ABOUT ABC CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Superintendent Laura Chinchen
Mrs. Laura Chinchen is the widow of Dr. Paul Chinchen. Paul recently passed away on July 6, 2022 in his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Paul was the President of African Bible Colleges, Inc for 14 years. Laura and Paul were missionaries with African Bible Colleges, Inc. for over 30 years and served in both Uganda and Malawi. The Chinchens have five children, three of whom were born in Afric.
African Bible Colleges operates three Christian universities in Africa as well as four Christian radio stations, a television station, a Mission Hospital, and a Christian academy that runs from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
After Paul’s death Laura continues as the Acting Superintendent of ABC Christian Academy. As the co-founder and chief recruiter she was invited to stay at the mission and continue in ministry with African Bible Colleges. Laura has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders/Speech Therapy from Biola University as well as a minor in Bible. Her skills in early child language development have helped guide the curriculum and establishment of the ABC Christian Academy. The school now has 300 students enrolled from 27 different countries.
Paul was the founder of ABC’s Mission Hospital which sees over 70,000 patients a year, and (with his wife Laura) was the co-founder of the ABC Christian Academy. Paul also founded the African Bible College Masters of Arts in Christian Leadership program, and co-founded the African Business Institute (ABI) which equips ABC graduates to start and run kingdom-minded enterprises.
The Chinchens met at Biola University in California. Their eldest daughter, Ashley, is a Producer at FOX News in Washington, DC; Second daughter Annabelle works for ABC and is the mission’s Member Care Coordinator and manages ABC’s West Coast office in San Diego; Levi is a Cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point in May 2022 and is a commissioned officer and tank commander in the U.S. Army.; Bess is a sophomore at Point Loma Nazarene University and a member of Air Force ROTC at SDSU. Vanndel is a senior in high school at Madison Ridgeland Academy and is their Student Body President. He also coordinates the ABC's Project Juembo children’s ministry that collects and distributes school supplies to needy students in Malawi.
If you would like to support Laura and Vanndel you can send a check payable to African Bible College, Inc. P. O. Box 103, Clinton MS 39050 and put “Laura Chinchen” in the memo.
Mission
The purpose of the ABC Christian Academy is to provide a quality Christian education in a Christian environment for the Christian families of Lilongwe. This Christian education will be implemented through the development of high standard facilities, the recruitment of qualified teachers, incorporating quality curriculum, and making Christ the center of learning.
The most important thing about Christian education is that it changes lives. It helps build character in students. It gives young people the foundation they will need to build strong marriages and families, and the ability to live lives pleasing to God.
The vision of the ABC Christian Academy is twofold: (1) To empower children with the knowledge of God’s word by making Christ the center of all learning. (2) To establish an early commitment to the truths of Scripture through their education, thereby reinforcing the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
It is our belief that this type of holistic Christian education can only take place in a Christian environment, with high caliber Christian teachers, quality Christian curriculum and adequate facilities.
There has been a distinct absence of this type of education in Lilongwe. Therefore it is the desire of the ABC Christian Academy to meet this need. To make quality Christian education available to as many Christian families — both missionary and non-missionary, both Malawian and non-Malawian — as possible. Our desire is to do this without compromising our Christian faith, our Christian witness or the educational standards upon which this institution is founded.
“I believe there is no greater investment a parent can make in their child’s future than in a high caliber Christian education, which is exactly what we offer at the ABC Christian Academy. Exceptional teachers, excellent curriculum, well kept facilities, all housed in a loving Christian environment, this is what sets ABCCA apart. Academics are important, we just had two former students accepted to of the top universities in America, Columbia and West Point, but we also stress the importance of physical fitness through our Upward basketball and soccer programs, competitive swim team and performance ballet. But most important is the spiritual well being of our students. We want them to know who Christ is, show love to one another and care for those who are less fortunate than they are. Ever since my wife and I founded the school 20 years ago I have always said, there is no better place to raise your children than at ABC Christian Academy”
Goals and Objectives
01 - Quality Education
The primary goal of the ABC Christian Academy is to provide a quality Christian education in a Christian environment for the Christian families of Lilongwe. This quality Christian education will be implemented through the development of high standard facilities, the recruitment of qualified teachers, incorporating quality curriculum and making Christ the center of every endeavor.
02 — Academy Experience
The ABC Christian Academy strives to function as an extension of the Christian family by creating an environment where loving and capable Christian teachers can cooperate closely with the parents in every phase of the student’s development. As Proverbs 22: 6 reminds us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
03 — Spiritual Growth
It is our desire that each student develop a personal faith in Christ, and that their education at the ABC Christian Academy enhance their spiritual growth and shape a Christ-like character.
04 — Personal Growth
The ABC Christian Academy seeks to give each student, through a broad range of social, spiritual, physical and mental activities, the opportunity to pursue personal growth in each of these areas.
Philosophy of Education
The philosophy of the ABC Christian Academy is founded on the inspired Word of God, the Bible. Created in the image of God, man’s purpose is to glorify and serve Him. As Christian parents, teachers and instructors it is our responsibility to raise up our children and pupils in God’s image, and to prepare them for their service in His kingdom.
Therefore the philosophy of education of the ABC Christian Academy includes four important elements:
Christ is the center and the Word of God is the foundation of all learning. Knowledge apart from God is foolishness. Psalm 111:10 reminds us that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” All we can know about God must be exposed to us through the light of Christ.
Therefore any knowledge gained apart from the light of Christ will be tainted with corruption.
1. God did not only create man in His image, He has also called us to live a Christ-like life and to transform ourselves into the image of our Savior, (I Cor. 3:18). This is an impossible task unless Christian values and character is being demonstrated and reinforced both in the home and at school.
2. As Christian parents it is our responsibility to provide our children with a Christian based education. Children are a gift from God (Ps. 127: 3-5), the nurturing of their spiritual life and the sharpening of their character should be the paramount priority of every Christian parent. They must decide in whose hands they will place this valuable clay that God has entrusted them to mold. Will it be a servant of the Lord who is shaping your child each day at school, or is your precious clay being shaped by the hands of a non-believer?
3. Christian education cannot take place in a vacuum as interaction with other children is a vital and crucial component of a holistic Christian education. It provides the much-needed opportunity for a child to learn how to cooperate with others, how to obey, how to share, how to win, how to lose, how to give and how to take.