Greetings from the New Wilmington Missions Conference in Pennsylvania
The theme of the conference this year is, “Love your neighbor.” It has been a busy three days with inspiring presentations on the mission work with refugees and neighbors in many countries. I have participated in the South Sudan mission network meeting, The Outreach Foundation display at the mission fair, and daily teaching of high school groups. It has been a privilege to be here and meet and make friends.
Read MoreDear Outreach friends and partners in the work of the Kingdom,
Greetings from the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR). I am writing to bring you an update on the current situation of churches in Rwanda due to the new rules and standards set by the government for all churches, including the EPR.
As you may be aware, some churches in Rwanda have been closed by city leaders for many reasons including cleanliness and building construction regulations. Church buildings must now meet required standards to be used for worship. Worshipping in tents and/or outside is no longer allowed.
Read MoreWaqtola Cheneke Gebisa, pictured here, has served as the vice chair for Jimma Ginjo Guduru Bethel Mekane Yesus Church for the past two years, and he continues to serve as an elder. Currently, he is also serving as the vice chair for Jimma Presbytery. He is an assistant professor at the School of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Jimma University. Waqtola recently sent this update on his congregation’s ministry and building program.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Peace and grace be to you!! I thank you very much for your email and concern about our church. I know that you are always praying for us, thank you very much. On Sundays there are usually more than 2,500 people gathering for worship in our congregation, which is still using our old church building.
Read MoreBob and Kristi Rice shared sad news about Rev. John Tong Puk at Nile Theological College in South Sudan. Please keep Rev. Puk's family, Nile Theological College and the Rices in your prayers.
"If the Lord Does Not Come"
As I nestled into the large outdoor couch overlooking the majestic African valley deep in Murchison Falls National Park during the early evening hours, I took out our iPad and quickly glanced at a few personal emails. One message grabbed my immediate attention and kept it. News had come from Khartoum that morning, Wednesday, June 13th, that Rev. John Tong Puk, a close colleague and friend, a leader in the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) and Dean of Studies at Nile Theological College (NTC), where I teach, had died that morning. I read the message over and over in disbelief. I had just been with him and greeted him before his journey to Khartoum to see family. Could it be? It was like a dream. For the next twenty-four hours I kept saying to myself, “John Tong Puk is dead,” a statement of sheer disbelief and quiet quandary.
Read MoreA Proud Teacher
A proud teacher, like a proud parent, marvels and rejoices in the success of his or her students. I was thrilled with my students on the final examination day. For my two classes, Contextual Theology and Church History, I had grouped students together to present for our class, to share with us and teach us what they have learned. For my Contextual Theology class, I asked my students to create a local or contextual theology, a lived theology which speaks to the realities and concerns of the South Sudanese people. For my Church History class, I assigned each of the eight groups a question to respond to, each question covering a significant historical issue and/or person which we have studied together. For each of the two classes and their final group presentations, I was "tickled pink" to see my students use their imagination, their creativity, their gifts and their hard work in sharing with us and helping us learn together as a community.
From Humble Beginnings
The Kamwenge region became the home for 40,000 returning Ugandans who had fled the country during Idi Amin’s presidency (1971-1979). During this period more than 250,000 Ugandans were murdered and millions more fled to neighboring countries. As time passed and democracy came to Uganda, these refugees returned but lived in abject poverty. The government settled a large number of them in Kamwenge on small parcels of land where they could eke out a living through sustenance farming.
Rev. John Mulindabigwi reached out to the Kamwenge community with the Gospel and began to support these people with relief supplies. Even though people responded to the Gospel, their future remained uncertain due to a lack of education, no sustainable income sources – really a hopeless way of living. John believed that a long-term solution could come only through educational opportunities, economic development, family engagement, and creating collaborative partnerships.
Read MoreDear friends,
Greetings from Zambia. I (Dustin) find it enlightening to listen to my students talk openly about their experience with the church. I think you would, too. Recently, I sat with three students and asked three big questions of each. This time, I wrote down their answers to share. Perhaps their words will touch your hearts and give you insight into the church in this part of the world.
1. When you think of your church in your home country, what encourages you and leads you to thank God?
Naomi Daka (second-year student from Zambia): The zeal that people have to worship God really makes me thank God. People have zeal for Sundays. There are a variety of motives, but it’s still encouraging to see. People really want to be part of church. Something additional is the inclusiveness … [towards] female ministers; this really makes me thank God for my church.
Dear friends,
We have seen tremendous progress at Namumu Orphanage Center since the beginning of this year. We have already celebrated high school, nursing and teaching degree graduations. Namumu now has cattle and poultry to supplement the children’s diets and is earning revenue from selling milk and eggs. The local Siavonga Rotary Club has been involved in helping with renovations, and we are looking forward to more graduations.
This garden is also being revamped. The children are involved in this project which not only imparts a sense of ownership but also trains and equips them in how to earn money and helps to prepare them for a bright future.
Read MoreDear friends and supporters of Tete Province,
We had a wonderful trip to Tete Province. Our six-person team sponsored by The Outreach Foundation departed on Monday, June 11. After three flights, we arrived in Blantyre, Malawi on Wednesday, June 13. We were met at the airport by Nedson and his daughter, Esther. We enjoyed a lunch at Nedson’s home prepared by his wife Sarah. After unpacking the medical supplies donated by our home congregations, we drove about three hours to the Malawi town of Ntcheu near the Mozambique border in the northeast portion of Tete Province. On Thursday we had a full day of visiting remote congregations in the Angonia District of Tete Province – places we had never visited. We were welcomed warmly with singing and dancing. We saw newly constructed church buildings at Melenyangu and Mtangowatsanja.
Read MoreBackground of the Ministry
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) launched University Student Ministry in the early 1960s. Since the beginning, the focus of the ministry has been on making students disciples of Christ regardless of their denominational affiliation. After the fall of the communist regime in Ethiopia, the Church established her own University Student Ministry at the national level under the Department for Mission and Theology of the Church.
A Brief Activity Report
Even though Ethiopia has been under a state of emergency for the past two years, USM has tried hard to reach students at their various campuses. Many campuses are now centers of political instability. However, the unrest hasn’t stopped the students from holding their spiritual gatherings.
Dear friends,
We recently received this joyful report from Stu and Annie Ross, The Outreach Foundation’s East Africa Mission Consultants:
Yesterday was a very eventful day for us. We dedicated PCEA Manyatta Church, the 300th church that The Outreach Foundation has assisted in building in East Africa. This is a great milestone but we reached this milestone only with the help of many partners and donors....and of course, God protected us and was with us throughout. As we do this Kingdom work, we move farther from our base to very difficult, remote and sometimes dangerous areas. Our aim is to spread the gospel to many that have not heard and to add capacity to those that have heard and can reach out and spread the good news of Jesus Christ themselves.
Read MoreMama Sarah
Mama Sarah stood and spoke before the large group of mostly men, those being trained at Nile Theological College to serve as pastors and community leaders. While women are unheralded and not valued in this culture, Mama Sarah quickly and easily gained the rapt attention of everyone in the room, sharing her own story in the context of our teaching on forgiveness…
One of the great joys in life is the people we meet. Last month Kristi traveled to Rwanda for a training in healing and reconciliation with three South Sudanese colleagues. One of these colleagues is the inimitable, irrepressible, and unforgettable Mama Sarah.
Mama Sarah is a widow in her late forties; her husband died almost twenty-five years ago. Mama Sarah has raised four children on her own. She has also taken in children not her own from other clans and tribes, an unheard-of reality here in South Sudan. Mama Sarah is a grandmother and she relishes her role as “matriarch,” calling others sons and daughters and cherishing her well-deserved title and status as “Mama Sarah” (Mother Sarah).
Read MoreThe Outreach Foundation’s East Africa Mission Catalyst Stu Ross recently shared the following news from Kenya:
We just dedicated Mary Hill Church, which is located in Aberdare Presbytery. Working with our partner, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, we have completed ten churches in this presbytery. There are two more churches on our list here to finish. By building this sanctuary, we brought the congregation from under a tree to this beautiful structure.
Why We Dedicate Churches
There are several reasons we dedicate a church. By dedicating a church, we let the whole community know that the new church is open. Secondly, many friends bring gifts of money and articles needed for the church to the dedication. Seventy plastic chairs and cash were donated at this dedication. Thirdly, it is a time thank people for all their help.
Vulnerable children's ministries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, have developed out of the desire to care for children either left as orphans following their parent’s death or due to abuse or neglect, in most cases dictated by extreme poverty. The Outreach Foundation's Projects Coordinator Ebralie Mwizerwa, Africa Mission Specialist Frank Dimmock and former Outreach trustee Rev. Dr. Eve Tolley recently traveled to Kenya to visit children’s ministries partners at the Riamukurwe Parish. On March 5-6, they met with the board of Tumaini Children's Ministry and worked on important recommendations for the children’s benefits. In this update, Ebralie gives a report of the trip and issues an invitation for the next trip, tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2019.
Upon our arrival at Nyeri, we were well-received at Tumaini and shared a delicious meal with Rev. Nicholas Miriti, parish pastor; Eunice Kago, Tumaini home manager; Peter Mucheru, session clerk; Virginia Munyiri, board secretary, and Fred Magua, Tumaini board chair.
Read MoreDear family and friends,
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ from Justo Mwale University (JMU), Lusaka, Zambia where I have my home. It is quiet, very green, a lovely place to live. I enjoy having the theological students and faculty as my neighbors, and I appreciate when they stop by calling “odi” to say hello.
The 2018 JMU Bachelor of Theology (BTh) program is well underway now, although it got off to a bumpy start. Cholera broke out in Lusaka in October 2017. By January 12, 2,840 cases were recorded with 64 deaths. At the end of December, the Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, banned gatherings of more than five people (including worship) and outlawed street vending. Military police patrolled the streets to enforce the bans. At the beginning of January, Dr. Chilufya postponed the opening of schools nationwide. The ban on public gatherings was lifted February 3.
Read MoreDear friends in Christ,
We are excited about what has happened in our country and the possibilities of what can happen to bring the much hoped for and prayed for change for the better in the lives of Zimbabweans. Some of the important promises made at the change of government are slow in being fulfilled. However, we know that our God who has started a good work will bring it to completion.
With the elections speeding closer, we have peace and confidence that our God who sits on the throne is the One who puts leaders into place or removes them according to his plans and purposes. It is wonderful to hear how our current president acknowledges our one and only Creator God in speeches when he addresses groups of people. Our prayers are that God will keep him faithful and rooted in him.
Read More“They are at the heart of all we do at our presbytery!”
In an unambiguous way Rev. Emmanuel Atami, chairperson of the Upper Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, described the importance of their 182 catechists, evangelists and caretakers (untrained catechists). Because the presbytery has 25 ordained pastors, 82 congregations, and 92 preaching points, the role that these dedicated volunteers play is of vital importance.
Located close to the borders with Burkina Faso, Togo and Ivory Coast, the northern part of Ghana is usually seen as the Muslim region of the country, although it is also home to a variety of traditional religions and a growing Christian community. The Presbyterian Church of Ghana lives into its call by equipping and commissioning as many people as possible to serve as leaders.
Read MoreThe project, “Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan,” has a number of on-the-ground partners. This project update comes from Mr. John Jock Gatwech, Coordinator for the Education Ministries of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan in the refugee camps in Ethiopia. Thank you, brother John Jock, for this report and for all the work you do.
Jeff Ritchie, Mission Advocate, The Outreach Foundation
From November 22-24 of last year, I accompanied Dr. Frank Dimmock, The Outreach Foundation’s Mission Specialist for Africa, the Rev. Stephen Pal Kun, Coordinator of Ministries for the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCOSS) in the refugee camps in Ethiopia, and the Rev. James Gatdet Tang, President of the Western Gambella Bethel Synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, on a visit to PCOSS Schools in the refugee camps in the Gambella Region of Ethiopia. Over a three-day period we covered the six camps – Kule, Tierkidi, Nguenyiel, Jewi, Pugnido One and Pugnido Two. In each place we were received with great joy and enthusiastic singing by the children of the preschools we visited.
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