Twelve years ago African Christian Schools founded a second college. Just 2 hours from Lagos, West Nigeria Christian College was strategically positioned to reach over 40 million people.
Early in the work and development of WNCC, it was clear there were opportunities far beyond what we had hoped or imagined. The campus is near enough to the Lagos airport to bring workers in from the U.S. Its central location means we can recruit students from Benin, Ibadan, and Lagos as well as strengthen the churches in those regions.
WNCC has a Nigerian board of directors that are doing an amazing job managing the college, planning for the future and giving of their own time, talents and financial gifts. This year the school raised over $12,000 U.S. to help fund the annual lectureship, they also donated the labor and materials to complete the wiring for the new dormitory. The local board and staff at WNCC also took responsibility for tiling all the floors in the campus auditorium.
In their board meeting in August they (the Nigerian board) committed to raising over $100,000 U.S. for future projects on the campus. Money they plan to raise within Nigeria.
The commitment, dedication and true sense of partnership that has been demonstrated by the board at WNCC gives cause for great optimism for the work in Nigeria. While it has become more and more difficult to send U.S. missionaries to the field (because of the kidnappings and violence), it is refreshing to see our African brethren taking the mantle of leadership and planning for the future. This should be the goal of every mission effort – to become self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating.
Over 60 years ago brother C.A.O. Essien challenged us to send men over to train preachers and they would take Africa with the gospel of Christ. Not only are there over 8,000 churches of Christ in Nigeria, but now we are seeing the fruits of what can be accomplished when mature, faithful Christian men take on the mantle of leadership. I have met few men as devoted and giving as those serving on the Board of Directors at WNCC.