Dear Friend of ABC,ABC Board member, Dr. Wilson Benton, tells a great story about watching television the day his uncle—General Lewis Wilson—and other D-Day veterans were being recognized before a special joint session of the House and Senate. At the end of the program, reporters were waiting to interview the distinguished warriors. One of the first old soldiers interviewed was an infantryman. He landed on the third or fourth wave, but was immediately pinned down by intense artillery fire. Fellow soldiers were being shot down all around, and the German bombardment was unrelenting. From his seemingly hopeless position amidst the carnage, he told the TV cameramen, his only thought was, “There is no way we are going to win this battle.”
One of the next veterans to be interviewed was an airman. From above the fighting, his perspective was much different. As he flew over the beaches of Normandy he could see that the Allied troops were taking a beating, but he could also see far beyond the German line. He could see their panic and disarray. He could see gaps in their defense. He could see German battalions in retreat—and his only thought was, “There is no way we are going to lose this battle!”
ABC now has a similar beachhead in Africa. Three colleges up, running, and pressing ahead in the face of very real opposition—a global financial crisis, crippling fuel shortages in Malawi, serious power outages in Uganda, painfully slow post-war recovery in Liberia. Yet retreat is not an option. The impact that African Bible Colleges is having on the continent is remarkable. Over the past 30 years, ABC and its graduates have literally reshaped the cultures of several African countries. It would be difficult to find an evangelical mission or church in Malawi that does not have at least one ABC graduate on staff— or in many cases running the organization. The public high school system has become increasingly dependent on the college’s annual supply of teachers. There are few government institutions that do not
He could see gaps in their defense. He could see German battalions in retreat-and his only thought was, "There is no way we are going to lose this battle!"
Rev. Jay Stoms estimates that 25% of the evangelical pulpits in the capital city are filled every week by an ABC student, graduate, or member of the faculty.
have an ABC graduate holding office. Our resident Old Testament professor, Rev. Jay Stoms, estimates that 25% of the evangelical pulpits in the capital city are filled every week by an ABC student, graduate, or member of the faculty.
Among the 3 colleges, 3 radio stations, the academy, clinic, and our growing armada of graduates, an amazing number of lives are being changed every day. Just a few weeks ago when I was having our family van repaired, the shop manager brightened up when he heard I was from ABC—“Radio ABC?” he enthusiastically asked. I smiled and nodded. “Radio ABC changed my life!” were his exact words. “I was born again because of your radio station!”
So in the face of imperfect conditions, ABC has no choice but to press ahead—like the Allied troops with the frigid Atlantic to their backs, retreat is not an option. Victory may not always be in sight from our lowly and earthly perspective, but we serve a God who can see far ahead. He has proven faithful in the past—and the fact that the future lies in His hands gives us great confidence that there is no way we can lose this battle!
Among the 3 colleges, 3 radio stations, the academy, clinic, and our growing armada of graduates, an amazing number of lives are being changed every day. Just a few weeks ago when I was having our family van repaired, the shop manager brightened up when he heard I was from ABC—“Radio ABC?” he enthusiastically asked. I smiled and nodded. “Radio ABC changed my life!” were his exact words. “I was born again because of your radio station!”
So in the face of imperfect conditions, ABC has no choice but to press ahead—like the Allied troops with the frigid Atlantic to their backs, retreat is not an option. Victory may not always be in sight from our lowly and earthly perspective, but we serve a God who can see far ahead. He has proven faithful in the past—and the fact that the future lies in His hands gives us great confidence that there is no way we can lose this battle!
Pressing on,
Paul D. Chinchen,
ThD President
ABC Highlights 2009
[Liberia]
Three years ago Dr. Del Chinchen, President of ABC University in Liberia, sat next to Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, at a Samaritan’s Purse banquet in Monrovia. Del opened up his laptop and showed Franklin—a former classmate of Del’s at LeTourneau College—pictures of the ABC campus in Yekepa that had been ransacked during the war. When Del got to a photo of the chapel— roofing sheets torn off, steel beams exposed and rusting, and the jungle literally growing up its walls—Franklin looked at Del and said, “A pile of rubble doesn’t bring any glory to God. We (Samaritan’s Purse) will rebuild it for you.”
Paul D. Chinchen,
ThD President
ABC Highlights 2009
[Liberia]
Three years ago Dr. Del Chinchen, President of ABC University in Liberia, sat next to Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, at a Samaritan’s Purse banquet in Monrovia. Del opened up his laptop and showed Franklin—a former classmate of Del’s at LeTourneau College—pictures of the ABC campus in Yekepa that had been ransacked during the war. When Del got to a photo of the chapel— roofing sheets torn off, steel beams exposed and rusting, and the jungle literally growing up its walls—Franklin looked at Del and said, “A pile of rubble doesn’t bring any glory to God. We (Samaritan’s Purse) will rebuild it for you.”
The newly roofed, painted, and renovated-better-than-before chapel is now being used for God’s glory and service.
Following the dedication of the Uganda campus’s beautiful new chapel, two very special dignitaries are greeted by the founders of African Bible Colleges, Inc., Dr. and Mrs. Chinchen. Dr. Ezra Saruma, former Finance Minister of the Republic of Uganda, is presently Special Advisor to the President of Uganda on Finance and Planning. Because of his deep appreciation for what African Bible Colleges is doing in raising up Africa’s future leaders, Dr. Saruma is presently teaching courses in economics at the Uganda campus. Madam Justice Faith Mwandha, a member of Uganda’s Supreme Court, was present to testify how the Bible teaching, heard on our Uganda radio station, has changed the course of her life.
[Uganda]
ABC CELEBRATES FIRST GRADUATION IN UGANDA
On Saturday, May 30th, the newly completed Kirk of the Hills Chapel was crowded to standing room only for the African Bible University’s first ever graduation ceremony. ABC’s newest university in Kampala graduated 14 seniors—10 received their degree in Biblical Studies, and for the first time in the 30-year history of the mission, 4 seniors were awarded a BA degree in Christian Community Leadership. We were blessed to have two special dignitaries in attendance—Dr. Henry Krabbendam, professor emeritus from Covenant College who is widely considered the father of modern missions in Uganda, and the head of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi. Over the past few years, the Archbishop—an outspoken evangelical—has become one of Africa’s most prominent and respected church leaders. It was an honor and very appropriate to have these two great Christian leaders present to address our first class of graduates at ABU-Kampala.
[Malawi]
For the past 18 years, the college in Malawi has accepted no more than 40-50 students in each freshman class, while turning away hundreds of qualified applicants. It has been a sad story of too few dormitories, small classrooms, and insufficient faculty. This year we have made a great effort to reverse those numbers. Our dorm space is still limited, but we now have a full complement of faculty and many classrooms which are free during the afternoon. So, in August we took a step of faith and doubled our freshmen enrollment to 84. This means that almost half of our new students will have to commute, which is particularly challenging since most of Malawi’s gas stations have been dry since September. We appreciate your prayers for this endeavor and our need for additional dormitories.
[Uganda]ABC CELEBRATES FIRST GRADUATION IN UGANDA
On Saturday, May 30th, the newly completed Kirk of the Hills Chapel was crowded to standing room only for the African Bible University’s first ever graduation ceremony. ABC’s newest university in Kampala graduated 14 seniors—10 received their degree in Biblical Studies, and for the first time in the 30-year history of the mission, 4 seniors were awarded a BA degree in Christian Community Leadership. We were blessed to have two special dignitaries in attendance—Dr. Henry Krabbendam, professor emeritus from Covenant College who is widely considered the father of modern missions in Uganda, and the head of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi. Over the past few years, the Archbishop—an outspoken evangelical—has become one of Africa’s most prominent and respected church leaders. It was an honor and very appropriate to have these two great Christian leaders present to address our first class of graduates at ABU-Kampala.
[Malawi]
For the past 18 years, the college in Malawi has accepted no more than 40-50 students in each freshman class, while turning away hundreds of qualified applicants. It has been a sad story of too few dormitories, small classrooms, and insufficient faculty. This year we have made a great effort to reverse those numbers. Our dorm space is still limited, but we now have a full complement of faculty and many classrooms which are free during the afternoon. So, in August we took a step of faith and doubled our freshmen enrollment to 84. This means that almost half of our new students will have to commute, which is particularly challenging since most of Malawi’s gas stations have been dry since September. We appreciate your prayers for this endeavor and our need for additional dormitories.
[ABC Christian Academy - Malawi]
At the ABC Christian Academy we have always been thrilled by the great diversity of the school—half of our kids are from Malawi, but the other half are literally from every corner of the world—New Zealand, Korea, Denmark, Lebanon, Italy, Japan, Honduras.... and Eritrea—a country that fought Ethiopia for 30 years to gain independence.
[Note from a Parent]
Lideta Horneber is Eritrean, her husband Dieter is German – their son Daniel has been a student at the Academy for the past two years. Like many of our expatriate families, their jobs and lives are transient. They are moving back to Lideta’s home in Asmara [the capital of Eritrea], but left a humble and gracious note for our Academy staff that I thought you would enjoy reading:
[Note from a Parent]
Lideta Horneber is Eritrean, her husband Dieter is German – their son Daniel has been a student at the Academy for the past two years. Like many of our expatriate families, their jobs and lives are transient. They are moving back to Lideta’s home in Asmara [the capital of Eritrea], but left a humble and gracious note for our Academy staff that I thought you would enjoy reading:
[ABC Community Clinic - Malawi]
ABC Clinic Celebrates 10 Years Of Loving Service To The Lilongwe Community
10 years ago [July 1999] when we held the dedication service for the clinic, both my father [ABC founder, Dr. Jack Chinchen] and I were on the program to read Scripture. After I read Matthew 9:35-36, my father stood up, mocking disappointment—he had underlined the exact same passage to read: “And Jesus was going about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” Now, 10 years later the ministry of the ABC Community Clinic has become a true beacon of Christ’s love and compassion to the people of Lilongwe. Since 1999, the clinic has seen over 300,000 patients—including over 6,000 orphans from the Children of the Nations orphanage [COTN] who have been treated free of charge. In a country where there is so much poverty and genuinely life-threatening diseases [the headline in the paper on November 29 of this year read:“Cholera Outbreak—254 Cases in Machinga District”], it is vitally important that a mission like ABC have an avenue to outwardly demonstrate compassion for the people.
The past 10 years at the clinic have been busy, but we have much to look forward to:
- Our new Pediatrician from Charlotte, Dr. James High, has the new Tiyamike Children’s Ward up and running.
- Christian Blind Mission [CBM] is scheduled to begin doing cataract surgery using a very advanced technique called phacoemulsification—the first cataract surgery using this method ever to be done in the capital city—at the clinic starting after the first of the year.
- A group of Christian Italian surgeons have recently approached us about using our theatre to do cleft pallet surgery and other reconstructive procedures.
[The ABC Story Comes Full Circle]
When Liberia’s civil war began in 1989, Mr. Marcy Sallor was only half-way through his junior year. Two of his daughters—Neke and Rita—were the same age as my brother Del’s girls and had become some of their closest friends. But when the ABC campus was overrun by rebel soldiers, the Sallor family—like hundreds of thousands of other Liberians—fled to refugee camps in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Ghana.
Neke and Rita ended up completing junior high and high school in dreadful conditions in the refugee camps, while
their father made his way 4,000 miles across Africa to finish his college education at our campus in Malawi. After
he graduated, Del and his wife Becky raised funds for the two Sallor girls to travel to Malawi to also attend college at ABC Malawi.
Neke [pictured to the right] graduated in 2007 with a minor in Mass Communication. After working at RADIO ABC 88.3 for two years, she was invited to return to her home country—and to her father’s alma mater, ABC Liberia—to work in the newly reopened university’s front office. We are thrilled to have her join three other Liberia-campus graduates who are already on staff at the ABC campus in Yekepa.
[Give a Gift That Reaches Millions This Christmas]
Every day RADIO ABC and BIBLE COLLEGE BY RADIO—broadcasting from four FM stations in Uganda, Malawi, & Liberia—reaches well over a million listeners. Unlike in the United States, only a very small percentage of Africans have a television in their home. And yet, you can walk to villages three hours from a main highway where there is no electricity or running water, and almost every hut has a radio!
The gospel is clearly and accurately taught in programming that we bring from the U.S.—David Jeremiah’s Turning Point, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, Woodward Kroll’s Back to the Bible, Billy Graham’s Hour of Decision—as well as in the programming produced locally by African pastors and ABC graduates. The pastors and their congregations are thrilled to feel ownership of the broadcasts and to hear the gospel presented in their own languages.
ABC is fully dependent on gifts from loving donors like you to keep these broadcasts on the air. Several months ago, Mrs. Nell Chinchen sent out a letter stating that just $365 will keep RADIO ABC on the air at all our stations for an entire year—that is only $1 per day!
During this Christmas season of giving, we would ask you to prayerfully consider participating in this vast and tremendously effective ministry that is truly changing lives. By investing in Radio ABC, you are investing in the millions of Africans who relish and rely on these gospel programs. Please follow the link for more details on how you can participate.
Every day RADIO ABC and BIBLE COLLEGE BY RADIO—broadcasting from four FM stations in Uganda, Malawi, & Liberia—reaches well over a million listeners. Unlike in the United States, only a very small percentage of Africans have a television in their home. And yet, you can walk to villages three hours from a main highway where there is no electricity or running water, and almost every hut has a radio!
The gospel is clearly and accurately taught in programming that we bring from the U.S.—David Jeremiah’s Turning Point, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, Woodward Kroll’s Back to the Bible, Billy Graham’s Hour of Decision—as well as in the programming produced locally by African pastors and ABC graduates. The pastors and their congregations are thrilled to feel ownership of the broadcasts and to hear the gospel presented in their own languages. ABC is fully dependent on gifts from loving donors like you to keep these broadcasts on the air. Several months ago, Mrs. Nell Chinchen sent out a letter stating that just $365 will keep RADIO ABC on the air at all our stations for an entire year—that is only $1 per day!
During this Christmas season of giving, we would ask you to prayerfully consider participating in this vast and tremendously effective ministry that is truly changing lives. By investing in Radio ABC, you are investing in the millions of Africans who relish and rely on these gospel programs. Please follow the link for more details on how you can participate.
