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 The vision of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa is to realize personal and corporate Wesleyan Holiness Revival. We believe that transformed lives of both the individual and the church will result in a passion to live a godly life that will be a witness to the gospel in our world. We believe the church that is transformed by God is committed to follow God and will participate in God's redemptive mission. This is the kind of church that we desire to be, by the grace of God-a church that God has given the freedom to bring ongoing spiritual renewal and transformation to its leaders and members.
We believe that by establishing a witness to the gospel in our communities and throughout the continent of Africa, we are responding to the call to be a people who "Prepare the Way for the Lord", so that all people will seek salvation and the glory of the Lord.
In the course of the last church year, the Ebola Crisis devastated three countries in West Africa: Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The commitment to be a people who establish the witness to the gospel to all people, as a result of personal and corporate spiritual renewal, was amazingly displayed by the leaders and the members of the church in the affected countries.
 The Ebola crisis could not and did not stop what God was already doing in the life of the church. On the contrary, the church empowered by God, responded with love, compassion and grace in the face of one of the most devastating times in the history of these nations. In the midst of many challenges on the continent, the church remains committed to experience the sanctifying power of God in the lives of individuals and collectively, resulting in being a People of God who send and who are sent by God to establish a witness to the gospel in the world. Africa is a land of great contrasts and complexities. It is the second largest continent in the world. There are 54 independent countries, 1.1 billion people, 3,000 ethnic groups, and 2,000 spoken languages. In the recent past, a majority of people lived in the rural communities. This is changing rapidly. Africa is now one of the most rapidly urbanizing parts of the world with projections that urban population will increase to 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050.
The vision to reach the unreached and church planting in communities where the church is not yet, is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Accomplishing missions in this context requires new and creative missions strategies, but even more importantly, such creativity and strategies should emanate from the Lord.
 It is important to note that close to 60% of Nazarenes in Africa are new members who joined the Church in the past 10 years. The majority are not only first generation Nazarenes, but also first generation Christians. Since Africans, in general, are religious people, we can assume that most of the people who make-up this 60% were brought up and were indoctrinated with religious practices and beliefs that are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Several leaders, in spite of their circumstances, locations, governmental unrest and difficulty communicating, are asking us to intensify the availability of further training and mentorship in order to combat this issue. They are hungry to learn and to know more, and are passionate to be the kind of people that the Lord desires for them to be in their communities.
We have been sensing that the Lord is leading us to see our ministry in the midst of the contrasts and complexities of Africa, as people called to "Prepare the way for the Lord". We have prioritized the goals to mobilize and deploy volunteer missionaries from Africa, church planting, resourcing the local and district churches with strategies, systems and curriculum for discipleship, fostering leadership development, revivalism and the organization of regional conferences to develop regional awareness, fellowship, and strategies to fulfill the Great Commission.
 The primary way we will do this is through a focus on Urban Ministries. Some fields are focusing on establishing a presence in the cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants. There are those who are focusing on cities with 500,000 or more. As a region, in the coming year we will continue our focus to strengthen the work and reach areas where the church is not yet in Angola, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.
NYI will be a major partner in accomplishing this vision. We are looking forward to the mobilization of the youth to be a part of short-term mission teams (6 to 12 months) - Impact Teams-to help establish the witness to the gospel in the cities. This will go hand-in-hand with an emphasis on reaching the unreached (taking the church where the church is not yet) and a call to multiply churches with a special focus on urban areas. The local and district church are embracing the vision and seeking ways to implement this vision and the vision of having one million members by the year 2020.
I am thankful to the Lord for a wonderful team that we have in Africa and around the world. A team that is open to God's work in the life of the church and are sent by God to be a witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the nations. In Christ, Dr. Filimao Chambo Africa Regional Director
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Ebola update from West Africa
No new confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease were reported in the month of December, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). After experiencing 42 days of no new cases, Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free on Nov. 7 and Guinea on Dec. 29.
Sierra Leone rejoiced at this good news but has a lot of healing ahead, including caring for the roughly 12,000 children orphaned by the outbreak, District Superintendent Rev. Vidal Cole said.
"A country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a second time," according to the BBC.
"We have to be very careful, because even if open transmission has been stopped, the disease has not been totally defeated," said Alpha Seny Souhmah, a Guinean health worker and Ebola survivor told the BBC.
After open transmissions stop, the countries enter a 90-day period of heightened health surveillance.
Liberia was declared Ebola free in September but is now back in the 42-day incubation period after a 15-year-old boy, his younger brother and their father contracted the virus in November. The 15-year-old passed away, but his brother and father recovered.
Their family and 165 other people were placed under quarantine for 21 days. That period has now ended, with no new cases emerging.
"It was with joy and a sense of renewed hope that the quarantine period ended for the community in Montserrado County on Dec. 11," WHO reports. "A ceremony was held in a local church to celebrate." If Liberia reports no more new cases, the country will be declared free of Ebola transmission on Jan. 15.
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Liberians gathered for a ceremony to mark the end of a 21-day quarantine period for more than 165 people. (Source: World Health Organization)
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Ebola outbreak
Guinea:
- Cases: 3,804
- Deaths: 2,536
Liberia:
- Cases: 10,675
- Deaths: 4,809
Sierra Leone:
- Cases: 14,122
- Deaths: 3,955
Total worldwide:
- Cases: 28,637
- Deaths: 11,315
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Young people gain skills, then train others, through Nigeria's Youth Empowerment Program
"Each one Train one" was the slogan that launched the Nazarene Youth Empowerment Program in southeast Nigeria in 2012. Volunteers from the Nazarene Church train youth in the program in areas of tailoring, carpentry, motorcycle mechanics, bricklaying, computers, patent medicine, hair dressing/barbering, refrigeration and air conditioning repair.
Forty-eight volunteer trainers responded to the call, and applications were dispersed, applicants interviewed, and eventually 20 youth (out of 34 applicants), comprised of orphans and unemployed youth from the most financially disadvantaged families, were chosen. To date, 10 of the 20 have completed their training and five have been empowered, provided a workshop, and the tools of their trade.
Those trained will in turn train others, continuing the cycle of empowerment and financial independence. According to District Superintendant Rev. Okokon Eshiet, in addition to providing jobs and ongoing training, the program seeks to "prepare the youth to live a meaningful Christian life and support the work of evangelism and church planting."
Contact: If you are interested in giving to this ministry you may contact Rev. Okokon Eshiet at reveshiet2005@gmail.com.
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South African church sustains major wind damage
Submitted by Beth Heath, Africa South Field
The Taung Church of the Nazarene in the village of Taung, South Africa, was heavily damaged the night of Dec. 8. A strong storm blew the roof off of the church building and off of the parsonage.
Thankfully, no one was injured during the storm. Had the damage occurred during the day, there could have been injuries because the metal sheets were scattered by the wind across the neighboring yards and properties.
Rev. Constance Mohlongo, the church's pastor for the past two years, has tried to salvage what she could from the church building and the parsonage.
The Taung Church was originally started by Missionary Daryll Staton in 1985 when he began evangelizing that area. When the need for a church building arose, the members would buy river sand, and Rev. Staton would purchase the cement. These materials were used to make the bricks that built the church.
The Taung church is still worshiping in the building but praying that God will provide means for a roof quickly, as it is rainy season and they do not want the church to sustain more damage.
Rev. Kenneth Moeyen, the district superintendent of North Central District in South Africa has been working with Rev. Masahangu Maluleka, field strategy coordinator of the Africa South Field, to respond to this need. To be involved in helping get this roof repaired, please contact the Africa South Field office.
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Africa Regional Conference 2016 - Abidjan
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Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire will host those coming from across West Africa to the third Africa Regional Conference. This last conference will be another great celebration. A time of coming together and encouraging one another as the Lord calls us to "Prepare the Way." He has been seen preparing the way in the midst of many challenges and God continues to enable His people to prepare His way here on earth. The conference will be a time of coming together to be encouraged and sent out again emboldened to listen to God's voice and respond to His call. Africa Regional Conference - Abidjan - 31 March to 1 April, 2016
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2016 REGIONAL CALENDAR
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Happy New Year!
We appreciate you following what happens on the Africa region and investing yourself in caring for the work. The downloadable calendar below is our way of saying we are thankful for you and seek your continued support and prayers in 2016.
Have a blessed New Year! - Africa Regional Office File Type: Large PDF (highest quality)
File Type: JPG (good quality) Paper sizes are international standard.
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PRAYER REQUESTS
- We lift up in prayer the family of retired missionary Marion Rich, who passed away Dec. 6 at age 88.
- Praise God for our pastors, missionaries, volunteers and leaders who give sacrificially. May he protect them and richly bless them with joy and strength. We ask for his wisdom to guide all of our ministries across Africa.
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ABOUT THE REGION 
 The Nazarene Church is in 42 countries in Africa, with more than 600,000 members in six fields.
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