Church Construction in Kenya - May 2018 Update

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.

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMay 11, 2018Church Construction in Kenya, Kenya, Stu Ross

Bethlehem Bible College - April 2018 Update

In February of this year, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was temporarily closed by Jerusalem’s Christian leaders in protest of a new taxation imposed upon the Christian institutions by the city of Jerusalem. This was an unexpected break in the status quo going back to the Ottoman era which had previously granted tax-free status to the city’s religious institutions. The shocking announcement included a century of back taxes, totaling almost $200 million; an expense that would have forced many ministries out of the land. Some leaders felt this imposition was a way to continue to weaken the presence of Christians in the city. In protest, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Jerusalem’s most-visited sites was closed.

Because this event took place about a month before Easter, there were worries that the church would remain shut during our holiest season. Thankfully, after three days of closure the situation was at least temporarily resolved, and the doors of one of the world’s oldest churches were swung back open.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMay 3, 2018Bethlehem Bible College, Bethlehem, Palestine

José Carlos Pezini - April 2018 Update

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Let me begin by thanking you for your prayers. God has been great to us. In January I had prostate surgery. Thanks to God’s grace, I recovered well. Within two weeks of the surgery, I was ready to return to my regular ministry activities including my international travels. Odete and I are so thankful for your lives and the care that you have demonstrated towards us.

The SARA ministry has grown exponentially in these last couple of years. Today there are 13 mentoring core groups spread out all over Brazil. Each one of them has two retreats per year. This year alone, we have scheduled 26 different retreats. It is through God’s mercy that we have already reached around 500 pastors in 13 different denominations. We have helped them through their daily struggles. Many of them have testified that through our personal mentoring and spiritual formation retreats, they have been able to conquer depression and other signs of burnout. As they recover from their personal burnout, they feel motivated to perform their ministry with enthusiasm and great joy again.

Continuing Education for Chinese Church Leaders - April 2018 Update

Walking with Chinese Pastors
“The average pastor in our province has a congregation of 6,500 members.” With those words Rev. Keyun Zhang, chairman of the Provincial Committee of TSPM and president of the Theological Seminary, explained why the development of Chinese pastors is so important for the ongoing health of the growing congregations in the Jiangsu Province.

During the week that he spent in the United States last fall, Rev. Zhang led a delegation of eight high ranking leaders in visits sponsored by The Outreach Foundation to University Place Presbyterian Church (Tacoma, WA) and First Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, NC). He used the opportunity to share how even with such significantly high pastor to member ratios, the church in China is committed to improving the quality of its spiritual life and its ministries in their communities. “We have nine times as many congregations in the Jiangsu Province as we had in 1950,” he stated. “We have gone from 540 to 4,639 churches.”

PCEA Mabati Church Construction - April 2018 Update

The 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.

Africa, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationApril 26, 2018PCEA Mabati Church Construction, Kenya

Tumaini Children's Ministry-April 2018 Update

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.

Africa, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationApril 19, 2018Tumaini Children's Ministries, Kenya, Nyeri

Nancy Collins - March 2018 Update

Dear 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.

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationApril 7, 2018Nancy Collins, Justo Mwale University, Zambia

Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo - March 2018 Update

Warm greetings from ETSC where we are now in the middle of the spring semester and our final year students are beginning to be excited at the prospect of graduation and what lies beyond. It has been an eventful year so far, including two big book launches!

Perspectives
On Friday, March 9th ETSC celebrated the book launch of the Arabic translation of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. 150 people gathered to hear speeches by Dr. Atef Gendy, ETSC's president; Steve Hawthorne, the general editor of Perspectives; Dan McNerney, a representative of Frontier Fellowship; and Swailem Hennein, the translation supervisor. It is the culmination of over ten years of work, which was initiated by Swailem Hennein in 2006 and involved 17 people translating the136 articles on mission which make up the collection. The book has two volumes and is accompanied by a study guide.

Home of Hope - March 2018 Update

Dear 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.

Africa, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationApril 2, 2018Zimbabwe, Home of Hope

Palestinian Bible Society - March 2018 Update

The Palestinian Bible Society held its fourth annual Bible Day in Bethlehem on October 20. Entitled “Let the Children Come to Me,” this year’s Bible Day focused on getting the message of the Bible into children’s lives and hearts. Nearly 1,000 children from all around the land took part, along with group leaders, parents, and church leaders from all denominations. Songs, videos, crafts, outdoor games, puppets, and a live drama engaged everyone with the message in fun ways throughout the day. At the end, each child received a gift bag with a children’s Bible and a USB drive containing several versions of the Bible and audio Bible stories.

The event was broadcast live on Palestine TV and on the Radio Mawwal Facebook page. The next day, Director Nashat Filmon was interviewed on national TV and radio and received calls from Gaza residents who had seen the live broadcast.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 31, 2018Palestinian Bible Society, Palestine, Israel

Northern Outreach and New Church Development in Northern Ghana - March 2018 Update

“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.

Iraq Appeal Update - March 2018

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Matthew 25:35-36

Some parts of this passage are easier to live into than others. If you periodically bring canned goods to a food pantry, you have fed him. If you ever donated money in the wake of a natural disaster to provide potable water to victims, you gave him something to drink. Made a Goodwill drop off with old clothes? You kinda clothed him, I guess. And who hasn’t visited someone who was sick or injured in the hospital. But HAVE we ever invited in the stranger? The Presbyterian Church in Kirkuk opened its doors to 70 unfamiliar people fleeing ISIS in the summer of 2014 – and half of them are still there. And then there is that prison thing….

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 20, 2018Iraq Appeal, Iraq

Refugee/Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Appeal - March 2018 Update

Every blessing you receive is for you to be grateful and to pass it on. We remain committed to our mission, the mission that our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to us: we must continue to be there for the stranger, the refugee, the child and the most vulnerable. We want to be his ambassadors, and we are always open to be used as tools for our Lord. We are aware that with the little we offer to those people we are making a big difference. This is an opportunity for everyone to step in with us, hand in hand, to continue this work, as partnership is what our Lord Jesus Christ meant when he said, “for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” These words of Wafa Goussous, who directs the Orthodox Initiative (of the Middle East Council of Churches) in Amman, come from deep within her heart. For it is into the midst of her nation of Jordan that tens of thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees have sought safety and help... and The Outreach Foundation has come alongside this ministry, over the past two years, supported by your generous gifts.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 7, 2018Refugee IDP Appeal, Jordan

Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan - March 2018 Update

The 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.

Africa, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 5, 2018Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia

Musalaha - February 2018 Update

Light in the Darkness

On a rainy afternoon in Jerusalem, fifty-seven women arrive at Tantur Ecumenical Institute seeking reconciliation against the odds. Despite common faith in Jesus, the group is far from ordinary – composed of Palestinian Israelis, Jewish Israelis, and Palestinian women living in the Palestinian Authority.

Recent political activity tried to exacerbate the distance between these communities; so, everyone who walks through the door is performing an act of courage, vulnerability, and gentle defiance against stereotypes. Still, each person carries a unique set of expectations or doubts.

In the first session rather than focusing explicitly on the theological rhetoric and the wounds and fears that have historically served to dichotomize these communities, the staff brought our focus to relationship building. The group is broken into smaller circles, and we engage in a game: each person is given a different colored slip of paper.

Middle East, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 20, 2018Musalaha, Israel, Palestine

Daniel and Elizabeth Turk - February 2018 Update

We are so thankful for the many supporters of Dan and Elizabeth Turk’s ministry in Madagascar. In response to God’s command to steward and care for the earth that God declared good, Dan is leading remarkable work focused on biological diversity, caring for creation, food security issues and other agricultural programs that express the grace and goodness of our Lord. Thank you for helping to make this work possible.

Update from Daniel Turk on the Fruit, Vegetable, and Environmental Education (FVEE) Project

During 2017 the Fruit, Vegetable, and Environmental Education (FVEE) project of Madagascar’s largest Protestant church, the Fiangonan’i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara (FJKM), established a fruit center at Mahatsinjo; continued training in fruit growing, gardening, and environmental education at three FJKM seminaries; and began a new collaboration with the FJKM schools. The following gives details of how the project is making an impact on various groups of people in many locations in Madagascar.

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 14, 2018Dan and Elizabeth Turk, Madagascar

Christian Education for Presbyterian Children in Rwanda - February 2018 Update

On a typical Sunday at EPR Remera-Kicukiro, you would find hundreds of our members singing, praying, and dancing. Unfortunately, you would also find the children of our church crowded together in an undersized, packed classroom. All of the children of EPR Remera-Kicukiro are forced to share one common space on Sundays. This includes children as old as 14 and as young as three. The classroom is often so overcrowded that children must sit in each other’s laps as they are instructed. They come in large numbers anyway! The congregation has 224 children attending Sunday School classes. Church members who volunteer their time and have Christ’s love for the children serve as teachers. As a congregation, we are thrilled at the opportunity to grow and to count these children as members of our young church.

Because Sunday School and the education of our children is the main focus of evangelism of our church, the vision of our congregation is to make it strong and enjoyable. We know that the secret to having a future generation in the church and nation is to invest in Christian education for our children.

City Evangelization, Busanza Vocational Training Center - January 2018 Update

The Busanza Vocational Training School was built by the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR) in partnership with The Outreach Foundation. The school was dedicated in July of 2017. A mission team from Nashville was present for the joyful dedication celebration with this community.

The first enrollment (class) of 34 students (17 in sewing and 17 in hairdressing) graduated at the end of 2017. Of these graduates, 70% in sewing have jobs and 80% in hairdressing are employed. These percentages demonstrate the importance of the school and the impact it has on the lives of our community and nation.

We just started our second enrollment on Monday, January 22 with 26 students registered in sewing and 23 students in hairdressing. One of the students in hairdressing, Ishime Sandrine, says: “I decided to come two years after I finished secondary school and was still without job. I see that there is a big opportunity for those who finish hairdressing. They get employed almost immediately or can start their own businesses.”

Partner Updates