ACTS now owns a 3 acre site ideally located beside the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, Bukuru, near Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. With God's help the site is now developing as the permanent HQ of ACTS. Our Phase 1 (revised plan) building - providing a warehouse, shop and offices - was the officially opened August 26, 2006 with the full site plan explained as follows:

Phase 1 - MULTI-PURPOSE HQ: BOOKSHOP / OFFICES / WAREHOUSE

We thank God for providing ACTS with its own permanent site and international HQ still where we started at TCNN, Bukuru.

Now ACTS has a “state of the art” building that provides us with excellent facilities - an adequate warehouse, an excellent bookshop, and offices for accounts, administration and desktop publishing.

How much has been spent so far?   N65 million (to interpret, please use a current exchange rate of N250 to the pound sterling (GBP), and N135 to the US Dollar.) 
For the Land and Fence: N10 million; for the Building: N55 million = Total Floor Area (TFA) 1000 sq.m.

Total amount raised and spent so far:   N65 million
Amount raised in Nigeria so far: N2 million (just about 3%)
Amount still needed for completion: N10 million
This is for equipment such as shelving for shop and warehouse, furniture and equipment for shop and offices (N2 million), landscaping (N1 million), step-down transformer (N2.5 million), standby generator (N1.5 million), fork lift truck (N2 million), bore hole (N1 million) = Total: N10 million

TOTAL ESTIMATED COST FOR PHASE 1:  N 75 million (we are nearly there!)

Phase 2 - WRITERS' RETREAT AND STUDY CENTRE

Three Buildings Needed for Phase 2:

1.  The first two storey apartment building housing 8 two room self-contained flats (each with ensuite and kitchen facilities and with suitable electrical and soft furnishings (able to accommodate up to 16 people). Cost:  N25 million  TFA 360 sq.m.

PHASE 3 - ACTS CONFERENCE CENTRE AND ACCOMMODATION

Four Buildings Needed for Phase 3:

1. Ultra-modern fully-equipped Conference Centre with conference hall, seminar rooms, smaller meeting rooms, plus a computer room offering full internet access. (A two storey building able to accommodate writers' workshops, etc., with a comfortable capacity of up to 100.)  Cost:  N35 million  TFA 480 sq.m.

2. A two storey apartment building housing on the ground floor 8 one room flats (with ensuite) and on the first floor 4 two room self-contained flats (able to accommodate 24) with electrical and soft furnishings.  Cost:  N25 million  TFA 360 sq.m.

3.  Two Duplexes (= 4 flats) each with two bedrooms, with parlour plus study, kitchen and bathroom  fully furnished for visiting writers/scholars or ACTS staff.  Cost:  N15 million each TFA  192 sq.m. x 2 = N30 million 

PHASE 3 - CAPITAL EXPENDITURE TOTAL:   N 90 million

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN HANDS TO SUPPORT THE ACTS VISION

from Rev. Dr. Sid Garland, ACTS Executive Director

§      Academic advance for Africa - ACTS is doing a very significant work for the advancement of African Christian scholarship and theological literature that will contribute to the strengthening of the church today as well as future generations. We believe that ACTS HQ warehouse and shop alongside the projected Writers' Retreat and Study Centre will become a centre of excellence to serve the whole of Africa.

§      Helping African Writers - ACTS is burdened by the need to encourage African writers. Already ACTS has published or reissued over 50 titles that are relevant to the African context. One Nigerian author said: 'Thank you for helping me not to die with my knowledge'. ACTS is the acknowledged source for Bible college and school of mission and TEE programme textbooks as well as for a unique range of HIV/AIDS resources.

§      African theological institutions today are demanding for African initiated titles. They are desperate for books by Nigerian authors as well as others from across the African continent. ACTS is ready to stand in the gap as a publisher to meet this need.

§      ACTS Writers' Retreat and Study Centre (see above) alongside our well-stocked HQ bookshop will enable African seminaries, Bible colleges and universities to get better equipped for higher level study. This will reduce the need for people to go overseas for advanced degrees.

§      Enabling writers to retreat (from many cultural pressures) to ACTS Retreat and Study Centre can be accomplished. With your support, we will be able to provide a place of quietness, computer facilities available 24/7, editorial expertise on hand, plus an excellent library and inspiring academic Christian community across the road (in TCNN).

§      African support is needed for ACTS progress - ACTS has purchased and fenced the site and raised a first class building as the permanent HQ with 97% western support. Yes, TCNN and her related churches have provided personnel for ACTS. But we believe that Nigerian Christians are now willing to do much more to put their money behind the project. 

§      Investment for eternity - donors will be investing for eternity because the results will last for eternity. This is the time to invest in writers and their vast reading audiences. The outcome will be seen in the pulpits and classrooms of Africa. Lives and communities will be transformed by the relevant application of the Word of God. And generations to come will have reason to be grateful for the godly legacy handed over to them.

§      Opportunity - this ongoing project at ACTS, TCNN, Bukuru, gives us a wonderful opportunity to join in the worthy task of rooting Christ in Africa through literature.

BENEFITS FLOWING FROM ACTS

WRITERS' RETREAT AND STUDY CENTRE

Who would directly benefit from using these facilities?

1.  WRITERS - scholars needing a quiet and comfortable place for sabbatical; researchers needing to pursue African-based research, lecturers; and other authors wanting to write but needing to get away from the pressures of work and cultural expectations. Some writers will be commissioned by ACTS to contribute to textbooks and other theological series that ACTS is planning to develop. Some of the many Christian scholars in the Jos/Bukuru area might 'retreat' to the Centre on daily basis.

2.  WRITERS' Workshops - for the many who have aspirations to become authors or to become better authors. The workshops can be run in conjunction with others such as Langham Literature (linked to Dr John Stott) and Timothy Olonade of NEMA (with whom we have partnered before). Also teams of writers can come together to plan series and complete a symposium or another joint writing or even translation project.

3.  EDITORS - we in ACTS hope to recruit more editors, especially theological editors whether staying with us long or short term. Editors are the unsung heroes of publishing; without them writers are seriously handicapped. We need their involvement in curriculum and textbook development. This is a neglected field.

4.  EDITORS' Training Workshops - all authors and all church publications departments need more trained editors, but they are difficult to find. We can bring international experts to help us train more.

5.  THEOLOGICAL LIBRARIANS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP - ACTS is already a key sponsor to this body with whom we have a natural growing relationship.

6.  LIBRARY STAFF Training Workshops - many Bible colleges and other training institutions cannot afford to employ a full-time professional librarian. Short workshops can be of great assistance to such schools.

7.  BOOKSELLERS Training Workshops (we see the need of this for ACTS branch staff and also for our ACTS agents and other Christian bookshops). This could be held in partnership with the Christian Booksellers Association of Nigeria (CBAN) of which ACTS is an active member, and Oasis International (with whom we have a close relationship).

8.  PUBLISHER networking and training to enhance church publications departments and other Christian publishing programmes. ACTS has no aspirations to be the one and only Christian publisher in Africa. We want to encourage and facilitate the development of many Christian publishers, each with their own constituency and area of focus. Training in areas such as book editing, copyright law, book design, printing, marketing, personnel and financial management is important for publishers.

9.  CLOSE PARTNER Academic / Ministry Training Workshops - The Accrediting Council for Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA) and Langham Literature are working with us to raise standards and push forward the academic development of African theological institutions. With others we see the need to promote theological research, journals, books and curriculum (and textbook) development at the highest level.

10. Churches and Other Christian Organisations could use the centre for conferences, retreats and seminars. TCNN, our closest partner institution, could accommodate visiting lecturers and adjunct faculty from inside and outside Nigeria.