Parents the world over are concerned about meeting the needs of their children for love, shelter, food, clothing, and education. Whether in a church school in western North Carolina or under a tree in a refugee camp in western Ethiopia, preschools are helping to meet some of these basic needs.
Read MoreClean drinking water is a much sought-after commodity in East Africa. The Outreach Foundation and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) have partnered to bring water to thirsty villages. East Africa Mission Consultant Stu Ross recently sent a report on this life-changing partnership:
Water is life! Over 50% of Kenyans don’t have piped water. It has to be fetched, mainly by women and children, in 20-liter cans. The water may be up to 15 km (10+ miles) away, which makes this an all-day job, two-three times a week. Consequently, mothers are not at home and children miss school. In Maasai land, where water is far away in many villages, children and adults aren’t able to wash regularly and skin disease is common. Diarrhea and dysentery are also widespread diseases where water is either not available or not clean.
Read MoreNile Theological College (NTC) provides theological and practical training to equip men and women for effective ministry in Sudan and South Sudan. Our support helps provide scholarships for students to continue to study and make an impact serving their congregations, denominations, and other organizations. Here are excerpts from NTC’s most recent newsletter, Light to the Nations:
Read MoreNancy Warlick shared this note and information from the Madagascar Mission Network:
There is great need at this time for prayer for God's people and rebuilding in Madagascar following the devastation caused by Cyclone Batsirai in early February.
Read MoreStu Ross, East Africa Mission Consultant, recently sent this note about the dedication of PCEA Ndagara Church in Kenya. The church was built in partnership with First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN.
Dear friends,
Today, February 6, 2022, we dedicated Ndagara Church in Laikipia Presbytery, which is about a six-hour drive from home. Although we have already built six churches in the Presbytery,
Read MoreWe recently received this note from Stu Ross, Outreach’s East Africa Mission Consultant.
The Matasia Boys’ High School library is the seventh library we have built. On January 20, we placed and organized 2,000 books on the shelves. In schools where we have built libraries, students’ grades have improved.
Read MoreTampa, FL / November 17, 2021 – Signalman Publishing is pleased to announce the release of Adventures in Faith: A Reflection of My Life in Africa by Nancy Warlick of Orlando, Florida.
Early in life, Nancy felt the call to serve God by serving the people of Africa – especially those in what was then known as the Belgian Congo. Upon meeting a seminary student, Bill Warlick, and discovering a shared interest in missions, they wed and set their sights on heading to the Congo as Presbyterian missionaries. Thus began a journey of service lasting over four decades – and not just in the Congo but across the African continent.
Read MoreHome of Hope, located in Harare, faithfully ministers to people living on the streets due to illness, poverty, or unemployment. At Christmas, they provided parcels with clothes and food for 100 people. Dave Rock sent pictures from the Christmas distribution along with this note:
Read MoreDear friends of Tete Province,
I have been asked about the state of our Holistic Evangelism Project in Tete Province, Mozambique as our work winds down for this year and we prepare for the new year. In spite of the challenges from COVID-19, 2021 has been a busy and productive year, and 2022 is full of promise.
Sebber's family and Carlos and his family are healthy and doing well. Please pray for their continued safety and health. We praise the Lord for these dedicated servant leaders!
We celebrated the formal opening by the government of our new clinic in the village of Madzimaera. This much-needed clinic is very busy and is making a vital impact on the health of the many surrounding villages.
Read MoreJohn Jock Gatwech, Education Coordinator for the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCOSS), is assigned to the refugee camps in Ethiopia. John Jock recently wrote: “Today, the trauma healing group training is kicking off at Tierkidi camp in Palang parish.” This is one of the refugee camps in western Ethiopia, made up primarily of South Sudanese refugees that have escaped the civil war in their own country at great personal loss.
The training begins with a crucial question, pertinent to us all. “When we are suffering, what do we need to remember about God’s character?”
Read MoreThrough generous gifts from many donors, hundreds of families in Kenya recently received food and supplies. Lauren Scharstein, global worker and Deputy Director of Mission for the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, sent this note:
Hi!
We have received the wire transfer for hunger relief. Thank you! With the funds that you sent, we were able to deliver:
Read MoreGreetings from Zambia. I’d like to share a few glimpses of what it’s been like to be back here for about a month after being granted an exception from our church headquarters’ Covid-related ban on travel and in-person ministry. I very much miss Sherri, whose continuation in the U.S. under the ban allows her to have an in-person presence supporting a family member’s journey toward health. Nonetheless, my level of happiness went up a sizable notch when I landed in Zambia and arrived back at Justo Mwale University.
I've so loved getting to be part of the Justo Mwale community again – being together with colleagues who’ve become good friends over the past ten or so years, living in our home on campus and enjoying our garden as a place of prayer, but especially teaching and relating with students.
Read MoreThe Outreach Foundation has come alongside the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) to help them build over 350 churches in the last 20 years. Coordinating this work is Outreach’s East Africa Mission Consultant Stu Ross who works closely with PCEA leadership. Stu sent this note on one of the newest PCEA churches:
Tigoni is a small town located in the center of a tea-growing area. PCEA Tigoni Church is a large, beautiful church that will seat 350+. The area has great potential and I can see the church doubling or tripling in membership in the next several years. We usually put the vestry on the side of the church but this time we put it behind the church. The land for the church was donated by a church member.
Read MoreIn March 2020, schools across Kenya were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This closure included Mother Esther School and Rescue Center where we usually have a population of 156 girls. During the 8 months of lockdown, we were left with only 42 students.
2021 was intended to be a new year, a fresh start after the uncertainty and restrictions of 2020. In November 2020, most of our students were able to return to Mother Esther School after eight months of lockdown in their home areas. In January 2021, we fully reopened with great joy and celebration. However, we have slowly learned that we are not quite finished with the impacts of 2020. The months in risky, remote areas of Kenya left our girls vulnerable to both child marriage and pregnancy. The stories of trauma that have emerged are many, so I will share one with you today.
Read MoreDear friends,
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8
It all began with a question about the HIV/AIDS course. We wondered, “Can this course be inserted elsewhere as part of another course?” “Maybe it could be grafted into our counseling course?” Alluding to the counseling course, we were then off to the races, finding ourselves in another discussion altogether, which lasted for a good portion of our five-hour meeting. Such was the work of the Spirit on a Saturday morning in early October at Nile Theological College.
Read MoreYears of war and ethnic conflict in South Sudan have had a huge impact on the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of South Sudanese citizens. War and conflict have resulted in broken families, displacement, and tensions between groups or tribes. Many people have become soldiers or war prostitutes. Many have seen their parents or family members killed or raped. How does one heal from such wounds? How do you forgive your many enemies when the pain is deep and the list of atrocities so long? What is the role of the church in promoting healing?
The South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) has been conducting workshops for four years that help people to experience God’s love and healing from the wounds in their hearts and help them to forgive those who have wounded them.
Read MoreFormerly known as Lovemore Home, the Ministry for Children at Risk in Harare rescued many boys from the streets of Zimbabwe. When Lovemore Home closed as a residential home for boys at the end of 2014, The Outreach Foundation and several donors including members of South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama committed to helping the boys who lived in the orphanage complete their education. Lee Cooper from South Highland PC recently sent the following news on the boys:
The Lovemore boys of Harare, Zimbabwe, though fewer in number now, are proceeding with their education and making good progress.
Read MoreDear friends,
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches could not be dedicated after they were completed. So, we recently dedicated four churches and have about ten more to be dedicated soon. The four churches are located in Kieni West Presbytery, a very poor, dry area that has not received much attention. The Very Rev. Jesse Kamau, a past Moderator and good friend of The Outreach Foundation, dedicated the churches. The Rev. Kamau is known as the father of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).
PCEA Imani Church
Mugunda Parish in Kieni West Presbytery
Dedicated October 7, 2021
Imani Church started in 1984 in the Rutunguru Primary School. Soon after its inception, a church member donated the land and a wooden structure was constructed around 1990. The wooden structure served the congregation for many years but was leaning due to termite infestation. Over the years the church grew and was vibrant in the community. But they needed a larger church that would survive termites. The new church will allow the congregation to grow and thrive.
Read More
