​Step-by-step Mukhanyo is coming out of the lock-down, not unscathed, but able to go ahead at full strength. Our Lord has enabled the staff to limit the damage to a minimum.
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As a result, the following has become possible:

• ​​Partial re-opening started from 8 June: Some students could return to a Mukhanyo campus or centre. Many benefited from online learning and completed coursework, fully supported by Mukhanyo’s lecturers.
  
  
• Exams will start on Tuesday, 30 June, as scheduled. Academic requirements will in no way be lowered. We hope all students do well, but any who cannot write an exam will have the option to take the module over again.
  
  
• Communication with the 80 distance study groups has not been a problem, and it seems that many were able to continue more or less normally.
  
  
• Plans and preparations are in place to start the second semester of 2020 as normal as possible on 28 July.
  
  
• The 2020 budget had to be revised only 10% downward, thanks to our faithful donors, due to an expected drop in some incomes. Therefore the hiring of a Marketing Manager and a Johannesburg Campus Manager needed to be delayed.
  
  
• Although remuneration to all staff could not be sustained fully during the lockdown in April through July, most staff received at least 75% of their normal support. It was also necessary to implement a temporary reduction in the number of working hours for these months.

​Also in other ways the work is continuing. As an example, we’ve already started to expand Mukhanyo’s communications and marketing activities. And at long last the container with 15,000 theological books from North America arrived and is being catalogued and distributed across the five centres. In addition, 1,500 quality books have been received from the library of the late Rev. Irving Steggles, a long-time board member and friend of the college.

Our Father in heaven has once again been good to us. We thank Him in our prayers and once again we are strengthened in our commitments to serve Him, regardless of circumstances.

​Now it is official. Mukhanyo’s big Johannesburg branch has recently been approved by the Department of Higher Education (DHET) as a campus. Until this point it was only an advanced distance learning centre.

The Reformed Church of Johannesburg was discontinued in 2002 and the building was then donated to Mukhanyo who has been using it as a distance learning centre for a number of years. Thanks to some substantial donations, it was upgraded in 2018 with a library and several additional lecture rooms and offices. The number of students has increased to some 30 students who have been using the facilities and receiving instruction.

The new status as campus will enable the continuation of the growth in the number of students, also enabling them to be full-time students with contact lectures weekly from Tuesdays to Thursdays. Most students are involved with church work at their place of residence over weekends.
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These campus facilities are located in the heart of Johannesburg and close to train and bus stations. The renovated building has the capacity to facilitate far more students than the present – more than 100 full-time and part-time students. Let’s pray that the status as a full-grown campus will draw in an increasing number of students.
 

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With the death of Rev. Ben Fourie, 59, pastor of the Reformed Church Kameeldrift, on May 2, Mukhanyo has lost a unique, big and loyal friend and lecturer. He is survived by his wife Susan and his three sons and a daughter. Our condolences go to them and all the family.

Rev. Ben lectured Hebrew at Mukhanyo since 1997. But because of health problems since 2010, he found it increasingly difficult to be involved as much as he desired. He was strongly of the opinion that knowledge of biblical languages must be used to open up the treasures of God’s Word. However, his fight with health challenges did not prevent him to live fully the life God gave him.

When the doctors advised him to slow down and recommended to terminate his work at Mukhanyo, he declined to do so because, as he stated, he loved his work at Mukhanyo and its people which gave him so much joy and satisfaction.

He was a many talented man, exceptionally well-read in theology and classical languages, but also able to play nine musical instruments. Rev. Ben had a beautiful baritone voice and always enjoyed a joke. He was a leader in his congregation, at church synods, with youth camps, and in many other ways.
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We at Mukhanyo will miss him as a colleague, friend and servant of the Lord. We thank the Lord for what He gave us through Rev Ben.


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Did you know that Mukhanyo is offering in 2020 no less than six qualifications in theology and facilitating about six teacher’s education qualifications? The Bible education qualifications are the following:

• Focus Certificate in Theology, unaccredited
• Diploma in Theology, accredited NQF level 5
• Higher Certificate: Bible Teaching, accredited NQF level 5
• Higher Certificate: Church Ministry, accredited NQF level 5
• Bachelor of Theology (BTh) , accredited NQF level 7
• Honours in Theology (BTh Hons) , accredited NQF level 8

Did you also know these additional facts about Mukhanyo?

• That Mukhanyo’s two higher certificates have been fully accredited by the Council for Higher Education (CHE) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). These qualifications replace the old diploma (same NQF level) and are better designed to serve student needs.
• That Mukhanyo has about 30 full-time and part-time lecturers. You can meet Mukhanyo’s teaching team at: https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/lecturers.html.
• That Mukhanyo taught 102 modules in theology during the first semester of 2020, at four levels: unaccredited Focus programme modules, the diploma and higher certificate level, and the BTh degree and BTh honours levels.
• That Mukhanyo facilitates the training of teachers through NWU and other programmes, with over a thousand school teachers who received qualifications over the past decade.
• That Mukhanyo’s lecturers are contributing articles every month to the Joy! Magazine, which is widely distributed across Southern Africa. Are you a subscriber or do you buy your copy at supermarkets or bookshops? If not, you are missing out.​