Citizens of God’s kingdom value lifelong learning. And while they are learning at every stage of life, they agree that it’s even better to learn with others.
MTC ACCM Partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, US
I was thrilled to be the instructor for Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) for the inaugural Jesus and Gospels class. We had a wonderful cross-generational mix of men and women who came with a passion to learn more about Jesus. The four narrative Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are rich and unique as they paint four portraits of the same Jesus. The students eagerly dug into the class material and especially with the group assignments and group presentations.
Here’s a note from Pastor Julie Frantz:
This was an opportunity to come alongside young adults and growing leaders in the church. It provided an opportunity for deeper discipleship and intentional investment in walking with them through Scripture. In our desire to be a faithful Ministry Training Center (MTC), we continue to invite and invest in others as the Lord provides opportunity. This past Memorial Day weekend, we hosted our first ACCM intensive and humbly report that the Lord brought an eager and faithful group to grow and learn together. We are thankful for these initial steps towards being an active MTC.
In our three U.S. MTCs (Cincinnati, OH / Surrey Hills, OK / Sun Valley, CA) our goal is to offer two onsite ACCM classes per year. The students who represent the local church are formed into what we call a “Learning Community.” These people are already regular attenders of the church and are plugged into the life of the church. To invest in their development of Christ-centered, biblical knowledge is to better equip them for more impactful ministry. An added aspect is to create space for some of our current pastors who need to attend to their education, and these classes are a great way to assist them in professional development.
This new way of engaging students at the MTC sites marks a more formal partnership with ACCM and U.S. Church Administration and Development (CAD). It is a huge blessing to have the services of ACCM with the quality classes that are going to make a difference for the students in the Learning Communities.
Greg Williams, President
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
ACCM Kicks Off Retreat in Suva, Fiji
The retreat’s focus was Kingdom Living. The first evening began with a lecture as part of the Christian Leadership course offered by the Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM). The retreat included a full worship service on both days and an interactive examination of passages drawn from Acts of the Apostles and several of the epistles.
One of the features of this year’s retreat was the number of children in attendance. The children ran and played and ran some more, chasing each other all over the campgrounds. There was a 2-hour session each afternoon of games and children’s ministry activities themed around Kingdom Living.
The total number who participated in the interactive breakouts was nearly 40 adults and teens: six groups of 5 or 6 people on average. Each had a leader and one or two scribes to record the ideas the small group considered important. Then groups reported back to everyone. This was done essentially by the youth, with a little assistance from older members as needed. They did a remarkably good job, and a few of the shyer teens made great strides in their confidence, speaking before all of us.
We plan for the discussion conclusions, and especially those elements that might shape how things might be done in the church in the future, to be collected and woven into a summarising report for use by the GCI Fiji board and pastoral team.
By Dennis Richards, Pastor
Palmerston North, New Zealand
