The Kees in Cameroon
The Work
Eight programs of work shared by Paul and co-workers
- Church Planting through Public Bible Lectures: This
surfacing method is for finding the most interested souls in each quarter
where we are evangelizing. We have done this in 207 quarters in 26 years,
and
have started 40 congregations in Bui Division. We have also been responsible
for starting 39 other congregations in Donga/Mantung Division, so we
take care of 80 congregations. - Bible Distribution in Targeted Quarters: In October, before the rains end, 15 quarters are targeted each dry season for Bible Lectures. Invitations to the lectures are distributed and a Bible given to each house that has someone in it who can read (about 90% of the households). The same page number is then used in public preaching on the blackboard, so they can read along with the preacher. They also use it to read answers to questions, to read tracts, and to complete lessons.
- Bible Lesson Office and Distribution: Since 1982, the Bible Lesson Office has given out over 120,000 introduction lessons. Over 6,000 serious students have undertaken the lessons, of which there are four courses in English and two in Lamnso’. Additionally, there have been almost 4,000 students who have taken lessons out in the targeted quarters. New Testaments are incentives.
Congregational Visitation and Maturation: In
order to promote independence,autonomy, and self-reliance, the five
evangelists (four of whomare Cameroonians) have a rotation on Sundays
to visit different congregations each week.From the beginning, each
congregation is expected to hold its own treasury, to arrange its own
meeting place, and take care of its own materials. Teaching, preaching,
and training on the local level are used to build upcongregations in
the months following their establishment. Joint courses and campaigns
promote awareness and unity.- Quarterly Lectureships and Campaigns: At different places around the 95 congregations in the North West Province, lectureships are held 1 or 2 times a year (plus the Annual National one). Even though there are some lectures for members, these are more like campaigns, because there is a lot of public preaching, house-to-house work, and personal evangelism, and many baptisms.
- Periodic Leadership Training: Several types of short-term leadership training are available and used in the North West. Every year there is a joint course for men and women in Nso’, for every Christian who can attend from Bui and Donga/Mantung Divisions. Every three years there is a three-day intensive Leadership Course for those who cannot come to the Bible School. There has been a new seven-day course already taught in five places by Paul Kee on "Church Leadership: With and Without Elders."
- Kumbo Christian Bible School, Nso’:
Since
1989, long-term training for men and women has been available in Nso’.
Two previous Bible Schools in the South West had closed, one in 1980
and then another in 1989. The five co-workers or evangelists provide
the teaching and staff. KCBS, Nso’ provides a two-year diploma
after six terms, but this takes 2½ years, because students are
at home from mid-March until early September.This has enabled us to
have 95% of our graduates to be back in their home congregations, self-supporting,
well-trained church leaders and preachers. Since 2001, the Bible School
has had a French section, because seven central African countries speak
French and need leadership training. This is the only preacher training
school for the Church in the world that has both French and English sections.
There is also an upper level in English, known as the Advanced Courses,
which trains invitees for two months, for four summers, in much higher
and challenging levels of Bible and related studies, to gain a Third-Year
Diploma.
- Translation into Lamnso’: In 1983, we got involved in the Revision process of the New Testament. This was published in 1990 and we have been the primary distributors of that, plus lessons and tracts in Lamnso’. We pay the rent on the Translation Center and we now have five brethren involved part-time in the translation of the Old Testament, which will be sold with a revised NT.
