OBS Seminars in English

SEMINAR FOR THOSE WHO ARE CALLED TO THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The country of Tanzania is in need of about 10 000 – 15 000 new village churches or prayer/cell groups. Since people come to meetings by foot, there should be a church within a walking distance in each village. New cell group can be started at local village schools and later on churches can be built of clay and a straw roof. As a result of their growth the prayer groups would desirably be turned into indigenous churches. In Tanzania the work of an evangelist is desperately needed. The task and the workplaces are ready and the pay would start coming in with the growth of the churches and its offerings. The church has many young people who have a call to the work of the Kingdom. However the problem is that they do not have any kind of training available for ministry. For this reason it is difficult for them to adequately start new cell groups.

To assess this problem we are holding course sets (four at the moment) that are about a year and a half long. At first, there is a week long Seminar A, which includes about 30 lessons. After the seminar the students go to their homes to help the local preacher and study a text book: The Preacher and His Work, which includes about 80 lessons. They answer the 500-700 questions in the book by writing them in a notebook. After about 7-9 months a Seminar B is held, to which they return the questions. Either the Bible school or the teachers check and correct the answers. In Seminar B the students receive a new textbook: The Starting and Strengthening of New Churches. After Seminar B they return to their homes, intern under a local pastor, and study the textbook. The answers are then returned to Seminar C. These three seminar weeks and the studying of these two texts is equal to about two months of Bible College. After the seminars the students receive their certificate. After the seminars we leave them to God’s leading and support of the church, whether they will receive the task of starting a new cell group. The local churches choose the participators will start a new work (a new church plant) within the first couple of years.For these seminars we use the abbreviated title: Wi. In Swahili: Wanaosikia wito (Wi) = calling.

SEMINAR FOR PASTORS AND EVANGELISTS

We hold seminars for those who are already pastors or evangelists of a cell group. For these workers we hold a series of three seminars between which they study at home from textbooks. Though helpful, these three weeks seminars are somewhat short and would desirably be hold more often.The Bible study in these seminars touch on the following topics:- Church growth and health- The task of the minister- Knowledge of the BibleHere in Eastern Tanzania these kinds of seminars have never been held before. Many of our students tell us that they have already been preachers for 20 or 30 years and now for the first time in their lives they are attending seminars that address these needy issues. For this reason the work here has suffered much in the past and there have been factions and divisions.Proper teaching will fix many of these situations. For these seminars we use the abbreviated title: Wa, In Swahili: Watumishi (Wa) = servants. This indicates a seminar for those who are already active in the work of ministry.

SEMINAR FOR ACTIVE PASTORS, EVANGELISTS, AND THOSE WHO ARE CALLED TO THE WORK OF THE KINGSOM

The third seminar is for both of the preceding groups together. If these active workers have never before attended seminars do not fill up in attendance we have also included the new potential evangelists.For these seminars we use the abbreviated title: Wo, In Swahili Wote (Wo) = everyone. This indicates a seminar for those who are either pastors or evangelists, or who have a call to the work of ministry.

FINANCES

We assist the churches financially by buying food for the students during the seminars, paying the salaries of the teachers, and providing the textbooks for the students at no cost. The expense of one seminar student is about $2US/month. This includes all expenses except the missionary’s own expenses. The price is this cheap because we have not raised the living standards above the normal African standards, and because the time between each seminar is about half a year. We are hoping that the churches would eventually provide such seminars later on by them selves.Until now we have received the necessary finances by three methods:1) We have a web-page on the internet. Our web-site is visited by various people who recognize the need and importance of our work and as a result provide some financial aid. However, these supporters are few at the moment.2) We have made friends for the village pastors. These people take for example 10 village pastors whom they support monthly by sending them a little over $20/month.3) I keep a journal which I send to our mailing list weekly. A few of these people as well as some others support this work occasionally.This work has been moving very much merely by faith. Sometimes we have been living with little, sometimes with much. None of the seminars have yet had to be cancelled because of a lack of money.

IN ADDITION:

We started the work in the beginning of the year of 2000. After two years our participator list contains about 600 names. By the end of the year 2003 the number will likely increase to a thousand. The need seems to be consistently growing for workers. We realize that God has initiated and bless this work. We hope that it will continue.

01/2000- 03/2002 Teuvo & Linnea Kopra
11/2002- Päivi & Sam Tuokkola. Tazengwa, Nzega