Steps of Faith - Easter 2023

Dear ESSA friends,
greetings this holy weekend. Prof Beatrice writes:

“As we reflect on the meaning of Easter, let us be filled with hope and joy, knowing that through faith in Christ, we have the assurance of eternal life with Him. It was necessary for Jesus to shed His blood on the cross in order for us to receive forgiveness for our sins. The power of the blood of Jesus is a central theme in our Christian faith, and it represents the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity. The blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse us from sin, to reconcile us to God, and to give us access to the throne of grace. It is also a symbol of the new covenant, which was established between God and humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus. As believers, we can take comfort in knowing that the blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to make us right with God.”

Reflect: What does the blood of Jesus mean to me personally? How has the blood of Jesus transformed my perspective on forgiveness and redemption? In what ways do I share the power of the blood of Jesus with others?

News

At the beginning of this year, we asked God for more: more students, more staff, more student accommodation. The Lord is faithful: his answer could not have been more direct! We have a new 1st-year cohort (pic above), a new lecturer, and a (OK, not so new) cottage. Our student body now numbers over twenty with classes on campus three weeks out of four, throughout the year.

A tremendous boost to our faculty is the availability of TEAM missionary Kyle Schaefer, pictured here with his wife (Shelly) and sons (Logan and Zak). Kyle writes: “After several years of teaching at Durban Bible College, I have begun to transition to other opportunities. This has primarily come to be finding ways to contribute to the success of ESSA in training dedicated leaders, for the church-in-mission, within an African context.” Will you lift the Schaefer family before the Throne today?

Giving opportunity

Remember the devastating fire at UCT two years ago? For colleges everywhere it prioritized the need to DIGITISE their archives. We are thrilled to announce that ESSA has been given a grant towards this goal: Rand-for-Rand matching. In other words, any sum contributed will be doubled. Can you help us with this cause? Please reference any donation for this project as “Archives.”

Praise & Prayer

• Praise God for provision in staff, students, and accommodation.
• Pray for doors to open for Liisa Zondervan, currently in the Netherlands trying to arrange a visa.
• We thank God for a successful, well-attended African Pastors Conference (APC) earlier this year.
• Pray for upcoming modules in Pastoral Care (Brook), Evangelicalism (Lock) and OT (Taruona).

Christ is risen! May you know his sufficient grace, today.
Shalom, Carl Brook