REPORT ON CHURCH LEADERS TRAINING AT CANKUZO CENTER FEBRUARY 2025
1. INTRODUCTION
I praise the Lord that in our endeavour to continue to strengthen the capacities of church leaders, Rev. ZOYA Melchior, one of our volunteers joined me in the training. We were able to conducted a training of church leaders at Cankuzo center, from 10th to 14th/02/2025. The training went on well and was successful.
2. PARTICIPANTS: 25 trainees in Cankuzo attended the training.
3. BOOK USED: We used the "Church: its Nature, Purpose and Mission"."
4. CONDUCT OF ACTIVITIES
As it is one of the method we use in our training centers, before we go deep into the course of the week, we took a full day to do a thoroughly evaluation. This evaluation helps us to see if they are practicing what they have learned so far. For us, an evaluation is very important as we want to make sure that the training we are offering is worthy. We were so much encouraged to hear from our trainees how the training is transforming them, and how this course has changed their word view. The evaluation was done from the previous book: the book of 1 Timothy. The testimonies shared did not limited on this book of 1 Timothy, but also shared how the book of Biblical stewardship is helping them towards the transformation of their lives, their churches and their local communities. Moreover, the trainees vowed to organize many teachings in their local churches, teaching their congregants the content of this course. Once again, this evaluation activity was so important, because it is also giving us a good opportunity to learn more from them, to see where we can improve and to get more experience in teaching.
4.1 Day to day activity.
At Cankuzo center, every day in the early morning the trainers had to gather around the Word of God using the Bible Reading Guide or practicing expository preaching, for about 40 minutes. The training began at 8 am and ended at 5:00 pm. This was so good because all the trainees were staying at the same place. Each evening from 7pm to 8 pm, all trainers had a time to come together to do the debriefing, pray and evaluate the day. This gave me an opportunity to better prepare the next day according to the schedule provided in advance. On Friday, before closing the training an evaluation test was given to them, where almost everyone did well. We were thankful because of the achievement during this training on 1 Timothy and Biblical Stewardship.
4.2 About the book of 1 Timothy.
All participants agreed that, 1 Timothy should be the foundational as the writer of this course Mr. Jonathan said, since it deals with the issues we as church leaders, we daily struggle with. Indeed, the trainees realized that not only the letter was addressed to the church leaders but also to all the Christians since it was meant to be read publically and addressed the issue of behaviour and attitude. At the end, our trainees thought to call it a Christian letter and not a pastoral one. They also told us that while reading and writing they realized that each word contained in this letter was heavily loaded. Three crucial issues were raised in this book. Those issues were concerning excommunication, drinking of beer as well as issues concerning women in the church. Thorough discussions took place, and were understandable and constructive. Meanwhile, they vowed to change their attitude and ways of doing things in their respective churches.
4.3 About the book of the Church, its Nature, Purpose and Mission
Many people have found themselves being church leaders yet they did not understand the mission, vision and nature of the church. We are grateful to the Lord that participants to the course did understand clearly that they have been called to evangelize and fish people from where they are lost, reach out to them and not expect them to come on their own to the church premises where they are pumped with the Word of God. As participants, we came to realize that we are not seeking for the lost rather followers are recycled from Church to Church. Unanimously they said: “The time has come whereby we need to make disciples instead of making only believers. If we continue to make believers the church will die and Muslims will take over. The church must exist to be the salt and the light in our local community. We have understood that the church is not the buildings we build but we are the church. This is something new we have learned and understood. We need to change our world view and know who we are”.
4.4 Testimony
Mrs Ngabirano Ines said: “I am grateful to the Lord who led Rema people to come to this end to teach us this course related to the church. I was a leader of a church yet I did not know the mission, vision and nature of the church, and why its existence in the community. I am grateful to the Lord that has made it possible for this school to come to this place. I have now understood why I have been called, I have understood my calling and what I ought to do as a pastor I have understood that the church exists to bring transformation and change spiritually and physically in the community where it is implanted. I vow to work accordingly. Thank you “!
5. Challenges
A common challenge most all Burundi people have not only our students, is that life is becoming expensive on a daily basis. The socio-economic problems that the country is facing discourage both the trainees and the trainers. The persisting fuel problem has become a nightmare. We really need prayers on these issues.
6. Conclusion
As we close by this report I would like to tell you that we keep on encouraging our trainees to not cease to put into practice what they are taught in the training. We invited them to widen their horizon to include in their sphere of intervention, their local communities and their surroundings, for the world is God’s parish and the perishing are God’s people which Jesus died for and came to rescue.
Before I end this report, as trainers, we would like to join our students/trainees to say that our experience during this ongoing church leader training, is not a training course like so many others. Rather it is a “Training for Transformation”. Because it is bringing changes in people’s lives and these changes are affecting their local communities. We have not yet finished the race; we are pressing on towards the goal.
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REPORT OF CHURCH LEADERS TRAINING AT KARUSI AND NYANZA LAC 2025
1. INTRODUCTION
From 12th up to 18th of January 2025, Rema Burundi in its department of capacity building has organized a church Leaders training on the book of Biblical Eschatology. This training was attended by 45 church leaders from seven churches at Karusi and 130 from four church leaders at Nyanza-lac.
We were blessed to receive Jonathan Menn the author of Ecclea materials was thereto spend two weeks, training church leaders on the scheduled book: Biblical Eschatology. This is a special book which seems somehow difficult to understand.
Before starting this book as it is usual in our schedule, trainees have to share what they have been able to accomplish during the two previous months in the book of Biblical stewardship. They took enough time to share what they have been able to practice during the two months.
As far as the book of Biblical stewardship is concerned, all the participants testified that it had a positive impact on their daily lives. They clearly understood what a steward is, the role of a steward, and the different ways and strategies of working not only in everyday life but also in the work of God to which they are called. Some have learned how to plan their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities. Before learning this module, they didn't know how to do any of the activities. They did everything in a mess, and the result was always negative. But after acquiring the relevant knowledge, they have now improved their working methods and the yield is getting better and better. They've planted fruit trees, they've saved money, they've raised livestock... their way of life has now changed and so has the way they organize their activities. They are really satisfied with the lessons they have learned and ask for regular follow-up from the organizers.
After hearing what the learners were able to put into practice, our special guest took the time to begin the book of Biblical Eschatology. This book, which talks about things concerning the end times and the end of the world, also uses apocalyptic language. It provides further clarification on this subject because, according to theologians, there is no agreement on the subject, which is why people have different theories about it in their heads and minds. This has a negative effect on the implementation of the teachings received in this book.
2. Questions raised
The trainees had many questions to ask as many of them either in Buhiga or Nyanza lac had been indoctrinated by false teachings due to the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the biblical passages concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ and the questions concerning the antichrist. There were also many question from the book of Revelation. We praise God that our guest Jonathan Menn was able to give clear answers to them.
3. The book of Jonah
Jonathan didn’t have enough time to rest because for instance at Nyanza lac, from morning at 8:30 am to 3 pm he was doing the training at the Beloved Church, thereafter from 4 pm to 6 pm, he was teaching the book of Jonah at the Swedish Pentecostal Church. The participants were amazed to discover the powerful message in that book. Many of them said that the life of Jonah the prophet portrays and shows exactly who we are, what we go through in our daily lives and that is how we also live and behave. God have mercy on us, they said. Participants were so blessed to have Jonathan and requested him to go back and spend a whole week with senior pastors, teaching them Biblical Eschatology.
4. Conclusion
We thank God who sent Jonathan to come and took us through that course on Biblical Eschatology. We praise God for his protection and giving him and all of us good health during his stay. It was not easy to get fuel but the Lord provided it to us, as we had to go to Tanzania to buy it. In all we can dare to say that: God is good all the time and all the time God is Good and that is his nature.
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