God is on the move through our global network of students, faculty, staff, partners, and alumni at Bakke Graduate University! I have experienced this firsthand through my recent travels throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Yes, there are many challenges in our modern world. But the Lord is raising up transformational leaders in many different cities, cultures, and sectors of society who are working together to passionately and innovatively join God’s mission to redeem every person in every place across the globe.
This movement of God is very exciting, but it is not new. In reading through the Bible, we see how God raises up specific people in specific places who he sets apart for his plans and purposes. He interconnects people from different places and cultures to work together on mission through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts in the New Testament, God orchestrates divine appointments for people from different places to cross paths with each other to encourage and strengthen each other in the Lord and to reach people with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God is still doing those types of things today. Recently, I visited the city of Berlin in Germany, where friends from many different nations gathered to pray together and reach out to that diverse city with the gospel. I met a pastor from Ghana who prayed with me and encouraged me greatly in the Lord. Since then, we have stayed in touch on WhatsApp, and we have become good friends who pray together and encourage one another. We strengthen each other so that we can go out as leaders to make a big difference in the world. In Berlin, I also visited with a friend who is an urban missiologist who has dedicated his life to city transformation efforts through pastoring, social entrepreneurship, teaching, and research. We walked together through the city, and he shared about all that God has done and is doing in the city that he loves. It was so inspiring! I met a Christian from Iran in Berlin who has experienced tremendous persecution in recent years. I was so encouraged by his personal testimony, and the testimony of how God’s Church is growing in Iran despite many challenges. I had so many divine appointments in Berlin with new friends who gathered there from many different parts of the world who would like to partner together and study with BGU.
I went directly to Amsterdam from Berlin to spend time with friends working out the details of having that city serve as the main hub of a new BGU regional ecosystem for Europe. Once again, I was greatly encouraged in the Lord by spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ, dreaming together about how we might work together with God’s leading to expand our transformational leadership training throughout cities on the continent of Europe. BGU hosted an incredible city immersion course in Amsterdam in 2022, where we saw firsthand how God is doing a mighty work there. The movement of God in Amsterdam has increased exponentially since then. Not only is there a great story to be told there, but the city is a wonderful classroom to learn and do research on how to be effective in joining God’s redemptive work in the world. I left Amsterdam more encouraged than ever about the expansion of BGU’s work in Europe. We will be announcing specific details soon about next steps for growth in Amsterdam and in many strategic cities throughout Europe.
As our fiscal year-end comes to a close, please consider giving financially to support BGU’s mission to expand in places like Amsterdam and the broader continent of Europe. A generous donor has offered $10,000 as a challenge gift to help us finish the fiscal year strong. Will you help to match it? Just go to https://bgu.edu/giving
Dr. Bryan McCabe
President