It’s hard to imagine that in 2019 there are still people who have not heard of the life transforming message of Jesus Christ. But, in Central Africa, we are finding this to be the case.
In Central Africa, our area of responsibility for the Church of the Nazarene includes overseeing ministry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé & Príncipe. Since 1990, the church has mostly grown in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In our eight countries of responsibility the Church of the Nazarene just started work in two of these countries in 2019.
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| DS of Brazzaville, Rev. On'okoko, pictured in the white shirt, meeting with the first Nazarene's in Central African Republic |
In June of 2019, the District Superintendent of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, took a 3-day trip to Central African Republic to visit a group of new believers who have gathered together and are calling themselves the first Nazarene’s in their country. This was the third trip of leaders from Republic of Congo who invested in a group of believers there and encouraged them to start a church. We are making plans to send a pastor to Bangui, the capital city, to get a master’s degree in theology. He is already an ordained elder and will be a sustained presence of leadership while helping to ensure Nazarene DNA (Christian, Holiness, and Mission) among the group.
Three of our countries just officially became a part of our area of Central Africa this month, adding two districts, two missionary families, 13 churches, and one country where we currently have no work. Chad is a primarily Muslim country, and as such, we will need to be a part of new methods and strategies for planting churches there. Gabon and Cameroon are still new works where we have no organized churches. So many people have yet to hear the Good News, while so many others have yet to put their faith in Christ. At the same time, there are vast areas of people that our church has not yet reached in our most established countries of Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. There is so much to do.
Our call and our prayer is to make Christlike disciples in the nations. This is a big task. A task that takes many leaders joining together and taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ where it hasn’t previously been. Please join us in praying for our Jesus Film teams, who are taking backpack film sets on motorcycles and traveling to interior parts of countries previously unable to reach. Pray for our District Superintendent’s and evangelism leaders, who are boldly sharing their faith, teaching about the one True God and exemplifying through their actions the life lived in obedience to Christ.
