Graduating Pastor Biteghe Minko Fièle (from the church Chandelier 7) receives his diploma.

The Graduation Ceremony, which was filmed by local TV crews, and later televised on the local Libreville stations, took place in a quality hotel colorfully and tastefully decorated. Female ushers from the Grace Evangelical Church of Libreville dressed in matching yellow, African dresses, greeted visitors at the entrance. The graduates wore black or black and white suits. Everything was soberly but warmly chic, reflecting Gabon’s distinct French-flavored class. Everything ran professionally and efficiently—something one rarely sees in other parts of Africa.

The ceremony was presided by (left to right: Pastor Jean-Sylvestre Nkogo Nguema, Pastor Louis DeMeo, Pastor Elie Koumbem

The ceremony was presided by three pastors: Elie Koumbem from Burkina Faso, Louis DeMeo from Southern California (previously France) and, of course, Jean-Sylvestre Nkogo Nguema, a native of Gabon. Prudence Lohento, spokesman for all the graduates, shared how his three years studying the Scriptures at the ITML had benefited his life. He no doubt echoed the mindset of the seven pastors from different Gabonese congregations whose desire to rightly divide the Word of Truth, and appropriately feed their flocks, had caused them to bring their hunger and humbly sit in class evening after evening to deepen their biblical knowledge.

One pastor could not attend his own graduation so his wife stood in proxy to receive his diploma, thus making four women in the photos of the graduates. There were in fact three female graduates, all from the Grace Evangelical Church pastored by Jean-Sylvestre.

One graduates, Briette Yolande Ndong, works at Libreville’s airport welcoming VIPs. She has prayerfully placed Bibles in the hands of some high-profile, prominent people, and has persuaded one such person to begin attending Bible courses.

The TV presentation shown later that evening and the next day will no doubt also draw more students to this already growing Theological Institute.

One student, still an undergraduate, works for a strategically placed high, government official. During our stay in Gabon, we were invited to this official’s office and later that evening—after we had both taught at the ITML—a car came to pick us up and drive us to his home to eat a scrumptious French/African dinner with him and his wife. This prominent figure had previously prayed with Louis last November, expressing an openness to Christ. He is, however, a high-priest of the animist religion prevalent in Gabon—Bwiti. Nonetheless, his hunger for the Bible and desire toward prayer is evident, and Louis has had several opportunities to pray with him, including around the large old Guttenberg Bible in his home. Perhaps the fact that his assistant and another government colleague are Christians has been instrumental in awakening his appetite for truth.

Certainly Gabon needs truth. Sadly, movements such as the “prosperity gospel” or hyper-charismania have sadly pervaded Africa as a whole, and the typical, naïve humility common to most Africans renders them gullible. Even during our brief stay in Libreville, we met a prosperity preacher who was setting up future campaigns, apparently planning to sell thousands of books and, more importantly, sell his spurious philosophy. And although Gabon is richer than much of Africa, still poverty is prevalent. The poor are particularly susceptible to believe false proclamations which deceitfully offer them wealth while ignoring the true riches the Bible offers—those we build in Heaven through obedience down here.

The need for sound teaching is ITML’s raison d’être! Its emphasis on sound dogma equips believers to discern false doctrines and makes this school stand out as a work of God. The Grace Evangelical Church of Libreville also has other distinctions, not only because of balanced teaching and lots of fellowship, but also because the Nkogo Nguema’s seem to have instigated the unthinkable in their church—adoption!

Adoption is considered taboo in Gabon and yet Jean-Sylvestre and Ann-Marie have adopted three girls and are now adopting their first boy. The church members began having their eyes opened to this biblical concept, ignoring the taboo. Several couples began adopting and more are in the process or praying about it. This gives the church another beautifully biblical core which only adds more life and laughter to the whole assembly.

The ITML’s future plans include intensive courses in June which will be taught again by Louis as well as Koudjo, a pastor with a small church in Cotonou, Benin—another of the countries we visited during our trip where poor children are helped by Orphans First. Meanwhile, both Jean-Sylvestre and Louis are working to bring in more itinerary preachers willing to invest in this work—especially francophone pastors. And hopefully God will also draw leaders gifted in ministering to Libreville’s youth.

This leaves us with our part: prayer. The greatest work is done in prayer—something we can all do so that Gabon may become a central, spiritual location to reach other parts of French-speaking Africa including Togo, Benin, CentreAfrique, Congo and Burkino Faso where we have many contacts waiting for a helping hand.