September 2018
Greetings from Friends Theological College,
September was a very full month in which we appreciated many people who have invested in FTC with their lives and ministries. On September 5 we were saddened by the news about the passing of Josiah Embego who served as principal here from 1972-1994. On September 14 the whole campus attended Embego’s funeral and burial at his home in Chambiti, Vihiga Yearly Meeting. We were able to represent the school and extend our thanks to his widow, Zilpa and four of their five surviving grown children, Tom, John, George, and William. Josiah served the school for 22 years and saw it through the change of name and status from Friends Bible Institute to Friends Theological College.
On September 26 we had a successful service of appreciation for 6 FTC staff from various times and paid tribute to many Friends who lived in service to the growth and development of FTC:
—Josiah Embego, who died last month (see above). He was represented by his wife, children, & grandchildren.
—Wilson Masiolo, a chef who worked in Dining Services for thirty years.
—Sammy Sore, who taught Quaker Studies from 1979-1999 and was the Director of Theological Education by Extension.
--Elizabeth Yano, an alum of Friends Bible Institute who served as Lecturer, Dean of Students, and Academic Dean. She served FTC for 20 years.
—Margaret Amudavi, an alum of FTC who became a Lecturer in 2007 and Academic Dean from 2015-2018, overseeing an increase in student enrollment and FTC’s accreditation with ACTEA. Margaret has resigned in order to pursue doctoral studies in educational leadership. We are thankful for her contributions to our school and we will miss her leadership and presence.
—Benson Khamasi, who served as a Lecturer in Quaker Studies from 2005-2015 and has returned to the FTC community as an adjunct Lecturer.
Cows (or “cows-in-kind”) were given to the honorees as gifts of gratitude for their work. I told the gathered Friends that, "Embego produced a multitude now serving the Friends Church worldwide." FTC has named the house where Josiah and Zilpa Embego lived while Principal of the Friends Bible Institute, Embego House.
Last month I mentioned that over summer term we were very close to meeting our 2020 enrollment goal of 200 students. We are excited and pleased to announce that our current total enrollment on all five campuses is 220 students! Very soon we will have a challenge with accommodations, but that is a good problem to have! I want to give glory to God who has enabled us to reach this goal through the effort of the entire faculty and staff and even the students. We also believe that the recent accreditation with ACTEA, Sarrin Scholarships, and Indiana scholarships are major factors that have contributed toward bringing in new students and will continue to do so.
|
|
Dr. Robert J. Wafula
Principal
Tel. +254 734 728564
Email: robertw@fum.org
|
|
|
|
Zilpa Embego, the widow of former Principal of FTC, holds her husband's picture during his funeral service.
|
|
|
|
Upper Left: Honoring Wilson Masiolo with the gift of a cow.
Upper Right: Appreciation for Sammy Sore, former Quakers Studies teacher.
Lower: Margaret Amudavi is thanked for her service to FTC.
|
|
|
|
The FTC Bachelor's Class has a record 19 students from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sammy Sore enjoying a reunion with FTC leaders.
|
|
|
Praise and Prayer:
—We praise God for our enrollment this term and for new students who are here to be trained.
—We praise God for the 67 students who will graduate at our 76th commencement on October 18 and we pray for those graduates as they continue in ministry or look for places of ministry.
-Please pray for Margaret Amudavi and for FTC as we interview candidates to fill her vacant position.
|
|
|
|
|
