Crossroad Bible Institute is continuing to grow its impact internationally with newly established campuses in Western Ghana, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Eric Mensah
Crossroad Bible Institute is continuing to grow its impact internationally with newly established campuses in Western Ghana, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Eric Mensah is the campus director for Ghana West, which currently has twenty-nine prisoners enrolled in CBI classes in Takoradi Central Jail and four volunteer Instructors mentoring the prisoners. Mensah leads a prison ministry called Hope & Love Outreach in Ghana, and he has incorporated CBI lessons into his program.
Mensah said he hopes to reach thirty new students in the next three months and is hoping to find sponsors for the ministry. Although there are currently a small number of students in Western Ghana, the Bible lessons are having a tremendous impact on the students involved.
“CBI has encouraged me to study the scripture in detail,” said Kwadwo A., one of the students in Ghana. “It has helped me, and I’m praying that God protect and preserve the leaders of Crossroad.”
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, campus director Ibrahim has received licensing to enter prisons
CBI Pakistan is ready to begin ministering to prisoners after receiving licensing to enter facilities.
in the country. Ibrahim has seven volunteer Instructors to help him launch the ministry.
Among the challenges Ibrahim’s team will face is the illiteracy of prisoners. Only 3 percent of prisoners in Pakistan can read English and only 7 percent can understand Urdu, the nation’s official language, according to Ibrahim.
The Philippines campus is led by Arnel Lupingay, who is a former CBI student. Lupingay was once serving a life sentence for drug trafficking, before he found God in prison and was miraculously granted early release.
But after being freed from prison in 2010, it wasn’t long before Lupingay wanted to go back — this time to minister.
“The Lord put a burden on my heart to go back and continue the ministry in prison,” he said. But as Arnel continued to minister behind bars, he realized there was a great need for formal Bible study lessons.
Graduates of a CBI course pose for a photo in the Philippines.
The Lord answered his prayer for Bible curriculum when he was connected with Paul Tan, director of Crossroad’s Singapore campus. Lupingay is now partnering with CBI to bring lessons to Inagawan Prison in the Philippines.
“The reason why I want to work with prisoners is because I want to impart life to them. If God can miraculously change my life, I believe God will do the same for them,” he said.
Jacob Busscher, international coordinator for Crossroad, said Lupingay’s story is just one example of the life change that is taking place every day through CBI’s international ministry.
“We regularly hear stories of prisoners’ lives being transformed through coming to know Christ. We are looking forward to hearing those stories of change from our new campuses in West Ghana, Pakistan and the Philippines,” he said.
For more information on all of CBI’s international affiliates, click here.