The celebration began the day before, with a beautiful session of worship and fellowship led by continuing students that got the graduands reminiscing about their own good old days at the Glad Tidings Bible College (GTBC). As we sang and danced for the Lord, the words of the Psalmist returned to me with new meaning: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133:1).
The introductions were thereafter made,
jokes and laughter shared while we sat in the beautiful white tent reminiscent
of those Paul the apostle used to make! Later the Principal, Rev. Jackson Ntulume-Kyeswa poured out his heart about principles of
spiritual leadership; challenging graduands to be selfless leaders, leaders of integrity,
leaders that never cease to learn, leaders that are servants
rather than seeking to be served, and leaders that will never take
for granted their calling and gifts. He recalled how Samson had tried to shake
himself free from his enemies only to realise too late that the Lord had left
him (Judges 16:20). Samson had become complacent and reckless, and as ministers
they too had to watch out and keep their eyes on the Lord lest they end up like Samson.
The Principal's edifying words were
followed by a sumptuous and scrumptious dinner that gave us an early taste of the Messianic
banquet! I took more than my fair share to the extent that my legs
nearly collapsed under the weight of a full belly! The evening was a perfect dress rehearsal for the
big grad day the next day.
Valedictory speeches
The graduation ceremony took place in the
main auditorium of Makerere
Full Gospel
Church, which was shining
like the stars with creative decorations. The women ululated joyously as the graduands in their flamboyant academic
gowns complete with hoods took their seats.
The number of graduands was 49: three for a
Certificate in Christian Ministry, two got a Diploma in Christian Ministry, 35
earned a Diploma in Theology while nine were awarded a Bachelors of Arts degree
in Bible and Theology. Of the 49, it was two-cheers for the 13 of them who
graduated with honours, while Lawoko Jimmy was the recipient of the Christo
Award for his exemplary character.
I was deeply inspired by the eloquence of Peter Michael Oumo who came on top of the Diploma class and was chosen to speak on behalf of his classmates. He gave God all the
glory for bringing them this far, and challenged his colleagues to be at
their best as they advance the Kingdom of God.
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| I got a photo opportunity with Peter Michael Ouma, the best Diploma student |
"Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved; a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth," he said quoting 2 Timothy 2: 15, adding that,
indeed, one of the reasons for joining GTBC was to learn more about correct
handling of God's word. "We are grateful that this college has given us
quality, well-balanced and yet practical theological and ministry training. We
have gone through drilling and grilling. We have been tried and tested and
found well-baked. We have completed individual and group assignments; done
tests and examinations. We have also been trained in practical ministry through
weekend missions as well as field assignments or attachment in different
churches."
Being a student at GTBC myself, I nodded in agreement as Peter Michael talked of the all-encompassing training they
received in spiritual leadership, evangelism, counselling, prayer and
deliverance, spiritual warfare, praise and worship, church strategy, to
mention a few. He ended saying that there is no excuse for
settling into a less-than exemplary ministry wherever the Lord has called each
one of them to serve Him, since "to whom much is given much is required" (Luke
12:48).
Give the world your best
Another Valedictorian, Francis Githinji
Gathege, representing the degree graduands talked of how he
is already on the mission field applying what he learned at GTBC. In fact, he
had been in Ghana,
in Santrokofi Benua, a village in the Volta
region, developing an audio recording of the New Testament Bible in the heart
language of a tribe called Selee.
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| Francis Githinji Gathege |
"Brothers, think of what we were when we
were called. Not many of us were wise according to human standards, not many
were powerful, and not many were of noble birth. Nevertheless, look at what we
have achieved through God! We are being honoured, and feted today," he said,
paraphrasing the words of Paul the apostle in 1 Corinthians 1: 26. "During the
training, we have received great wisdom and knowledge, and not from a worldly
platform but from Christ through the diligent and dynamic academic curriculum,
offered at GTBC. Instructors did not just share their intellectual
proficiencies but also offered their life experiences and friendships as well."
That Gathege came all the way from
Kenya
to study at GTBC, first for his Diploma, and later for his Diploma testifies of
the pedigree of the College and the holistic training it is known for across the
continent. He spoke heartily about the conducive learning environment at
the College that enabled him to excel, the well-equipped library, the relevant
syllabus and the studies that he said "revolutionised our mindsets and set our
paths in a new course of destiny."
Gathege added: "Our ministries will never
be the same again because our axes have been sharpened forthwith. Our society
will experience a difference in the clerical arena because of the preparation
we have received, and just like Gideon in Judges 7 had a worthy team
selected by God, we have graduates today who are an army of the Lord already
equipped, tested, trained, and ready for the onward mission of winning and
discipling the world to Christ."
Gathege challenged his fellow graduands to
pursue nothing but excellence: "We cannot afford to play mediocre after
receiving such knowledge and academic exposure. We need to be relevant to the
needs of the people today more than ever before, if the Pentecostal movement is
to hold any water in the society. I challenge each one of us to seek new
frontiers of ministry to conquer in the world over…our exposure to the world of
academia should motivate us to explore the earth in pursuit of service to God
and to humankind, in obedience to the Great Commission."
He also called on his fellow graduands to
draw inspiration from Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14 by seeking to
be approved of God, working without shame and handling the word of truth
correctly and redefining the value of Christian ministry.
It was evident, in his speech and gestures,
that Gathege will forever be grateful for the minister GTBC has transformed him
into. He considers it his duty and the duty of fellow graduands to keep helping
the College to take its vision to the next level. Thus he appealed to the college
administration to engage the alumni in its development agenda so that they can
support it financially especially in this age when donor fatigue is sweeping
through the western nations that were previously a source of funding.
Gathege ended with a quote from Mother
Teresa of Calcutta
that captures the essence of serving humanity unconditionally: "People are
often unreasonable and self-centred, forgive them anyway. If you are kind,
people may accuse you of ulterior motives, be kind anyway. If you are honest,
people may cheat you, be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be
jealous, be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow, do
good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, give
your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was
never between you and them anyway."
'Go and do likewise'
This was the title of the fiery address to
the graduands from the Guest of Honour, Ps. Dr. Richard Epiu. I was amazed to
learn that this towering man with a commanding presence and a voice to match,
is a former national heavy-weight boxing champion who got saved by grace in
March 1977 and has since been ministering to God's people and training
preachers on top of being a pastor at Deliverance Church,
among other Kingdom assignments.
Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:1-7, Ps Epiu
charged the graduands to be strong, teach others what they have learned and to
remain focused on fulfilling their call. He related the story of John, a
brilliant young man who graduated from Bible College
and returned to his former church with the confidence that with
his qualifications, he deserved more respect, that doors of opportunity would fling open in
his face, that he would earn better, and so forth. Alas it was not to be for
John as he immediately faced opposition from some church deacons who felt
threatened by his qualifications and hunger to serve. Rarely was John given an
opportunity to preach and whenever it came, they criticised his preaching
instead of praising it. Even when they gave him a position in church, it was on
voluntary basis and John had to struggle to find other means of putting bread
on his table. Ps Epiu basically saying that ministry is challenging and even
more difficult than we anticipate, so graduands will need to heed Paul's advice to
Timothy to be strong even in the midst of hardships, and lean on the Lord in
order to succeed. He challenged them to
have the mentality of a farmer who keeps labouring and never gives up
even when some seasons are very bad.
He also advised the graduands to emulate
Paul's habit of passing on to others whatever he received from the Lord. "Paul
kept away nothing." Likewise they must continue the chain-link of teaching
others until the Lord comes back.
"It's your responsibility to teach what you
have learned to others; do not withhold what you have received, for you never
know what God does in whom you preach the Gospel," said Ps Epiu, adding that
the man who led Billy Graham to Christ never knew how much God would use this
new convert. Evangelist Graham has won arguably more people to
Christ than any other minister that has ever lived!
Ps Epiu said that in today's fast-moving
world, the hardest thing to keep is focus. There are so many things clamouring
for our attention. He therefore charged the graduands to stay focused; serve
God single-mindedly like a soldier who refuses to entangle himself in civilian
pursuits so as to please his master.
He urged them to run the race
according to the rules, lest as Paul said, they preach to many but in the end
get disqualified themselves. This was an appeal to character and integrity,
which a true minister of the gospel must espouse. Good was not good enough for
Paul, said Ps Epiu, as he charged the graduands to reject mediocrity and seek
to excel while using Jesus as the yardstick for excellence in all affairs.
Special music, awards, the cake
After Guest Speaker sat down, there was
special music from The New Redeemed Church of God – Kabowa Choir, who alternated
with the GTBC Student Choir led by Joseph Sseremba, to keep the audience in the
spirit with praise and worship. The graduands were then awarded their
certificates, diplomas and degrees amid ululations.
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| GTBC Student Choir in a moment of praise |
There was a cake too, which was cut and served
by the graduands-turned-graduates! It was a humbling gesture, reminiscent of
Jesus washing the disciples' feet. I have tasted many cakes in my life nothing
comes close to the deliciousness of the GTBC Grad Cake 2014! I was tempted to
think it was baked by the angel of God that baked the cake Elijah was fed on
after he had collapsed running for his life from Jezebel!
Dear yesterday's graduates and now alumni of
GTBC, may the good Lord continue to keep you and bless you as you minister
to His people, being the true salt of the earth and the light of the world. As
the Dean Rev. Patrick Ndyanabo advised, it is by bearing good fruit that you
will make a difference, and defeat the confusion and falsehoods being orchestrated by false
prophets that have come into the world in sheep cloths.
