Issue No 1 - Fall 2022
Difficulties and change, highs and lows, His hand upholds and His kingdom grows.
Seeing God's Faithful Hand
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!
Launching 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
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. Richard Slimbach, whom directors Todd and Junia knew 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 mission. We are thankful that we are being made ready for the next season of growth and fruitfulness!
From One Year to the Next . . .
Applying What We are Learning
ICT students are putting into practice what they have been learning. Perhaps the most compelling example of this is the "Seed Projects" in our Foundations of Community Transformation class. Through these projects, students powerfully demonstrated God's love to those outside the church in their communities and penetrated previously closed Muslim communities.
In one seed project, students S. and L. and their team supplied soybeans and agricultural instruction to a Muslim village. The only challenge was that the village had had no rain for 3 months. Led by the Spirit, a team member declared that the rain would come in a few days. After prayer, the team left. Two days later the rain came! Since then, interest has increased in the Discovery Bible Studies the team planted there. The people know that God hears the prayers of this team!
In the realm of Social Business, 10 students have begun to implement 8 missional business plans developed in the Foundations of Social Business course last year. While three business plans (in coffee, agriculture, and children's clothing) are being refined, five have launched new businesses in the realms of agriculture, food distribution, and sports. Social Business leaders are consulting with our entrepreneurs individually as they continue to strengthen their business plans and innovate ways to reach, serve, and impact unreached communities with the Gospel through businesses.
We look forward to testifying to what God will do!
Launching Year 3!
We were excited to launch our third year of ICT in September of 2022. This is the third and last year for a few students who began in ICT's original 2020 cohort. Please pray that God will empower and guide us as our ICT Serve Team continues to serve our students through course design, mentoring, and administration throughout the 2022-23 academic year!
Prayer requests!
Pray for students who have lost parents (T. and P.) and spouses (O.) in this past year.
Pray for students who have welcomed new children into their families this year (S., N., A., D., S. & J.).
Pray for staff and students who have moved this year.
Pray for new and potential students, faculty, and staff!
Pray for God's presence, protection, provision, and peace for all those in ICT.
Please join us in what God is doing!
With so many students from Africa and the developing world, we offer tiered tuition rates based on their country’s level of development. Even with this, many need financial assistance to cover the costs of the program. ICT's Scholarship Fund goal is to raise $24,000 total this year. The ICT General Fund that supports the whole program aims to raise a total of $34,000 this year. If 12 more people give $1000, 24 give $500, 40 give $250, and 120 give $100 in one time gifts, we will reach these goals. Praise God for His provision! If God would have you invest in our students' lives and kingdom work, you may use this link OR, please make out Checks to Frontier Ventures. On the memo line, write "ICT MS 914" for the General Fund or "ICT MA 924" for the Scholarship Fund. Mail to:
Frontier Ventures, Attn: Ministry Accounts ICT, P. O. Box 41450, Pasadena, CA 91114
All gifts go to Frontier Ventures (a 501c3 organization), which is our mother mission organization.
“I thank my God every time I remember you... I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work... will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
