Things You Can Pray About
The Rwandan churches face many problems. In addition to all the long lasting effects of the 1994 genocide, there is a growing Muslim presence evidenced by a large new mosque in the centre of Kigali. The fraudulent ‘health 
and wealth gospel’ is communicated in some churches and also through occasional ‘evangelistic campaigns’ in Kigali. And the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a major impact on the country. Please pray that RIET will be able to provide a solid and biblically based evangelical training for pastors and other leaders within the Rwandan church, a training that equips them to minister the gospel in their own context.
Almost 40 students have already graduated from RIET and the third group are finalizing their dissertations. There are at present over 60 students in four year groups. Most of the students are actively engaged in church ministry and so teaching takes place through evening classes. Please pray that each of these students would be used of God in a mighty way.
As a relatively new training institution FATER faces many challenges. Our strategic plan outlines what we would like to achieve over the next few years, but right now we are looking for prayer and support especially for the following:
Building project: At present we are working from rented accommodation but in the course of 2007 just over 5 acres of land was purchased and in 2008 a master plan as well as designs for the first buildings were produced. The whole work of developing the campus will take place in four phases. The first, and vital phase includes construction of classrooms, offices and library and the estimated cost is $420,000. We hope to have this first phase complete by January 2010; at present we have $140,000 towards the cost. Africa Inland Mission International missionary Mark Sudman and his family have come to Rwanda to oversee the construction project.
Staff: Recently two new members have join the staff at RIET. Phanuel Munezero who has just finished theological studies in Kenya, and Bruce Rossington who is working in Rwanda with Africa Inland Mission International. Their coming represents a huge step forward for us; please pray for them as they begin to work within the faculty.
Meanwhile, our academic dean, David Kyembwa Bulambo, is working for a doctorate through distance study with the South Africa Theological Seminary. Pray for him as he works at RIET and keeps up with his studies.
Library: There has been some good progress in the development of our library. At present we have about 4000 volumes of which approximately 25% are in English. We would like at least 5000 in French and have been greatly helped by gifts for this purpose. Pray for wisdom in the purchases we make and for resources to meet the target.
Accreditation: We are working on the school’s legal status and also moving towards accreditation without which it will be difficult to continue to function. Pray for wisdom as we draw up documents and ensure that our program and facilities are adequate for the purposes of accreditation.
