Indonesia Journal; Thursday

22 Sept. Thursday; 5 PM

Back in the room after a full day of teaching. We finished the parables this afternoon. Tomorrow morning is a graduation service and tomorrow afternoon is the test for this class. The students that took this class for credit must pass the test and turn in the assignments from the class. There are eight students graduating. The whole school is involved. It is a big deal. They have asked me to preach the sermon tomorrow. I plan to share a message from 1 Timothy 4:16.

This school is called (in English) The Higher Education Theological Institute of Indonesia. It began in 1971 by a pastor, in his church, on this island. Back then it was called the Baptist Theological Seminary. Before 1971 there was one Baptist seminary in Jakarta on the island of Java. There are five big islands in Indonesia and thousands of small ones. Sulewesi is the name of this island. The pastors from this island had to travel by boat to Java to go to seminary. It is a five-day journey by boat. The pastor that started this school graduated from the Java seminary in 1968 and began this school in his church 1971 on Sulewesi Island.

Later that year the churches on Sulewesia Island and the surrounding islands formed their own fellowship of churches. There are now over 300 churches in that fellowship. Within a few years the school had outgrown the church and land was purchased in Manado and buildings were built. Once I figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer and on to facebook, you will be able to see the present buildings and classrooms. This may have to wait until I can ask someone born after 1977. Those people know how to do stuff like that.

After the school moved to its present location they changed the name in order to take “Baptist” out of the name. There were so many other pastors from other denominations who wanted to attend but could not because of the name. So, they changed the name and enrollment went up. In my class this week there have been four different denominations represented; some are students and others are pastors that have already graduated but wanted to take the class on the parables of Jesus.

The founding pastor of the school is still a pastor and is the president of their convention of churches. He has attended my class each day, taking notes and asking questions right along with the other pastors and students. Pastor Ferry, my host, is now the president of the seminary (his picture will be on my facebook page as soon as…you know). Everyone on staff at the seminary is Indonesian. It is and has been an indigenous seminary from the very beginning. They offer the Pastoral Ministry Certificate, a Bachelor of Theology, and a Masters of Theology. They are working with the government right now to get approval for a doctoral program. Pastor Ferry is about to complete his PhD.

Tomorrow afternoon while the students are taking their exam they have invited pastors from around the area to meet with me in a kind of round table Q&A time. I am looking forward to that. Then on Saturday, pastor Ferry said that he wants to take me up on the mountain to a hot springs area. He said it is very relaxing. I am looking forward to that, too. On Sunday I am preaching in another church in Manado and then heading home on Monday. Tomorrow we will give out the Bibles. Everyone is very excited about that. Some of their Bibles are worn out and some do not even have one. I have noticed that they do not write in their Bibles. Thank you for your prayers.