Greetings from Lahore, where it is very hot and sticky! Day time temperatures are regularly over 40 degrees Centigrade and night time temperatures rarely drop below 30 C. When we have some rain, as last weekend, it brings the temperature down, but sends the humidity up – recently it was 64%. Fortunately we have an air-conditioner in the OTS office, which helps a lot – providing that there is electricity.

We are still suffering from regular ‘load-shedding’ (planned power cuts to save energy) several hours each day. We have a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) in the office, which runs the fans, lights and computers when the power is off, but it cannot run the air-conditioner.

New staff for UBTC

The Seminary graduate we were hoping to recruit for the United Bible Training Centre has gone elsewhere but a Junior Staff trainee teacher has joined us on 6th June. She completed the three month training course in the Foundations for Biblical Ministry last December. She comes from one of the village congregations. UBTC is also looking for a new Office Assistant, as our previous colleague left in March, because she needed to go home to care for her sick mother.  Please pray that a good replacement for her may soon be found.

TEF Conference

We had an encouraging attendance of 35 participants from 13 institutions at the Theological Educators’ Forum conference in Murree at the beginning of June, when we received some challenging and stimulating input from Australian guest speaker, Paul Barker. This Forum started in 1994 to provide fellowship, mutual encouragement and sharing of resources to people involved in Theological Education in Pakistan. In recent years the meetings have been infrequent but it is good to see it revived again, thanks to some financial help from CMS.

Language School

I went up to Murree on Easter Monday to get ready for the start of this year’s session of the Murree Language School. We held the teacher training workshop from 26th – 29th April, with training for the 26 teachers and potential teachers. Classes started on 2nd May with 40 students, 90% of them following the new Growing Participatory Approach (GPA) method. We have nearly 60 students in June, with a few more in July, and 36 in August.

We have a Pakistani Principal for the first two months, and an Administrator for four months and a Supervisor for three months, with some support from other volunteers. A former Principal is returning to run the school in July and August.

I was only in Murree for the initial period, to train local staff and set things running smoothly.

I went up again on 27th May to help them cope with the new intake for June, and the new timetable. Then we had our MLS Executive meeting on 1st June, after which I joined the TEF conference from 2rd – 4th May, before returning to Lahore to the Open Theological Seminary (OTS).

OTS

OTS celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, as TEE (Theological Education by Extension) began in Pakistan in 1971. We combined a celebration for this with the dedication of our new building, on 16th February, which is now complete and very attractive. The Office Department staff and the Director have moved into the new part, so the Field and Course Development Departments can expand into the downstairs and upstairs, respectively, of the old portion.

We have nice new work stations, with new computers that have just been networked and connected to the internet. The new building needs a generator or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) before the hot weather comes.

Work is proceeding well on the Christian Education for Teenagers Curriculum course, Me and My Society. Please pray for us as we finalize the text and prepare the teacher’s handbook. We hope to do the first field test in August or September.

The rest of the Course Development Department staff are working hard to prepare a new degree level course on Poverty and Development, which will be field tested during the residential camp in Murree from 28th July to 3rd August. We plan to teach three other courses then also, Christian Youth, New Testament Greek and Effective Pastoral Ministry. I shall be teaching the last mentioned course, with my colleague, after which we hope to send it to the press for printing.

Thank you for your prayers and your financial support.

God bless you all,

With best wishes,
F

Prayer points

• Praise God for the new OTS Study Centre building and for 40 years of TEE in Pakistan. Pray as we work on Me and My Society, and for those working on the Poverty and Development course.
• Praise that for the Principals, Administrator, Supervisors and teachers of the MLS and pray that the students may be blessed and encouraged as they study Urdu this summer.
• Pray for the preparations for the annual meeting of the Murree Language School Board on 10th August as we plan for the long-tern future of the School.
• Pray for the UBTC students on the short courses for school-leavers (13th – 30th June), college students, teachers and educated women (4th – 14th July) and Mothers (18th – 22nd July). Pray for the one-year Discipleship Course students on their field-work in different Christian hospitals until 12th July. Pray for Sania as she settles into her role at UBTC and for the right person to join the staff as office assistant.
• Please pray for me and my neighbours, that we can both find suitable new homes soon, at a reasonable rent.
• Please continue to pray for peace and security in the country, for wisdom for all in authority, for justice to prevail, and innocent to be released and vindicated.
• Please continue to pray for all the Christians in Gujranwala, for their safety, and freedom from fear, and for all the Christian institutions serving there.