In 2007, I had the privilege of moving from Cameroon to Minnesota to attend Bethlehem College & Seminary, previously known as The Bethlehem Institute. The following three years were the most transformative of my Christian life. My knowledge of God grew tremendously, but more than that, so did my love for Him. It was during my seminary years that I dreamed of bringing the same rigorous, Christian hedonistic, Bible-centered, God-glorifying, missions-advancing, church-based education to my people in Cameroon. In 2015, I returned to Bethlehem College & Seminary, this time as a professor. And then, my dream came true. As I shared my vision for theological education, Bethlehem College & Seminary joined hands with me and in 2018, hired me to be the executive director of their first extension site.
Bethlehem College & Seminary’s Cameroon Extension Site just launched in June, and it launched with a bang! Pastor Tom Steller, Mr. Rick Segal, and Daniel Kleven traveled to Yaoundé to teach the first course with me on the Kingdom of God. We made the course open to the public, and there were approximately 150 in attendance.
Many testified after the seminar that they had been deceived by prosperity theology but now understand that they were believing lies. One man gave this testimony:
For several years now while serving the Lord in my church’s prayer ministry, I have counseled and prayed with many people. I have many times given the people with whom I prayed the impression that if they had enough faith they would be delivered of their afflictions. Never have I ever thought that God could be using the challenge or difficulty to build their faith, or God may not even have it in His sovereign will to heal the person (at that time). Attending the seminar on the Kingdom of God and learning about the concept of the “Already but Not Yet” has tremendously transformed my view on suffering in my life and the lives of others. I clearly understand why some people we pray for receive God’s positive answers, and others don’t just get their desire. I plead God’s mercy on myself for probably causing some Christians to feel they didn’t have enough faith to receive an answered prayer.
We praise God for transforming lives through His word!
Bethlehem College & Seminary admitted four students into our first cohort. Their names are Ellison Tango, Edwin Nfor, Nelson Tata, and Daniel Yong (pictured below).
Pictured left to right: Dieudonné Tamfu, Ellison Tango, Edwin Nfor, Nelson Tata, and Daniel Yong.
Please pray for the Cameroon Extension Site. Pray that the seminary would fulfill its quest to help minds and hearts to see and savor the glory of Christ in all things and spread that experience to the world.
Pray for these students. Pray that God would provide for all their needs. In order to make ends meet, most of the students will need to work full-time while they are in the program. Pray that God would help them to work diligently and manage their time well. Pray that God would transform their worldviews and their hearts.
Please pray for us. We have faced various trials during our first year in Cameroon, including health challenges. My wife is still adapting to the new culture. Pray that we would walk closely with the Lord as a family and draw strength, encouragement, and endurance from Him. Pray that God would send more workers to join us. There are more ministry opportunities than I can accept. I often have to decline invitations to preach and teach. At the Cameroon Extension Site, we are also limited in the number of students we can accept into the program because I am the sole teacher. The harvest is plentiful. Cameroonians are hungry for the Word and sound teaching. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers to Bethlehem College & Seminary’s Cameroon Extension Site, for His glory and for the advancement of His Kingdom in Africa.
Dieudonné
Rev. Dr. Dieudonné Tamfu
Executive Director of the Cameroon Extension Site