Tim had the opportunity to speak at Kansai Independent Baptist Bible School (KIBBS) this week. KIBBS is located about three hours southwest of Nagoya in the Kobe area near Osaka.

In their heyday, they had upwards of thirty students but these days they are fortunate to get five or six students and a graduate or two every year or two from their three-year program. They currently have five students (three men and two ladies). Good Bible schools like KIBBS are very few and are where good pastoral candidates come from. The lack of students accounts for the lack of pastoral candidates and therefore the increasing number of churches without pastors.

They have a ladies’ dorm wing and a men’s dorm wing with room for several students in each room. They currently have more rooms than students so each student has his or her own room and some to spare.

The buildings are quite old, but they are trying to remodel and update things as they have the resources. They recently renovated the dining room where Tim and the men enjoyed a simple lunch prepared by the staff. The classroom area is still in great need of renovation. Looks like you stepped into the ‘60s with old paneling and worn carpet.

Please pray that the Lord will burden the hearts of young men to serve in the ministry and give them the desire and ability to endure the difficulty of the time-consuming, expensive training. The president of the Bible school who invited Tim to speak in chapel told him that most students work for two to three years to save the money to attend the Bible school. The school is supported by churches and individuals so the students only have to cover about half the actual expense of running the school. Most of the faculty are pastors of area churches and not full-time teachers so their salary from the school is minimal.