Reviewing the situation

Back in Tasmania, we enjoyed having our children and grandchildren around us again. Medical tests revealed no further damage to my heart, and I regained my energy. What should our next movements be? We entered into the process of transferring our SIM associate membership from the UK to Australia, but that proved more difficult than we had imagined. After a lengthy period of negotiation, it became clear that the kind of ministry that was opening up for us, that is, short term blocks (a medical precaution) of intensive teaching in theological colleges in various countries, was not the kind of ministry that was easy for SIM to coordinate, and so it seemed good to part company with SIM and begin charting our own path following God's leading. That path has opened up amazingly.
Meanwhile, I taught some introductory Greek for Tabor College in Hobart, and Kathleen began teaching Hebrew to a small class of enthusiastic students in our own home.

Through a surprising series of email communications (God moves in mysterious and wonderful ways) we received many invitations to teach modular courses in a range of colleges overseas. We believe that God has called us to share our education, our gifts and our experience in proclaiming his Good News ‘among the nations’ of the world, particularly in countries that need assistance in the development of theological education and the training of Christian leaders. In preparing to walk that path, we set up a new organisation that will help us to fulfil the mission we've been given. We are now International Teaching Partners. We are blessed with a small number of representatives of four local churches in the Kingston-Hobart area who provide on-going support for us as we minister in teaching.

For this new phase it seemed appropriate to discontinue this blog and begin a new one. So I'm inviting you to click over to SandKRochester.blogspot.com and continue reading about where we are what we're doing. There you'll also find information about how to support us.

An unexpected move

For a variety of reasons, it's been more than a year since I updated this blog. I must continue the story where I left off. Kathleen and I were enjoying our teaching at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. In the rainy season (June-July) I taught an intensive eight week course in introductory Greek. This was difficult for most of the students, because (a) most of them worked during the day, (b) the course was, as I mentioned, intensive, five nights a week, and so it was hard for them to keep up, and (c) the course was required by the college (for those who would continue with Biblical Studies) but could not be counted towards a degree. However, I enjoyed teaching the class, and the students worked as hard as they could.
The following semester I started to teach both Advanced Greek Exegesis and a survey course of the Gospels and Acts. About six weeks into the semester I suffered a sudden abdominal pain and was taken to hospital with a suspected cardiac problem, since I had had cardiac surgery ten years previously. Although no definite diagnosis could be made, and I spent only one night in the hospital, I could not continue teaching my classes, and the SIM doctor insisted that I return to Australia for more thorough testing.
It was with very mixed feelings that we said goodbye and were farewelled warmly by the students and staff. Many of them expressed gratitude for our teaching, and hoped that we would be able to return to Ethiopia some day. We hope so, too.

Teaching in Addis Ababa

My blog has been left unattended while I have been concentrating on moving to a new location, preparing courses, trying to learn a new language, and adjusting to a very different culture.

First stage of the EGST building.
The second stage is under construction behind this one.

I have been teaching in Addis Ababa since the end of January. At  ETC (Evangelical Theological College) I have been co-teaching, with my wife Kathleen, the second half of a course on the holy Spirit, angelology and demonology. I may write more on this later. At EGST (Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology) I have been teaching an overview course (for Postgraduate Diploma students) on the New Testament letters, including Revelation. This has been a good experience, though plagued to some extent by issues relating to plagiarism—there are some very good websites which give helpful summaries of biblical material, but are very easy for students to copy and paste. Fortunately, detection is not too difficult because there is often a noticeable difference in the style of English used.

My PGD class on NT letters

It’s the rainy season in Addis Ababa now—we don’t call it “summer” because it’s a bit colder than usual. Many foreigners have gone back home for holidays, but I’m teaching intensive introductory NT Greek—8 weeks, every day. For the students it’s a lot of work, especially for those who are working at jobs at the same time!! and some are struggling. The teaching experience is not made easier by the breakdown of the College photocopier, for which an essential spare part will arrive—who knows when?

Next semester I’ll be teaching Advanced Greek and an overview course on the Gospels and Acts.

My book is published

My book Good News at Gerasa: Transformative Discourse and Theological Anthropology in Mark’s Gospel is now published. It’s a paperback, 349 pages. The ISBN is 978-3-0343-0294-4. It’s available for direct order from Peter Lang Publishers http://www.peterlang.ch/index.cfm?vLang=E&vID=430294 or (for example) Amazon

Durham University Graduation

On 30th June 2010 Kathleen and I were both admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Durham University. The ceremony was held in the vastly historical Durham Cathedral on a gorgeous summer morning.

Aiming for Ethiopia

My article on ‘The Eschatological Anthrōpos in Mark’s Gospel’ has now been published in the online journal Kaleidoscope. It explores the theological anthropology of Mark. You can access it here.

Since my last update (too long ago) several significant things have happened.

1. My wife Kathleen has also successfully completed her Ph.D. work with a thesis (bound and posted on Christmas Eve) on ‘Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel’.

2. We’ve moved from Cambridge back to Australia for a few months. This gives us valuable time with our children and grandchildren as well as providing opportunities to prepare for our next phase of ministry.

3. We’ve decided to use our studies initially to teach in a theological college in Africa in 2011-12.

The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST) in Addis Ababa is the only institution that provides a graduate-level theological training program in the Horn of Africa. When it was started in 1997, it operated out of small rented facilities with only 15 students enrolled on the single programme offered. Today EGST operates from its own premises with over 100 students enrolled across the five post-graduate programmes offered.

EGST offers Masters’ Degrees and seeks to train leaders to respond to the varied religious traditions of Ethiopia, including tribal religions, Islam and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Over the next 10 years, it seeks to become an institution of international standing, known both for its strong academic standards and the quality of men and women it produces to serve churches and society in Ethiopia and beyond. So it requires quality teaching staff who combine academic credibility (they must have PhDs from reputable universities) and experience that is relevant to the training of these students who will have strategic roles in the development of their people, their churches and their country. The current lecturers come from Ethiopia, USA, UK and Sweden, and the Director is an Ethiopian who has studied for many years in the UK.

We’ll be going to Ethiopia with SIM (Serving in Mission), an international, inter-denominational mission agency devoted to planting, strengthening and partnering churches. It is committed to the Bible and what it teaches, dependent on God and people of prayer. It is mission-focused, and concerned about human needs.

SIM has over 100 years experience in helping to place missionaries in countries where there are great needs. Approximately 1600 missionaries are working with SIM at present in over 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia and South America. SIM provides a network of support, a team to work with, local knowledge and experience, and assistance in channelling financial support from overseas to reach the missionary in the country of service. Mission agencies like SIM do not have their own funds to pay salaries to missionaries, but rely on the donations of others, setting up and managing an account for each missionary

The College in Ethiopia is not able to pay salaries to overseas lecturers. The students do pay fees, but as Ethiopia is a poor country, these fees must be kept within reach of what students can pay. The College needs to use the money from fees for its other running costs, and, at present, can only function with the help of partners across the world contributing to the expenses of the missionary lecturers.

In order for Kathleen and me to go and provide the needed teaching assistance, we need to raise 100% of our costs through the kind donations of friends and churches. And at least 50% of that money needs to be raised before we go. Because we will be living in a foreign land we need to cover more than the usual living and housing expenses. Our costs will also include air fares, visas, medical and travel insurance, extra medical costs (e.g., we need to take in the medicines we anticipate needing), teaching resources, SIM administration costs and a component to help towards retirement. If you’d like to share these costs, you can hop along to http://sim.org/and click on the Donate button.

Publications are imminent

A summary of my Ph.D. thesis is being published in Tyndale Bulletin, the journal of Tyndale House, whose excellent Biblical Studies library I have used for the last three years since coming to Cambridge. To read the summary, click here. Information about Tyndale Bulletin can be accessed at http://www.tyndalehouse.com/Bulletin.htm .

I'm also glad that an article, based on my thesis material and titled 'The Eschatological Anthrōpos in Mark's Gospel', has been accepted for publication in Kaleidoscope, a new interdisciplinary journal published by the Institute of Advanced Study in Durham. Information about this journal can be accessed at http://www.dur.ac.uk/kaleidoscope .