By James Henderson
NAIROBI, Kenya--There are so many good stories of how God is working through the Worldwide Church of God in Africa. Here are a few of them along with some updates.
The church in Nigeria has established several lay pastorates and lay pastor councils since the cutbacks at the beginning of the year.
Eke Udeagha is the employed area pastor for the whole of Nigeria, and he is assisted by Michael Ogunlase. Their main duties are to promote national and congregational evangelism, and to train and mentor the lay ministry in their pastoral responsibilities.
One evangelistic effort is especially noteworthy. Our small group of members in Aba in East Nigeria asked Mr. Udeagha to conduct a campaign in their community.
Mr. Udeagha explained that he had no funds to do this, and he had no time to organize it, but that he would be happy to speak if the members themselves arranged it.
The members then planned a date, and printed and distributed a few hundred leaflets that advertised the "preacher" from the Worldwide Church of God.
The whole thing, including the hall rental, cost around US$25. About 100 first-time contacts attended, including a group of 40 from a group called The PIain Truth Church of God.
Since then we have established a new congregation in Aba of about 60 people, including the member nucleus and those who joined our fellowship after the campaign.
Mr. Udeagha is continuing the contact with this group.
Here is Mr. Udeagha's report on the church inauguration ceremony in Aba:
"As a result of various member- driven evangelistic campaigns over the past several months, a new church was officially inaugurated at Aba on the 20th July, 1996.
"Aba is a commercial centre in Nigeria and many co-workers and readers live there. Previously about 20 members would travel 40 miles to Owerri to worship, and now, following the church inauguration, they can save transport costs and time.
"The inauguration attracted members and friends from all over the eastern states of Nigeria. Members of the Aba church council were officially appointed at the inauguration, and were prayerfully committed into God's hands to help pastor the new congregation.
"The zeal is high among the membership, and the enthusiasm is tangible. The Aba congregation is poised for a great work of evangelism, and, as a result will most likely become one of the fastest growing congregations in Nigeria. Who has despised the day of small things?
"In northern Nigeria the church was approached by an established group to ask if they could join our fellowship. To begin with we offered the services of our local speakers, who went to the group meetings and preached various evangelistic and Christian living sermons.
"This continued for a while until the group leaders explained that they would rather we preached from revelation than from the Scriptures. The group's history has been that their leaders receive night visions and would relay the contents of these visions to the church on a regular basis.
"As we did not receive and preach such visions, the group felt they did not want to continue the association. We parted on amicable terms, and offered our preaching and advisory services if ever they were required in the future."
The Sabbath of Sept. 21 was a special day for the church in Malawi. On that day children from an orphanage called Yamikani House attended services and performed the special music and joined in the children's church activities.
The Blantyre congregation has been assisting the orphanage for several months by supplying fresh vegetables from the church garden, and also raised funds to help purchase school clothes.
Yamikani House is run by a Seventh-day Adventist couple, George and Terri Quittmeyer.
Here's Terri's story of how their project began:
"In August 1994, I was shopping in an open air market for produce. A young boy with a big smile, about 7 years old, dirty, dressed in rags and begging for tambalas (local money), followed me into the market where I bought him an orange.
"A strange thought occurred to me, `Why don't you take this boy home?'
"I asked the merchant to translate for me, and I asked the boy many questions. His name was Mbvuto (translated it means `trouble'). He said his father and mother had died, and he slept in the market with other children. I asked if he would like to go home and live with me. He said he would, so I took him home.
"After a couple of days we discovered the boy had parents. We located his divorced, pregnant mother, two brothers and three sisters in a distant village market rest house.
"Mbvuto was given permission to remain living with us. He changed his name to Yamikani, when translated means `thanking God.' "Months later, the mother, who was now living on the streets and her children begging for her, demanded that Yamikani return, as well as some of her other children who sought refuge in our house. "This was a sad day for all. I continued taking in needy children, who were referred to me, and street children. Nine of the sixteen children we have are orphans.
"We have rented a home for nine children and built a shelter in our yard for six children. We have a cook and a nanny, and house parents live in with the younger children.
"The children eat, bathe, wash their clothes, study, play and cut and sell firewood or charcoal every day after school. This helps buy their food. They also attend youth group activities on Saturday and Sunday. The older children take turns cooking on weekends and are learning cooking, baking, sewing and agricultural skills. The younger children each have an assigned job they do each day."
The Blantyre congregation is continuing its outreach project with Yamikani House, and it is anticipated that the children will participate in the church's children's ministry.
In October leaders from Francophone Africa gathered in Nairobi to discuss the future of the Worldwide Church of God in French-speaking Africa.
Present were Mr. Benzazuka, a local church elder from Zaire; Jean-Paul Njamta, a local church elder from Cameroon, who had visited brethren in Madagascar; Atso Dravie, our contact in Burkina Faso, who also visits Togo and Benin; Jean-Jacques Ndoudoumou, a local church elder and president of the Cameroon church board; John Halford, European director, who oversees the church's programs in French-speaking Africa; Olivier Carion, from Geneva, Switzerland, who visits throughout the area, and helps raise up the congregations and train leadership; and myself.
French-speaking Africa is a potential growth area, and discussions revolved around strategies, in particular church structures and the use of evangelical opportunities.
On the Saturday after the conference the visitors each gave to the Nairobi congregation a presentation about their areas, and about living conditions for the brethren there.
Mr. Benzazuka returned to Zaire before the troubles there broke out. We have heard that he arrived safely, but there is little news of the brethren around the Goma area. The situation there continues to be dangerous, and prayers are requested for the plight of the people in Zaire.
1. Encourage member-driven evangelism. The members in Aba were keen to have a local campaign. Pastor Eke Udeagha did not put them off, but rather presented them a challenge, and the members rose to the occasion.
2. Evangelical campaigns do not have to be conducted by regional offices or under strict ministerial supervision. Eke trusted the members to do the preparations, and they responded well to his trust.
3. Campaigns need not always involve major expense, especially on the local level. This campaign did not involve any mailings or the mailing list. It was low profile and executed simply.
4. There is no need to wait a long time before establishing local congregations. Respond to the need, not just to our own procedures.
5. Eke made a ceremony of the Aba church inauguration. In many societies a sense of ceremony is important--it adds dignity and history to the occasion. Perhaps this is something to be considered in other areas.
6. With the group in Northern Nigeria we were willing to help as we were able, and we left on friendly terms. It is always important to leave the door open.
1. Putting our social mandate into action can begin simply. Supplying fresh garden produce is an example. It does not involve major expense, and is usually much appreciated.
2. Do not forget the importance of a children's ministry.
Nov. 19, 1996, Worldwide News, page 10.
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