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Lommasson Alliance Bible College

Mission:

Lommasson Alliance Bible College is an academic institution of higher learning, that seeks to prepare men and women called by God to relevant ministries in the church, the body of Christ, by nurturing their spiritual life into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29); and seeks to attain its fullest development as an institution of the Christian community.

Courses Offered:

>  Bachelor of Theology (4 years plus 1 year internship)
>  Bachelor of Religious Education (4 Years plus 1 year internship)
>  Diploma in Pastoral Studies (4 years plus 1 year internship)
>  Diploma in Christian Education (4 years plus 1 year internship)
>  Pre-School

Location

The School is located in the Municipality of Lapuyan, in the southern section of the Province of Zamboanga del Sur. It is about a two-hour ride going to the city of Pagadian. The Municipality is bounded on the east by the Municipality of San Miguel, north by the Municipality of Kumalarang and south-southwest by the waters of Dumanquilas Bay and has an aggregated area of 17,325 hectares of land of which the Poblacion accounted for 1,843.6897 hectares or 11 percent of the total land area. The population of Lapuyan totals about 24,366 with a total number of households of 4,644. The inhabitants of the Municipality are predominantly Subanens, comprising approximately 70 percent of the total population. This people group was believed to have moved from the coastal areas of the province to the hinterlands when Christian settlers started to migrate and occupy the coastal towns. The School provides a place for meditation and personal devotion. The three-hectare campus is an ideal place for camps and retreats. The Lord provided the Institution with abundant water. And just a few minutes walk is a waterfall with a government-run swimming pool to provide attraction to the place. The voice of the running water from the river on the side of the campus adds to the solemnity of the School.

The School aimed at preparing men and women called by God to relevant ministries in the church by nurturing their spiritual life into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ, and by providing them with academic training covering the areas of missions, theology, biblical studies, church history, pastoral studies, preaching, counseling, social sciences, and other ministry-related disciplines. The training provided by LABC include 12 months of supervised practical internship equivalent to 6 units.

Affiliation

The Lommasson Alliance Bible College is one of the nine theological schools of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines (CAMACOP), Inc. The School has attracted students from various cultures in the country and has been instrumental in producing Christian leaders, pastors, educators, and church planters. LABC is accredited by the Philippine Association of Bible and Theological Schools (PABATS).

History

The present Lommasson Alliance Bible College (LABC) started as the Tribal Bible School (TBS). Its vision was to train and equip Subanen workers in spreading the gospel. At first, class sessions were held in a church in Maruing in 1967. There were only a few students then, and naturally only a few teachers were needed. Sacrifice and perseverance marked the lives of the pioneering teachers and students of the School. From Maruing, the School was temporarily transferred to the Lapuyan Alliance Tabernacle in 1969. Still there were no classrooms available, but only a vacant church building, which was at that time more than enough to accommodate a handful of students. The realization of an ideal Bible school was not yet perceivable during those early years, since the School was still in the stages of building. The churches who welcomed the School played very important roles in helping the School grow and thrive showing the wonders of what teamwork can accomplish. The School continued under the same setting until it finally found a place where it could settle itself independently as a school in 1971. The Tribal Bible School during that time became known as Lommasson Memorial Bible School (LMBS) in memory of the late Rev. & Mrs. Samuel Lommasson, the first missionary couple who was responsible for converting many of the Subanens to Christianity. The chosen school site was beside the Lapuyan River and several plots of fishponds. These natural resources provided the occupants of the School with food, which was available if they were ready to help themselves. The maxim that, “God helps those who help themselves” clearly illustrated the lives of the teachers and students of the School. School buildings started to rise within the vicinity of the School. Dormitories for men and ladies as well as faculty cottages were added to the physical realization of an ideal school. With the availability of enough space, volleyball and basketball courts were made. The students during those times really had their first taste of campus life, a privilege that was deprived from them when the School was only temporarily based in some churches. Within the campus setting, both students and teachers had the luxury of interacting informally among themselves. The learning that was solely limited to the classroom was made available in a real-life setting. However, the LMBS school site lacked a good water source. The nearest source of drinkable water was not readily accessible. So once again the site was transferred to what is now the Lommasson Alliance Bible College. What was inadequate in LMBS was abundant in LABC. Water seemed to come out almost from anywhere. Such an event proves that God sees the needs of His people and He is eveready to supply them if they only put their trust in Him. The start of LABC, just like any other school, was difficult. The former students and teachers had to be accommodated in whatever was made available at the time. Sacrifice was once more evident in the lives of the students and faculty. With God’s help, however, it was not long before foreign aids were sent to finance buildings and cottages.

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References