We praise God as another Senior class, our second this year and 13th overall, graduates from AIU. On October 21, 26 graduates received their hard-earned diplomas. Of these, 23 were residential students, and three distance learning students. 25 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and one graduated with a Diploma in Biblical Studies. It was a truly momentous day as families and friends gathered to witness this grand event. Aside from our Vice Chancellor Mr. Jim Gerhart, and members of AIU’s local academic staff, other notable guests included Dr. Conrad Mbewe who was our keynote guest speaker, Dr. Edwin Silavwe (AIU council Chairperson), and Dr. Rodney Masona (AIU council Vice-Chairperson). Also present were government and traditional leaders including our district commissioner, mayor, area councilor, local headmen and headwomen, among others.

The theme of this graduation, “Making Him [Christ] Known”, was carried over from the earlier graduation ceremony. In keeping with this theme, Dr. Mbewe challenged the graduates to go out and preach the true Gospel and the undiluted Word of God, emphasizing 1 Corinthians 2:2 that the call to make Christ known starts with knowing Him. In this manner, he admonished our graduates to seek Christ daily, especially as they engage the world. Dr. Mbewe thanked Gospelink and AIU for our focus and dedication to preparing spiritual leaders, describing AIU as a sibling of Africa Christian University (ACU) where he is a founder and chancellor, and giving thanks to our Lord for raising up such institutions to cooperate in championing the Gospel.

In light of our mandate to “equip the next generation of spiritual leaders”, such events remind us of God’s faithfulness and AIU’s commitment to do this well. We are thankful to our sponsors, partners, teachers, and all who choose to invest in the lives of our students as we anticipate seeing how God will use them for His glory.

See below a gallery of photos taken during this event!

Since AIU’s inception, we have endeavored to deliver quality content to our learners, keeping pace with ever-growing demands and standards in education. This includes continuous improvements in methods for managing communications and content between students and teachers.

In late 2022, we launched a new learning management system called Moodle. This system enables facilitators to combine and blend various learning aids and tools that work regardless of geographic location. Moodle works very well for online education as well as for enhancing interaction in conventional learning. Especially now with our distance learning program in full swing, Moodle has proven a timely blessing. All our residential students and a portion of our online students are already using this platform. We expect up to 90% of our students to use Moodle by the first quarter of 2024.

As with any technology, as this system evolves, we too must keep up with updates and best practices. Thanks to a dedicated support team sent to us from Horizon Education Network, we can ensure our staff remains up to speed. For two days in early October, they sent Dr. Brian and Dr. Allen to our campus to train and orient our academic staff on the best ways to maximize this tool for teaching, whether online or on campus.

AIU management is grateful for this partnership with Horizon Education Network. As the goal of this technology is to teach Scripture more effectively, our staff looks forward to integrating their newly acquired skills into their teaching methods. Continue praying with us that we may grow in our desire to learn God’s Word while teaching it to others as effectively as possible, while, as with all of God’s blessings, being good stewards with all He provides.

Jairos Banda graduated in 2018 from AIU’s undergraduate program, after which he was retained on staff. In July of this year, he was among AIU’s first Master’s graduating class.

Jairos currently serves as both Lecturer and AIU’s Distance Learning Supervisor. In this role, he feels quite privileged to share and teach God’s Word online to many students lacking the opportunity to study in person at AIU. In this capacity, he develops and implements strategies to promote and grow this vital initiative. On a daily basis, Jairos interacts with AIU’s distance learning students to make the process as effective as possible. Beginning this year, he has also begun teaching courses to resident students. Adding to these roles, Jairos also serves as AIU’s photographer and key content contributor to campus news articles and to AIU’s monthly newsletter. In his own words,

Mathews Phiri is a 2023 Freshman at AIU. Originally from Chipata in eastern Zambia, Mathews is the second born among five, having three sisters and one brother.

Raised in a religious, church-going household, he remained resistant to God for a long time. He was considered a troublemaker among his siblings; his parents tried as they could to encourage him change to his ways and do what was right. In 2008, Mathews faced a tragic event. Hit on the head by a friend, he suffered a severe skull fracture requiring hospitalization for one and a half years. After his recovery and discharge from the hospital, he considered God’s goodness and mercy towards him through this trial and decided to become committed to seeking and serving Him.

While still in high school, Mathews attended a Christian youth conference in his hometown. This was the first time he remembers hearing the Gospel clearly preached in its totality. The preacher emphasized the reality of eternal life after death for all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal savior. Matthews believed, and upon his salvation, he sensed God guiding him with a genuine desire to be used for His glory. At this same time, he also realized his deep need to study God’s Word in order to serve Him better.

As his desire to study God’s Word continued to grow, upon completing high school Mathews was introduced to AIU through our admission team during a visit to his hometown. Upon learning about the programs and courses at AIU, Mathew knew right away that he had to apply. Gaining admission, he is thankful for all he has been able to learn thus far.

Mathews is especially grateful for the opportunity to really learn God’s Word. He appreciates the teachers for their tireless efforts to ensure that students learn how to correctly handle Scripture and interpret it correctly. In his own words,

Mathew desires to glorify God in everything he does in daily life. After graduation, Mathews plans to be a pastor and serve at his local church. Pray with Mathews that he will finish his studies well at AIU and that God will continue to provide for him as he grows in His wisdom.

Thank you for your prayers and participation with us as we seek daily our Lord’s direction in preparing Africa’s next generation of Christian leaders at Ambassador International University!