1006-01-01 - Not to the Mountains but to Heaven
2
Against All Odds: Graduation!
Brian T. Wingard
The first commencement exercises of Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Theological College (MYEPTC) took place on October 8, 2005. We were especially joyous because so many obstacles had been overcome. These obstacles ranged from visa woes to medical interruptions to the uncertainty of remaining open at all.
In May 2002, we received word that Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church, along with almost every other Protestant church in Eritrea, had been prohibited from holding public assemblies by the government. We were just a couple of months away from our scheduled departure for Eritrea. Imagine our amazement when we were then told that the Department of Religious Affairs was still willing to have the Falks and the Wingards enter Eritrea for the purpose of opening a theological college! That summer both families arrived in Asmara to begin ministering with the American Evangelical Mission of the OPC.
MYEPTC opened its doors on January 13, 2003. Soon after classes began, enrollment settled at twenty-three students—twenty men in the "pastoral" track, and three women in the "general" track. Of these, half came from the members and adherents of Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church, while the other half came from other communions. Thirteen men completed the course and graduated.
These students were among the most academically promising that I have had the privilege of teaching in theological colleges in Africa. From the beginning, our top student, Mikias Mekonnen, exhibited a keenness of intellect that was second to none. Along with Mikias’s acumen, however, is a godly humility, which speaks even better of his future service for the Lord. Although Mikias was outstanding, the class as a whole was of high caliber. Another student, Tsega-Alem Rezene, was unable to attend classes regularly beyond the first year (because of a job transfer to Massawa, the seaport). He took classes through audio tapes and notes borrowed from his classmates, and was still able to complete the curriculum successfully.
Our courses in the biblical languages were nearly unique at institutions teaching at a diploma level in Africa. Jonathan Falk taught biblical Hebrew, while I handled Greek. Tigrinya, the mother tongue of most of the students, is a Semitic language, so Hebrew was relatively easy for them. Greek was another story. The students had the difficulty of shifting their thinking from a language that treats verbs almost as an afterthought to a language that sees verbs as central to communication.
MYEPTC departed somewhat from the academic model of Western theological training. This was best evidenced by the practical nature of the third year of the program. Our classes focused on the application of the training during the first two years of study. The courses gave the students an opportunity to use their theology in ministering the Word in their culture.
Since many of the students worked in the daytime or had other unavoidable commitments, the College offered its courses in the evening and on Saturdays. This had the unexpected benefit of drawing a higher caliber of students than we might otherwise have received, but it presented other challenges that had to be faced.
We mentioned hurdles that the College faced. Students ran the heightened risk of being conscripted into the military in the evening when the classes met, as well as being arrested as Christians. We professors had unscheduled absences complicating the completion of courses. The first of these was a medical emergency, but the rest were related to the difficulties of acquiring proper documents for entry into the country.
The College also had staffing needs. But the Lord mercifully brought Yodit Ghirmay to us. Her title is administrative assistant to the director, but she also does the work of a registrar and a librarian. Many prayers were offered for Yodit throughout the OPC because of a prolonged enforced absence from her duties. Her absence near the end of the last term proved a great handicap, and we are delighted to have her back with us to help prepare for the entering class.
One of the most encouraging aspects of MYEPTC was the opportunity to teach the Reformed faith to men from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Mennonite, Wesleyan, and Orthodox (Coptic) churches. The resistance that one would expect from a class of such varied theological background in the United States did not materialize here! Imagine my amazement when the discussion of double predestination produced not one expression of disagreement. All that the students desired was that the teaching they received might be shown to be biblical. When it became clear to them that the Reformed faith was "Christianity come into its own," they embraced it with open arms.
The most memorable graduate was Solomon Aregai, a man in his late fifties. He has been known to our missionaries since the days of Francis Mahaffy, whom he heard preach the gospel. At the time of his entrance into the College, Solomon was the director of the most prestigious high school in Asmara, but because of his outspoken Christian stand and vocal opposition to some measures of the government affecting his school, he was transferred and demoted. He ran for a seat in the regional parliament and was elected. He ran for parliament because of his conviction that evangelical Christianity needs a voice in the councils of government of the Eritrean state. As for ministry, Solomon has been preaching as an evangelist of the Faith of Christ Church since he was a young man. His attempt to serve full-time was prohibited by the state. What a joy it is to enter his small, orderly home, where his thirteen children can quote long Bible passages and sing in more than one language.
A number of East Indians were among the graduates. Their presence in Eritrea stems from the government’s desire to supplement the shortage of trained Eritrean teachers with foreigners, paid for by foreign donors. Through these students, the College may encourage the Reformed faith in the vast Indian subcontinent, where foreigners are prohibited by law from serving openly as missionaries. Already one of the graduates, Raj Kumar, has obtained a position in India that gives him the opportunity to proclaim the Word regularly. Raj was a zealous and committed witness for the Lord before coming to the College, but to his zeal has now been added a knowledge of Scripture and sound doctrine that will allow him to be much more useful in God’s kingdom.
The graduation took place in a ceremony complete with all the trappings of academic regalia, but in quarters so cramped that the hundred-plus people in attendance overflowed into three extra rooms. In spite of the crowded, warm conditions, the atmosphere was alive with anticipation. Pastor Zecharias Abraham gave a charge to the graduates. He stressed that God calls a minister of the Word, that the study of the Word is a lifelong undertaking, and that the minister’s work should be a delight. As the Rev. Douglas B. Clawson, associate general secretary of the Committee on Foreign Missions, passed out the diplomas, there was loud applause for each graduate.
A reception for the graduates followed. This provided an opportunity for many photos, as well as the presentation of a gift of some books to each graduate, donated through the generosity of several members of various OP congregations. Our prayer is that these tools might be used diligently in the ministries of our graduates.
We were humbly grateful to God to see this day. More than this, we are humbly grateful for the opportunity to be associated for three years with a class that shows such clear examples of God’s grace. Join with us in praying that the Lord would permit MYEPTC to continue training the men whom God will use to build his kingdom in this beautiful but troubled land.
Brian serves as academic dean and professor at MYEPTC. He and his wife, Dorothy, have labored in Eritrea since 2002. The title "Against All Odds" is borrowed from a book on the thirty-year Eritrean struggle for independence.