School of Religion helps fund Bible school for Ugandan refugees
Courtesy of Lee University Press Office
In honor of Lee’s Centennial year, the School of Religion has rallied together to complete a project funding a Church of God Bible school.
The school will be located in a Ugandan refugee camp. According to a press release by the university, the original projected cost to build the school was $1,400. But the commitment of the SOR brought the total funds raised up to $1,875.
The project began with the help of director of faculty development and distinguished professor of English Dr. Carolyn Dirksen. This past year, she met Dichi Joseph Levi on a trip to Kenya. Dirksen said her relationship with Levi has flourished into the realization of his hopes for his home.
“Dichi was my student in a course I taught in East Africa a couple of summers ago,” Dirksen said. “His dream is to train people in the Bible so that when they go back home to South Sudan, they can take the message of the Gospel with them.”
Recently forced to move to the Pagirinya Refugee Camp, Levi chose to begin a Bible school in the camp after attending one in Kenya. As a result, he has erected three churches within the camp. This quick expansion is what inspired Levi and Dirksen to fund-raise for the construction of the Bible school.
Dirksen said the School of Religion stepped in for Levi when raising money for the school.
“He asked for very little to start this Bible school, and I knew this project would be close to the hearts of the leaders of Lee’s School of Religion,” Dirksen said.
Associate Dean of the School of Religion Dr. Rickie Moore said he is excited to see the project come to fruition and sees Levi's school as a reflection of Lee's own history.
“Lee started as a small Bible school 100 years ago, and now we can help another small Bible school get started,” Moore said.
Countless projects throughout Lee’s campus are focused on service. Whether through hands-on fund-raising or learning projects, Moore said Lee wants to give back to not only the local community, but also the global community, believing that helping in small ways can make a big difference.
“We thought it would be a great way to celebrate our Centennial. Scripture reminds us in Zechariah 4:10 that ‘the Lord thinks highly of the day of small beginnings,’” Moore said.
To donate, or for more information on the Dichi Joseph Levi Bible school project, contact Rickie Moore at atrmoore@leeuniversity.edu.
