Rural Africa Challenges
GCPN works through local organizations to accelerate church planting in many regions of the world. One local organization is ministering to the needs of people in rural areas of Africa, where it can be a challenge for people to go to urban centers in order to meet specialist doctors who reside there. The organization’s center in Africa has been organizing and holding public health days for around 9 years. Specialist doctors are invited in to treat the population. Recently, in addition to having doctors and opticians come to meet needs, the national police were on site in order to register people so they can obtain identity documentation. Political authorities, traditional chiefs, and religious leaders also came to witness the ministry to African communities taking place.
The country in which the center is located has been deeply affected by terrorism for the past few years. The terrorists have been seeking to destroy the country, its people, its culture, and its aspirations. They have also caused stigmatization of certain communities. To help offset these challenges, the center seeks to build social cohesion through activities like sport and dance. They had a marathon for ladies and a marathon for men, and a cycling event for ladies and a cycling event for men, with prizes for participants. There is joy between youth from different areas. Rather than fighting against each other, they are playing together and building relationships. At night, people participated in a dance competition. The prizes may not seem like much, but the impact of these events is life-changing in communities, helping people to see not through the lenses of tribes, but to see themselves as one nation, being built up as a country by the grace of God.
Like the rest of the world, Africa also is facing the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families are struggling to make ends meet, to get food on the table, to pay school fees, or to get jobs because of the impact of COVID-19. The church, through prayers and contributions of others, has been helping families to get food and to pay school fees. The community is thankful for what the church is doing, but the glory belongs to God.
Through all of these difficult issues, the church is working to be salt and light, the witness of God in the society. During events described above, available church planters mingle in the crowd looking for people of peace, leading to church planting. Please pray that, as people receive aid and communities experience increased social cohesion, greater opportunities for making disciples will result and that church planting will be accelerated throughout this region.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9-10, NIV)
