Dale & Karen Marshfield - South Africa

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February 2010

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you for your ministry in prayer for my class at Baptist Bible College of KwaZulu Natal last week.  I had a good group of Honours (first graduate degree in South Africa) students.  The each day the classes were filled with highly practical discussion since all of the students are involved in significant ministries – most were in full time ministry.  I believe the course will prove to be a great help to the pastors that attended  as they initiate branch church plants.    At least one of the students (currently an assistant pastor) is seriously considering planting a church after graduation next year.   His final project will be the plan for this church plant.

I have just returned to Durban from Port Elizabeth where yesterday I had the privilege of leading a meeting of 30 Christian leaders involved in theological education in South Africa.  I know many of you prayed  for this meeting and I am happy to report that the outcome was very positive.  God answered your prayers in many ways.  First, he brought us Dr. Paul Steyn a foremost authority on Private Higher Education in South Africa.  Dr. Steyn’s presence was a gift from God and the result of God’s providential orchestration.  In addition to this everyone who participated was characterized by a positive and constructive spirit.  As a result we were able to identify a collaborative model for Christian Higher Education and Ministry Training that the participants believed had promise and should be pursued.  This was a huge step for an initial meeting.  

The group asked me to return and facilitate the next meeting scheduled for early March.  At that meeting we will look for official by-in.  We will also begin to flesh out the model as a multi-region and possibly multinational accredited training institution.   I was not planning on another trip to South Africa this year, but feel I need to see this through until the group is at a place where they can select one of their own to lead the process.  Right now I am a safe, neutral facilitator which is important since a number of different schools are involved.  Pray for this meeting and for the provision of travel funds.

Thanks for praying.  It has made all the difference.  Karen and I begin our trip back to the USA in a few hours.

God bless, 

Dale Marshfield 
 

 

 

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