“Our highest priority continues to be our commitment to stay true to our founding vision and mission, which is ultimately to bring glory to God the Father and God the Son, through our educational enterprise.”

Dr. (HC). James T. Riady
Founder

With great gratitude for God's grace and blessing, I can report that 2014 was another year of fruitful ministry for the Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan. New initiatives and ongoing growth have created more opportunities to serve the rising generations of Indonesian youth with holistic, Christ-centered education that is focused on developing True Knowledge, Faith in Christ, and Godly Character.

Our highest priority continues to be our commitment to stay true to our founding vision and mission, which is ultimately to bring glory to God the Fatherand God the Son, through our educational enterprise. This commitment does not happen by accident or without intention. The natural tendency in all human organizations leans toward diffusion and declension of mission. Such is the case with so many Christian institutions around the world that were founded solidly and enthusiastically on Christ and His gospel, but then lost their way in the midst of human sinfulness, operational challenges, and cultural influence.

We pray earnestly for God’s protection and power as we aim to stay faithfuland strong and as we boldly pursue the course that He has set for us! We strive with everything in us to expand the work that God has given us, always reminding ourselves of God’s truth,God’s ways and God’s purpose.

For this reason, in September 2014, we celebrated UPH’s 20th anniversary under the theme of “Telling His Story”. For it is God’s story of His creation and redemption, through Jesus Christ, that shapes UPH’s story and subsequently all our individual stories.

For this reason, we took a major step in 2014 of finalizing the Pelita Harapan Statement of Faith. The Statement of Faith reflects our foundational commitments to the authority of God’s Word, the Bible, and biblical theological understanding, and it provides the guiding framework for our vision and mission. The centerpoint is Jesus Christ, and the boundary is historic Reformed, Christian theology. Together, these give meaning and direction to every aspect of what we are called to be and to do. Every campus and school, every academic program and department, and every educatorand student, will all benefit from this clear articulation of our most fundamental beliefs about God, the world He has created, the human beings He has put into this world, and His eternal purposes for all of it.

For this reason, during 2014, every UPH academic faculty reconsidered its academic mission in terms of the Pelita Harapan Statement of Faith, and developed foundational framework documents to guide their understanding of their respective disciplines, programs, and courses in accord with our founding vision.

For this reason… that God would be praised and His name honored through the work and ministry of the Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan. This is our calling, found where God's gifting and God-given opportunities meet. It is a privilege to respond to His calling at all grade levels, and we invite you to pray with us and for us -- that we would be faithful, strong, and bold in all the pathways which God places before us.

“We covet your prayers for us in journey -- that we would be faithful in our tasks and relentless in our pursuit of all the opportunities that God provides for us to serve within His Kingdom.”

Dr. (Hon) Jonathan L. Parapak, M.Eng.Sc
President of YPPH

The year 2014 was a year of God’s grace and blessing. It was a year of further consolidation and growth. The number of students served reached almost 30,000, a new university campus in Medan was inaugurated, and a new International Teacher’s College was established in the Lippo Village.

Our university, Universitas Pelita Harapan, experienced significant growth as we moved to the trimester system, launched new programs in 2013 and in 2014, opened UPH Medan and transformed UPH Surabaya, and added more than 4,300 students to our enrollment. With this growth comes the challenge of leadership, and God raised up key administrative and academic leaders, across the campus, to provide godly and effective oversight of the university programs. Deans, Academic Chairs, and senior lecturers grew in their understanding of Christian worldview and biblical integration through ongoing professional development programs and mentoring.

The International Teachers College (ITC) at UPH opened its doors in August 2014, welcoming first-year students from seven countries. We are eager to participate in God’s broader kingdom and look forward to significant growth and impact across Asia in the years to come. The ITC degree, jointly offered by UPH and Corban University (USA), is a US-accredited teacher education degree which prepares teachers for best-practice, Christ-centered, and transformational impact in their home countries.

In September 2014, UPH celebrated its 20th anniversary, under the theme “Telling His Story.” What a joy to look back with thanksgiving over two decades, and to be able, by God’s grace, to tell the story of His providence and blessing! During the formal ceremony of celebration, the University presented an honorary doctoral degree (posthumous) to Dr. Johannes Oentoro, whose original vision and energy were mightily used by God to start UPH and the Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan. His wife, Mrs. Santy Oentoro, received the awarding of the degree.

Our schools and universities also bore the fruit of God's blessing, with total student enrollment of more than 28,000, and new Lentera schools in Palopo and Mamit. What a blessing to open the new Lentera school in Mamit, Papua, where enthusiastic graduates of our UPH Teachers College began teaching students in the early grades. We are very grateful to God for His continuous provisions to supply the needed teachers for our schools, and we ask for your ongoing prayers that God would raise up many more.

We covet your prayers for us in journey -- that we would be faithful in our tasks and relentless in our pursuit of all the opportunities that God provides for us to serve within His Kingdom. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!