See Bethel progress in photographs taken in 2003

Look here for the 2004 progress

Introduction
The Bethel concept has it's very roots in the Scriptures. It was at Bethel (Genesis 28) where Jacob settled to rest after a long day. That night Jacob had a dream of a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching the heavens, the angles of God ascending and descending back and forth. It was at Bethel where God re-affirmed His commitment to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The next day, Jacob awoke from his slumber, realized God's presence and worshiped Him. Bethel Covenant High School would therefore be envisioned as a place of rest for the weary soul, a place where worshiping and glorifying the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would take preeminence, and a place where young people would be helped to develop their God given potential.

Background
There are two traditional methods of helping disadvantaged children and youth in Uganda. One is to give them handouts on the street – food, clothing, medical care, etc. While this has helped meet needs for the moment, it has produced no lasting change and has in effect, made the street more attractive, leading to more homeless children and youth pouring onto the streets. The other has been to gather them into homes, yet in such cases where there has been no effort to provide skill ventures or even an exit strategy, has in most cases transferred the problem from the street to the home with a high rate of recidivism. Bethel house has seventy young people in Kampala, and all but a few of the very young ones attend school. We also operate Bethel Village (Ranch) where all the older kids go to work during the holidays.

It started during 2000 where overtime, we gathered a total of six young boys into Bethel Village. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a big children's home known as Africa Foundation collapsed due to loss of sponsorships from abroad. Bethel took in sixty-five kids from that home.

This work with the kids has been great, yet not without its challenges. God has taught us sacrificial patience, as well as thankfulness to Him even for little things, and to be willing to be broken if He is to use us to help many. This lesson is drawn from John 6 where Jesus takes the fives loaves of bread and the two fish, gave thanks, and then broke the bread and the fish. What followed was a miracle that fed thousands. Late in that same chapter, Jesus says that the bread actually signified His body that He would willingly give to be broken for our salvation.

Bethel Covenant High School
The idea to start Bethel Covenant High School was by no means an afterthought. 50% of all the funds we are now raising go to pay required school fees. This has only helped to strengthen our resolve to start our own school. Such a school with 600 students would enable us to operate a very high quality program and generate the necessary funds to sponsor the children now at Bethel Home and even add more in the months to come.

Dr. Henry Krabbendam and I have already secured three acres of property for the school compound. There are an adjacent three acres that if we could secure, would allow us room for athletic field and home sites for teachers. (See site plan)

School Mission
To develop men (students) into the most honorable and responsible citizens, by equipping them with the highest standard of practical education, by God's Grace.

Practical Application Once started, the Ranch (Bethel Village) would be an integral part of the school. It would serve as a training ground where the kids would see the applications of the classroom theories. The Ranch would also serve as a retreat center for our school kids. It would also serve us with enough food stuffs.

Though we are living in the IT age, yet in many ways, Africa is still in the subsistence, pred-industrial age. The computer still mesmerizes many as the "wise machine." At Bethel Covenant High School we intend to install a great leap forward by introducing a computer lab with sixty computers (one per ten students), as well as introducing students to the Internet.

Target Dates
We aim to start Bethel Covenant High School during February 2004. We know that God's timing may be different. We are praying that ours would be God's timing. We would like to build a hall and classroom block by that date. Our plans include the building three more classroom blocks, and office, labs, and stores, over the following five year period.

Please use the address below to make your tax deductible contribution to Bethel. 100% of funds received are forwarded to Uganda for use by Bethel. No administrative funds are charged here in the USA. Make checks payable to Africa Christian Training Institute, and make clear it is designed for Bethel Covenant High School.