“I Am No Longer the Same” – Bongani Mkhaliphi

I am so indebted to God and ACC for the profound training I have acquired for the kingdom of God during my three year of study at African Christian College. My words cannot fully express my joy and appreciation. Part of the training that I went through in class and outside of class includes: Leadership Skills, Computer Skills, Homiletical and Hermeneutical skills, garden knowledge, evangelism, and the experience of living in a culturally diverse environment.
Somebody once said, “Everything starts and falls on leadership.” This means that the success and failure of any organization is determined by the quality of leaders put in place. When I was a second year student I got elected into the office of being an SRC treasurer and served the students for a year. I learned a lot in this department, for instance, how to serve people and solve problems. This experience I will use on a day-day basis in my church and community. Having said that, I cannot also turn a blind eye to the massive work that my lecturers have done in my life in class. I went through courses that every community and church needs for poverty alleviation and economic development. Microfinance and Economic Development are some the leadership courses that will enable me to help my fellow villagers and church members get out of poverty and improve their lives, and this will be accomplished through the help of God.
Apart from leadership knowledge, I am also grateful for the homiletical and hermeneutical skills ACC has given me. As a minister of the word of God and servant of Christ Jesus, I needed such training to better prepare and preach and the word of God in an effective way. It is true that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives as we reach out to many souls through preaching and teaching, but without training you may fail to achieve the desired goal for preaching effectively to win souls into the kingdom of God. I have learnt that preaching is a skill and crafting effective messages needs knowledge too.
In addition, in my first year class I learned about Discovery Bible Study (DBS). This is one of the methods of studying the Bible and evangelizing. What excites me about this method is that I did not end in learning about it in class but also went outside for door to door to practice it. I have developed passion for this way of teaching Bible because it encourages relationships, makes one master or know the Bible as you study it constantly and systematically chapter by chapter. It is good for church and spiritual growth as it encourages people not to study of God only but also to apply it by sharing with their friends and relatives. I will implement it in church home cells, youths, and children’s ministry. I will also conduct pastors ’workshops to help them grow their churches and encourage their members to read the Bible daily.
Again, I will introduce Computer Skills in my church and community. A majority of people in my village are technologically and computer illiterate. Having acquired this skill will pave a way for me to start a computer class, train pastors, youth, and children in computer education. The skill about Power Point, Excel, and Microsoft Word will help me in furthering my studies, prepare monthly financial reports, and keeping records for the church.
Last but not least, I would like to say thank, thank you to ACC for allowing to be part of their diverse community. At first it was difficult to cope amongst people of different nationalities due to our cultural diversities. Sometimes, you would find that what I consider important in my culture to another person is not important. I learned to be patient with my fellow school mates as we rubbed shoulders together and tried to learn about their preferences and dislikes. However, what I couldn’t accept and like is when someone made fun of another person’s culture, and I still find it hard to deal with it, but I am still growing and God will help me. This experience will extremely help me in working with people from various countries and I will understand people better now. I believe that God may send me to preach to people of a different race and that will require me to accept and love them in for them to accept me and for them to be able to accept my message too.
In conclusion, I will never forget ACC for your impact in my life: socially, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am no longer the same, and may the Almighty God richly bless the staff, faculty, administration, and workers. To God be the glory!