Apollos Institute Information 

Ukraine Report May 2008

Answers to Leadership Questions 
 

South Africa

Bill Sampson, one of the elders from East Brainerd, and I will be going to Benoni, South Africa. I will be speaking at the annual seminar of the Southern African Bible College. The 2008 SABC Lectureship is scheduled for Sunday, 28 September through Thursday, October 2. The theme is "Spreading the Flame", emphasizing missions, evangelism, and training. Jerry Hogg is the fime director of the school.
SABC has a long history of training preachers and leaders of the church in SA. Therefore the school seemed a logical place to establish a link with the leaders of the church in that area for the promotion of the Apollos Leadership Seminar and to get their input into what needs to be discussed and covered in the seminar. (As you know, this is one of the purposes of making the promotional trips. We need the input of local leaders.)
 

Botswana

After the seminar, Dennis Melepa, the director for the training school in Gaborone, Botswana, will take us to Gaborone to speak to the leaders there. Dennis and I have known each other since he and his family were in Lincoln, NE. Going to University of Nebraska and Anne and I working with the 56th and Vine congregation.

Questions for South Africa Leadership Seminar

1. Define any five difficulties or challenges that the church in your area will deal with in the next 5 years?

2. Have there been any plans developed by the church where you attend to overcome those challenges?

3. How would you define the leader that you most likely would follow?

4. If there were a leadership seminar coming up next month and you had been asked to present a lesson, what subject would you choose?           Why did you choose that subject?

5. How does the church in your area form its perception about work that needs to be done?

6. Who usually takes the lead in getting things done in your congretation? Who should take the lead? Elders Deacons Members Preacher             (circle one)

7. How much does Western culture influence the way the church in Africa does ministry? Worship? Evangelism?

8. How would you define a spiritually mature leader?

9. What kind of leadership trait(s) do you think the spiritual leaders of the church need?

10. What are your suggestions for training and preparing the leaders that you have described?


Answers to the South Africa Leadership Seminar

Report on South Africa Trip

Singapore

It was a trip that was both informative and spiritually uplifting. The brethren at the Pasir Panjang congregation of the church were delightful to be around. I arrived on Friday, June 5, at 11:35 p.m. and made it to the hotel by 1 a.m., Saturday. After such a long flight (22 hrs.) the bed really felt good.  

I was scheduled to teach class at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday on the subject of the Holy Spirit. On Sunday I presented the Apollos Institute program to the entire congregation. Then Wednesday we (about 300 of the members) left for a Family Retreat held in Port Dickson, Malaysia in five busses. It took us about seven hours to get there. I spoke five times at the retreat on the subject of “God in the Marketplace.” The retreat was extremely well organized with events going all the time. Yet there was plenty of free time to enjoy the fellowship and fun of the resort. There were individuals from at least seven other countries present at the retreat which meant that the food had to cater to the tastes of all the participants. My taste buds were treated to quite a feast. We returned on Saturday afternoon to Singapore.

I preached twice on Sunday morning for the conclusion of the seminar. On Sunday evening there was a special meal for all the foreign guests before their return home. Each of them expressed how much the program was needed throughout the world and committed to have leaders from their countries attend the Apollos Institute program in Singapore. At this date the program is scheduled for April 2010.

During all the speaking, teaching, and eating, I had a chance to meet with Charles Cook and Tom Goracke about the school in Singapore and the potential student base. SIBI should be registered with the government and all the paperwork completed by April and the Christians from China and other countries will be allowed to enter Singapore as students to SIBI.

It is always good to get home, see my wife, and sleep in my own bed. But now I need to start the process of raising funds for the students and the Apollos Institute’s program.
 

Glen Gray