one can ever exceed Jesus! But by means of time and opportunities, the gospel is put into our hands to be disbursed as broadly as is effectively possible. Thank you for your partnership in the greatest work on earth!  --Howell 

Ukraine Visit

         The time is fast approaching for my next visit to Gorlovka for the work at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Ukraine (BVBIU). The tickets have been booked for the dates of May 21 – June 11 when Mary and I will be making this trip. Some of the items I will be packing include graduation diplomas, graduation shirts, Bear Valley portfolio organizers, and BV T-shirts for all the students. The date our second-year students will graduate is Saturday, May 26^th.

            Traveling about the same time will also be Gary and Sarah Fallis. Gary is the head of the graduate department of the Bear Valley Bible Institute extension program and is planning to teach a couple of graduate classes during his visit. There has been a lot of interest in the master’s program with several of our former undergraduate students enrolled. Normally, these classes are offered twice yearly—in the spring and fall. All of our current teaching staff has received their master’s degree from BVBIU. Sarah, who is an experienced teacher by profession, has also taught ladies classes on several occasions in Ukraine.

         One other instructor, Denny Landon is currently in Ukraine teaching a short course at BVBIU. Denny has always been willing and able to teach courses in Ukraine, Tanzania, and in a number of the other extension schools in addition to the courses he teaches in the graduate program. It has always been a blessing to have Denny’s ready-to-serve flexibility and his continued association and friendship. All of the extension schools have benefited wherever he has traveled and taught.  --Howell 

On the Home Front

         Some of you reading this may or may not want to know what’s been going on with family. If not, you can stop reading now and go back to watching the ball game. If so, here are a few details.

            Our daughter, Sarah and her husband, Jeremy are in the process of moving to Franklin, TN where Jeremy has taken a new position as preacher for the Millview church of Christ. The web site is http://millviewcoc.org/. Sarah, who is expecting twins near the end of August, will be graduating with her master’s degree the middle of May. She and Jeremy will be resigning from their positions at FHU, selling their house and are now looking to buy a house in the next few weeks. Other than that, they don’t have much to do. J

         Seth continues to work with the Westside congregation in Brownsville as the associate minister. As all ministers soon learn, the work can be sad at times. Especially we have all felt the sadness when Westside’s preacher, Larry Sweeney lost his dear wife, Emily. It was a hard time for all, but I’m glad Seth was there to be of help. It was good for Larry and Westside, and it was good for Seth.

         You may remember that Seth had given some consideration to moving to Chimala to work as a missionary. In fact, he even visited Tanzania with us in January. However, after weighing all the factors he has decided that such a move may be a little premature at this point in his life.

         Nathan is continuing his studies at FHU completing his junior year this month. We watched him and many other FHU students perform at the annual “Making Music” production. He is also a missions major but has no definite future mission plans at this time.

          Last but not least, Mary continues to be the constant helpmeet God intended a wife to be. She has always been a stabilizing factor in whatever pursuit of success I have had. Without her I would not be writing this newsletter. She travels with me constantly, and her advice and insight are invaluable. She has made the pursuit of God’s will a true joy! --Howell

Ferguson Report - March 2012

Back Home to the USA

         Having been home from Tanzania now for a little over three weeks, Mary and I are just about back to normal again. As usual, I had a mountain of responsibilities that were awaiting my return. After working my way through most of them, there are only a few backlogged tasks remaining—like cleaning out the gutters. But having not yet bought that 24-ft extension ladder to reach the highest sections, the gutters will just have to wait until the next payday.

         There were also two lectureship manuscripts due almost as soon as we returned. One is for The First Annual Hispanic-American Ministers & Church Leaders Workshop of West Tennessee on April 26-28 at the North Jackson Church of Christ. The theme of the lessons is on the book of Revelation. I just finished the manuscript for the second lectureship, although I still am making some corrections. This one is for the 2012 Bear Valley Lectures on Sept. 20-23 in Denver. The theme of the lectureship is “What’s Right With The Church?” I’m looking forward to hearing and participating in both of these good lectureships.

         Also following our return trip from Tanzania, there has been a fair amount of correspondences from some of our fellow-laborers at Chimala. All of my CBI students completed their course assignments and exams with passing grades. Many of them received A’s! And the evangelism program we started back in February with four teams seems to have taken off with a lot of potential. After counting up the numbers from Ezekiel’s weekly reports, there have already been 24 baptisms and 22 restorations in the nearby churches with which the teams have been allowed to work! And what is so encouraging about these numbers is that these baptisms and restorations are the result of the work being done by our local staff and students—there are no Americans involved. That is exactly on-track with what we are trying to do—teach them to teach their own people (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2).

         So, these are no mere numbers; they represent a program that is working successfully to save souls. We thank God and give Him glory for the Tanzanians’ success.  Here are some examples of the kind of correspondences I receive from Ezekiel:

            “Peter Kamatula…went to Mbeya at airport church of Christ, he had a bible studies with three families. From these families three people were baptized. Brother Peter is planning to continue bible classes with these new converts as well as the church at large.”

         “Boaz Kasiba…went to Matamba with 6 students (Kitekelo) he had several bible classes and 4 baptisms the church there still needs some help in spiritual growth.”

         “Lubange (He is a preacher) we sent him to Mwakaleli in Tukuyu, the preacher of this congregation passed away in January.  So Lubange had a seminar with this congregation and they had also invited some non christians, brother Lubange preached to them and as the result they had 4 baptisms!”

         “Ezekiel Harrison…went to Chimala “A” with 4 students they had a seminar with the church and after the church services they went to a door to door preaching. Results: Two restorations, and 3 new bible classes.”

         “Menard Swila…went to Chosi ‘A’ He worshiped with the church there, and after worship there was one lady who decided to receive Jesus, therefore she was baptised. Menard went to worship with this congregation because the preacher of that congregation named Lai Mkwama was sick, suffering from malaria but now he is doing good.”

         As I hope you can see, these guys are serious about evangelism in Tanzania. They do not see it as an option, but as the heart and core of what it means to be a New Testament Christian. And one more thing I believe needs to be expressed: it is no more convenient for the Tanzanians to seek after lost souls than for anyone else. They have obstacles, family matters, responsibilities, sicknesses and hardships to distract them as we all do. There is much we all could learn from their commitment and dedication. --Howell

 Ukraine on the Horizon

            Already my attention has turned to an upcoming trip planned for the city of Gorlovka, home of the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Ukraine (BVBIU). For the last two springs I worked in Ukraine for three months; this particular visit, however, I will not be spending as much time there to accomplish what I need to do. The last week of class will be May 21-25 with this year’s graduation date scheduled Saturday, May 26^th. Afterwards, Gary Fallis plans to teach for two weeks to our graduate students. 

Local Gorlovka news crew interviewing Andrew Zhuravlev during an evangelistic campaign. 

            One of the things I hope to do on this trip is to go to some of the churches that I have never visited before to help spread the word about BVBIU. A couple of the places I hope to visit are Odessa and Ivano-Frankovsk. My continued conviction is that BVBIU is an absolute necessity for the stability of biblically sound training of preachers and teachers in the country of Ukraine. That was the original purpose of the program; and as long as I continue to have any say about it, that will always be its purpose.

         Another consideration in this trip is to assist in the purchase of property for the Krasnoarmeysk congregation. Several members from the Mt. Juliet, TN congregation have plans to travel to Ukraine in June in hopes of getting this process started. Part of their plans is to make a visit to Gorlovka, and I would like to give them a tour of the BVBIU school facilities. I appreciate the love the Mt. Juliet congregation has demonstrated for the people of Ukraine over the years and pray that I can be of some help to them. The tentative date for this Ukraine trip is May 18 – June 11.  

         Before I conclude this short section on the work in Ukraine, I want to remind you that while the Lord’s work in Eastern Europe is often slow and difficult, God’s word continues to effectively work in the hearts of good and honest people. The preacher for the Central congregation, Andrew Zhuravlev was given the unique opportunity through mass media to tell the city of Gorlovka about the church of Christ. Also, the work done in Slavyansk by the perseverance and dedication of BVBIU instructor, Albert Bagarsarian and 2011 graduate, Stas Kuropyatnikov recently brought two precious souls to Christ. Never underestimate the power of the gospel to accomplish God’s purpose. --Howell 

Ferguson Report - February 2012

Reporting from Chimala

            Greetings once again from Chimala, Tanzania! After being here almost seven weeks, it almost seems like Mary and I live here. The emails from home and the monthly bills we pay electronically, however, are constant reminders that we still have a home in Tennessee. But we’ve fallen into a good routine of life here making our stay both rewarding and enjoyable.

Chimala Bible Institute students (back two rows) and teachers and staff (front row).

            God has been good to us. Since my last unofficial email report, our daughter Sarah confirmed a bit of news that we could not tell to anyone until she was certain: she’s expecting. And what’s more, she’s expecting TWINS! I told Sarah and Jeremy that I was in no hurry to become a grandpa. But I guess if I’m going to step through that ‘silver’ door I might as well start with two! So, I’m having to brush-up on my whittling skills. You know, every good grandpa has to know how to whittle something from a pocketknife.

             Her due date, however, is not the best timing for me since it is toward the end of August and beginning of September. That is exactly the same time as the annual BVBID extension retreat and the new school year for the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Ukraine. Sorry guys, but there’s not much that can compete with the birth of my first grandkids; and especially if I want to stay married—if you get my drift.

            The work of training preachers, church leaders, Bible teachers, and kingdom workers continues to go well at the Chimala Bible Institute—both in the English and Swahili programs. Garry Hill, Joshua Mwakyasima, Bernard Kulanga, and I finished teaching our classes for the 1^st six-week quarter in the English program; and, Garry and I are now teaching our first of two short courses this week. Next week, Garry will have to leave early to attend a BVBID extension staff meeting.

            Mary and I will continue working here at the mission until I complete my two short courses; and then we will begin our long trip home on the 12^th of March. As anyone knows who has traveled here, making this trip to Chimala is not easy or cheap. Trying to be frugal, I consigned myself to the idea that Mary and I would return to Dar-es-Salaam by bus (Garry calls all Tanzanian buses “Ships of death”). I’ve taken the bus before with Denny Landon and thought it was fine. After further consideration, however, I decided that we would take the small Cessna turboprop flight offered by a small safari tour operator: Gazelle Tours. The new Songwe International Airport has not yet been completed in Mbeya (Will it ever?). But some of the previous Chimala Mission visitors have started taking flights from Gazelle Tours from Mbeya’s old grass strip saving a lot of wear-and-tear on the body—not to mention the greater safety. The opening of the new international airport, however, should bring in multiple air carriers and offer a little healthy price competition.

            In a previous report, I mentioned the lack of rains in what is supposed to be Tanzania’s rainy season. Many of the farmers are concerned that if the rains don’t return their harvests will be jeopardized. But thankfully, it seems that in the past few days we have been having a significant increase in the rains. Southern Tanzania’s sandy soil quickly soaks-up the rain leaving only a few mud puddles.

            Furthermore, this time of year is naturally a busy time for farmers as the outcome of the remainder of the year depends to a large degree upon what they accomplish in the fields now. That has a lot of effect upon our evangelism teams we put in place a few weeks ago. The original idea was to offer churches seminars stretching over the course of a few days. But the members have said they cannot possibly attend all the daily meetings at the present time due to this critical time for farming.

            We completely understand and have adapted our seminars to several lessons on Sundays and a follow-up lesson on Wednesday afternoons.      This seems to be very acceptable to the churches and still allows us to teach the congregations and train our students how to conduct the seminars. Some of the students in the four teams have stayed between the morning and afternoon services to conduct local village evangelism resulting in several restorations.

            Getting these evangelism teams off to a good start has been a little slow. But my hope is we have planted a seed that will germinate and produce fruit in the Chimala Bible Institute for many years to come. As I see it—all stand to benefit: the churches, the students, the local staff, and the entire Chimala Mission. There is a deep need to restore our focus back to the original mission of Jesus—to seek and save the lost. Sometimes good-intentioned brethren lose their way and become distracted with lesser matters draining precious time, energy, manpower, and money. It is our prayer that our little seed planted will not be forgotten.

            Last week, Boaz Kasiba, one of the local Chimala Mission preachers and CBI teachers told of a strange situation they experienced at one of the churches on the mountain behind the mission. He had been studying the Bible with several young men with some resulting baptisms. When they attended a congregation to begin worshipping, they discovered that many (if not most) of the men were “old drunkards” (to quote Boaz). Of course, this posed a difficult problem for these young new Christian men. How could they worship God acceptably with a congregation made up of unfaithful drunkards who were in the majority? The short answer is they may not be able to worship there with them at all. The other idea is to try to teach them concerning their sin and encourage them to repent. I don’t know how successful they will be since reasoning from the scripture requires a sober mind.  But one idea they have is to gather together a united group of faithful Christian men and confront them about their sin.

            I don’t know how the future will unfold concerning this situation. But it is surely not a common image in our minds to find a congregation of God’s people made up primarily of old drunk men. It is a sad state indeed, but this is a reality of sin and how Satan can so-deeply enter and pollute the hearts of men in an attempt to destroy both body and soul in hell. Pray for this situation.

            In closing, please accept my continual thanks to all of you who in any way make possible the Lord’s work of training His servants. Our motto is and shall continue to be:

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:2

--Howell