Announcing the graduation ceremony for

Advancing The Kingdom Extension Campus of

Faith Bible College in Jinja, Uganda.

The celebration will be held in Jinja on 23 October 2010.  There will be two graduating with their doctorate, 4 with their master’s and several with bachelor’s degrees.

The Keynote Speaker will be Thomas Bradford Mayhew of Lawrence, Kansas.

Graduation from any educational institution in third world countries is an extremely prized event and is a cause for a celebration.  At first, I thought the celebration was somehow self grandification.  However, living among these peoples, I have come to view graduation much differently and come to appreciate these events greatly.

Pictures from Graduation Ceremony July, 2007

EDUCATION IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES

Uganda is a country where very few will graduate from secondary schools and the number graduating from any higher education institution is rare.  Most of the time, the graduate is the first to graduate from anything in the history of the family.  As recently as 10 years ago, there were no secondary schools in the towns that are near our villages.  Most will never complete their secondary school education.

The graduation ceremony is so much more than a celebration of the graduates’ accomplishments.  The ceremony is to inspire all the people to:

1. Have hope that there is a future greater than the one left to them by their parents
2. Education is the only way to come out of the cycle of poverty
3. Never give up hope in your efforts to improve yourself

We have never grown up in a culture where the young person has two options in life: 1) to dig or 2) beg.  In Luke 16, the manager who was going to be fired from his management job was “not strong enough to dig and too proud to beg”.

We cannot understand growing up with ONLY these two options.  For many people in the villages, they can only see two options in the future of their life.

UGANDA UNDER BRITISH RULE

Under the rule of the British, Ugandans were forbidden to be in business (only Indians could operate a business). Ugandans could work in their gardens (farming with a simple hoe, harvesting and drying all crops by hand) or they could try to work for the government or they could beg.

After Independence from the British, there was basically 25-30 years of constant civil war and political repression.  There would be no real hope for a better future and no real sustained effort at education without disruption of constant political turmoil.

AMERICA MEANS HOPE

The hope that is America: Whatever you aspire to be, if you will work hard enough, all things are possible. Our American optimism is NOT true in most of the world.  The entire world wants to live in America because America means hope and the effort the individual puts forth in claiming that hope will be rewarded.

All too often, the hope for the future in most countries seems to be seldom realized.

HOW CAN YOU HELP

The ceremony that is being planned will cost approx $2000 to $2,500.  This will include the

The cost of the venue (facilities rental, permits, etc)

1. The cost of the caps and gowns (students pay)
2. The cost of providing a dinner (500 people?)
3. The cost of advertising the Graduation which builds the reputation of the school
4. The cost of assisting some family members with minimal support to attend

Advancing The Kingdom would like to be in a position to donate $1,500 to the cost of the graduation, mostly the dinner and the advertising of the graduation and school.  As of this date, we do NOT have the monies to assist with this event.

ATK Bible College has been providing consistent biblical education for more than FIVE YEARS under the direction of Dr. Simon Toli Osteen.  Dr. Toli is a secondary public school instructor and has a family 5 children.  He and his wife, Lillian have sacrificed much to guide the bible college.  We would like to bless Dr. Simon and Lillian Toli  for their sustained efforts.

Dr. Simon & Lillian Toli, Graduation 2007

If God is leading you to assist with this graduation ceremony, please click on the link below.

http://advancingthekingdom.org/content/Donate2.htm

Thank you for your caring and your prayers.  They sustain both Julie and myself  as we continue this incredible journey God has taken us on.

Cliff Pash

Advancing The Kingdom Ministries, Inc.

Advancing The Kingdom Ministries, Inc. is a Kansas not-for-profit which receives donations under deductibility provisions of IRS Code 501(c)(3).  Financial Statements are available upon request.

Donations are accepted through PayPal (www.advancingthekingdom.org), Mastercard, Visa or Personal/Corporate Check.

Advancing The Kingdom

P.O. Box 3321

Lawrence, KS 66046