October 2012, Issue 2 |
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Prayer requests and praises
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A year of growth on the Africa Region - spiritually and numerically. Radio outreach and new technologies that can impact our world. Please pray for:
Join the team in prayer as a new church year begins. May God's imagination and power flow across the continent through these leaders, pastors and lay people as we seek to make Christlike disciples in the nations. Pray for a new church to be planted in Wamahinso, Ghana as the leaders follow up on a JESUS film showing. Pray for peace in the many countries that will hold elections in the coming months. April Baggott's new ministry with the boys in her neighborhood and the continued blessing of God on the South Kivu district as they also minister to children.
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Connect with the Church of the Nazarene Africa Region
| Visit the website: www.africanazarene.org
or check out our Facebook pages:
Anglophone: Church of the Nazarene - Africa Region
Francophone: Le coin nazaréen
Lusoohone: Noticias Nazarenas
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How to listen to WMB-Africa
| In the last year, World Mission Broadcast - Africa formed a partnership with Wooma.net. Phil  Anderson, the communication coordinator for the Africa region, says "the best aspect of this partnership is that any radio station from anywhere in the world can access the site and download any program they choose and air it for free." However, not only can they access the programs, so can you with any smart phone or 3G device.
Peet Voges, ministry coordinator for WMB-Africa, explains the process:
1) Go to www.wooma.net, then click the area at the top center to get to the website
2) Choose the button that says WMBA - this will show you a list of current programs available. For more choices, go to "previous programs."
3) Click on a program. At this point you have two choices:
a- Click "download now" to listen to the program anytime off line, or...
b- Click the solid arrow ►to listen to a live stream -
Currently, WMB-Africa produces forty programs each month. They are produced at various locations across the region using nine languages.
Enjoy this resource and share your experience with us.
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A call for grace - April Baggott, Rwanda
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"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:37-40
One day, I decided to go on a bike ride. As I was getting on my bike, I noticed that my phone was hanging out of my pocket so I reached over and tucked it back in. After I reached my destination, I soon realized that my phone, my IPHONE, had fallen out! Frantically, I rode back home and searched for it along the way. When I reached home I asked our worker to help me in searching
for it. By this time, I was pretty upset and was riding my bike up and down the road looking for it.
A few hours later our worker came back with some neighborhood street kids. Since we don't speak much Kinyarwanda, communication was very limited. Here were several kids sitting outside our gate with a growing group of bystanders trying to help get the phone back. It was apparent that these street kids had the phone, or at least at one point, they had it.
These kids were young. They appeared to be around 4-7 years of age. There were six of them. Everyone was saying that they were thieves and that we needed to take them to the police. I kept thinking, How could such young children be thieves? How can these young children walk around all day without adult supervision?
As I was sitting at our gate looking at these children and watching them lie about the phone, my heart broke for them. The whole situation made me very sad. I was saddened because they seemed to be getting in trouble with all of the bystanders who had gathered. I'm thinking the whole time, They didn't steal the phone! They were walking on our road and found it in the sand. It wasn't their fault that they found it. Now, at this point, they knew to whom the phone belonged and they still weren't willing to give it back, but they didn't steal it. Even after talking with them for hours and going to police, they still were not budging.
The question that kept coming to my mind was, How could I love on these children that are called thieves? A few weeks after the phone incident, these kids were still on my heart. I felt convinced that God wanted me to help these boys. God has called us to feed the hungry and love the unlovable, right? So, I sent our worker looking for the boys. It took him days of searching to find them and all the while communication was still difficult. At first the boys refused to come. I am guessing they were too afraid we were going to take them to jail.
I invited them to my house for a meal and six of the boys came to eat lunch - 3 ½ hours late. We made them rice, maize, carrots and green beans and meat. They all ate until they were full. It was such a great sight for me. I had been praying all day they would come, and finally they had. I am hopeful they will come back next Friday and then the next and then the next.
I remember that Christ died for me. I have never been worthy of the love and grace that God has shown me. But, because God showed me love, mercy and grace now I have the honor of showing the same love, mercy and grace to others.
Who will you see today that needs God's grace? Allow God to use you to show his grace today.
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Regional meeting highlights -- The "WOWs"
| The Africa Leadership Team met in Johannesburg, South Africa from September 24-28.
Dr. Filimao Chambo, the regional director, challenged the assembly saying, "Only when we are what God desires us to be can we be what He wants us to be for others."
Dr. Verne Ward III, the global mission director, inspired the group to Christlike leadership through devotional times and by example. He said that as disciples we are followers all the time and leaders as the
occasion is given to us.
Team members gave reports and encouraged one another to continue in the work given to them..
Some of the highlights included:
- The use of new technologies to reach people with the message of holiness,
- The continuing excitement aroused by the Celebrating Holiness emphasis,
- An increased awareness about the importance of and commitment to Sunday School and discipleship ministries for all ages.
- The church's mobilization in response to both the famine and drought in the Horn of Africa/ Kenya and the AIDS pandemic across the continent,
- The rapid growth of the church in some areas propagating a need for more theological education and clergy development,
- Mission churches started by JESUS film presentations reaching organized status,
- An increase in missions giving, the number of Africans professing a missions call and Work & Witness teams traveling from one county to another on the region.
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South Kivu Children's Day - Rev. DS MUNYOLOLO Déo, DR Congo
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One hundred nine children attended South Kivu Children's Day at the district center in Bukavu, DRCongo on August 25, 2012. In addition, Reverends MUITIKI, BENDA, CHUWA, LWESSO, BITONDO and ASOKA from the district attended to help facilitate the program.
 | | Teaching the Articles of Faith |
God provided a beautiful, sunny day. The first hour of the event included the opening prayer and training on the 16 Articles of Faith. The leaders divided the children into four groups under trees in the district compound. Reverend MUITIKI Mubigalo said, "These children are becoming true Nazarenes."
After a time of fellowship with tea and sandwiches, the children assembled in the church for ninety minutes of sketches, songs, and sayings. The atmosphere was jubilant.
After a lunch break, the children returned to the church to watch the JESUS film. To help them follow carefully this year, they had to tell how many times Jesus laughed. The leaders held a discussion time with the children halfway through the film and at the end. Most of the children answered that Jesus had laughed three, four or five times.
 | | Watching the JESUS film |
Rev. ASOKA Emilie said, "Surely, this fellowship will impact our local churches." The Holy Spirit was at work during the event and some children refused to go back home.
It was a wonderful day! These children will form a very special team for Jesus soon. Through them, a real link began to form between parents, pastors, and local churches.
We have found a good strategy of training children, so we plan to make this an annual event on the last Saturday in August. We need prayers to support this new ministry.
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| Before JESUS comes - Rev. Alex AKOMANING, Ghana | |
Pastor George of Gyedu church and I did house-to-house evangelism in Wamahinso, Ghana on Tuesday, October 2, 2012.
As a church planter and district superintendent, I always challenge my people to think of winning souls for Christ. Pastor George and his wife Cynthia took the first step of this evangelism. At our zone leaders' meeting at Gyedu, Pastor George asked me to accompany him to Wamahinso and I did.
He took me to four houses where he and Cynthia had visited before. I shared the word of God with these new people one-by-one in their houses. I started by asking these questions: 'Where do you come from? Why are you here on this earth and from here where will you go?" No one was able to answer my questions, so I took time to explain everything well for their understanding. At the end, two men, two women and two youths accepted the Lord as their Lord and Savior.
Needs were met. Two poor, sick women had nothing to eat for the day. We were touched and shared the little I had and put smiles on their faces. We prayed for the sick. The one with the foot problem was able to attend our meetings the following day at Gyedu. Pastor George said the other one has been touched and is doing well. Praise the Lord!
We use this as a groundwork to gather people before going in with the JESUS film.
Children will come in numbers when the JESUS film gets started.
Wamahinso is in the Brong Ahafo Region in the zone 3 area of the Ghana Midland district.
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You can reply to this e-newsletter. I would love to hear from you. Please, tell me what was done well and what could be improved. Also, suggest stories for future editions. Together, we can meet the goal of being an informed and inspired community making Christlike disciples in the nations.
Amy Crofford,Out of Africa editor
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