ministry update
A new year is a good time to reflect on the past year and to plan for the year ahead. The number 3,500 is a quick way to represent what happened. In 2018, we welcomed that many users from over 25 schools or organizations and 85 reported countries to HISMoodle, Horizon’s learning management system. A few examples of why users connect to HISMoodle may help you to see behind the number.
Several hundred of these users accessed HISMoodle because of their connection to ABWE. ABWE used our site as a way to evaluate the doctrinal beliefs of applicants, provide security training to short-term missions volunteers, and train long-term missionaries prior to their departure to their fields. HISMoodle was also used for ABWE’s Summit on International Theological Education to provide event information, a resource repository, and a way to extend conversations beyond the meetings.
On the other end of the scale, thirteen Armenian students and two teachers participated in Old Testament Survey, the first course offered in Armenia by the Church Ministries Institute of Ukraine. The content and assignments already existed in Russian, which allowed us to deliver the course sooner and to permit the teachers to assess student assignments. The students then used Armenian in discussions to facilitate communication among themselves. We realized (again) that this accommodation has limitations and that the ideal is to produce courses in the students’ primary language.
Somewhere in the middle, almost two hundred users accessed HISMoodle in conjunction with our global training initiative. In partnership with Overseas Council, Horizon personnel presented at five institutes on the topic of online theological education. We joined representatives from 60 seminaries in 31 countries to dialogue and strategize about needed growth and development for theological education worldwide. Resources and ideas shared in person have been preserved online to enable the discussion to continue.
Please continue to pray for the four institutes scheduled in 2019. We will be meeting with seminaries from the Middle East, West Africa, South Africa, and Southeast Asia. Pray for God’s wisdom as we develop resources and training for these events, as well as for a capacity to listen well as we respond to the ministry challenges we encounter in these places.
Family Update
We appreciate your prayers for our family. We had a lovely Christmas together, although too much fun time meant that this update became a New Year’s letter rather than Christmas greetings. I am excited that E, A, & G will be baptized at Compass this month. School continues to go well even with the end of semester assignments and exams for the secondary students. Please continue to pray for K’s post-secondary planning.
Praise & Prayer
- Pray for my presentations to two institutes, one in February and the other in March.
- Pray for my children’s well-being while I travel.
- Praise for a smooth HISMoodle upgrade. Pray for continued work on updating training materials.
- Praise God for generous regular and one-time donors some of whom give faithfully even in the midst of difficult circumstances.