Our African Board
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF AFRICAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.
Celestin Musekura
Dr. Celestin Musekura, is the President and Founder of the African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM, Inc.), a growing ministry with 47 African national staff training church leaders and community leaders in Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in areas of leadership development, biblical and theological studies, conflict resolution, communal forgiveness, and tribal reconciliation. He is an ordained Baptist minister who was born and raised in Rwanda. He received a Bachelor of Theology at Kenya Highlands Bible College in Kenya, a Master of Divinity at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Kenya, a Master of Sacred Theology and a Ph.D. in theological studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. His doctoral research is on Contemporary Models of Forgiveness and he specializes in communal forgiveness.
In addition to his theological studies, Celestin has done more studies in Conflict Resolution, Mediation, and Reconciliation at the Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia (USA) and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (USA). His pastoral and Christian leadership ministries include six years of pasturing in Rwanda and serving in administration with the Association des Eglises Baptistes du Rwanda (AEBR). He served on the international and continental level as the Africa Regional Director for MAP International (Nairobi, Kenya), the Director for MAP-Reconciliation Ministries, and the Associate Director for SIM-Urban Ministries Support Group (Nairobi, Kenya). He co-founded the Sudan Evangelical Alliance (SEA) to help the persecuted churches in the southern Sudan to be united in their suffering and in their outreach to their nation. Celestin has served as an Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and Criswell College in Dallas, Texas.
Celestin is married to Bernadette and they have four children. They make their temporal home in Dallas, Texas where they serve in the ALARM US office. Celestin spends 30% of his time in the United States developing partners and speaking to Churches, Mission Conferences, Seminars and Universities. He is the author of the newly published book Assessment of Contemporary Models of Forgiveness and together with Dr. Gregory Jones, Dean of Duke Divinity School, co-authored Forgiving As We’ve Been Forgiven (to be published in October 2010).
Mrs. Rosemary Khamati
Rosemary is the Executive Director of Sudan Partners International. She has a Bachelor’s of Education degree, is a member of Business Executives (MBE) and is currently pursuing a Msc. Degree in Leadership studies from Azusa Pacific University-California. Rosemary served as the Finance and Administration Manager-World Relief-Sudan where she also served as Office Manager.
Previously she served at MAP (Medical Assistance Program) as the Executive Assistant to Regional Director and rose up the ranks to the post of Personnel Manager. She serves as Chair-Board of Governors and a board member in Musingu High School.
Bishop Dr. Rev. Elie A Buchonyori
Dr. Elie Buconyori is the Bishop of the Free Methodist church of Burundi and Kenya which he established in 1986. He is the Vice Chancellor of Hope Africa University. Before he became a Bishop he worked as a Managing Director of Christian Learning Materials Centre in Nairobi 1991-1997. The Executive Secretary of AEA Commission on Theological and Christian Education. He serves as a Company member in Daystar University and is a member of the Free Methodist World Conference. He has a Bachelor of Religion from Kenya Highland Bible College, M.Div, Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology and a PhD from Trinity International University. He has published Cognitive styles and the development of reasoning among younger African studies in Christian Higher Education (1991) – PhD Dissertation, The Education task of the Church. (French and English) and You can Improve your Teaching 1994 (French and English). Elie and his wife Joy have four children, Irakoze (son), Nisengwe (daughter), Tazira (son) and Ngabore (son).
Rev. Stephen R. Bamoleke
Rev. Stephen R Bamoleke is the President and Founder of SHACMA (Shalom Church and Ministries in Africa) a ministry with focus on Church planting Discipleship/Leadership Development and Social Transformation in Uganda, Easter Congo and Northern Rwanda. He previously served as the Regional Director of ALARM, President of the Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo. Executive Secretary for Ethics, Peace and Justice Commission with AEA, Coordinator of Ethics, Church and Society Department (ESD) with AEA, General Secretary of the Baptist Church and a teacher in a Bible Institute. Stephen is involved in Church planting and pastors, Member of GNN Uganda National Committee and Member of Advocates International. He has a Masters of Divinity (M.Div), a Bachelor of Theology (B, Th) and is a teacher by profession (Dip. Ed). Stephen and his wife Siriaka have three children, one daughter (Patricia) and two sons (John and Joseph).
Dr Peter Okaalet
He is the Senior Director of Health & HIV/AIDS Polity for Medical Assistance Program (MAP International), a Christian non-governmental organization. He is based in Nairobi, Kenya but is originally from Uganda. Dr Okaalet is a medical doctor who also has a Master’s degree in Theology (M Th) and Divinity (M. Div) and a Degree in Medicine from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.
Dr. Okaalet offers 20 years of experience in reproductive health, specializing in the advocacy, policy formulation, research design and implementation of HIV/AIDS programs. His current assignments include strategic planning, capacity building for faith-based institutions and organizations, community mobilization and advocacy, and design and implementation of behavior change interventions that include interpersonal communication and counseling. Most recently, though, Dr. Peter Okaalet was named as one of TIME Magazine’s Global Health Heroes, an honor recognized during the TIME Magazine Global Health Summit in New York City, USA, in November 1-3, 2005.
Dr. Okaalet is recognized for his leadership in empowering and engaging the faith community in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Africa. Dr. Okaalet and MAP International developed a theological curriculum and other educational materials provided to seminary students in 22 Theological Institutions and Bible Colleges in six African countries: Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The curriculum provides basic education about human sexuality and HIV/AIDS coaches the Church to respond with compassion and equips students with leadership and other pragmatic programming skills.
Dr. Okaalet currently holds significant positions and responsibility in several working committees on HIV/AIDS interventions with The World Bank, UNAIDS, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance’s HIV/AIDS Strategy Group in Geneva, Switzerland, The Pan-African Christian AIDS Network (PACANET), and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). In May 2007, Dr. Okaalet was invited to sit on one of Tearfund, UK’s Advisory Council. He serves on the international faculty at Haggai Institute, a Christian international leadership and evangelism training organization, with centres in Singapore and Maui, Hawaii.
Rev. Dr. Harrison G. Olan’g
Harrison was born and raised in the northern part of Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria in the Mara Region where he obtained his early education. Harrison holds a PhD from Brunel University (UK), M.Div. from the Nairobi Evangelical School of Theology, BA from the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, USA and Diploma of Theology from the International Baptist Theological Seminary of Eastern Africa (IBTSEA).
Dr Olan’g served as pastor in charge of Baptist work in the Mara region, 1977-1981, Projects Coordinator for the Baptist Convention of Tanzania/CCT 1979-1981, Projects Coordinator and Manager of the Sponsor Relations Department for World Vision Int., Tanzania office, 1981-1986
He joined IBTSEA now Mount Meru University) in 1991, as Lecturer cum Registrar, and became the Principal in 1994 prior to becoming the Vice Chancellor in 2002 to date.
Rev. Ramadan Chan
Rev. Ramadan Chan is from Southern Sudan. He serves as the General Secretary of the Sudan Interior Church, affiliated with SIM (Serving in Missions) and the Executive Director of Sudan Hope for Development. Ramadan is currently living in Nairobi where he is completing his Ph.D. in Translation at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGS). He travels back and forth to the Southern and Northern Sudan where he leads the Sudan Interior Church. Rev. Ramadan Chan is married to May and have four college-aged children.
Bishop Dr. William Tuimising
Dr. Bishop Tuimising is a Kenyan and the immediate former bishop of Deliverance Church in Kenya, the largest indigenous Pentecostal denomination in Eastern Africa of which he is one of the pioneers. Before joining Deliverance Church, Bishop Tuimising served with the Kenya Government in the Ministry of Labor and the Africa Committee for Rehabilitation of Southern Sudan (ACROSS).
Currently, Bishop William Tuimising is the Senior Pastor of the one of the Deliverance Church of Eastleigh, one of the suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya.to date.