It's Registration Week and the students have been continually pouring in over the last few days. It is always great to see new faces and old faces as the campus buzzes with excitement for the new term.
But there are also students who dread Registration Week because school fees are due!
During Registration Week it is not uncommon to find students in different offices sharing their struggles to find school fees with sympathetic staff members. Many of the stories have a familiar ring to them - their family doesn't support their decision to enter ministry, they have no family or friends to support them or there are just too many other expenses that take priority.
As a staff we have had to work hard to to be consistent rather than make exceptions based on emotional response to the stories, as this can be viewed as favoritism or could also lead to every student coming with the same story in hopes of not paying.
So what do you say to a student with a calling to ministry who desires to study at ARCC?
Ask any student and they will tell you the same - "Leaders overcome challenges!"
Although we would love to see every student come regardless of their ability to pay that just isn't possible. Not only that, we believe that paying fees is a part of preparation for ministry.
Ministry is more than preaching on Sunday morning but it involves having a positive witness in the community. A pastor who doesn't pay their bills or fulfill their commitments will not last long in any community.
We also know that ministry is not easy and there will always be pressures and challenges. So we believe it is better for students to learn to face these challenges now during their time of training rather than when they are on their own.
This term it has been especially rewarding to see the students paying their fees. Some students have found jobs during the school breaks while others have taken a term or two off to save up their fees. But in each case were the student has overcome the "school fees challenge" you see a smile or their head held high because they know that they are prepared to face the next challenge that comes their way!
There are new challenges facing Africa every day... war, famine, corruption, disease, etc. Our task is to prepare these students to face these challenges head on... and we believe that they will be ready!
But there are also students who dread Registration Week because school fees are due!
During Registration Week it is not uncommon to find students in different offices sharing their struggles to find school fees with sympathetic staff members. Many of the stories have a familiar ring to them - their family doesn't support their decision to enter ministry, they have no family or friends to support them or there are just too many other expenses that take priority.
As a staff we have had to work hard to to be consistent rather than make exceptions based on emotional response to the stories, as this can be viewed as favoritism or could also lead to every student coming with the same story in hopes of not paying.
So what do you say to a student with a calling to ministry who desires to study at ARCC?
Ask any student and they will tell you the same - "Leaders overcome challenges!"
Although we would love to see every student come regardless of their ability to pay that just isn't possible. Not only that, we believe that paying fees is a part of preparation for ministry.
Ministry is more than preaching on Sunday morning but it involves having a positive witness in the community. A pastor who doesn't pay their bills or fulfill their commitments will not last long in any community.
We also know that ministry is not easy and there will always be pressures and challenges. So we believe it is better for students to learn to face these challenges now during their time of training rather than when they are on their own.
This term it has been especially rewarding to see the students paying their fees. Some students have found jobs during the school breaks while others have taken a term or two off to save up their fees. But in each case were the student has overcome the "school fees challenge" you see a smile or their head held high because they know that they are prepared to face the next challenge that comes their way!
There are new challenges facing Africa every day... war, famine, corruption, disease, etc. Our task is to prepare these students to face these challenges head on... and we believe that they will be ready!
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