 Thank the Lord with us for Mukhanyo’s gifted team! But more people are needed for 2021 to serve within this growing ministry:
Senior Lecturers: Two additional full-time lecturers are needed by January 2021 to serve Mukhanyo’s growing student body. All applicants must confess Mukhanyo’s Statement of Faith in teaching and practice. We welcome applicants to apply if they meet the criteria outlined in the job advert. Mukhanyo also welcomes partnerships with local and international churches/agencies who can send and support a Senior Lecturer to serve at one of Mukhanyo’s locations. Programme Manager: This new position will coordinate the ThM programme to be facilitated at our Pretoria Centre as from next year. The ideal candidate will also serve as a Senior Lecturer. The applicant must affirm Mukhanyo’s statement of faith and share Mukhanyo’s organisational values. Johannesburg Campus Manager: This gifted person will be responsible for the management and development of Mukhanyo’s growing Johannesburg Campus. The ideal candidate will also serve as a Senior Lecturer. The applicant must affirm Mukhanyo’s statement of faith and share Mukhanyo’s organisational values. Lecturers in various areas: Additional part-time and full-time lecturers are needed by January 2021 to serve Mukhanyo’s growing student body. All Mukhanyo lecturers must affirm Mukhanyo’s statement of faith and share our organisational values. Please only apply if you meet the criteria outlined in the job advert. Distance Site Tutors: Mukhanyo welcomes applications for new Distance Learning Support Centres across southern Africa. Experienced church leaders are encouraged to submit an application to become a volunteer tutor and establish a local centre. For more detailed information on each of these positions, please visit https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/vacancies.html.
0 Comments
 Prospective students are welcome to register for studies in 2021. Mukhanyo has a complete range of quality programmes for Bible education, including these accredited qualifications offered in various locations across Southern Africa:
To apply, phone or email the coordinator at one of the following Mukhanyo centres:
For information about Mukhanyo accredited theological qualifications, see https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/programmes.html. Information about each learning centre is explained at https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/learningcentres.html. Mukhanyo trains church leaders for faithful ministry. Did you know that after completing Mukhanyo’s Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree, a student will:
Did you also know . . .
  France Mookisi is Reformed, has planted a number of churches, wants to plant more churches, and has realised that a high qualification is very important because people are ready to listen and follow someone who is properly trained and recognised. That is why he is one of Mukhanyo’s promising BTh Honours students.
France is now completing his first of two Honours academic years. In some 30 years of pastoring he has concluded that proper training is important, not only to be credible, but even more so to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, thus able to preach with authority. From 1982 to 1983 he was sent to train for the ministry by a church which was a part of the London Missionary Society. He completed a two-year theological diploma with Southern Africa Theological College. That was when he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus. He joined the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) to preach Christ and plant churches. Now follows a list of church planting and preaching the Gospel: three churches in North West Province; studying at the AFM’s Central Bible College in Soshanguve; planting and ministering a church in Krugersdorp; a church plant in Magaliesburg, pastoring a church in Soweto and Freedom Park. In 1996, France met a young pastor of the AFM who had studied at a Reformed Theological College. They instantly clicked, and this started a new journey for France to be introduced to Reformed theology. He enrolled for the BTh at John Wycliffe Theological College and studied there for four years (1996-1999). In 1998 he resigned from the AFM. Subsequently the Curatorium of the Potchefstroom Theological School of the Reformed Churches offered him a candidacy in 2001. He wanted to study at the Potchefstroom University for MTh (New Testament) but did not have the finances to do so. With the American missionary, Dr Ed Gross, he started a multicultural church in Pretoria – Hope Community Church. From this church, six pastors were raised; two of them studied with Mukhanyo. A hospice, home schooling program, skills training courses and an orphanage were started by this church. During this time France was sponsored by some Reformed Churches around Centurion and Pretoria. But funds dried up and France joined the Department of Correctional Services as a chairperson of the parole board. That contract ended in 2019. During these years, however, France mentored several young men in the East Rand who were involved in church planting but had no theological training. France then decided to continue his studies. He is now enrolled for BTh Honours at Mukhanyo. His immediate plan is to plant a church – a Reformed church – around Centurion and run an orphanage again. He is presently helping out at the Magaliesburg AFM and community on Sundays. But this is an informal, unofficial sacrifice they are doing for the Lord. He and his wife Maggy are not members of AFM and he does not hold the status as pastor, but he wants to help them out because he has a vested interest in the church he planted years ago. “My heart’s desire is to continue to plant churches where the Lord would open up opportunities. I also want to serve rural communities, informal settlements and poor places where pastors don’t want to serve because there is no means of sustaining them financially”. “I also realise that the Reformed church needs to experience new strategies and methods relevant to the context of ministry; to try new things they have never tried before. The Reformed church needs to look afresh at context, liturgy and strategy for harvest relevant to the context”.  Mukhanyo will begin facilitating an international Master of Theology (ThM) degree programme as from July 2021 – or perhaps even earlier. We are thankful to announce this exciting news after much planning.
This major development was approved by Mukhanyo’s Board in September after years of preparation and discussions with the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS) in America. This seminary (www.prts.edu) is an established Reformed theological education institution based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in North America. Mukhanyo desires to see a new generation of scholars in Africa who are thoroughly biblical and who thoroughly understand the challenges of God’s church in Africa. This new partnership is the next step in seeing this vision realized. Mukhanyo’s principal, Dr Brian de Vries, comments: “Our hope with this partnership is that, by God’s grace and for His glory, we will be able to further equip the church leaders He is raising up in Africa. We hope to foster a new generation of pastors and teachers, masters and pastors who will faithfully serve the church in Southern Africa and defend it against false teaching”. The Master of Theology degree is a 2-year programme that will be recognized by the South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at NQF level 9. The programme requires 30 credits in two formats, either 10 modules (coursework only) or 8 modules plus a research thesis. Themes to be chosen from are biblical studies, historical studies or systematic theology. Each of these themes build on themes in Mukhanyo’s BTh Honours qualification. Qualifying students from other institutions will, of course, also be welcome. This international qualification will be facilitated at Mukhanyo’s Pretoria Centre in Wonderboom South. Half of the modules will be taught onsite by visiting PRTS faculty, and the other half by Mukhanyo’s faculty, including a Senior Lecturer still to be appointed. Present projections predict about seven students starting in 2021, some from the current 17 students in Mukhanyo’s BTh Honours programme. It is expected that this number will continue to grow over the next few years. Classes will be facilitated in a block/modular format. This approach will also serve students from various areas of South Africa and from across southern Africa. Tuition fees for 2021 have been set at R2 450 per module. Enrolled students may be eligible for a partial Mukhanyo bursary. The Master of Theology degree of PRTS expands and deepens a student’s abilities in ministry. It is a rigorous research qualification designed for students with previous theological studies to help them take their learning to a higher level. It can be used as a terminal degree or as a transitional degree to additional graduate studies, particularly a PhD programme in religion or theology. More information about the ThM curriculum can be found at https://prts.edu/curriculum/master-of-theology/. The Mukhanyo and PRTS communities are excited about this new partnership and the opportunities it provides for faithful churches in southern Africa. Church leaders in Africa can now pursue advanced-level theological education without leaving their families and ministries. Mukhanyo now joins the PRTS global network of faithful theological institutions around the world. Also see PRTS's press-release at https://prts.edu/about/news/. Going Strong Regardless – In His Name In the Old Testament, God repeatedly told Joshua to be strong and courageous. He also enabled Israel to do what He ordered them to do. In a way, the same applies to Mukhanyo. God has enabled Mukhanyo to be strong and courageous throughout 2019, and also through a very unique first half of 2020. And now the second semester of 2020 has started well in all five centres!
God’s provisions for Mukhanyo became clear from the annual report and the somewhat belated Annual General Meeting (AGM) which took place on 24 July, using the Zoom facility. The online format this year was an advantage; Mukhanyo’s member churches and friends could participate from many places: Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands, as well as churches all over South Africa. The message of the principal, Dr Brian de Vries, was that regardless of challenges in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mukhanyo has been able, by God’s grace, to overcome various obstacles and still extend ministry activities. Now the second semester is well underway with most centre-based modules offered again in contact mode and only a few online. According to the Annual Report 2019, the total number of students for the first time surpassed one thousand. Other main features of 2019 include:
Regardless of various challenges, including the recent lockdown, Mukhanyo has been able to continue improving, although with some adjustments. These improvements include matters of academic quality and spiritual mentoring, material development outputs with more upgraded study guides and videos, additional modules and programmes, and the further expansion of supporting technology. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the College has much to be thankful for, especially committed staff, donors and students. Various technological improvements have become a part of everyday life, and they will certainly continue to be so after the pandemic. Operationally, Mukhanyo is doing very well. The library is growing with another 15 000 new books this year. The new student information system (SIS) and learning management system (LMS) is being further expanded. Learning material is being improved and technology will be utilised to a greater degree, with mentoring as a point of focus going forward. In respect of all the distance and regional centres, Mukhanyo has been increasingly decentralising its services. The pandemic is accelerating this process and will continue to do so. But as Dr Brian emphasised, technology will never replace lecturers or personal contact. At the date of the AGM, only about 5% of students discontinued their studies (mostly COVID-19 related reasons) with all the others completing the first semester. But several new students joined at the beginning of the second semester. The budget was reduced by only 10% as a precautionary move, which was less than feared at first because donors were mainly able to continue their support. Here are some interesting facts:
 Planting three churches while studying at Mukhanyo and hoping to be able to plant another three churches in the next ten years.
That, in a nutshell, is the life of Rev. Herens Nkoana, generally known as Oupa, pastor of the Reformed Church Ramotse, some 45 km north of Pretoria. With the enthusiasm of a dedicated and well-equipped activist he emphasises that if you really trust the Lord, regardless of how difficult things look, He has always made possible the many things he has been busy with. And He will continue to do so, even in times of crises such as the present pandemic. Everyone in Ramotse, part of the larger Hammanskraal urban area, knows him and calls him Oupa (grandfather). Why? At the age of 44 he doesn’t look it, but he acts like it: the father-figure of the community, knowing just about everyone, always listening to young and old, always evangelising, pulling in and motivating people and showing the way to Christ and His church. Rev. Nkoana started studying at Mukhanyo in 1999, received the Diploma in Theology and completed his BTh Degree in 2008 with bursaries from the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands. During these years he was instrumental in planting the Reformed Church Ramotse (2004), and other churches at Maubame and Carousel View (both in 2008), all in the Hammanskraal region. Today they all have their basic church buildings. In 2009 he started his Honours in Theology at North-West University but still requires two more modules which he hopes to do next year. After that, he plans further study because he believes many more Reformed students have to be equipped to be pastors and preach the Word the way God wants it to be preached. It was only in 2012 that he was officially called by the RC Ramotse as their minister. Today, with the backing of a few Afrikaans Reformed churches and the training of elders and several enthusiastic young church members, the three smallish congregations are increasingly active in various ways. This includes regular church services at all three churches, led either by Oupa himself or by one of his elders who he provides with notes to preach. Also catechism, a Bible study group, prayer meetings, an after-care programme for some 85 school children every afternoon, courses on evangelism, leadership and how to prepare a sermon. Training his young leaders weekly. Through Whatsapp, Oupa has started compiling and sending out 15-minute sermons in the Pedi language twice a week, already reaching more than 300 cell phone numbers. Data to the tune of R900 per month is paid for by an anonymous donor. Oh yes, by the way, Oupa and his congregations also have started several community development programmes such as gardening and hatching chickens at some 35 houses of church members. Not to forget about the forming of a saving group for community projects. And during the corona pandemic, much effort is necessary to collect food and help the needy. Planting new churches imply starting with a Sunday school and children programmes as well as some community development programmes. The registering of NPOs (non-profit organisations) is in the offing to make it possible to initiate skills development programmes including computer training, starting a creche and an early childhood centre. Work-overload? Oupa’s elders and his group of youth leaders have taken much of the work from his shoulders already. And God has made it all possible. If you put your trust in God, He won’t let you down, is Oupa’s conviction. And Mukhanyo thanks God that this college was allowed to be an instrument in equipping Oupa to initiate and run all this. We pray that his work will be blessed and he will be able to continue for many years to come.  Many companies in South Africa are forced to close their doors, and thousands of people have lost their jobs due to the effect that COVID-19 has on the economy. Even many churches, mission organisations and other NPO’s are feeling the effects of this economic climate.
So one rightly asks: “What about Mukhanyo?”. We also took the necessary precautions by being extra careful with expenditure and reducing the annual budget. But with deep gratitude to the Lord and with great joy we report that most of our regular donors have maintained their financial support. The result is that Mukhanyo has continued carefully and cautiously. Some smaller projects were put on halt for a period, but the main ministry could continue. Students were able to complete the first semester and the second semester has started well and will be completed early December, the Lord willing. One of our donors wanted to make an additional difference. They gave a donation for Mukhanyo to purchase food vouchers for all Mukhanyo staff to distribute to those in need in the local communities. This was done with joy, and it was a blessing to pass on this gift to others in dire need of daily food. What shall we say? “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). Please pray with us that we will also be able to continue unhindered in the months to come. Pray also for all our students and especially for those who are struggling to cover their study fees.  The BTh Honours programme at Mukhanyo has continued again this semester with no less than sixteen students. In the first semester, COVID-19 did at first disrupt the programme’s smooth flowing. But the format was switched to online lectures that have gone satisfactorily. This approach is continuing for now, according to Dr Bryson Arthur, the Honours programme manager and senior lecturer at Mukhanyo.
The modules being offered this semester are Theology of Salvation, Issues in Christian Ethics, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Research Methodology. Dr Bryson is grateful to Mukhanyo’s Academic Dean, Dr Japie Malan, for stepping in to teach Biblical Hermeneutics. This is normally taught by Rev. Peter Manzanga, senior lecturer, who is presently stuck in Zimbabwe due to travel restrictions. In the meantime, Rev. Manzanga has submitted his completed thesis for a PhD degree, so at least he has remained productive. He hopes soon to return to South Africa as Dr Manzanga. The Honours programmes are also being developed gradually to include more modules, eventually with comprehensive tracks in Systematic Studies, Biblical Studies, and Historical Studies. It is taught at a rigorous and reflective standard aimed at just below Masters’ level. Only students who have higher-than-average marks for their BTh degree are accepted into the Honours programme. The modules promote thoughtful research and normally active participation in class dialogue. Rigorous dialogue has been more difficult to facilitate with the online format, but the questions keep coming, says Dr Bryson.  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.
As a result, the following has become possible:
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. |
Categories
All
Archives
September 2020
|
RSS Feed
