JOHANNESBURG, South Africa —Cotonou and Porto Novo are the two main WCG worship centers in Benin, according to James Henderson, regional director for Africa. Both areas are active in evangelism, with Cotonou having outreach activities in the water village of So-Ava, where houses are huts built on wooden beams emerging from the sea.

"The Cotonou church has about 50 contacts in the village, and hopefully within the year services will begin in So-Ava," Mr. Henderson said.

The Porto Novo church continues its mission in the rural area of Lotin. This was the congregation to which some U.S. members gave $350 to buy a plot of land for a simple church building. Thanks to that support the land has been purchased and preparations are under way to build a meeting hall.

Mr. Henderson ordained Pierre Gone as pastor of the Lome, Togo, church March 18. Since the death of Atsu Dravie last year the church has been pastored by a team headed by Mr. Gone under the direction of Alfred Ablordeppey, a minister in Ghana.

The church in Togo receives spiritual and physical support from sister churches in Germany and in the United States, for which they thank God.

Rwanda

Jacques Muzalia, our leading contact in Rwanda, where we have several small congregations, commented on conditions there after a major volcanic eruption near Goma.

People suffer from cholera, bad colds and lung problems because of the volcanic ashes, Mr. Muzalia said. The eruption affected areas that provide Goma with staple food. Hence, food prices have soared drastically.

Uganda and Burundi

"The political situation in a number of African countries continues to be cause for concern," Mr. Henderson said. In western Uganda, post-election rebel activity has occurred in an area not far from one of our congregations.

Flights have been canceled into Burundi because of the violence in of Bujumbura, the capital, and contact with our people there seems hopeless at the moment. Your prayers for these matters are much appreciated, Mr. Henderson said.

At the same time, the WCG in Africa continues to make an impact for the kingdom. Baptisms, new groups, outreach projects and personal evangelism all play a part in touching people with the gospel of Jesus.

"We have requests from contacts and groups in areas where we have no representation (for example, the Ivory Coast and Ethiopia), and we are trying to work out how best to respond to them," Mr. Henderson said. "We have so much to do, and yet we do not have the resources to do it. But that does not stop God. He continues to use our fellowship. And it is a work of faith."

For more information on the WCG in Africa visit the African web site at www. wcg.org/africa

KLANG, Malaysia—Wong Mein Kong, a WCG minister in Malaysia, visited Myanmar (Burma) in March, according to Rod Matthews, regional director. It had been a year since he was last there.

Church leaders came to Yangon to meet him and discuss the needs of our congregations. The trip culminated with two baptisms.

When Mein Kong arrived at the motel in Yangon, March 13, five men were waiting for him: Saw Htoo Plow and Saw Moody from the Irrawaddy delta area, plus Naing Key Har and two young men who are brothers from the Chin State.

Mein Kong gave them 10 Burmese Bibles and a New International Version Study Bible to Key Har.

Key Har had resigned from his medical compounder’s job with a hospital last May and now sells pharmaceutical drugs. His monthly income is slightly better now (about 5000 Kyats or US$10), and he receives a pension from his previous government job. His wife runs a small grocery shop.

He has a great desire to preach the gospel and travels by foot to two villages 15 miles away to preach and visit members there once or twice a month. He also occasionally walks to another village 35 miles away to preach and visit interested people.

Mein Kong baptized the two brothers in the bathtub.

Mein Kong had brought two cardboard boxes, mainly of used children’s clothing donated by the Malaysian and Singapore churches. They were distributed among the two groups of brethren.

The evening of March 14 Key Har and Mein Kong discussed Key Har’s plans for erecting a church building for the members in Mindat and another for those in two villages 15 miles away. Eleven families (44 people) meet in his house, while nine families (31 people) meet in members’ homes in the two villages. Several other families are considering joining our fellowship in Mindat.

They also discussed burial customs of the Chin people. Key Har is willing to donate part of his land to be used as a cemetery for the members. Mein Kong gave him 15,000 Kyats (US$30) to buy another two coils of plastic pipe to supply water from a mountain stream to Hte-Pan village.

On March 15, Mein Kong had a short discussion with Key Har. Then he prayed for him before his journey back to Mindat.

LIMA, Peru—For the third straight year the WCG’s John McKenna went to Lima to teach Christian theology to pastors in South America. Dr. McKenna was in Peru from Feb. 23 to 28.

Now under the care of the extended education program at Benjamin University in Lima and the direction of Moises Chavez, Dr. McKenna completed a course designed to help pastors from Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil proclaim the gospel. They spent three days of intensive class time Feb. 24, 26 and 27 studying the divine and contingent freedom inherent in the nature of the covenant relationship taught in the Bible. Previous classes had laid the biblical basis for this study.

The first year of study presented Dr. McKenna’s People of God course and then in the second year his Kingdom of God course. Dr. McKenna believes that on this ground one may establish the foundations for understanding the incarnation of the Word of God as Redeemer and Creator in the world. Each of the 18 pastors will write essays on the relationship between the Incarnation and the creation in the biblical world.

"It is hoped this will allow for a fresh grasp of the significance with which we are faced when we attempt to understand the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ in our ministries today," Dr. McKenna said.

Dr. Chavez, director of Benjamin University and Dr. McKenna’s translator, met with the Lima congregation Feb. 25 for a Sunday seminar with Pastor Daniel Quintana and his family. They were joined by Eliseo Gaunca, a WCG minister from Bolivia, for a three-hour question and answer service.

Dr. Chavez, a renowned evangelical leader in Peru and Bolivia, was impressed with the quality of theological questions produced by the Lima congregation’s concerns for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dr. McKenna believes that the future of the gospel in Lima will not be realized without the participation of the WCG in the theological education being offered through Benjamin University and Dr. Chavez. Anyone interested in an outline of Dr. McKenna’s class can write to him at 300 W. Green St., Pasadena, 91123. He covets prayers for this ministry.

UNION, New Jersey—The Union and Brick, New Jersey, congregations had their annual unity in diversity service Feb. 24. They were joined by the Newark, New Jersey, church.

"Our theme was E Pluribus Unum—from many one," said Pastor John Adams. (E Pluribus Unum appears on U.S. coins and currency.)

Also attending were guests from other congregations and friends of members.

OSLO, Norway—Carl Aas, Scandinavian area pastor, began a program to read the New Testament in Norwegian (which most Scandinavians understand) on cassette.

"This program is a good example of how the church in the Nordic region works, even though we are quite scattered in several countries," Mr. Aas said. The church has been allowed to do this without paying royalty to the Norwegian publisher.

First, Sven Loef of Sweden bought a thousand tapes as a contribution to the church.

Lars Alhaug in Hamar, Norway, and Einar Faaberg read the Bible onto cassette. The tapes then go to Oeystein Vatle in Bergen, Norway, who goes through the tapes in his sound studio. He sends a master tape to Ingemar Wennerblom in Hofors, Sweden, who has a cassette copying machine. He makes about 100 copies and sends these to the Oslo Church.

Eva and Alan Beal in Malmo, Sweden, lay out and print the covers, and Roy Oestensen in Oslo, Norway, prints the labels for the cassettes. The Oslo congregation puts the covers and labels on the cassettes after a church service, and the cassettes are then sent to regular donors.

"This gives something of value back to those people who are supporting the church and the printing of the Norwegian booklets," Mr. Aas said. "We send the tapes to 25 regular donors."

PASADENA—Church Administration announced the following ministerial ordinations.

Wayne Blair, Richmond, Indiana.

Roy Galo, Antipolo, Philippines.

Koffi Pierre Gone, Lome, Togo.

PASADENA—The church honored the following employees for 25 years of service to the church.

Dale Coker, lead man groundskeeper/horticulture.

Jacqui Eve, personal assistant to John Halford, European regional director.

Charles and Carmen Fleming, regional director for the Caribbean and Latin America.

John and Heather McLean, church development director in the Australian Office.

Rey and June Taniajura, manager of Leadership Development and Church Relations in the Philippine Office.

PASADENA, California—Brent Glasgow, a local area network technician and engineer in the church’s Computer Information Systems department, left the employ of the church Dec. 1.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—Eighteen WCG members served as counselors and ushers at the Promise Keepers men’s rally "Are You Really Man Enough?" March 17 at the University Theater of U.P. Diliman.

Pastor Andrew Teng, a member of the Promise Keepers rally working committee, was asked to provide volunteer ushers and counselors. Almost half of the 40-plus volunteers came from the WCG.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—The Quezon City church began its youth evangelism program Feb. 18.

NAGA CITY, Philippines—Abelardo Balisnomo, senior pastor of the Naga City church, and Domingo Trilles are involved in prison ministry.

In the Tinangis Prison and Penal Center of Camarines Sur, Brigada Cinco (No. 5) was left under the care of Diosdado Balobalo, a prisoner-leader who showed remarkable change for good as a result of Mr. Trilles’ teaching in 1999 and 2000, according to Mr. Balisnomo. The whole of Brigada Cinco seemed to follow or cooperate with the reformed character of Mr. Balobalo, who then heeded Mr. Trilles’ instruction to care spiritually for the Brigada.

When Mr. Trilles left the penal center, Mr. Balisnomo asked him to continue teaching in the Tigaon Municipal Prison. Now, Mr. Trilles and Mr. Balisnomo teach in Tigaon alternately every Monday morning.

In February, Mr. Balobalo asked Mr. Trilles to teach them in Brigada Cinco and also to teach in Brigada 3. On Feb. 24, Mr. Trilles and Rommel Rojo, a member in Naga, visited the penal center and Mr. Balobalo asked to be baptized on his birthday, Feb. 27.

Mr. Balisnomo and Mr. Trilles went to the penal center Feb. 27. The two were locked in Brigada Cinco, an area that Mr. Balisnomo then learned housed so many brutal criminals that other inmates were afraid to enter.

"However when we entered and were locked in, what I felt was an inner peace and joy as I saw the inmates wearing smiles," Mr. Balisnomo said.

Of the 15 who gathered together and intently listened to God’s word for an hour, six more acknowledged Christ and said yes to baptism.

Mr. Balisnomo and Mr. Trilles baptized them in a river about 200 meters from the gate.

"My heart was breaking in tears of gratefulness for the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus for these criminals, sinners like me, happily marching down the river to die and receive a new birth," Mr. Balisnomo said.

Their names are Diosdado Carino Balobalo, 38; Edelberto Loreca Balanlayos, 27; Vicente Sarmiento Eusebio, 55; Jacinto Resare Flores, 54; Nestor Barcelona Baduria; Nestor Natanto Silang, 28; and Orlando Maco.

QUEENS, New York—Once a month, weather agreeable, members of One in Christ Community Church hit the streets to reach out and bless their neighbors. It’s here, under the L (elevated tracks), in the inner city neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens, the love of Jesus Christ is dispensed to the physically and spiritually impoverished.

"After some prayer at the church, we set up a prayer table with evangelistic literature and Bibles," said member Johnathan Brown. "Then we begin greeting people with the question ‘Can we pray for you?’ When phrased like this it is more receptive to those we meet and is received as a blessing, and who doesn’t want to be blessed?"

At the prayer table not only are spiritual needs taken care of but food, personal care items and clothing are available. The church’s food pantry, Helping Hands, supplies food and clothing, and Homeless Care Kits are provided by Here’s Life Inner City, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. The kits contain hats, gloves, scarves, blankets and much needed items such as toothpaste and brush, comb, safety razors and soap. In March, six homeless people were blessed with prayer and the free resources available.

SEASIDE, Oregon—The beach at Seaside is cleaner because of the efforts of the Portland East congregation. Twenty-three members and families, including Pastor Joel Lillengreen and his wife, Pat, joined other volunteers in the semi-annual Great Oregon Beach Cleanup March 31.

Mr. Lillengreen, who also serves as Seaside festival coordinator, says the community has provided housing at reduced rates and has otherwise made members feel welcome. By participating in the beach cleanup, we show our appreciation to the community as well as provide a meaningful service.