Christopher Kasanda and Florence Chisangano grew up in vulnerable households near Siavonga, Zambia. They were each referred to Namumu Orphan Center (NOC) at a young age. There, they received care and were able to attend school. They did well in school and after years of study AND medical training, they have both returned to the Namumu clinic as clinical officers (similar to nurse practitioners). They are happy to return and Namumu is excited to have them back. They are role models for the 17 children at NOC. The Outreach Foundation is helping to support the children, including paying the school fees for the 13 children in secondary schools.

Rwanda Church Construction - September 2020 Update

In partnership with the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR), The Outreach Foundation has helped build several new sanctuaries in Rwanda and complete a few more with roofs, windows, and doors. We recently received the following report from Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, President of the EPR :

I hope you are keeping well. We continue to keep you and all sisters and brothers in the U.S.A. in our daily prayers. The following information is about the church which is under construction and where church members are very committed but need our support and our prayers.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 17, 2020Rwanda Church Construction, Rwanda

John McCall - September 2020 Update

Dear friends,

When churches or pastors invite me to come and speak at different events, I often am not exactly sure what the event is. Last year an aboriginal pastor from one of the Pastor Leadership Groups with whom I meet, asked me to come and speak at their church's weekend retreat. I agreed and didn’t ask many more questions. He told me that I would be speaking on Saturday afternoon and preaching at their service on Sunday morning.

The pastor told me to take the Mass Rapid Transit to the last station, and one of the church members would pick me up and take me to the retreat center. We left the station and began to wind up a mountain road. I had taken this road many years ago.

Asia, Missionaries, Global Workers, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 16, 2020John McCall, Taiwan

Vote of Thanks for the Borehole Project

I write this letter on behalf of the CCAP Blantyre Synod, to express our vote of thanks and gratitude for the five boreholes that have been done in different Presbyteries…

The Outreach Foundation recently received a gracious letter from Rev. Dr. Billy Gana, General Secretary of the Central Church of Africa Presbyterian Blantyre Synod in Mozambique, Africa. Please click HERE to view the letter in its entirety.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 16, 2020Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province, Mozambique

Syria and Lebanon Partnership

Note: The Outreach Foundation’s partner in this region is the National Evangelical [Presbyterian] Synod of Syria and Lebanon. Julie Burgess, the author of this update, has made 17 journeys with Outreach to the Middle East. This is Part II of her story (click here to read part I) that introduces us to 5 Syrian Presbyterians who are recent seminary graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut who have been doing their “fieldwork” amongst some of the 20 Presbyterian congregations in Syria and who will, eventually, be called to serve, permanently, in one of them. ---Marilyn Borst, Associate Director of Partnership Development.

When you travel with The Outreach Foundation, as I have, frequently, in the past ten years, you spend hours on planes and in airports in order to finally arrive in the midst of God’s people in churches in faraway places. My best advice: take a book, or two.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 11, 2020Syria Appeal, Syria Lebanon Partnership

Iraq Appeal - September 2020 update

Of the three Presbyterian churches in Iraq, two of them are being served by pastors from Egypt! When our Outreach Foundation team journeyed to Iraq this past October, we were delighted to meet the Rev. Samer Karam, an Egyptian, in Kirkuk (he and his family had arrived in January) and learn a bit of his story…

While in university in Cairo, Samer had joined Campus Crusade, and, when he graduated, he stayed on as staff for a year before heading to the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) for further study. Because two of his brothers were married to Iraqi Christians, he had heard many stories of how Christians there held great fear of terrorist organizations who were targeting believers for kidnapping and killing. As Samer tracked both the vulnerability of Christians and the subsequent immigration of many of them seeking safe haven, he began to pray about how best to serve the Church in places where Christians suffer.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 9, 2020Iraq Appeal, Iraq

Nile Theological College - September 2020 Update

Nile Theological College (NTC) was founded by former Presbyterian missionary Bill Anderson in 1991. It is the highest-level theological training institution offering a bachelor’s degree for the churches in South Sudan. Students at NTC include Presbyterians from two Sudanese denominations, Episcopalians, and members of other Protestant traditions. About 75% of the students are Presbyterian.

Nile Theological College provides theological and practical training to equip men and women for effective ministry in fulfilling the Great Commission in the country. NTC alumni are doing great things for the Lord in serving their denominations, other organizations, and even the government. NTC has also been helping secondary schools by providing teachers who teach Christian Education.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 8, 2020Nile Theological College, Sudan, South Sudan

Beirut Compassion Fund

In Beirut, on August 4, an explosion at the port rocked the city…we all watched, almost in real-time, as social media captured the cataclysm and it went viral in minutes.

The effect upon a fragile, densely packed city – already reeling from street protests, a collapsed economy, and a pandemic – was stunning:

170 dead
6,000 wounded
300,000 homeless

With ministry partnerships that are both deep and wide, The Outreach Foundation was in touch with our “family” there within hours. Within a day, we had launched the Beirut Compassion fund to raise resources for their recovery as well as their outreach to others, and that very same day, your gifts began to arrive in our office. Within 48 hours, we had made an initial wire of funds.

The Outreach FoundationAugust 25, 2020Beirut, Beirut Compassion Fund

Beirut Compassion Fund

In Beirut, on August 4, at around 6 pm local time, an explosion at the port rocked the city. Within minutes, videos of a huge fire, followed by a deafening “boom” and a massive mushroom cloud--spewing toxins--went viral around the world. Within hours, international news media was capturing the aftermath of destruction and chaos.

Anyone who watched the disaster was horrified by the scale and impact of this cataclysm, playing out a world away, even if they had had no prior connection to Lebanon. Our collective humanity was deeply impacted. But for The Outreach Foundation, what unfolded in Beirut---and continues to unfold --- is deeply “personal” as we have nurtured and been blessed by partnerships there which go deep and wide. (Were it not for the pandemic, we would have had an Outreach team in Lebanon at this moment).

The Outreach FoundationAugust 5, 2020Beirut Compassion Fund, Beirut

Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province - July 2020 Update

Dear friends of Tete Province,

I want to share a brief update on our work in Tete Province. Coronavirus cases seem to be rising in Tete Province after a slow start. Sebber reports that the borders are closed except for large trucks bringing in food and supplies. Our work is on hold until the situation improves and the borders open.

Until the coronavirus appeared in Tete Province in late March or early April, we had been very busy. We finished construction that started in 2019 on a church at Amphande and teacher housing at Khanga. Sebber and Carlos led five leadership training seminars and arranged for COVID awareness drama performances. We were given a list of final "punch out " items by the government in January for the new clinic in the village of Madzimaera. We completed the list and were waiting for the grand opening ceremony to be scheduled. Unfortunately, just prior to the border closing, we were given another shortlist of new items deemed necessary by the government. We have not been able to address these minor items since the lockdown was instituted. As you can imagine, Sebber, Carlos, and the villagers are very frustrated at being so close to an opening but unable to address these final items. Please pray that we will be able to get back to work soon and open this much-needed clinic.

Announcement from PCEA Moderator

Dear Outreach Friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I write to you today with a heavy heart. Our beloved pastor and PCEA Secretary General, Reverend Peter Kania Kariuki, passed away Sunday morning from Covid-19 complications. He leaves behind his wife, Nelius Wanjiru, and his 3 children. Many of you knew Rev Kania and witnessed his love for the Lord Jesus and his tireless service to the church. He is surely in the presence of Almighty God.

Please keep the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in your prayers, as this is a time of deep sadness.

The Outreach FoundationJuly 28, 2020

Collaborative Mission Initiatives - July 2020 Update

God's Mission in Unexpected Times and Unexpected Ways

The Outreach Foundation has over thirty-six global partners. Many of them have a vision for mission beyond their borders, but they need connections. Collaborative Mission Initiatives help global partners engage in kingdom work together.

"There is no social distancing for the Holy Spirit." With those words, Outreach's Coordinator for Iranian Ministries, Dr. Sasan Tavassoli, explains how the work of God in the world carries on despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some of the initiatives that Outreach has participated in:

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

“Equipping the Saints” at a Distance

Dear friends,

It is a joy to share with you a note we received from Rev. José Juan Hernandez, rector of the Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Tabasco, Mexico, about the ongoing ministry of forming future church leaders for a growing church with more than two million members.

Dear friends at The Outreach Foundation,

Please receive a very affectionate greeting, hoping that God's grace will continue to protect you for your continued participation in God's work.

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary remains committed to teaching and training seminarians to be church pastors whose lives and ministries are built on the foundation of God's Word.

Vulnerable Children's Fund - July 2020 Update

The Situation

According to James 1:7, “True religion is this, that we care for orphans and widows in their distress…” We cannot be faithful to the whole Gospel if we do not express love and care for the most vulnerable in our midst. The Outreach Foundation believes this fundamentally and believes that children are the most vulnerable of all in our sinful, broken world. And The Outreach Foundation believes that all children have the right to survive, to thrive, and to fulfill their God-given potential. This means understanding the global situations facing children everywhere and committing to helping to provide access to basic services, care, and education to the children in their (Outreach’s) spheres of influence.

In the church, and around the world, there is an effort to provide comprehensive care for vulnerable children that addresses the physical, emotional, educational, social, and spiritual life of every child, recognizing that they are each created in God’s image. The ultimate focus is on value and dignity for children and their families.

New Church Development in Egypt - July 2020 Update

Into the fields: Egyptian pastors visit their people in fields

One of the most difficult challenges that many pastors face in Egypt during this COVID-19 crisis is how to communicate with their people. In villages, the church IS the center of the social and spiritual life of the people. But now they are not allowed to go to church because of restrictions on social distancing. In many villages, the churches used to have meetings almost every night. People came from their farms by sunset, had a meal, and then went to church where they spent the night singing and listening to God's word. Now they cannot go to the church and they cannot enjoy worshiping together. In the village of Manshat el Dahab a young pastor, Rev. Medhat Mourice, who has served in his church for about five years decided to find a creative way to communicate with his people. Many of the people in this church can access the internet; however, the young pastor also manages to visit members in their fields. He organizes Bible study groups and has singing with his people. He is encouraging them and praying with them so as to overcome the difficulties of these days.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJuly 16, 2020New Church Development in Egypt, Egypt

Gujranwala Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

Gujranwala Theological Seminary (GTS) prepares young men and women for ministry in the 300 largely rural congregations of Outreach partner, the Presbyterian Church in Pakistan. We recently received the following report from Gujranwala:

Academic Progress

Gujranwala students made wonderful progress in academics in 2019. Many different academic activities were held including Seminar on Leadership, Seminar on Women’s Ministry, Outreach Workshop, Sports Day, and Study. A farewell dinner for the graduating class and other social activities were also enjoyed.

Asia, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJuly 16, 2020Gujranwala Theological Seminary, Pakistan

Reformed Presbyterian Children’s Day School Ministry - July 2020 Update

The Children’s Bible Ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba, began as a pastor’s dream shared with a group of visiting Americans from Thomasville, Georgia. Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, is a poor but proud and bustling community teeming with young families with children. Pastor Yoelkis Sierra Gonzalez knows this neighborhood well, and he saw firsthand the great need for a safe place for young children while their parents are at work. Pastor Yoelkis imagined the day when his church would welcome those children, feed and care for them, and teach them about Jesus.

Now, two years later, Pastor Yoelkis’ dream is becoming a reality. Soon after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, construction of the building that will house this ministry began early this year with a target completion date of fall 2020.

Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation - July 2020 Update

Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation is a non-governmental and non-profit organization that promotes and facilitates reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and internationally with people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Musalaha encourages participants to engage in conflict resolution by going through a process developed in our 22-chapter reconciliation curriculum called, "Six Stages of Reconciliation." One of our most popular and successful projects is with children. Every year we provide summer camps across Israel and Palestine. Depending on the location, some camps are mixed Jewish-Palestinian, and others are mixes of Christian-Muslim Palestinians. Indeed, after women, children have proven to be the most successful segment in achieving reconciliation. Often, children find it easier to recognize the humanity in their fellow campers and develop lasting relationships. Moreover, children who grew up attending Musalaha's camps tend to be more successful in later years at reconciliation.

Middle EastThe Outreach FoundationJuly 14, 2020Musalaha, Israel, Palestine, Middle East, Musahala

Partner Updates