Our Relationship with ORO BIBLE COLLEGE

ACMissioNZ has had a close relationship with the Philippine Advent Christian Conference’s ORO BIBLE COLLEGE at Cagayan de Oro since 1990, when we sent our first Work Team to assist with the construction of an extension to the boy’s dormitory building. Since that date we have sent five further Work Teams to assist with various projects and have contributed financially to many needs and projects, including the provision of on-site faculty housing and ongoing contributions to the Blessing Fund which has provided assistance with the provision of food for students. From 2001 to 2009, our missionary Grant Aldridge was closely involved on a day to day basis with the administration of the college as he served as Business Manager for American Advent Missions based in Cagayan de Oro and he continues to maintain a close liaison with the college.

ORO BIBLE COLLEGE trains young men and women from Philippine Advent Christian Conference churches and from other denominations, for service for the Lord in many different spheres of ministry. The college is accredited by CHED (the Philippine government’s Commission for Higher Education and its AB degree in Theology is fully recognised in the higher education field.

Over many years, Advent Christian General Conference, through American Advent Missions has provided support for the College by the provision of suitably qualified missionaries who have held leadership, administrative and teaching positions within the college. In response to a requirement of CHED that the college be ultimately be staffed entirely by Filipinos, the number of expatriate staff has been gradually reduced, and the last missionaries left OBC about the middle of 2011. The withdrawal of the last three missionaries during the past two years, whose salaries were paid by AAM, has brought a substantial increase in the costs at OBC, as they have employed Filipino faculty members to replace them, and the college staff has had to present a budget to the Board showing a substantial deficit for the present financial year.

The Current Need

There are presently 38 students enrolled in the four year AB Theology course at the College.

One way we can assist OBC deal with this deficit budget is to sponsor students for their tuition and /or food and lodgings costs. Most of the students who attend OBC are from poor, rural areas and neither they nor their families can afford to pay college fees. In the past OBC has subsidised their fees in an endeavour to allow them to be obedient to the Lord’s call to train for service for Him.

Students who cannot pay fees are now being sent home.

How you can help

OBC advises that for the academic year ended March 2012, the following average costs apply for the 38 present students.

Sponsoring one or more students will greatly assist OBC reduce the deficit and ensure that the students can continue the studies they believe the Lord has called them to. One off donations towards sponsorship or part sponsorship will be very welcome.

Until sponsorship has been pledged to cover all the students at the college on an ongoing basis, all sponsorship will go into a pool and will be used to assist all students equally. There will be no question of some students being sponsored and some not.