Issue 1, December 2022
Seeing God's Faithful Hand
Difficulties and change, highs and lows, His hand upholds and His kingdom grows.
There is nothing like seeing God work firsthand. We in the Institute for Community Transformation have envisioned, been uncertain, walked forward by faith, then stood in awe and gratitude as we have seen God use our obedient efforts to bring life, redemption, and blessing to and through our students worldwide!
Launched in September of 2020 with about 18 students as an online integrative and missional higher education institution, we now have a little over twice that number for this academic year. While some are North American and two Asian, most of our students are African; about 50% are Nigerian. As our program is devoted to whole person formation of catalysts of whole community transformation, especially among vulnerable and less- or unreached peoples, we have rejoiced to see this transformation sprouting, growing, and maturing among our students and ourselves (ICT staff and faculty). God's faithful hand is at work...
A Season of Transition
Our Serve Team, including those who are stepping down and those who have joined us.
Though times of great change can be extremely challenging, we believe it is all under the loving and wise hand of God. Our loving Father and Gardener rewards fruitfulness with pruning for more fruitfulness!
Every single member of our staff serve team has moved between July and October 2022. In addition, some ICT staff members are pulling back from their roles (for business, marriage, or seminary) while others are being added to our team. God is with us through all the changes. He is putting us where he wants us to be in this season. Pray that we will continue to discover his purpose and receive joy in these times!
God has also graced and blessed us with new faculty this year. A former colleague of directors Todd and Junia from Azusa Pacific University has been adding his inestimable knowledge, insight, and experience to our Foundations of Community Transformation and Applied Learning in Community Development classes. In addition, Ade, a student since our pilot year, is joining Todd as co-instructor in our new Transformational Leadership course. He draws from two decades of leadership experience in the mission world in Nigeria and has recently founded a mission organization dedicated to frontier missions.
We are thankful that we are being made ready for the next season of growth and fruitfulness!
Ade with his family