Chabala Haniel a passionate theologian teacher
Chabala Haniel a passionate theologian teacher
Ms. Chabala Haniel is the present Principal of the LCCN Bible School Pella in Arewa Diocese. She obtained a Diploma in theology from the Bronnum Lutheran Seminary Mbamba in 2005 and a Degree in Theology in 2014 from the same institution.
Ms. Haniel teaches Christian Ethics, Counseling, English Language and Worship at the Bible School as she heads the administration there. “I benefited from the Mission Afrika Scholarship to further my studies to the degree level; the scholarship supported me to finish my degree in theology. I did my diploma long time ago but could not continue to obtain a degree due to lack of funding, but with the MA scholarship today I am serving the church with a higher knowledge and qualification as a teacher. I have been placed in this position today because of the degree I acquired. As woman theologian who is passionate about teaching I have boosted my confidence and now I would say I am an authority in my field as this will further open me up to higher qualifications to be a theologian of repute. I teach and I administer the affairs of the Bible School. I coordinate the activities of the school and oversee the affairs of the staff.”
The School where Ms. Haniel is heading is in the part of the country where the Boko Haram insurgency has entered in the past. Communities around the area were severely affected and some families have lost their members to the attacks. Ms. Haniel said the Bible school has also felt the impact of the insurgency by the reduced enrollment number of students to the school. “People were displaced and homes exposed to untold hardship. Families lost beloved ones, so it was not easy for them to think of getting enrolled into school at such times. At present we have enrolled only ten students for the present set. In the past we could graduate over twenty students per set.” She said even with this the school under her leadership have continued to seek ways to reach out to the wounded and traumatized communities. “We are involved in giving our communities hope as we visit them and pray with them, telling them how much it means for one to suffer for Christ. I have experience some pleasant responses from people. We have continued to receive more and more people making their commitment to the faith. We speak with them about their lost beloved ones; we counsel them and pray with them. I must also say here that till today there is fear and apprehension in the minds of many but we believe that healing is a process and one day we will all get over it.”
Ms. Haniel attributed her courage to confront work both at the school and in the field to her education; the knowledge and training she got from the seminary. “I would not have been able to see life from a broader perspective like this, I would not have had courage and confidence to face the challenges we are faced with today if not for the training and education I acquired from the seminary.” She said her mind is made-up for the work of the church and she would like to spend the rest of her life teaching and educating people. Her desire is to gain higher theological education up to PhD level where she can have vast knowledge to teach the subject matter. “As a theologian teacher I have to obtain higher education in the area of systematic theology. I am sure this will make more useful in the church.”
Ms. Chabala Haniel is the present Principal of the LCCN Bible School Pella in Arewa Diocese. She obtained a Diploma in theology from the Bronnum Lutheran Seminary Mbamba in 2005 and a Degree in Theology in 2014 from the same institution.
Ms. Haniel teaches Christian Ethics, Counseling, English Language and Worship at the Bible School as she heads the administration there. “I benefited from the Mission Afrika Scholarship to further my studies to the degree level; the scholarship supported me to finish my degree in theology. I did my diploma long time ago but could not continue to obtain a degree due to lack of funding, but with the MA scholarship today I am serving the church with a higher knowledge and qualification as a teacher. I have been placed in this position today because of the degree I acquired. As woman theologian who is passionate about teaching I have boosted my confidence and now I would say I am an authority in my field as this will further open me up to higher qualifications to be a theologian of repute. I teach and I administer the affairs of the Bible School. I coordinate the activities of the school and oversee the affairs of the staff.”
The School where Ms. Haniel is heading is in the part of the country where the Boko Haram insurgency has entered in the past. Communities around the area were severely affected and some families have lost their members to the attacks. Ms. Haniel said the Bible school has also felt the impact of the insurgency by the reduced enrollment number of students to the school. “People were displaced and homes exposed to untold hardship. Families lost beloved ones, so it was not easy for them to think of getting enrolled into school at such times. At present we have enrolled only ten students for the present set. In the past we could graduate over twenty students per set.” She said even with this the school under her leadership have continued to seek ways to reach out to the wounded and traumatized communities. “We are involved in giving our communities hope as we visit them and pray with them, telling them how much it means for one to suffer for Christ. I have experience some pleasant responses from people. We have continued to receive more and more people making their commitment to the faith. We speak with them about their lost beloved ones; we counsel them and pray with them. I must also say here that till today there is fear and apprehension in the minds of many but we believe that healing is a process and one day we will all get over it.”
Ms. Haniel attributed her courage to confront work both at the school and in the field to her education; the knowledge and training she got from the seminary. “I would not have been able to see life from a broader perspective like this, I would not have had courage and confidence to face the challenges we are faced with today if not for the training and education I acquired from the seminary.” She said her mind is made-up for the work of the church and she would like to spend the rest of her life teaching and educating people. Her desire is to gain higher theological education up to PhD level where she can have vast knowledge to teach the subject matter. “As a theologian teacher I have to obtain higher education in the area of systematic theology. I am sure this will make more useful in the church.”
