Dr. Hama Visits ECBC

ECBC English Pastor candidate Dr. Joseph Hama visited ECBC this weekend for his formal interview and to meet with congregation members of the entire church. He spent Friday and Saturday night with the youth fellowships and preached to both congregations on Sunday morning. At lunch, ECBC had a welcome meet and greet session with this dynamic personality.

To begin, Dr. Hama introduced himself with some basic background. In his family life, he was born in a Catholic family and adopted six of his two brothers' children after his brothers passed away. Dr. Hama is has been happily married for three years.

As a young Catholic, he liked reading the poetic books of Psalms and Proverbs, and as he read more of the Bible, he found that much of the Catholice traditions and teachings troubling as he wasn't able to find it in scripture. He was labeled as a troublemaker for asking questions of the faith. Later on after finishing high school at home, he was awarded with a full university scholarship at 16, but was not able to attend as he wasn't able to receive his father's blessing.

In his conversion story, Dr. Hama ran into a Christian friend who invited him to a youth camp during an Easter long weekend. After a miserable few days, he heard the message on Sunday morning and became upset as it hit close to home. He was convinced that his friend had talked to the preacher about his drug history but it was not the case. Dr. Hama came to the faith that weekend after talking to his friend and crying and praying. By the power of God, he did not have another drug experience since that time even though he had withdrawal symptoms.

Since then, he has developed as a man in Christ and with the discipleship of a Baptist pastor, his early Christian years was spent teaching youth and becoming a youth leader. After some time, he sensed that ministry was his calling, but was reluctant at first as a life of ministry is regarded in Africa as a life of poverty. But he compromised and decided to follow his calling, and moved to the United States for more training. During this time, he became involved in a multiple of ministries including a singles outreach for an Arabic mission, international ministry hosting natives in Zimbabwe, and counselling as a hospital chaplain.

Here's some point form notes during the question & answer period:

1. worst quality in ministry - goal oriented/ personality annoyed with apathy
2. childhood memory - grew up on farm, holidays on the farm
-grade 4 building things - creek in field, sand
- build house, dug in sand, plywood, stayed until school
- house fell apart
- mother cut rose plant from rose garden
- mom said, no house left but you can plant house
- next season - roses from 'dump heap' at home
3. cross cultural ministry?
- cross cultural family- dutch african, indian african parents
- Seminary - Arabic mission for singles ministry
- hispanic, anglo, african - current church
- international ministry hosting natives in Zimbabwe
- out reach to international students
- work in hospital, as it embraces all types of people
- loves to learn new things
- difference of perspectives and world views
4. chaplain experience/rela to church ministry
- largest congregation in world
- people give birth, get married, sick, die
- related to church directly
- to prepare someone for congregation - hospital work
- as it deals with great sorrow and joys in life
- diversity gives experience and understanding
example
- indian culture, parents find husband for daughter
- girl found man & fell in love with Kenyan
5. best way to connect to youth
- not a youth, can't pretend
- but to present who he is and accept who they are
- share their joys sorrows,
- be someone they can trust
- understand, and accept that they have something to teach him
- cannot take them as fools, tap into their intelligence
- build on it, expand on it.
6. gay marriage
- spiritural view - no possibility
- what Bible says yes, he says yes, if it says no, he says no
- makes sure church is a church which knows grace
- has got to be able to love a sinner, but not to sin
- extend grace to a sinner
- passage ref: group brings a woman to jesus in act to adultery
- Jesus writes, and says let he who has no sin cast the first stone
- no one left to condemn her, but tells her not to sin anymore
- same with samaritan woman at the well
- JEsus interacts with sinners, jesus did not condemn, accepted, by reproved the sin
- stands on foundational scripture, can't be pressured to change what he believes
- unless god says something else
7. in present job (hospital chaplain)
- love most being with people in crisis
- to bring christ into situation
- hate monthly stat reports
- has found ways to be more effective and efficient in work
8. situation on lesser evil
- lots of situations
- most choose general principle than specific issue
- genetic engineering (blue eyed child)
- problem: value in human life... god is creator of human life alone
- reduces value of human being to our own control
- this governs how you view many principles
9. principle of inerrancy "without error"
- subscibe to it as far as Bible speaks to salvation to human soul and the guidance of life
- bible has some warnings - will of god - no error in it
- God speaks to salvation of human soul indeed
10. Bible literal today?
- distinguish between metaphor/truth?
- took world religion class on moses crossing sea
- bible has some hard things to acknowledge; requires study and context
- ie - exodus... moses wrote it traditionally... but analysis considers myth/context/ meaning
- story of how god pursued human beings to be reconnected to him
11. musical person
- joked about ipod
- tried to learn music in college
- had piano teacher who taught him
- play by ear, not by reading
- play guitar by ear as well
12. what do you think of using music in worship
- fantastic
- if you remain seated in African worship there's something wrong
- played in praise and worship band until recently
- enjoy quite a bit
- loves hymn
- contemp christian - be careful and think about the actual music
- lots of junk, poison
- when baking bread, you need a little levening, not too much
- one wrong doctrine, then you swallow flaky ideas
13. Team work strongest position
- facilitator, but cannot do everything
- in a team, overall sees the big picture
- critical minded, analyzes and brings it to the tablenever marri
- likes our setup with the way our ministry is with young people and all cooperating and taking a role
- wants to work as a pastor out of a job
- should not be the core of what goes on,but the entire congregation
- part of a larger team, guiding, leading, instructing
14. how long married
- 3 yrs with limited time
- concentrate time in raising 6 children in US
15. considered other churches? describe journey looking for God's will
- before ECBC, looked up possibilities
- currently has no other churches
- even presence at ECBC is part of journey
- in a place where there is struggle - loves to teach and preach
- all this time it's been together, trouble is can he separate the two
- hope and want our prayers
16. previous marriage
- never married before
- no bio children
- children - 2 brother's children, they died, one from work accident, other malaria untreated
- 32 to 16 y/o kids
17. dealing w conflict
- deal head on
- if there is a disagreement, deal with conflict at table, not deal with each other
- look at problematic issue, look at cause, intention
- deal withn issue, love each other, carry on
- if not agree to disagree and still love one another
18. snow/winter
- east tenessee - love cold, more than heat