“I was very, very happy to be there”

OC Special Ambassador Dr. Manfred Kohl recounts details from his recent trip to India and the partner school he visited in Allahabad.

Located between Calcutta and Delhi, Allahabad is a very historic, religious city well-recognized by the Church. It is the birthplace of Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the key leaders of the nation of India, and it is where OC partner school Allahabad Bible Seminary (ABSI) is located.

“[ABSI] is probably one of the finest theological institutions in north India,” says Dr. Kohl. The seminary has over 240 students being trained for the ministry and is an institution where very few teach in the Hindi language. He says, “Statistics tell us that over 500-600 million people speak the Hindi language, so it’s very important that we have a theological training program in that particular language.”

OC US, OC Europe and especially OC Australia have invested a lot of support into ABSI, including funds for buildings, infrastructure and student scholarships. Recently, new dormitories for men and women were built, as well as a faculty and staff building. The Peoples Church in Fresno, CA, also gave a major donation to have the old chapel renovated. “Now it looks beautiful to have the chapel and the whole campus in just wonderful, wonderful condition,” Dr. Kohl says. “It is a highlight when you go through Allahabad to see such a beautiful campus.”

It was a great joy to see 69 students graduate during his visit as well. “Every single one already has an assignment for the Church in India, the churches in Nagaland and several other places where the students are now going for their ministry,” he says.

A large two day celebration took place as the new library building was dedicated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Twenty new computers were donated, allowing students to now use internet facilities for their studies and research. A new floor of the men’s dormitory, made possible by OC Australia, was also dedicated, providing space for 60 additional students.

Dr. Kohl says a personal highlight for him was that, due to his involvement with the institution for so many years, the seminary named the Manfred Kohl Academic Chair for Biblical Peacemaking after him. “It was a very, very special moment,” he says. “The whole two days was just a huge celebration and expression of what OC has done over the last 30 years or so on this campus…I was very, very happy to be there.”