{"id":56322,"date":"2024-08-16T08:27:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T13:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?p=56322"},"modified":"2024-08-16T08:27:11","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T13:27:11","slug":"commencement-at-kgolagano-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/commencement-at-kgolagano-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement at Kgolagano College"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by:\u00a0Paul Chimhungwe<\/a>, who serves with\u00a0Kgolagano College, Botswana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commencement marks the high point of an academic institution, and this is not an exception to Kgolagano College, a Global Ministries partner based in Gaborone, Botswana. On the other hand, the country had a dark cloud after the road traffic carnage claimed the innocent lives of forty-five Easter pilgrims on their way to Moria, a holy Christian site for the Zion Christian Church.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Kgolagano College had its 2023 commencement on April 26, 2024, at the Assemblies of God church building just across from its premises. Tebelelo Seretse, <\/strong>the former Botswana Ambassador to the United Nations, graced the occasion. She has also held several ministerial positions in the Government of Botswana. Her message was anchored on unity in government, which, as she argued, would cascade down to the church. Botswana has been known as a beacon of peace, freedom and harmony in a region that has experienced its own fair share of conflicts: the Mozambique National Resistance Movement (MNR) in Mozambique; the call for democracy in Eswatini, Afrophobia in South Africa, suppression of the opposition parties in Zimbabwe, to mention a few. However, there have been severe feuds between Dr Masisi, Botswana\u2019s sitting president, and his predecessor, Dr. Ian Khama. Interestingly, Dr Khama handpicked Dr Masisi as his successor. Hence, the guest speaker\u2019s message partially addressed the feud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message was also appropriate for the church in Botswana, which is currently experiencing numerical growth, like other sub-Saharan African countries. Unfortunately, the development has brought questionable Christian practices due to poor biblical interpretations and hermeneutics. Partially addressing this thorny issue, the speaker encouraged Kgolagano College to ground its teaching on sound biblical principles, as there is a chronic shortage of men and women of integrity in the church.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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The college graduated ten students with certificates of competence in preaching. These are members of the laity who will now preach for their congregations or at some preaching points, depending on the denomination\u2019s structure. Preaching skills are in demand in many denominations, and we thank God for equipping Kgolagano College to prepare the Lord\u2019s servants. In the category of certificate in theology, nine students graduated from college. All the students are proceeding to the bachelor\u2019s degree programme but want the certificate to register their churches since most are either prophets, apostles, or founders. Three students graduated with a diploma in practical ministry; amongst them was Dimpho Malongwa, the wife of Bishop Malongwa of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), which Charles Harrison Mason in Memphis, Tennessee founded. COGIC is one of the fastest-growing Pentecostal churches in Botswana\u2014Bishop Malongwa sits on the Kgolagano Board of Directors. We had three students in the Bachelor of Arts (Honors) Theology. Onalenna Hambira, one of the graduates, is a dean at the Lutheran Church of Botswana, while Bethuel Kagiso Molate works for the Botswana Prison Services as a chaplain. The college continues to equip men and women with quality leadership skills as it participates in what God is accomplishing in Botswana and sub-Saharan Africa, now the epicentre of Christianity with over 650 million Christians. While we celebrate our successful commencement, Botswana recently had its worst traffic disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter Holiday Bus Disaster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 28, 2024, a bus accident near Mamatlakala, Limpopo Province, South Africa, tragically claimed the lives of 45 out of 46 pilgrims from Molepolole, a village near Botswana\u2019s capital city, Gaborone. The victims, members of the St. Engenas Zion Christian Church, were en route to Zion City Moria near Polokwane. The bus caught fire after the driver lost control and hit the side rails, plunging 160 feet into a river. Only an eight-year-old girl survived, while all other passengers, 30 female and 15 male, perished, burning beyond recognition. Forensic experts took two months to identify the bodies, which were finally laid to rest at a mass funeral on May 4, 2024, in Molepolole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was attended by Botswana\u2019s vice president, government dignitaries, grieving relatives and friends, with representatives from all three Global Ministries partners\u2014the Botswana Council of Churches, the Botswana Synod: UCCSA, and Kgolagano College\u2014offering their support. Christianity teaches compassion and empathy, and these partners were commended for their compassionate gesture of love and care during this tragic time. Due to the condition of the remains, the caskets were sealed. This accident is the worst road tragedy in Botswana\u2019s history, a country with a population of 2.6 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I compile this report, I am at the tail-end of my itineration in the USA. What a joyous period it has been meeting my brothers and sisters who have been supporting Global Ministries initiatives in Africa. It has been a refreshing time, and I thank God for this opportunity to share in his ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s appointment to the Kgolagano College, Botswana, is made possible by your gifts to the Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church\u2019s Wider Mission, Week of Compassion, and\u00a0special gifts<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by:\u00a0Paul Chimhungwe, who serves with\u00a0Kgolagano College, Botswana. Commencement marks the high point of an academic institution, and this is not an exception to Kgolagano College, a Global Ministries partner based in Gaborone, Botswana. On the other hand, the country … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20221,"featured_media":56325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[],"topic":[20239,20322],"region":[20007,20028],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCommencement at Kgolagano College - Global Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/commencement-at-kgolagano-college\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commencement at Kgolagano College - Global Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Written by:\u00a0Paul Chimhungwe, who serves with\u00a0Kgolagano College, Botswana. 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