“G od has saved me from their hands several times, and I am here to tell the

story,” theology student James Njehntengazoka Danladi shared with

classmates about the Islamist terrorists who are persecuting Christians in his

homeland in northern Nigeria. Danladi had just inspired classmates at ITS chapel with words

from 2 Corinthians 4 when he received news that his close friend

in ministry had been brutally killed Oct. 1. “Boko Haram came

into his house and killed him and his wife,” Danladi said. The

attackers used a machete on the three children after raping the

eldest, a 15-yr-old adopted Muslim daughter.

A month later, the head of Baptist churches in Nasarawa, Benue

and Abuja states told Danladi that Boko Haram burned down 17 Baptist churches in Lafia villages

in Nasarawa. Eight pastors and their families, all of whom Danladi knows because they were former students at his

home seminary in Kaduna, are now refugees.

The Salafist extremist group Boko Haram captured international attention in April when it kidnapped 276

schoolgirls from their dormitories in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok. Even First Lady Michelle Obama and

celebrities led publicity efforts behind the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. But the relentless toll of recent Boko Haram

violence is far bloodier and more ruthless than U.S. media can tolerably publish, and Danladi thinks there needs to be

greater awareness in the U.S. of the realities of this form of terrorism.

“It was tough and bloody, it was breath-taking, and we almost gave up,” said Danladi, whose wife has been

keeping watch over his friend’s children at a hospital in Kaduna. One child, age 13, has died, while the 15-year-old and

a 7-year-old continue to be treated in the hospital. Danladi plans to go to Nigeria in December to seek and secure

arrangements for their future care and financial security, as well as to provide emotional support to his own wife and

two young children.

Boko Haram has claimed more than 11,000 lives since its violent uprising in July 2009, and this year it has

markedly escalated its terrorist attacks. Since January, Boko Haram has killed more people than in the previous five

years of the conflict combined, data from the Council on Foreign Relations show. From a global perspective, Boko

Haram violence has perpetrated more deaths than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Continued on page 3)

Persecuted, but not forsaken

ITS CONNECTIONS International Theological Seminary El Monte, California/November 2014

“We are troubled on every side,

yet not distressed; we are

perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken; cast

down, but not destroyed.”

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

CUMULATIVE WEEKLY VIOLENT DEATHS IN NIGERIA SINCE MAY 2011

To avoid double counting, incidents perpetrated by Boko Haram alone are distinguished from those by Boko Haram and state perpetrators. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations, Nigeria Security Tracker)

Uganda update

IN THIS ISSUE

Dr. David McKinley reports on his visit to Uganda

and the ministry of ITS alumnus Joseph Ojulo.

Story on page 2

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T his past summer, my wife Laura and I went to Uganda for a two-week ministry trip. Our trip

came about through our friendship with Joseph Ojulo, who is an ITS alumnus and a former student of mine.

Joseph is one of three pastors at a church in the capital city of Kampala, in the central region of the country. In a city of over 1.5 million people, this particular church is composed of many well-educated professionals and many children. In fact, approximately 50% of the national population is under the age of 15 years.

In addition to speaking at church in the central region, Joseph arranged for us to preach and hold pastors’ conferences at other churches within the Deliverance Church denomination in Uganda’s eastern and western regions. In the eastern region, a one-day conference was held in a very simple brick church building not far from the border of Kenya and the city of Tororo. A two-day pastors’ conference was held in the city of Mbarara in the western region.

Because I teach courses in the areas of spiritual formation and leadership at ITS, I focused on themes such as: living by God’s grace, caring for one’s spiritual vitality, and growing in the midst of adversities. Having many African students in my ITS classes has given me the opportunity to understand the opportunities and challenges facing these pastors in their home countries. So, during the pastors’ conferences in Uganda, I was able to address some significant ministry issues the leaders face. However, the one-on-one interaction is as valuable as the large group setting. I continue to interact by email

with one pastor who is processing a number of issues in his ministry. Overall, our goal was to encourage the pastors and to provide insights to strengthen their ministry. In the process, we were encouraged by their commitment and love for the Lord.

During our travels, we were able to hear how God was using our friend Joseph Ojulo in Uganda. In response to my question about the impact ITS had on his life, Joseph told me that he received a strong biblical and theological training that has helped him not only his own church but in teaching others across his denomination. He told me that these churches value biblical teaching, and, as a result of his advanced academic training, he will become one of the key leaders within the denomination in addition to the church he co-pastors.

It is very apparent that God has been building His Church in Uganda! Churches are ubiquitous whether in the urban centers or the rural areas. We were greatly encouraged to observe the pastors’ hunger for God’s Word evidenced by their faithful attendance, sincere questions, and a teachable spirit. In one session, I told the pastors that we realize not all of them could come to ITS to study. However, I have come to bring some seminary lectures to them! They expressed such eagerness to learn all that they could soak in during the day.

Nevertheless, these pastors face some great challenges. Due to the size of the churches and the economic limitations, many in the rural areas cannot be full-time pastors. They are bi-vocational; in addition to pastoring, they must have another source of income such

as farming. In addition, many pastors have very little, if any, theological training. Seminaries such as ITS can provide theological education for some of these pastors who have already received some theological training. In other cases, academically trained pastors such as Joseph Ojulo can play a significant role in training pastors who are unable to receive formal theological training even within Uganda. As I reflect on our time in Uganda, I came away with a few compelling reasons why U.S. churches should participate in supporting ITS with prayer and finances:

Pastors who have graduated from ITS are making a significant impact on the global church through their teaching and leadership.

Theological education is an overwhelming need in many regions of the world. While we cannot train every pastor, we can influence a wide range of pastors by training pastors and Visiting with ITS alumnus Joseph Ojulo in Kampala (clockwise from bottom left): Joseph

and Emily Ojulo; pastors’ conference in Mbarara; preaching at church in Uganda’s capital; preaching at church in Tororo, near the Kenyan border.

Dr. McKinley reports on growing church in Uganda

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Misperceptions about God underlie the strife in

northern Nigeria, which is a combination of religious

warring and inter-communal fighting over indigeneity,

Danladi said. Africa’s largest economy and most

populous country, Nigeria has more than 175 million

people, or nearly 2.5% of the world — and the

continent’s largest Christian population. Not only is it

divided between Muslims mostly in the north and

Christians in the center and south, but the country

comprises more than 500 ethnic groups and also has a

history of ethnic militancy and herder-farmer clashes.

Yet Danladi holds fast to his message. “Who

said He would always be faithful? God said He would do

it,” said Danladi, who served on faculty at Kaduna

Baptist Theological Seminary before ITS alumnus Rev.

Dr. Joshua M. Mbwahnche introduced him to ITS. Called

into ministry to teach the truth about God and his

redemptive plans for mankind, Danladi said he heard a

clear voice tell him: “Go and teach my name, go and

correct the wrong perception of people about God –

that they may know me.”

He detailed atrocities against Christians in

northern Nigeria, but he also spoke of the times he has

felt God’s presence – when Muslims who were

demolishing a church were killed as the building

collapsed; when militant Islamists who had gathered in

a mosque to organize an attack against Christians

clashed over their differences and ending up killing

each other; when another friend who was slashed open

by terrorists lived to tell others of the glory of God.

While at ITS, he wants to gain a sound theological base

from which to better teach the gospel to other pastors

and contribute toward a solution for the crisis that

Nigeria faces today.

“Coming to ITS is a great privilege,” Danladi

said. God has kept us alive so that we can be equipped,

so that we can be encouraged.”

Danladi (continued from page 1)

other leaders who come to ITS. In other words, we can multiply the impact by strategically investing in the students who come to be further trained at ITS.

With a focus on developing national leaders from the Majority World, supporting ITS is a wise missional strategy in the 21

st century. While it is not always

possible for churches to send long-term missionaries to other nations, we can get the task done by pouring our lives into these international students who come to ITS. It is a privilege and joy to teach at ITS and an equal joy

to be involved with ITS alumni in their home countries. In both cases, I along with other ITS faculty are involved in developing godly servant leaders who are serving God by strengthening His global Church!

Dr. David McKinley Assistant Professor of Practical Studies

Vice-President of Student Life

McKinley with Ojulo (right) and a local pastor in Mbarara

India conference raises awareness Several ITS students attended Friends Missionary Prayer Band of

India’s annual missions conference last month in Orange County.

FMPB’s vision is to reach 20% of the total population of India with

the gospel by 2020. ITS professor Dr. Premkumar Dharmaraj and

Rev. Simon Ponniah were keynote speakers.

Theology student Khampa Leivon said he learned that mission is

“our personal engagement with God,” and the gospel should be

talked about as is, rather than presented to someone as a better

solution to their problems. “Attending the conference has broadened

my understanding about the Gospel,” he said.

Dr. Premkumar Dharmaraj and Rev. Simon Ponniah

India conference shows mission vision

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ITS

Data from the registrar’s office show students currently enrolled at

ITS come from 17 nations including the U.S. The country most heavily

represented by this year’s new students is Nigeria, but Korean students

comprise the largest cumulative group. China, the U.S., Thailand and

India are the next largest homeland countries for current students.

Community lunch hour and prayer meeting topics range from

political demonstrations in Hong Kong to Tanzania

referendum. Several languages are spoken at once in the common area

as students and faculty alike are eager to share about their ministries and

to learn from one another about current affairs around the world.

schools may have an international department, but ITS is truly

multicultural,” said ITS President James Lee.

and our school is a healthy model of diversity of students, board

members and faculty.”

ITS students hail from 17 nations

United States

Cameroon

Ethiopia

India

Indonesia

South Korea

Malawi

Micronesia

Nepal

Philippines

Switzerland

Taiwan

Tanzania

Uganda

China

Nigeria

Thailand

ITS: a world to reach

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s office show students currently enrolled at

ITS come from 17 nations including the U.S. The country most heavily

s new students is Nigeria, but Korean students

comprise the largest cumulative group. China, the U.S., Thailand and

India are the next largest homeland countries for current students.

Community lunch hour and prayer meeting topics range from

political demonstrations in Hong Kong to Tanzania’s constitutional

referendum. Several languages are spoken at once in the common area

as students and faculty alike are eager to share about their ministries and

to learn from one another about current affairs around the world. “Other

schools may have an international department, but ITS is truly

said ITS President James Lee. “The global age is coming,

and our school is a healthy model of diversity of students, board

As ITS prepares for a new building and capital campaign in 2015, the

vibrancy of its students and their ministries is the core of the seminary’s

mission. The bold decision of the ITS board of directors and faculty to

offer full– and half-scholarships this term produced a wealth of new

students to further the work of the global church. The seminary operates

on deficit spending, and donations are being sought for the school’s

general and building accounts as well as for sponsorships as an

investment in these students and their ministries worldwide.

The ITS community is continually striving to maintain a global

perspective. Along with raising prayer about the containment of Ebola,

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign for reelection, peace

for Israel, and wisdom for churches in China, students combine

theological study with the forward-thinking input of leading pastors and

scholars in Southern California.

ITS: a world to reach

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Rev. Jeff O’Grady offered inspirational words to the

ITS students at chapel at the beginning of the fall term.

Several attendees commented on how much they

enjoyed his uplifting and energetic message.

A few weeks later, ITS President James Lee and many

ITS students celebrated World Communion Sunday at

O’Grady’s San Marino Com-

munity Church, where they

were warmly welcomed with

music and enthusiastic inter-

est in their ministries.

(Rev. O’Grady, right; below,

Leonard Katundu helps serve)

Leading local pastors encourage seminary at ITS chapel

“Y ou are here to change the world in His name,”

Pastor Dave Roberts of the mission-focused

Montrose Church told stu-

dents at ITS chapel. The

church community should

be “beautifully loving,” he

said.

“We should be the most

loving people on earth. No

one should outlove us.”

Roberts said the com-

mon thing among all of us

is our troubles. “Our call is

to share our journey of im-

perfection. Life is inexplica-

ble,” he said, “but it’s per-

fect for sharing.”

Pastor Richard Chung of Chinese Evangelical Free

Church, a longtime ITS

supporter, used the

story “Crossing the

River Jordan" to illus-

trate how God doesn't

want us to be afraid or

to give up. As Chris-

tians we need to stay

fully committed, he

said, because God will

always be with us.

Left, Dr. Bulus Galadima, the new

dean of the Cook School of Inter-

cultural Studies at Biola University

and former provost at Jos ECWA

Theological Seminary, or JETS;

above, Hassan Dicks (center) leads

Nigerian students in a Hausa song

“I love cities because cities are

about people,” Dr. Bulus Galadi-

ma told students late last month.

“Even though the Bible begins in

a garden, it ends with the story of a

city,” he said.

Speaking on cultivating godly

perceptions in the city, Galadima

pointed to the worldwide popula-

tion trend toward living in cities and

encouraged students to think strate-

gically about their ministries. By

2050, the top three contributors to

urban population growth will be

India, China and Nigeria, he said.

Galadima showed how Abra-

ham’s godly perception was crucial

in his decisions. “Wherever God calls

you,” he said, “make sure when you

go you build your altar to the Lord.”

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New Greek professor serves two loves

“I t's a great privilege to invest in

others because, like you, I came as

a foreign student,” Rev. Dr. Peter

Hintzoglou, the seminary’s new

adjunct professor of Greek, told

students at chapel last month.

Hintzoglou was born in Athens “to

godly Presbyterian parents,” from

whom he learned to pray and seek

God’s Word “because of the many

times I saw them on their knees with

an open Bible.” He said he knew at age

six that he wanted to undertake

ministry studies in the U.S.

"I didn't know anything about the

U.S., but my parents always invited

people from other countries to have

Sunday lunch with us. They wanted my

sister and I to learn to connect and to

talk" with people from diverse

backgrounds. Because the family lived

in Greece, several members of the

Sixth Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s operational

forces in the Mediterranean, ended up

at their home. "I was 19 years old

when I came to the U.S.," Hintzoglou

recalled.

“A missionary friend of my father's

paved the way for me,” he said. “I went

to New England. It was the first time I

saw snow, and I didn't like it. I was so

grateful when upon graduation two

professors of mine introduced me to

Fuller Seminary in Pasadena and I was

accepted. And when I saw the

beautiful weather, I said, 'Thank you,

Lord, for your grace.'”

After graduation he was humbled

and overwhelmed by the offer of

teaching positions by two professors

for whom he had worked as a teaching

assistant. But Hintzoglou wanted to

work in a church, and he spent one

year in which "God did some amazing

things,” he said. “‘Revival,' said the

pastor. ‘Evangelism,’ I called it,

because there were people in church,

but, for the first time, they met Jesus."

After a year at the church, Hintzoglou

returned to Fuller and pronounced his

love for pastoral work.

"I thought I had closed the door to

academic life. I fell on my knees and

prayed, 'If I don't ever stand behind a

lectern again, it will grieve my heart

but I want to be Your man,'"

Hintzoglou recollected. Right

afterward he was asked if he would

consider teaching Hermeneutics. "For

all these years, I've been serving two

loves: pastoral ministry and investing

in students."

The pastor professor shared three

principles to inspire ministry students:

God is not interested in our

success; he's interested in our

faithfulness

We best serve God and others out

of our woundedness than out of

our strength

We must be the people of God

before we do the work of God

Teaching and encouraging people

stems from this sense of

woundedness, so that together we

might grow in spiritual maturity.

Hintzoglou likened Paul's writing in

Romans 8 to a symphony, well-loved

for its famous verse 28, and he went

on to open up verses 31-39 to

illustrate God's unfailing power, love,

peace and faithfulness. "Paul is asking

the question," he said. "Is there

anything that can frustrate the plan of

God in your life? Is there anything that

can trip up the power of God in your

life? No."

Paul’s message is “God will never

give up on you. He will never give you

up from the embrace of His love,” he

said. “The older I get, the more I

recognize that the only secure

foundation I have is the love of God."

On the peace of Christ, Hintzolglou

continued, "He died for us and

intercedes for us. On the one hand

God meets our need to be loved; and

God's peace takes care of our burden

for guilt."

God’s faithfulness is proclaimed in

verses 38 and 39, he said. "Can death

or life separate us from the love of

God? Can anything present or future?

No, in all these things we are more

than conquerors – because God is

faithful."

Inter-Seminary Sports Day 2014: ITS

students enjoyed the best of

Southern California’s weather at this

annual event sponsored by the

Association of Korean Theological

Seminaries of Greater Los Angeles

Dear Friends,

I am very pleased to announce the publication of a new ITS biannual news-letter, ITS Connections. As the title suggests, it is an effort for us to reach out to our friends and partners around the world to share the events happening at the Seminary. On these pages you will see a mosaic of images and stories that are both enriching and stimulating. The interwoven stories of our students, alumni, staff, and faculty are a testament to a vibrant community that seeks to live an au-thentic Christian life in a broken and often perilous world. We are repeatedly reminded that it is a great privilege to study the scriptures and worship in a

safe and free environment. We seek excellence in our ministerial and leadership training because the challeng-es the church faces in the world are great. ITS is very blessed to be surrounded by many deeply committed Christians who believe in and have sup-ported its vision of equipping leaders for the global church. We are grateful to the congregations that have welcomed our students into their fold and provided a home away from home. The Seminary has been much encouraged by pastors and teachers who have taken their time to teach and preach in the classroom and chapel. Without all their help and support, the mission of ITS would not be possible. I hope through ITS Connections you will become more acquainted with our work and remember to pray for us. Thank you for your partnership.

In Christ, James S. Lee, President

A message from our president

ITS CONNECTIONS the newsletter of International Theological Seminary

ITS Connections is published biannually by the communications department of International Theological Seminary.

© 2014 International Theological Seminary 3215-3225 North Tyler Avenue El Monte, California 91731 USA tel: 626-448-0023 web: itsla.edu

writer/editor: Karen Kano karen.kano@itsla.edu