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Recent Submissions
Mentoring teenagers to reduce bullying in Adeleke University High School, Ede, Osun State of Nigeria
(Adventist University of Africa, 2026-02) Olaoye, Abiodun Oluwasegun
Bullying among teenagers is common in schools nowadays, especially among preteens and teenagers. Various methods have been used in the past to address this social challenge among secondary school students, but what is happening today in schools shows that bullying is still prevalent among teenagers in secondary school. Hence, this project aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a mentoring strategy to reduce the impact of bullying on teens at Adeleke University High School. A pre-post descriptive methodology was used to compare a cohort of students who participated in the mentoring program. Teachers are trained to be mentors offer support and aid to students who have been bullied or are affected by it. The project aimed to empower students and foster resilience by creating a safe and welcoming environment. Informants included administrators, instructors, counsellors, parents, the disciplinary committee, and students. Notably, five (5) individuals worked as study assistants for the researcher. Data collection, processing, and analysis were done concurrently using Statistical Process Simulation (SPS). The quantitative method yielded useful data for developing an intervention. However, the intervention was deployed two weeks after it was developed in the school and consisted of three activities: data collecting, mentor training, and mentors mentoring students. This study adopted quantitative research methods. Questionnaires were effective for gathering data before and after the intervention plan was implemented. The processed data was used to evaluate the program's effectiveness. The evaluation indicated significant gains (90%) in students' positive involvement with one another and academic performance when compared to before the intervention was implemented. The results indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on both students and the school environment. Furthermore, feedback from both mentors and students underlined the significance of the mentoring relationships developed and used throughout the program. These interactions not only promoted a feeling of community at Adeleke University High School but also helped pupils gain self-esteem and motivation. As a result, the school administration is considering expanding the program to include more students and resources to preserve the current positive momentum in an environment where students feel respected and empowered.
Exegetical study of the term σαββάτων in Colossians 2:16 and pastoral implications for lay preachers in Central Ghana Conference
(Adventist University of Africa, 2026-01) Okoffo-Asante, Samuel
This thesis re-examines the meaning and referent of σαββάτων (sabbatōn) in Colossians 2:16 within Paul’s wider paraenetic argument (Col 2:6-23). It evaluates the theological and pastoral implications of the passage for lay preaching in the Central Ghana Conference. The study addresses a persistent interpretive dispute in which Colossians 2:16-17 is often deployed either to annul weekly Sabbath observance or to restrict Paul’s warning to “ceremonial” days, often without sustained attention to the practical demands of congregational instruction.
Methodologically, the thesis employs a historical-grammatical approach integrating lexical-semantic analysis, syntactical and structural observation, and intertextual comparison with Old Testament and Second Temple patterns that illuminate Paul’s calendrical triad (“festival, new moon, sabbaths”). Particular attention is given to the rhetorical function of Colossians 2:16 as a conclusion flowing from Paul’s christological claims about fullness in Christ and the invalidation of “ordinances” as grounds for spiritual status, as well as to the socio-religious pressures facing a mixed congregation exposed to ritualism, ascetic regulations, and mystically inflected spirituality.
The study argues that the anarthrous sabbata in Colossians 2:16 operate within a stock calendrical formula whose Old Testament usage is repeatedly embedded in sacrificial contexts, thereby supporting the conclusion that Paul’s target is the cultic-ceremonial complex of sacred times, together with the food-and-drink regulations and offering practices associated with them, functioning as “shadows” now eclipsed by the christological “substance.” On this reading, Paul’s polemic is directed toward ritualised and judgment-producing features of sacred-time observance rather than toward the creational and covenantal rationale of the Decalogue’s Sabbath command. The thesis further contends that Paul’s instruction is simultaneously functional, addressing a concrete Colossian crisis of condemnation, and normatively enduring in its theological principles: Christ’s sufficiency, the rejection of ritual criteria for spiritual hierarchy, and the incompatibility of judgmentalism with the gospel. Finally, the thesis distils pastoral directives for lay preachers, emphasising disciplined contextual exegesis, Christologically framed Sabbath teaching that avoids both legalism and antinomianism, and practical strategies for public apologetics and interdenominational engagement in Ghana’s contested Sabbath discourse.
Understanding complicated grief after child loss among young mothers in Mombasa, Kenya: a theological and psychosocial desk research study
(Adventist University of Africa, 2026-04) Namasaka Martha Simuli
Child loss remains one of the most devastating experiences a mother can endure. In Kenya, and particularly in Mombasa County, high rates of neonatal mortality, infectious disease, poverty-related complications, and limited access to mental health services create a context in which young mothers are uniquely vulnerable to prolonged and complicated grief. This desk research study examines complicated grief among young mothers in Mombasa through interdisciplinary lenses of psychology, theology, feminist theology, and socio-cultural analysis.
Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, theological texts, and African contextual scholarship, this study explores the psychological characteristics of complicated grief, cultural constructions of motherhood and mourning, and the theological resources available for pastoral response. The research synthesizes contemporary grief theory, including the work of J. William Worden, Margaret Stroebe, Henk Schut, and Katherine Shear, alongside African womanist theologians such as Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Musa Dube.
Findings indicate that complicated grief among young mothers in Mombasa is intensified by stigma, silence around reproductive loss, economic vulnerability, gendered expectations, and inadequate pastoral and clinical support. Theologically, African womanist perspectives offer a framework for lament, communal healing, and resistance against oppressive structures that silence maternal grief.
This study proposes an integrated pastoral-psychosocial model for supporting bereaved young mothers and recommends policy, church-based, and clinical interventions tailored to the Kenyan coastal context.
Talaq and its social-religious impact among the Somalis in Nairobi West, Kenya: implications for mission
(Adventist University of Africa, 2025-10) Murage, Immaculate Muthoni
This study examines the administration of talaq and its socio-religious impact among the Somali Muslim community in Nairobi West, Kenya, with particular attention to the experiences of divorced women. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, the research explores perceptions of divorce, its socio-economic and religious consequences, and its influence on Christian mission engagement.
Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Findings reveal that talaq contributes to gendered vulnerability, social stigma, and economic instability, while also shaping attitudes toward faith and religious institutions. The study proposes a culturally sensitive mission strategy grounded in critical contextualization and Christ’s method of compassionate engagement. These insights offer pathways for holistic ministry among Somali Muslim divorcees.
Mentoring youth for spirituality: case study of Kigombe Seventh-day Adventist Church, Rwanda
(Adventist University of Africa, 2025-07) Gashengeshi, Esdras Mupenzi
This qualitative action research examined the factors hindering youth spiritual involvement in the Kigombe Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Rwanda. Through interviews with thirty-five participants, including youth members and church leaders, ten major barriers were identified: deficiency of training, lack of effective programs, insufficient Adventist Youth Ministries materials, shortage of teachers, poor leadership, lack of monitoring and encouragement, generational conflict, peer pressure, and an inferiority complex. These challenges reflect both organizational and social issues that limit youth participation and spiritual growth within the church.
To address these challenges, an eight-phased intervention program was implemented. The program included translating and adapting church curricula, training leaders and teachers, forming age-based youth classes, and promoting experiential learning through community service and spiritual emphasis programs. The intervention significantly enhanced youth engagement and leadership capacity, demonstrating that intentional mentorship and structured training are vital to revitalizing youth spirituality and strengthening the mission of the Kigombe SDA Church.