Annual Report-2019
23rd March 2019
I, on behalf of the BBC family warmly welcome every one of you to the 9th Bachelor of Divinity graduation ceremony of Bethel Bible College, this day. Your graceful presence and blessing are enormous inspiration and strength to us.
Rev. Scott Alan Norling, the founder-president of the Gospel Mission of India, in fact the chief host of today’s celebration, is a great motivational force in all our endeavors and at all times. We profoundly thank him and his beloved wife Mrs. Melody Norling for their loving care and advice to BBC students at all occasions and very specially today.
Rev. Dr. P.N.S. Chandra Bose, the General Secretary of the Gospel Mission of India and the President of Bethel Bible College; and his dear wife Dr. Leela Bose are the guiding vanguards of BBC. Their generous contributions and selfless involvement in the day-today life of BBC, and their commitment to empower the underprivileged for God’s ministry are beyond all forms of appreciations and gratitude. Let’s thank and praise God for their lives as we witness the commissioning and dedication of 27 of our BD students, today, for God’s ministry. It is also appropriate, at this time to thank God for the lives and witness of the previous eight batches of our graduates who serve God in various capacities in different parts of India and beyond.
The Rt. Rev. T. G. Cornelius, Bishop in Krishna- Godavari Diocese, Church of South India along with his wife has kindly accepted to be with us to bless all of us with greetings and very specially the graduating students. We sincerely thank both of them.
We are really grateful to Rev. Dr. Laiu Fachhai, the Senior Executive Secretary of the Evangelical Church of Maraland, Mizoram for accepting to deliver the graduation address today. We have twelve students from his church and the church is always appreciative of our service here in BBC and confirmed it through a contribution of ten thousand rupees per year. We look forward to greater partnership and cooperation as we move forward.
Mr. Jeevan Sylvanus, Chief Operational Officer-GMI and Chairman- Olive Tree Creative Works and his wife Dr. Raga Deepika are behind the success of all the BBC events. We sincerely thank them for their financial support to needy students and making their resources freely available to all our programs and particularly today. They are sponsoring all the arrangements, including dinner, today. We pray God’s blessing upon them as they actively support God’s ministry.
We are grateful to the Bible Society of India for their gift (Study Bible) to the graduating students and making theological books available to BBC library for a subsidized price of 50%. We also thank ISPCK, Delhi, for the gift of books to the graduating students.
Mrs. Lois Schaefer, Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, USA along with Rev. Pau Za Khup and Mrs. Dorathy Khup are working hard to promote the concerns of the college. We whole heartedly thank them and pray for God’s blessings upon them. Our indebtedness is due to Dr. Joseph Paturi, (Trans-world Ministries) for his earnest efforts to uphold BBC.
There are other well-wishers and companions in our journey of theological education and Ministerial training for the future ministry. We, while, profusely thank them, pray to God for many more deeply committed men and women to join our ministry in partnership.
We remain grateful to all the churches, organizations and individuals who sponsor and recommend students to BBC. Hearty thanks to all the other dignitaries, guests, parents, friends, professors and BBC family.
Congratulations to all graduating students who have successfully completed all the requirements pertaining to BD degree studies and are eligible to the award of Bethel Bible College Diploma, this day. I also congratulate the recipients of special awards.
Students, Faculty and Staff
48 new students, including four women were given admission for BD studies during the academic year 2018-19. The session started with an opening service on the 10th June 2018. The total number of students in the BD degree studies during the academic year is one hundred fifty three.
We praise God for the life and witness of all the faculty Members. It was their hard work and determination to mould dedicated women and men for God’s ministry which is behind our celebration today. Special thanks to all the faculty members who held different responsibilities in addition to the regular teaching assignments.
All our staffs (non-teaching) in BBC are responsible for the smooth functioning of the college. While we thank them for their contributions I am also grateful to all the student leaders for their service to BBC.
Programs and Activities
Apart from the regular schedule at BBC, our faculty members and students attended/ participated different programs outside.
One of our faculty members Rev. Santosh Kumar Singh represented BBC in a national consultation on Dalit Theologies, at UTC, Bangalore, jointly organized by BTESSC, UTC and CISRS between 19 and 21 November 2018.
Rev. Dr. George Philip presented a paper, on 1st November 2018, at UBS on the theme “ Epistemology of Serampore Mission”.
I presented a paper on the 27th Feb 2019 at UTC, Bangaloru on the theme “Christian Identity and Witness in the Context of Hindutva Politics”.
Rev. Dr. Peter Vethanayagamony, Associate Professor of Modern Church History from the Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, shared with students and faculty members of BBC, on the 19th Sept 2018 the method of Ethnographic Research.
Five of our students participated in a summer program on Islam and interreligious dialogue, organized at HMI, Hyderabad between 7th and 12th May 2018.
Two students attended a seminar on “Philosophy of radical inclusivity from faith and human sexuality perspective”, in Bangaloru between 22nd and 24th Aug, 2018, jointly organized by NCCI, SCMI, etc.
Two students attended a seminar on “Training on inclusive India- The Constitution& Legal space for nation building” from 26th to 29th Sep 2018, at ICSA, Chennai.
Another two students participated in a “Consultation on ecumenical formation and capacity building for young Dalits, Tribal/Adivasi theologians”, at HMI from 11th to 13th, February 2019.
Mr A. Koteswara Rao, graduating today won the first prize for an essay competition, and Mr. G. Arun, BD II got second prize for poetry, conducted by UTC, Bangalore.
Two of our graduating students have already secured admission for higher studies. One in the USA and another for M.Th. in Aizoal Theological College.
Three of our students were ordained in the CSI East Kerala diocese on 4th March 2019.
John Christopher a second year BD student scored 90 marks in a Hebrew advanced paper examination conducted by the university during the first semester of this academic year.
We thank almighty God for their life, witness and achievements and pray that God will use them for greater purposes in the days to come.
Bachelor of Christian Studies and Diploma in Christian Studies
Our program of taking theological education to everyone in Andhra Pradesh, with a credible degree from the Senate of Serampore College is yielding remarkable progress with the hard initiatives of our president Rev. Dr. P.N.S. Chandra Bose and the faculty members. As on today 247 students have been registered for Bachelor of Christian Studies and 274 for Diploma in Christian studies, a total of 521 students in a span of three years.
We have thirteen extension program centers in different parts of Andhara Pradesh. The success of the extension programs is wholly due to the dedicated sacrifices of our coordinators in different centers. They are busy persons but work tirelessly for the promotion of theological education to everyone. We are grateful to all the coordinators for their journey with us and accepting our invitation to be with us today, to bless the occasion.
Graduates
This is our fourteenth year with the BD degree program and the ninth BD graduation. BBC, till date, has prepared 323 dedicated BD graduates who are spread far and wide in God’s vineyard. Glory and honor to God alone. These graduates represent 16 different states, 21 different churches/denominations and different language groups. 66% of BBC graduates are doing pastoral ministry, 14% of them are in teaching/ higher studies (M.Th. and D.Th) and 7% serve as missionaries. Others are engaged in different forms of ministry including pioneering works.
Today, we thank God for the life and commitment of the 27 graduating students (details in the order of service booklet). They are fully equipped to serve God in all situations. Their life and training in BBC, a mixture of love, care and censure, was to ensure larger fellowship for the glory of God in the church and society. Mistakes, corrections, forgiveness and love was the stream of energy that governed our life principle on the campus and it will continue to remain forever in letter and spirit. We wish them God’s blessing as they step out into the wider arena of ministry with multiple challenges and possibilities.
Thanking You
From
Principal
Bethel Bible College
Guntur