The Koinonia Training Centre is celebrating ten years of serving the community through its Christian Bible College.

Over the past decade, many Bermuda residents have become students of the college to tap into their spiritual gifts and further their ministry.

Evangelist Joan Simmons, cofounder of Koinonia Training Centre, and her husband, the Reverend Conway Simmons, share the college's value for their students.

Mrs Simmons said: “They have learnt to hear the voice of God and teach others in their sphere of influence to hear the voice of God. A few students also teach ‘Ministering Spiritual Gifts’ to other church members to equip and activate them in their calling. Classes are also taught at Westgate Correctional Facility, training young men to be pastors.”

Mrs Simmons and her husband launched the Koinonia Training Centre in 2014, a project that had been 13 years in the making. She said the calling was first expressed to her in a “prophetic word” in 2001, when she was attending the Christian International’s Watchman Intercession event.

Over the subsequent years, the idea was presented three times before Mrs Simmons started making it a reality“through much prayer” in 2013, before officially launching in 2014.

“That year my husband was 75 and retiring from pastoral ministry,” Mrs Simmons said. “We knew that God would have to shift him from pastoral ministry to another ministry where we would help develop and equip Christians in their calling.

“What we discovered was that many people are sitting in the pews with many gifts, and they’re not being used. We felt that if they were trained and equipped, they could move into their own ministry.

“We stay under the umbrella of the AME church, but God has called us to do something different: to equip and activate believers in their calling.”

Reaching the ten-year milestone is a memorable moment for the Koinonia Training Centre; reflecting on this occasion, Mrs Simmons said: “It is an honour, a privilege and gratifying to know and meet amazing people with a passion for being equipped and activated in their calling.

“We discovered many Christians wanted a more meaningful Christian life but were not finding that at all. So, my husband and I provided that vehicle by having a Christian Bible College connected with the Christian International School of Theology with an excellent Bible Curriculum.

“Our instructors are quite equipped and have a good knowledge of each course that was taught. What is rewarding for us is to witness the commitment of students to be equipped and activated in their gifts and calling. Not only to receive a degree, but to be fully equipped spiritually to do the work of the Lord.”

To celebrate this momentous milestone, the Koinonia Training Centre has invited Jane Hamon, an international speaker and author apostle, to speak at two special services at Heritage Worship Centre next weekend, on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

The first service is being held next Friday, March 1, and the second at Heritage Worship Centre, at 9am on March 2.

The March 1 service, starting at 7pm, is open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. The March 2 service will start at 9am and is intended to “refresh, reactivate and reawaken” bishops, pastors, ministers, and elders in their ministry. Clergy in those positions are encouraged to attend to be “poured into and refreshed in their ministry for the Lord.”

Mrs Simmons said: “Apostle Jane and her husband Apostle Tom Hamon are instructors in Koinonia Training Centre, and she is also an international speaker and author of many books.

“She has a world view of Christianity and goes into nations to set the captives free through her teaching and ministry to individuals and churches. She brings God’s prophetic insights to individuals, churches, and nations. Hence, she is coming to Bermuda to celebrate Koinonia Training Centre’s tenth anniversary.”

Attendees at the service who hear Ms Hamon speak will enjoy a blessed experience, Mrs Simmons said, adding: “They will be impacted beyond measure.”