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Prayer requests and praises
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We praise God for:The rich resources in Africa -- human, material, and spiritual. Mothers who find teachable moments for their children despite busy days. We request prayer for:
The Africa delegation to General Conventions and Assembly. May our hearts be prepared as well as our travel plans.
Men's ministries in Africa
An "I can do anything with God" attitude, as exemplified by the Karnplay Church of the Nazarene, to flourish on the region.
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Explore the Africa Region
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10 Extraordinary Prayer Requests:
Every Nazarene giving authority to God's Word
By Rev. Elijah N. King'ori | |
As a young boy, my mother taught me, as we waited for the evening meal to be ready, the importance of reading God's Word. I would read it and she would make comments. As a teenager I strayed from Christianity, but my conscience was still challenged by the things I had learned from the Bible during my childhood. When the Lord called me to ministry, the seed (Word) God had planted in me through my mother's kitchen ministry germinated and continues to bear fruit.
 The Word of God is authoritative because it is inspired (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Martin Luther, the German reformer, called for a return to Bible teaching which caused a great transformation in the church and gave birth to the Protestant movement. Pray that God will guide us to have great confidence in both the spoken and written Word of God which has the power to transform resulting in repentance, reconciliation and joy. Click here to review the 10 Extraordinary Prayer Requests. |
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The Lord provides in Karnplay City, Liberia -- by Tee T. Latahn
| In June 2012, after numerous setbacks and forced relocations, the Karnplay City Church of the Nazarene members took it upon themselves, through prayer and trust in the Lord, to acquire land and to put their own resources to use in order to erect their church building.
The Karnplay Church of the Nazarene was established in 2002 during the heat of the Liberian Civil War. My wife, Mrs. Bouyanue Latahn, and I started a Bible study group. Others joined us. We took to the streets and preached among rebel fighters. Despite our efforts, the war split the group when the city of Ganta fell and violence spread.
 | | Work day at the site |
In 2004, after the war, the group was re-established and preaching to ex-combatants continued. We secured a 30-minute slot on the community radio station used for prayer, preaching and Bible study. The program, entitled "What the Bible Says," continues today.
I negotiated with a school administration to use the building for Sunday worship. In 2010, a new administration took over and we were forced to relocate. Relying on the Lord, I secured an old, deteriorating community building which the church members agreed to renovate. Not more than one month passed after worship began there before the Ivorian crisis reached new heights and a stream of refugees entered Karnplay and the surrounding villages. As Christians, the church members handed over the building to the authorities as a refugee shelter.
Looking for a more permanent settlement, the local church leadership acquired one acre of land located at the highest point of the city and adjacent to my home. Until June 2012, about 45 church members came together every Sunday to worship in our house. In the following months, the number of regular attendants rose to over 120. Members therefore deemed it necessary to initiate the construction of a church building on the acquired acre. My wife and I worried about this bold step and kept praying to find a solution. The Lord answered our prayers with abundance. Since the idea first came up, church members from near and far have provided the local material. They molded over 3,000 mud bricks. They brought planks necessary for the construction and bought cement and steel rolls. Even non-members, but regular listeners to the radio program, came and made financial or material donations.
 | | Preparing the ground |
By the end of 2012, church members had prepared the ground for construction, laid out the foundation, collected rocks for support and put the foundation in place. During the rainy season, the work came to a standstill, which gave church members time to look for additional resources. For over five months, contributions to the church, collected during church service, were put aside and reserved to buy further materials. When the last rain fell in early 2013, Peter Grorwah, a member and engineer, volunteered to design further construction. Under his supervision, the first five pillars for the church were erected.
On the weekend of April 13-14, 2013, we called a working conference and church members from Karnplay and nearby villages joined to see the work progress. Some people walked for over five hours. While the men were putting the remaining seven pillars up, the women brushed the mountain slope and planted corn and cassava. The farm profits will further contribute to the church construction.
While climbing up the hill, three of the elder church members stated, "We pray to worship in this building before going to sleep with the Lord". All of the church members are praying along with them and they are already developing new plans, encouraged by the support they are receiving, to construct a school and a clinic nearby to further their own and the community's development. In the meantime, they are also praying to the Lord to keep providing for them as He has done until now.
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Using What You Have - by Shelly Miller
| Africa is a continent rich in natural resources. Copper in Zambia, precious and semi-precious gemstones are freely available in Madagascar and oil in the Niger Delta in West Africa. Her soil is full of wealth, her people full of ingenuity. In Africa, we have a chance to put that ingenuity to good use because there are no mega "everything" stores around the corner. We have to think ahead and be creative. However, when faced with the thought of having to put together a craft for children in Sunday School with, seemingly, no resources, even the most creative person can be overwhelmed.
Thankfully, Africa (and, indeed most parts of the world) has one of the best resour ces for crafts, literally, floating around: rubbish or garbage.
There are valuable Sunday School resources on the ground or in the street ready for you to pick-up and use in Sunday School to demonstrate various stories. One of the best items to use are sticks. Not only are they everywhere, but having the children go around the church yard collecting them can also be a part of the project, and an opportunity to beautify the church yard. Sticks can be used to build altars to demonstrate Abraham sacrificing Isaac, the way God required the Israelites to make animal sacrifices in the Old Testament, illustrating the story of Moses erecting the snake on a stick in the desert, etc. The sticks can be used to build buildings, make the stable where Jesus was born and, most important, the cross that Jesus was crucified on. Bits of string or plastic can be used to tie these things together, as well. Rocks can also be used to represent people or animals in stories. Clusters of rocks can represent a town, or build the wall of Jericho with pebbles and allow the children to knock it over while some of the children give a "shout".
Perhaps there is a need for glue. Glue can be made by combining about 15-30 ml (1-2 Tablespoons) of flour with a small amount of water until it resembles the consistency of school glue. This make-shift glue can easily hold together small sticks and pebbles into many different creations. It does take more of this glue to hold than it does a store-bought glue and drying time is a bit longer, but the end result is virtually the same. As with store-bought glue, if it is stored in an airtight way, it can be saved for next week's lesson, as well.
Plastic bags that are given in the market or at grocery stores can be cut in strips and then woven together to create baskets, bowls or even hats. The packets can also be cut-up to be used as clothes for stick-figure characters or even blankets for Baby Jesus in the manger. With older children, a make-shift hat could be fashioned out of a bright-colored bag and fitted on a child's head to represent them as a king if they are acting out a story from the Old or New Testaments. Be careful not to allow any closed bag to slip over a child's head as this can cut-off the air supply.
Challenge yourself to develop a craft using what you have in the church yard or the streets of your community. God has given all of us creativity and children have grand imaginations. Use these natural resources to your advantage, as well, as you develop a craft for your Sunday School lesson this week.
Editor's note- Thanks to Sara and Chloe Marshall for making the examples.
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Book review: Sorcery and Holiness - by Milly Ibanda
| Tim Eby on the Africa West Leadership Conference: We officially opened the West Africa Nazarene Publishing house at the Accra Coastal District Center and celebrated West African author, Rev. Djedje Yao Clement as he signed and distributed the first copies of Sorcellerie et Sainteté. May God inspire many new writers across our field to produce the materials needed for our context to address issues from a Wesleyan holiness perspective.
 | DJEDJE at the book launch
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This book is for all Christians - both laity and pastors. The author does not glorify witchcraft, but instead shows how it can be a trap for the Christian life. Apart from the preface and bibliography, this book contains five parts, namely: the introduction, evil as a worm in the fruit, the Scriptures as the sole antidote, the question of exorcism and the conclusion.
In his introduction, the author discusses some of the history, culture and religion behind sorcery. Speaking of culture the author argues that witchcraft is not a cultural but a mystical practice that is both transnational and transcontinental. In terms of religion, he speaks of the metaphor "Christus Victor" (Christ Triumphant). In this book, you will find the definition of witchcraft as presented by various Africans. It gives some testimonies, showing also how witchcraft can be a superstition or lack of understanding. He writes, "Sports and politics are the two domains most influenced by sorcery because they represent the most used routes to social success."
After having exposed witchcraft, this book gives some Bible verses that are an antidote. Here, he shows how God condemns this practice, and the Beatitudes are shown to be the great foundation of holiness, by comparing perfect happiness and Christian perfection. The author mentions the power of the cross and humility as well as forgiveness, reconciliation, obedience and love as very important.
This book could not be complete without mention of exorcism. Here the author points to demon possession, making curses and exorcising demons. The author discourages the practice of keeping patients at home without bringing them to the hospital.
He encourages Christians to practice spiritual disciplines. The author insists that holiness is not just a doctrine, but also a way of life that must be lived daily.
The book concludes with an appeal to African Nazarenes and other Christians not to glorify witchcraft, but to glorify Jesus who never allows the life of a saint to be touched until death. Is not this a good book to read!
Editor's note: Sorcellerie et Sainteté by Clément DJEDJE is currently only available in French.
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Men's Ministries at Nairobi Central Church - by Elizabeth Musimbi
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November last year, the Men's Ministries of Nairobi Central Church had a retreat. This was wonderful - men meeting with men. A ministry that was neglected for some time. They did a lot on that day including watching the video, Courageous, under their leader Pastor Isaac
 | | Signing the resolution |
Chege. He invited Rev Don Gardner to facilitate. This was an eye-opener and they have seen the need of the ministry being active in the church. The whole action-packed police drama talks about how honor begins at home and how these men can be committed to their calling, their families, and still have their hope fulfilled.
Last Saturday, at a men's breakfast they showed the video again. More than 40 men attended. This was a good opportunity of sharing and making a commitment. On Sunday, the men committed themselves by presenting the resolution to their spouse  s and families in front of the whole congregation. Professor Rod Reed preached a sermon on the godly man in the family and then called the men to come forward with their resolutions. It was like renewing marriage vows. As Professor Reed read through the commitments, the men said in unison after him "I WILL". Then they signed and their spouses or children signed as witnesses. Everyone then celebrated with a cake. We pray that this men's ministry will spread to the whole district and beyond.
--Rev. Bessie Musimbi is the SDMI coordinator for the East Africa Field.
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Be sure to stop by the Africa Region booth during General Assembly and Conventions.
I'd love to meet you!
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Amy Crofford,Out of Africa editor
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