January 2022 Update—What God Has Done…so far
Professor Tamfu engaging with our students
As we turn the calendar from 2021 to 2022 its time to highlight some things God has allowed me to participate in since my transition from serving as a pastor at Bethlehem (August 2020) to serving as a BBC Global Partner with Training Leaders International as their Director of Theological Education in Cameroon. You who have prayed and given and encouraged me in so many ways are a vital part of this.
1. One of the highlights of my life: Prayed the dedication prayer on October 4, 2020, for the congregation of Église Baptiste Bethléem and the commissioning prayer for the first two pastors of this newly planted congregation; this growing and maturing church has now celebrated its first anniversary
2. Encouraging the Tamfus (also Bethlehem Global Partners), individually and in their marriage and ministry. Dieudonné is the Pastor of Église Baptiste Bethléem and Executive Director of Bethlehem College & Seminary--Cameroon
3. Teaching courses on Kingdom of God, Biblical Eldership, Intermediate Greek Grammar, Exegesis of Greek New Testament, Missions and the Local Church; this semester I will be teaching Exegesis of the Greek New Testament and also Missions Practicum: Training Leaders to Train Leaders. The latter course I’m team-teaching with Bryan MacPhail-Fausey.
4. Coaching three families (Davi’s, Soukups, Porches) as they prepare for long term service teaching in BCS Yaoundé; also interacting with others who are interested in long-term and short-term service in Cameroon
5. Laying the groundwork for establishing a Print-On-Demand (POD) ministry (http://www.publish4all.com/) that will serve the printing and book-making needs of like-minded ministries, employing trained Cameroonian workers, bringing more theologically rich resources to French (and English) speaking Africa. The equipment has been purchased and now being shipped. $80,000+ project. All the money is raised! Our partner Bryan MacPhail-Fausey is the prime mover (under God!)
6. Working with EMI (Engineering Ministries International) to do the engineering work, architectural drawings, cost estimate, and fund-raising literature for a multi-purpose building that will house classrooms, library, offices, dedicated space for POD, multi-purpose room for Église Baptiste Bethléem, pastoral seminars, Simeon Trust preaching workshops, possibly an evening Master of Arts in Theology and Exegesis program, etc. The climax of EMI’s work will be an 8-day trip to Yaoundé in early February (January’s trip was canceled because of team members coming down with Covid )
7. Continuing to come up with a list of textbooks that are available through Logos and then work with Logos on a pricing structure for these books that is reflective of “regional pricing and global economic considerations.” Logos has invited us to make a proposal to them
8. Building a comprehensive budget that will support the work of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Cameroon and a variety of ministries flowing out of BCS, including internships for students, the cost of the building and upkeep (Dominique is putting her Wharton University training to good use)
9. Figuring out expenses for guest professors and others who come to Yaoundé for some kind of short-term ministry trip or vision trips for donors (I stay comfortably for $9 a day at the SIL Annex; there is also a beautiful Hilton down the road)
10. Participating in the necessary legwork for whatever is needed on the Cameroon side to raise Bethlehem College & Seminary's status from “extension site” to “additional location” to satisfy the requirements for our continued accreditation with ABHE (Association of Biblical Higher Education), enabling our students to take the entire MDiv program in Cameroon. This status has now been granted thanks to the diligent work of Lance Kramer and Dieudonné and the wonderful folks at ABHE
11. Gained government approval of the Treasuring Christ Together Network under which the church and school can issue letters of invitation for visas and enjoy the other rights belonging to government recognized institutions. We were told not to waste our time because the government stopped granting recognition to religious institutions in 1994. We view our acceptance as a miracle; churches we plant will now have the option of being under the umbrella of the Treasuring Christ Together Network.
12. Exploring opportunities to provide non-formal training for pastors who are not able to commit the time or money to pursue a Bible School or Seminary Education, but would benefit greatly from the program offered by Training Leaders International. Our Missions Practicum this semester should help us greatly in this exploration
13. Obtained a ten-year residency permit to enable me to come and go without the hassle and expense of applying for single entry visas each time I come. We also obtained a 10-year residency permit for the Davi’s. Hope to do the same for Soukups and Porches. This also happens very rarely
14. We established a working relationship between Église Baptiste Bethléem and the French Cameroon Baptist Convention; Dieudonné and I have a good relationship with their leadership; we have both received identification cards as missionaries recognized by the denomination
15. Raised initial funds from Bethlehem Global Diaconate for the establishment of an Église Baptiste Bethléem helping hand ministry led by deacons in EBB to assist with emergency needs for church members, Bethlehem College & Seminary students, and neighbors.
16. Working at learning how to read and pronounce and speak enough French to function at least at a minimal level (greetings, taxi, shopping, congregational singing of French worship songs, etc). Unfortunately, progress is almost imperceptible
17. Building good relationships with other missionaries engaged in theological education
18. Growing in our relationship with an indigenous mission organization which focuses on unreached and unengaged peoples in Cameroon and beyond. This ministry was created and overseen by a Cameroonian man who was deeply influenced by former Bethlehem College & Seminary missions professor, Travis Myers, when he taught at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary back in 2005. At that time, the founder of this organization took the Perspectives Course of which Bethlehem Baptist Church was the initiator and since then has given himself to mobilizing churches to engage in outreach to the unreached and unengaged peoples of Cameroon and beyond
19. Growing in wisdom about how to navigate the dangerous (and exciting!) waters of financial partnership: how to stimulate generous giving without creating situations where well-intended giving can actually hurt the people and institutions we want to serve.
Dieudonné and Dominique and I often pause and simply stand amazed before God that we can be a part of what he is doing here. There are stories behind every one of these points. Lives are being transformed. Brokenness and heartbreak are woven in it all. Abounding thanks to each and every one of you who are praying and the many who have been prompted to give.
I praise God for Julie and my family who cheer me on and release me for regular ministry trips to Cameroon (about five trips a year). Our monthly support for salary and ministry expenses has sustained us from the beginning. Our monthly supporters are so consistent and their generous giving almost covers the total amount needed. The occasional one-time gifts often bring us to completion, sometimes even more! We feel very blessed to have this opportunity to serve in this way in our “twilight” years.
If you have questions or ideas, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Together with you in the Greatest Cause,
Tom