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REMAIN IN ME

Key Verse: John 15:5.
We thank God for His grace, mercy, care and love upon us throughout the year. God led us to choose Romans 12:1 as our key verse this year so as to dedicate ourselves to Him. It was as though God knew that we would be struggling with our flesh and the pattern of this word. Hence, He urged us that in view of His mercy we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. In this way, God has helped us to maintain and grow in his grace.

Bible Study
Last year, we concentrated on fishing and campus group Bible studies. This was because up until April of this year, full-time students were on strike. So, we decided to focus more attention on part-time students. We had many Bible students and our weekly Bible study numbers amounted to 60-65. But they were not faithful to SWS. So this year, we thought we could help them attend SWS through holding it during one-to-one Bible studies. Unfortunately, most of them stopped coming to 1:1 Bible study. Hence, we realised that they prefer group Bible study. However, we thank God that in spite of this set back, God blessed us with two brethren who became the fruit of this year, Sister Sandra and Brother Alvin. They moved into the tent after the joint Easter conference, and since then have been faithful for SWS, Bible study, and Vast Army Team meetings. 

After the full-time student strike was called off around April of this year, with prayers, we struggled to restart our group Bible studies on campus. Fellowship leaders from the four fellowships (Agape, Centurion, Heroes and Living Hope) raised a group Bible study leader for each week. We invited students and participated in the Bible study. Unlike last year where we had an unstable academic calendar, God blessed us with a stable academic calendar for the full-time students. This time, the academic board started having internal problems which affected the running of the school. Still, we decided that we would do God’s work in season and out of season. We continued our fishing and had group Bible study with part-time students while the session was going on, even though the full-time students were on holiday. In this way, we could deny ourselves constantly, learn to co-work with each other and one another, and learn to have more of a sense of responsibility and a challenging spirit to serve God’s work. More practically, we visited them, made phone calls to them and invited them for Bible study.

Bible Study and Message
From the beginning of 2015, we studied the book of Genesis chapter by chapter. Through Genesis study, we could learn again the origin of faith. Through the ancestors of faith, we could learn how God works to raise us in our time as men and women of faith. After Genesis, we continued with the book of Exodus. We could learn how God saved and delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and brought them to himself to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We learned and accepted again that God had saved us and ultimately called us as His treasured possession to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation-people, and to live as shepherds and Bible teachers. We shared message-delivery among six messengers: Shep. Duke, Msn. Timothy Lee, Shep. Joseph, Shep. Benjamin, Shep. Samuel and Shep. Collins. Msn. Timothy Lee leads our weekly Bible studies with the Shepherds and Missionaries Team. Right now, he has some health challenges. We are praying to God to grant him good health. Msn. Anna Lee on the other hand, serves the Shepherdess team. We pray that God may continue to use her for mission-work. Missionaries Daniel and Suzana Hong have been great a support. They are serving some Bible students like Brother Femi and Sister Sandra and are also serving Children Bible Fellowship (CBF).
 
Conferences

Yabatech chapter did not have any conference this year. However, we had a joint 2015 Easter Conference with all the Nigerian chapters at Redemption Camp entitled, “THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST JESUS.” In spite of our inadequate preparation, God had mercy on us and abuntantly blessed the conference with His Spirit. The Yabatech chapter had 37 participants. Among them were 15 new Bible students (invitees), and five brethren who are leaders’ relatives. In total, we had 96 participants at the conference. Some of our brothers and sisters shared their testimonies, among whom Sister Bisola made the new decision to let go of her relationship and follow Jesus by faith. Sister Sandra shared her life testimony. She decided to follow Jesus Christ by seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness and by being Jesus' disciple through studying God’s word faithfully and participating in Team Meetings. She became more committed to God. Brother Samuel also shared his life testimony where he confessed and repented of his sins, especially of his immorality and unforgiveness to some people who offended him. 
 
God’s New Work in our Ministry
This year God worked strangely in our ministry. Though we barely had new Bible students, God brought back some of our brethren who had left. One of them is Shepherd Joseph Edesi. He got married to Sister Damilola (from another ministry). We are praying that God may help them to be firmly established and grow as a house church. Another brother who came back is Shepherd Kunle. He left the ministry long ago, but came back this year after spending many years outside of Lagos. He is back in Lagos and is currently teaching. Right now he is struggling with attending SWS due to distance. We are praying for him to fully renew God’s calling and in God’s time to establish a house church.

House Church
One of our prayer topics in 2015 was to establish two house churches. Though Shepherd Joseph Edesi did not marry in our ministry, he invited our ministry to his wedding and also invited Msn. Timothy Lee to pray for them. After the wedding, the two of them agreed to join our ministry and have been faithful. Also, on the 19th of December this year, God bless us with the establishment of a house church between Shepherd Austin and Shepherdess Maria. They will be pioneering a campus in Kaduna State (Northern Nigeria).

Mission and Vision for 2016
This coming year we want to hold on to John 15:5 which reads, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” In this coming year, we anticipate some tough challenges in Nigeria as the new government led by President Mohammed Buhari is trying to settle down, especially in the area of economy. The Nigerian government is already asking Nigerians to prepare for some tough economic challenges probably in the early part of 2016, due to dwindling government revenue because of the continuous fall in oil prices, which is our major source of revenue, and the continuous depreciation of our currency, Naira. These and other challenges might try to shake us, but we want to stand firm on God’s grace and His love. We want to hold firmly to His word of promises and live as His children. We also want to live fruitful lives as Bible teachers and shepherds through campus evangelism. Therefore, we chose to remain in Jesus Christ as the only way to bear good fruit. In this way, we are also praying for each one of us to be more committed to God, not out of compulsion, but out of thankfulness and willing hearts. We want to maintain our group Bible studies on campus. We also have a serious concern for our sisters’ ministry. Shepherdess Maria, who got married, Sister Sandra, Bisola and Mercy will be leaving for National Youth Service on March 2016. We are praying for new sisters to come into the Tent.

Prayer Topics
We pray to have 40 SWS attendants and 60 one-to-ones. We pray for our Vast Army Team members, Bro Samuel, Gideon, Alvin, Wale and Sister Sandra, to have and grow in a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to be raised as leaders. We pray for two (2) house churches this year. We pray for each person to stand firm on God’s grace and love. We pray for each person to look for what he or she can do for God in the ministry. We pray for new sisters in our sisters’ tent and for the number to increase in our brothers’ tent.

Personal Struggle
My key verse for 2015 was Joshua 1:8, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Hence I made the decision to read three chapters of the Bible daily and one Godly book a month. My struggle for the first five months of the year was fruitful, through which I have read Genesis to Psalm and three other books, and I have had some Bible students. But all these went down when I started having challenges with my health. Most times I could barely follow up with my Bible students due to either malaria or typhoid fever. However, I thank God who has helped me to faithfully prepare Sunday messages, serve fellowship meetings and be faithful to Bible study with Brother Samuel and Gideon.

My key verse for 2016 is 1 Thess 5:17-18, “Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” I thank God who has been with me in all circumstances. Pray for me to renew my decisions and to raise at least one sheep next year.

One word: Remain in Jesus Christ.