| Global Outreach Ministries ������������������������������������ May 16, 2003 Church of God of Prophecy This Spring I had the privilege to attend the South African National Convention. It was a joy to be there with leaders and pastors from one of our most aggressive harvesting nations. Let me share a small part of that. One afternoon at the South African Convention we sat out in the fresh Fall air to eat lunch (Spring for us). An evangelist from the Northern Cape sat with us and I asked him how he had come to know the Lord. His testimony was a marvelous demonstration of God's saving grace. Though this man is a pastor now he had been a carousing, drinking, fighting man before he met Christ. He said he was the kind of man you would see drinking on the street with his alcohol in a brown wrapper. He shared that the skill he knew best was fighting. His testimony continued that when he was saved he was instantly delivered from his life of alcohol, violence, and partying. That was in 1992 and he soon entered the ministry and found the Church of God of Prophecy there in South Africa Not long after his conversion this young evangelist was in a market and met a school friend of his past. As is normal the man asked him what he was doing now. When he heard that the young man was a pastor he was shocked. Soon after that accidental meeting the school friend called our evangelist and asked him if he could come and pray for him. He had recently learned that he tested positive for HIV and he was reaching out for help in what would have been unlikely areas. The evangelist knew that God had brought them together in the market and his faith rose that his testimony could lead to God's healing touch in this life. He visited the school friend and prayed with him. In time the friend was tested again and was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to learn that he was no longer HIV positive. God had healed his body and he was now ready to turn his life over to such a great God. After that experience the school friend learned that one of his own friends was struggling in marriage. He and his wife were not able to have the child they had been wanting. Of course the school friend's first reaction was to call our evangelist to ask him to come and pray for this couple like he had prayed for him. The visit was made and the evangelist felt such a confidence in god that he proclaimed that God would indeed give them a child and that a baby girl would be born to them within the year. The evangelist thought little of that visit in the coming months as his ministry continued in many other avenues. But within the year he was invited to go to a church for ministry. As he arrived the pastor shared with him that a couple there wanted to have their baby girl dedicated and it would nice if he could do that. Without knowing who this might be and having made no contact with this couple for months, he was shocked to realize that he was standing to dedicate the very baby God had given this couple as an answer to his prayer. Everyone saw the hand of God even in this little detail of the dedication. This evangelist went on to share further about his ministry experiences. On one occasion the Lord told him to travel to another city in South Africa because there was someone that needed prayer. He made arrangements and went to the city the next day. After staying with another pastor and praying with him he felt the Lord wanted him to take a bus out into the bush area. As he stepped off the bus he had no idea where he was supposed to go, but the Lord brought a pastor along that day. When he told the pastor why he had come to the area the pastor realized that God had sent him to pray for a young girl in the hospital that was in a diabetic coma. They went straight to the hospital and prayed over the girl. To everyone's amazement the girl was healed instantly, rose up from the coma, and went home from the hospital. Many in the community had grieved over this girl's situation and now they saw the mercy of God work dramatically. On another occasion the evangelist was visiting homes and found an elderly woman that sewed in her home for her living. As he visited she asked him for prayer but did not explain her specific need. He prayed for her right there and immediately she jumped up and began to shout and rejoice. She was so exuberant that she ran outside and down the street shouting. The evangelist felt that God had done something but he did not know what. When the woman returned she testified that she had been blind in one eye, causing her great difficulty in her sewing, but God had healed her eye that very moment. For about thirty minutes there at the convention this minister in the Church of God of Prophecy shared one miracle after another that God had done as he followed the Spirit and trusted God for guidance. You can imagine how blessed it was to listen and drink all this in. Still the amazing thing is that this is not abnormal, extreme or unusual. Our ministers throughout the church in South Africa as well as many places in Africa generally, see miraculous things quite often. Join with me in rejoicing that this harvest field is being touched so abundantly with God's clear intervention. MARCH 24, 2002 SENEGAL AND THE GAMBIA Report of Koisse Antoine New Nation Mission Evangelist Given at Africa Leadership Conference 2002 (These are rough notes made during the presentation.) Evangelist Koisse Antoine arrived in Senegal and three days later he was in the Embassy. The Ambassador was a woman and a Christian. God placed the words in his mouth by revelation and gave him favor with the Ambassador. She called together her national community in the city of Dakar and they had a three-week seminar there in the embassy. He realized that the people of Senegal are thirsty for the Word. The Embassy was transformed through this and it was temporarily a church of sorts. The hunger was real. This Ambassador was born Muslim. It was when she travelled to Mecca that God gave her a revelation of Christ and salvation, amazingly. She gave her heart to Christ through this revelation and is now a strong Christian influence in that nation. The vision to Brother Antoine for The Gambia came in 1998 when Sherman Allen spoke. Allen said, "God has placed a burden on my heart for a little nation called The Gambia." Antoine had never heard of The Gambia. A year later Brother Allen was sharing about that burden again and about the nation of Gambia again. It was then Antoine received this burden as the Holy Ghost spoke to him that it would be him that must go to reach out to The Gambia. He began to pray and four years later the opportunity came to him and he was able to go, July 2001. Sherman Allen told Antoine about the difficulties but stated that Antoine would be an ambassador for Christ and he did not need to take stock of his life. In July 2001 Antoine arrived in Dakar, Senegal. On the following Sunday he went to the Assemblies of God for worship. He was introduced to a believing man and told him of his mission. He and others said they would help him in his mission. That was how he was introduced to the Ambassador and the seminar began in the Embassy. Thirty-five people participated in the Senegal seminar with four men of God involved. The ministry of the church was presented through this seminar. They asked for more information and showed desire to participate with the mission of the church in Senegal. It seemed impossible to find a house to provide for worship. An authorization of the government must be obtained to worship in public there in this Muslim nation. Of course the rent was an imposing issue as well. That night God gave Antoine the word that the walls were crumbling. What walls he said, and God said the walls of Islam. Nothing is impossible with God. On the 17th of July he arrived at the airport in The Gambia. Satan was at work and his passport was seized. He was interrogated for an hour as to why he wanted to go to The Gambia. A law was in process for civic vote that The Gambia will be Islamic officially at that very time. This was due to the partnership between The Gambia and Kuwait, who helped The Gambia in past difficulty. God intervened and Antoine was released that day to enter the city. Before he left the nation the COGOP was organized with six members in The Gambia. Now he has the report that there are thirty-one members there. The pressing need there as well is a place to worship in privacy. Senegal will be organized before the Assembly comes, making six new nations in Africa in this Assembly period. Many are Muslim that have been converted. Of course they are rejected by their families when they receive Christ. They are considered as dead to the family. They call them dead. Gambia reports that 97% are Muslim and only 2% are Christian with the great majority of them Catholic. Only 0.5% are recognized as evangelicals. The people are among the poorest, still the cost of living and prices are very expensive. They have no resources so the country lives by outside commerce, the primary one is tourism. Property is expensive there. One can see people walking naked with no clothes, there is no work. This is one of the most expensive nations in Africa. But in contrast to Senegal, once you are in The Gambia you can more easily function as a church and organize legally. On Antoine's second visit he had thirty days to work and help the new church in The Gambia. In Senegal it is not hard to get in but the work is much more difficult with none wanting to help give their house for worship. The cost was 27,000 British pounds for a small house to use for worship. Antoine heard the Assembly of God bought a house like this, but the Muslim people took the house back and returned the money under pressure from the Islam community. There are twenty people waiting in Senegal to form the church right now. Antoine has been stirred in these outreaches. He says that he is ready today to go to Senegal with his family and establish the church. He is ready to tell his church members, more than 200 which he planted in his home land, that he must leave them to go to these nations. Certainly his vision and passion moved the conference. At the same time there were a number of other leaders there that had made similar mission advances where they had to step out in faith to plant new ministries in new areas and new nations. This visionary spirit of advance was a heartbeat of the conference. On Antoine's first Sunday in Dakar at the Assembly of God, he became a revolutionary. He saw people praying all night and fasting. They are the witch doctors and evil people, Muslim and such. They are using microphones and speakers all over the city. All night they read the Koran, praying, and doing their rituals. In one village they have one hundred mosques. That little AOG church was so small compared to all the evil blaring out in the public. They sang in secret or quiet. They prayed quietly. It made Antoine sick. The next day from this the President spoke about the Senegal World Cup team on TV, note this man has his own witch doctor. That President went prostrate on the floor before his witch doctor with the TV showing his oblation, kissing the shoes of that man for favor and blessing. The witch doctor spit on the President as a blessing. The President took the hand of that man and recited verses of the Koran, then the witch doctor spit on his hands and the President wiped that all over his face. He said on TV, if I am President today it is because of this witch doctor, and if the team is in the World cup today it is due to this witch doctor. The believers were filled with fear at these public displays of evil. But Antoine felt the Spirit of God stirring in him a holy boldness like David challenging Goliath. There is clear indication that God is pointing the revival of Africa north, into the heart of Islam. Men like Antoine will be the warriors that carry the gospel as an invasion force. |
|
MARCH 2002 WOMEN'S MINISTRIES NEWSLETTER *************************************************** Africa Continental Leadership Conference *************************************************** The conference here in South Africa is over and it was a glorious meeting. I believe that it was the best conference that I have been privileged to attend. I used the reaction of Robert Davis, the overseer of the States of Ark and OK, and the Chairman of the Finance and Stewardship Committee for the Assembly. He came as F&S Chairman to learn more about our international ministries. Since he has less experience with our international ministries I thought it would be fun to watch him react through the conference. He was ecstatic! He was blessed by the men themselves and their level of great commitment and passion. He was touched by the reports of huge harvesting, so much greater than we are often familiar with. He was thrilled with the fellowship as these leaders greeted and loved one another, and were all so glad to come together like one big family in Africa. He was pleased with the leadership potential here as a new generation of leaders has emerged since the last conference. And ultimately he said, "I will never be the same!" General Presbyter, Sherman Allen, did an excellent job bringing in seventy of the key leaders in the nations of Africa. One clear observation from the conference was that Africa has raised up a new generation of leaders. Let me use one of our senior overseers in Africa as an example, Kenneth Nyamhuka. He came to the Church of God of Prophecy many years ago and has been used by God dramatically. The contrast now is that so many of the leaders in the conference are men that have been won in the Church of God of Prophecy, and developed and matured for ministry through our national ministries there in Africa. I call them the "New Generation" leaders of Africa. Of course credit must be given to men like Sherman Allen, Levi Clark, Barend Botha, T.A. McCalla, and Hubert Martin for their vision to equip and mentor these men as future leaders. Because of this Africa has stepped through a new threshold, the portal of solid indigenous leadership. These leaders will meet the political, cultural, economic, and social challenges of their nations because they are native leaders known by the people, rooted in the culture, and raised right there in the social context. I sat in the conference with praise on my heart to see how far God has brought us in this awesome continent of harvest. ********************************************** Church Refugees Flee Goma Volcano ********************************************** We have received word from Sherman Allen, General Presbyter of Africa that there are church members involved in this massive evacuation from Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Field Secretary and leading pastor for the Church of God of Prophecy in Rwanda contacted Brother Allen to inform him that he was aware of about 2,600 members of the church that are now in Rwanda after fleeing the volcano. He says that these people have lost all that they had as they ran with only what they could carry in the path of the lava. Since we were amazed at the large number involved we wrote Sherman Allen for confirmation. He wrote back as follows. Don't forget that Goma is an area where the so called rebels have their stronghold. We do have thousands of members behind rebel lines who have had to seek fellowship with the Rwandan and Ugandan brethren in the last few years. Last October Ntambwe Beya (Overseer of the Democratic Republic of Congo RDC) and myself spoke somewhat about this problem. In the past we've actually had to send some of the funds for the RDC to Brother Martin (Kenya) and James Ntezimana (Uganda) to be used to assist these brethren. The war Has died down and the RDC is slowly being unified again. The British and French Foreign Ministers are right now touring the area not only because of this present crisis but for peace and reconciliation. ************************************************************************ World Relief (an arm of the National Evangelical Association) ************************************************************************ The number of casualties are low at this point. The suffering is intense for the approx. 500,000 refugees because they were the poorest of the poor to begin with, and they had to flee their homes with just a hand-full of possessions. Although there have not been any new flows reported recently, the lava in Goma is still flowing slowly into Lake Kivu. There are significant tremors occurring, and the vulcanologists have not ruled out the possibility of further eruptions. The UN is warning that the situation is still dangerous, and is unsuccessfully trying to discourage inhabitants from returning to Goma. As relief supplies are still en-route to the camps around Gisenyi and Rhuengeri, there currently are not many incentives for the displaced Congolese to move to them. Right now, reports indicate that large numbers of people are returning across the border to Goma. Apart from the danger of further eruptions, Goma inhabitants face several other potentially deadly hazards. With limited access to clean drinking water, there is fear of a major cholera outbreak, as well as poisoning from the contaminated waters of Lake Kivu. ********************** Global Outreach Ministries sent initial funds as we heard the first report from Brother Karera in Rwanda. Now that the need has been confirmed we want to send more and invite any who feel the need to help. As usual offerings for special projects like this coming from individual donors and local churches that are not Harvest Partners should go through the Helping Hands Ministry. All Harvest Partners churches can simply give to this need as a level two offering designated for Africa Blitz Christmas Offering. Your offering can be mailed to - Church of God of Prophecy, P.O. Box 2910, Cleveland TN, 37320-2910. ************************** Harvest Info Briefs ************************** Democratic Republic of Congo 30,000 members Greatest growth in the church over four years Also reached to four new nations in that period: Angola, Chad, Central Republic of Africa, Congo (Brazzaville) Nigeria 4,000 members Greatest percentage growth of mission nations last year. Doubled membership in 2000-2001. Uganda Ten year growth near 400% 400 members to 2000 members Bolivia Ten year growth near 550% 1400 members to over 9000 members Cameroon Membership 10 times greater in ten years 150 members to over 1500 members France Difficult European Nation Still a Six year Growth of 275% 80 members to over 300 members Kenya Ten year growth of 650% 1300 members to 9900 members Mozambique Ten year growth of over 650% 1550 members to 12,000 members Continent of Africa Since 1990 increased 160,000 members 40,000 members to 200,000 members Church of God of Prophecy Around the World Passed Half Million Members Mark - year 2000 Passed 600,000 member mark - year 2002 Ave. Annual Growth last seven years - 45,000 members each year Ave Annual Growth prior seven years - 10,000 members each year Harvesting In Lesser Known Nations of Africa 30 NOVEMBER 2001 It is obvious to see from the list of highest percentage growth this past year that the harvest growth in Africa is not just coming from two or three large nations. We want to focus this week and next on a few of the nations that might be less known, but still effective in spreading the gospel in Africa. One Year Percentage Growth 32% Benin 30% Cote D'Ivoire 26% Liberia 16% Mozambique 26% South Africa 14% Ghana 24% Ethiopia 13% Dem. Rep. Of Congo 20% Tanzania 11% Cameroon 18% Rwanda 11% Kenya 18% Swaziland BENIN is in Western Africa as a part of a surprisingly large block of nations in Africa that speak French. The work in Benin has increased by over 500 members this past year, passing the 2000 member mark. That is more significant when we realize that in 1990 there were only 250 members of the church there. Overseer Kedato Richard is a native of Benin and leads Togo and Gabon as well. It was Brother Richard that made the pioneer evangelistic trip into Gabon a few years ago and saw the first new church planted in Gabon. This is another illustration of the vision and desire among leaders in Africa to spread the gospel beyond their borders. COTE D'IVOIRE and LIBERIA are part of the region formerly led by Bishop Sherman Allen, now General Presbyter of Africa. Esoua Andre is now the overseer of this area and the growth has continued through his efforts. Again this area has been the foundation for new outreach to The Gambia and Senegal this year. So it is even more impressive when one understands that both Cote D'Ivoire and Liberia have experienced war in the last five years. The harvesting has not been derailed by political conflicts. Liberia held its first national convention after five years cancellations due to the horrible civil war and desperate economic conditions in its wake. The convention this year was a celebration and the national ministry reported excellent growth in spite of antagonistic conditions. ETHIOPIA was once thought of as the most poverty stricken nation in the world. Today others have taken that infamous label, and Ethiopia has experienced great revival since those days. Though there is strong influence from Islam in Ethiopia the gospel has not been hindered since the days of drought and starvation. Our overseer there is a native who has founded the ministry there and seen thirteen churches planted through the years. He knows the power of God is the most sure way to convince a Muslim that Jesus is Lord indeed, and he says they ask God to reveal himself to Muslim people through miracles in their lives. October 2001 News From Israel It was terrific to hear this recent news from Israel. You will rejoince and enjoy it as well as I did. Shalom. Love and greetings from the Holy Land of Israel. For a long time we have been praying for a breakthrough and a new work in Israel. I know that many of you were praying the same prayer and the Lord who is the only faithful and trustworthy God answered our prayers. Praise Him. At the end of May 2001 our new missionary/pastor, Brother Fayez, moved to Israel, to the Upper Galilee area, and started working among the Palestinian population. He transformed a little old storehouse at the end of the garden of their home in to a house of prayer and started inviting people to listen to the message of the gospel. He worked very hard to achieve all this considering he had limited resources. After only three months a church has been organized. When I visited there I was blessed to find an enthusiastic crowd expecting me to minister to them. The children had specially prepared and sang a few hymns for the evening. The spirit was wonderful and the presence of the Holy Spirit was evident among us that night. The people were touched and encouraged from the word and after the message we had prayer for healing and special needs. The pastor, Brother Fayez, has organized a children's Sunday school with over 67 children who come three times a week for lessons. Two ladies from the congregation help in the Sunday school. At the moment 7 men, 15 women, a few teenagers and many children make up the warm and loving congregation. Praise the Lord. All this has been achieved with your prayers and financial help. Our pastor lives there by faith. This is our new work in Jerusalem. It is small but with God's help it is growing and bringing the message of salvation to Jews and Palestinians alike. Michael Charalambous, Overseer of Cyprus and Israel =========================================== There was something very positive that took place in the Ghana convention during this trip. The overseer of Benin, Togo, and Gabon, Kedato Richard, travelled by bus to be in the convention and to fellowship with the leaders and people of Ghana. You might remember that God used Brother Richard to plant the Church of God of Prophecy in Gabon only months ago. Also a group from Cote D'Ivoire came over land to join the convention celebration therein Ghana. None of these nations are very large in membership yet, but it was so rich to see the fellowship that they can share by visiting conventions. I encourage every overseer to consider what neighbor convention you might be able to visit and encourage your fellow leaders at convention time. This is a very effective way to strengthen the cords of our network, like the Bible says, "a three fold cord is not easily broken." Here is an illustration of what is going on in the church of Africa regularly during this time of great harvest. A dedicated pastor and evangelist from Cote D'Ivoire is going right now to spend about a month in the new nation of Gambia. He feels that God is calling him to plant the church in this new nation. Brother Antoine is his name and he has already been a successful pastor and church planter in Cote D'Ivoire. His evangelistic calling from the Lord has motivated him to reach beyond the borders. Would you join with me this month in praying every day for Brother Antoine and the leadership of the Spirit that he will need on this trail blazing trip. Another facet of this testimony is that Antoine began work many years ago as the house boy for Sherman Allen's family in Cote D'Ivoire. He learned English, felt the call of God, developed his ministry in a service role, and now God has led him into a totally new nation. What a powerful picture of how God will take anyone with a humble heart to serve and shape them into an effective minister and ambassador to represent him in new horizons. Again let's pray especially for Brother Antoine this month. Our united prayers can bring the spiritual help and support he needs right now. Liberia was the first convention on the tour and some background will help you see what God is doing more clearly. This was only the second convention that Liberia was able to hold in the last nine years. The reason for this is that Liberia has been in a war and the entire infrastructure of the nation has been ripped apart, including normal church functions. We drove down the streets of Monrovia and literally you can see bullet holes and mortar holes in many, many buildings. The government only has two functioning sectors of a normal infrastructure at work currently, the military and the police. You can, or possibly we cannot, imagine the unrest that this brings, to go without pay for nine months as teachers, or to go without any other normal function of government. They tell me one of the super star Soccer players on the national team is helping to finance the team so that Liberia will at least have that national point of pride. It is amazing to hear of national events in a continent like Africa that we in the US either hear as a fifteen second note, or don't hear about at all, when thousands die and hundreds of thousands are displaced. On the church side, the strongest area for our church through the years was wiped out completely. By that I mean everyone left and went to the bush, migrated, or disappeared, so that when the peace came we literally had no churches in that, our strongest area. I asked several of the men what they did when the fighting came? They shrugged their shoulders and simply said they hid out in the bush. One man shared that he had been on one side of the country while his family was on the other side, with the rebels in between. I thought what emotions I would have felt in that situation. He told me that he snuck through the lines in the bush in the dark to get back to his family. He literally had to risk his life and God helped him. Now the church in Liberia has taken on new life and hope. There is a unity among the ministers that was not there before. There is growth again. One young, but aggressive pastor shared how he and his people went weekly to pray over a piece of land that they felt strongly God wanted them to have. They have purchased that land now, though they were the third from highest bidder and still community people cannot believe they got it. They have been accused of squatting on it, but they quickly produce their legal documents to the amazement of their accusers. A partner church in the UK has taken on the challenge of helping them build the building and the whole national church sees this as their breakthrough. Right out on the main road this building is going to give the Liberia church recognition and a presence that they have never had before. Their faith, zeal and joy was high in the convention as they sense that they stand on the threshold of a new day for them, the Church of God of Prophecy in Liberia. Cathy Payne and staff May 2001 Sherman Allen General Presbyter Democratic Republic of the Congo It is extremely difficult to highlight only one nation, but since space is limited, consider the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In three short years, this nation has added 6,000 members to the church. That is terrific, but it is even more astounding when you consider that the nation has been in war during much of that time! With violence and chaos in every place, and with poverty and fear reigning, our leaders have continued to proclaim the only real solution to this dilemma-the Savior Christ Jesus! Also in this time, these workers have reached out to the new nation. Congo (Brazzaville), and just after the Assembly the church was organized in Angola. With God, no circumstance is too dim. Democratic Republic of Congo "I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Helping Hand Ministry for emergency assistance to our people. Almighty God has His hand on all His children who give of themselves night and day to help others. "We recently organized a church in [Brazzaville, Congo]. We found great joy among our brothers and sisters of that country "May God keep you and bless you." N'tambwe Beya National Overseer Nigeria " I express my profound thanks to you donors who contributed to the church building in Dunkew, which is still under construction. Also, I acknowledge and thank you for the funds for the church at Uromi, the national center church in Nigeria, and the school. "I also thank our Almighty Father for His mercy over us and for saving the lives of the members of our ministry who narrowly escaped death from the recent Kaduna religious uprising in the northern part of Nigeria. Again, we received a donation, which helped tremendously in meeting some of the pressing needs of at least three pastors. "We say a big thank you. We appreciate you, and may God bless you." T: A. McCalla National Overseer Sierra Leone "Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are most grateful for the funding sent from Helping Hand Ministry to purchase these musical instruments for the local church in Kissy, Sierra Leone. They have been dedicated as instruments that will serve the nation in all of the Church of God of Prophecy churches in Sierra Leone." Joseph Sesay National Overseer Zimbabwe "The new local church building, which will accommodate 750 people, is now completed and has been dedicated to the Lord. New souls are getting saved and coming into the church. Also, we are experiencing many healings. “Please give my appreciation to all the Helping hand Ministry donors who greatly assisted us in their giving. We surely would not have made it ourselves. God bless you saints of God.” Kenneth Nyambuka National Overseer Swaziland "Special greetings from all of us in Swaziland! We are very thankful for the funds we received. They have offered much-needed assistance in financing our outreach crusades. "Recently, we visited a new area, and 107 souls were saved. A mission is now organized, and a temporary structure in which to worship was constructed. "Our sincere gratitude to all the donors of the helping hand ministry. ====================== Swaziland National Convention THE 18TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE Church of God of Prophecy was held at Piggs Peak National Tabernacle on April 20-23, 2000. The theme was "Raising the Standard in the New Millennium." This year's convention has been affirmed by many to be one of the greatest in our history. We had such a wonderful time and freedom of praise and worship! Tears were seen running down many faces as people experienced a renewal of their relationship with God. A wonderful team of gifted young people led the singing each session. Because of evangelistic campaigns held last year, more than 1,400 were in attendance! Seventeen were saved during the convention, many were healed and delivered, and 57 new members were added to the church! Indeed, this was a memorable event, which saw the raising of the standard in worship, preaching, and church business. The church was challenged to reach more souls this year. This past year, we had 1,581 souls saved, 1,551 sanctified, 467 filled with the Holy Ghost, 376 baptized in water, and 339 added to the church. Our membership now stands at 1,901, but we are committed to doubling our membership within the next two years. This year, while we continue with our harvest program, we want to embark on training. The new fields will need trained personnel. We also want to attend to the serious problem of buildings. But I am excited that our people are prepared to work. In one new area, the people have organized themselves, and they have managed to make over 1,000 blocks to build a building. Our appeal this year is your continued prayers and support wherever possible. Stephen T. Masilela National Overseer . District Convention, Ghana CHURCHES IN DISTRICT ONE (OKORKOR, KASOA, Nvanyano, Bawjiase Twinto, and Mataheko) converged at Kasoa in Ghana for the third District Convention from April 21-23, 2000. Dubbed "Convention 2000," the theme for the three days was "He Is Risen." District workers and pastors took turns to preach on topics pertaining to the theme. Saturday evening turned out to be a Holy Ghost baptism and healing session. The convention was graced by such powerful preachers as Sister Beatrice Arthur-Biney Pastors Charles Arthur-Biney, George Asante-Boateng, Solomon Elewo, Solomon T. A. Aborhey, and Emmanuel Adjei. It was such a blessing, and visitors all called for more next time. In all, 582 members gathered for the three days. To God be the glory! Solomon T.A. Aborbey District Overseer Accra, Ghana |