By James R. Henderson
NAIROBI, Kenya--Ever gone through a winter you thought would never end?
It has been raining in Nairobi for months now, or so it seems--torrential tropical rain that soaks right through you in seconds, and you begin to shiver. We need this season to end, and yet in other areas of Africa the land is parched and the people yearn for rain.
The Worldwide Church of God, too, has gone through a long, hard winter. The seeds of new thinking were sown, and in some places they died on the cold barren ground, and in other parts now the fresh buds of new life are springing up.
WCG members in Africa want you to know that we have been thinking of you and praying for all of you, our brethren outside Africa, particularly those in North America.
We have shared your excitement at rediscovering the treasure that was hidden in our field of legalism--Jesus Christ, our Savior. We have felt your tensions and anxieties and have grieved with you the loss of those who have chosen to reject that pearl of great price and to cling to the bondage of the past.
We also deeply appreciate the many years of moral and financial support the WCG in Africa has received. You helped us plant churches in major urban areas and in remote farming communities.
Now we see many of those churches seizing the vision of congregational evangelism and striving to own their future against sometimes seemingly insurmountable odds. We are reaping the past as we sow in the present. God is using the Worldwide Church of God in Africa.
The wilderness years of the WCG did take their toll on us. In some countries we lost dear brothers and sisters, and splinter groups were established. Local income declined. We had to again set priorities for our goals, and had painful moments of introspection. At times we felt alone, isolated, cut off.
We made cutbacks, of course, in personnel and resources. We now have eight full-time ministers in all of East and West Africa. These ministers are ably assisted by resident pastors and pastoral councils as they minister to more than 7,000 in attendance in 25 countries. New groups are emerging in places such as Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Congo, Angola and Tanzania.
Many of our churches have an air of excitement and anticipation. At the same time they have a sense of struggle.
Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa, referring to his country's joy at transformation, wrote in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, that "we have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and more difficult road."
We see a parallel here with the WCG. All of our churches are beginning to feel the exhilaration of stepping out in Christ, and they also realize both that the road is hard and narrow and that they can accomplish all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us.
Nationally and locally the African churches are involved in various ministries and outreach initiatives such as community care, environmental projects, evangelical publishing and media and charity events.
Here are some examples. We have a weekly radio program aired in Cameroon by enthusiastic members that is well-received in the community.
The Cape Town, South Africa, office produces Face to Face, a magazine that is having an effect in both religious and nonreligious circles.
Christian Living for Africa, a magazine published in Kenya and in Ghana, is a useful tool for evangelism in rural East and West Africa.
We also want to thank all of you for your ministry of believers. You have made a difference. You have had an effect on us in Africa and have thrown so many of us a line when we were sinking in a sea of troubles.
The letters of encouragement, the listening posture, the forging of sister church relationships, the Feast visitors, the sponsoring of projects, the intervention at times of food shortage and famine, the gifts of Bibles and Christian literature, the prayers and the thoughts --all these have assisted us in our transition, in our coming out of winter.
Most of our African congregations show evidence of a renewed commitment to Jesus Christ, and also of a growing secondary commitment to the fellowship of the Worldwide Church of God.
Our past places us in a position to make a valuable contribution to the gospel. We know we can be vessels in God's hands as he uses our new understanding in Jesus Christ and our positive congregational strengths to help build his kingdom.
Solomon in the Song of Songs 2:11-12 wrote: "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come" (New King James).
Our WCG difficulties are not over, in Africa or elsewhere.
But, it is hoped, as Solomon said, "the winter is past."
We pray that we are coming out of our winter, and that the "time of singing has come" again, only with a new song.
Africa has a song to be sung, and, as we join the rest of the church around the world, together let's sing a sweet melody and rejoice and give thanks!
Spring is coming....
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1998