Senegal Update
Greetings from our Ministry in West Africa
This newsletter will be focusing on Senegal written in the report to the DONE Board by Doris Ba.
Doris Ba is discussing the training that both Bishop Ba and Rev. Browne were able to take in Aims, Iowa in Nov. 2008. As you will recall from May Newsletter Rev. Browne along with Dr. Rev. Pat Novak and his team from Santa Clara, Calif. has implemented it in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
As Doris shared in her report:
“Senegal: The leadership training ended on Saturday 28, 2009 on the first series book 4 (Cultivating the habit of the heart) with Bishop Abdoulaye Ba. He has made such an impact on us in our Dakar church. In this training we were taught how to strategically fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ in this nation Senegal which is about 95% Muslim. 95% of the leaders going through this training were able to find a man of peace and are now continuing study through the first principle (Becoming a Disciple).
The Pastor of our church in the Fissel, village is also going through the first principle with the church in the Fissel village with about forty members. Most of these people in the village are illiterate; therefore they do more practical than theory. They are excited because they are seeing how this training is shaping their Christian lives and character. Since many of them are from animist and Muslim background, they were still holding on to certain practices, but this training helped them to realize that these practices are to be eradicated if they want to be more effective in evangelism. Many are now going to the near by villages to evangelize.”
Doris is also a gifted seamstress and dress designer. She has opened a tailoring shop as a microenterprise to help other women to learn this trade and be able to take it back to their communities and villages. This business empowers women economically and spiritually and raises self-esteem and self-respect as well as providing an outreach for the church to allow women to minister to other women and bringing them and their families into the church. Recently she had them make new choir robes for our Parcelles Assainies Church. They had a successful gowning ceremony for the choir . It has been such a blessing to the church.
The church also purchased this new lighted sign board. This Sign board helps direct many Muslims who have questions to ask about Christianity to our church and Mission office. It also has brought into our church many who are looking for a place to worship.
The children’s department is growing numerically and spiritually. These photos show a recent program given by the children. They sang, recited Bible verses and did drama. Many of their Muslim friends attended.
Our leadership, BishopAdoulaye Ba and Rev. Thomas Browne have a deep calling and anointing of God upon their lives as they lead our ministry of work among the Muslim and animist people. God is blessing our work and we see the Holy Spirit’s movement among our workers. This September 2008 God worked through a five person team from Pittsburgh, Penn.
Prayer Requests from our countries are first and foremost to remember us in prayer. Next is the need for more funding. We urgently need more funds to purchased training materials. Although we can reproduce copies, in many villages that is not a possibility. We urgently need funds to help our villagers finish their churches before the rainy season this year. We urgently need funds for bicycles or motorbikes to our church planters. We praise God for Church of the Valley, CA for providing funds for 10 bicycles for Liberia. We pray for many of you to become participants in this ministry with us. If you wish to specify an area of concern, note it on the memo line.
Remarkable work in Mali for the Lord and advancement of the Gospel in January 2009 in a village. This village is about ??km away from
Eglise Evangelique des Parcelles Assainies which is our head church in Dakar with weekly attendance now at two hundred. This church is comprised of 14 Nationalities. This church has fully taken the responsibility to support its Pastors and Missionaries (Church Planters) without dependence from the U.S. Because of the emphasis on prayers and teaching of the Word, especially through this leadership development training by our Bishop Abdoulaye Ba, many of our leaders are challenged. As the result of this training, six Men of Peace were found and were baptized.
Bishop Abdoulaye Ba and Rev. Thomas Browne were trained in Ames, Iowa to be a leaders in
A church has been planted in
Health and Persecution
PHOTO #1 Shows four members of the construction team cut sticks ( 305 ground poles and 82 for the roofing) to begin constructing the house of worship.
PHOTO #2 A group of women willingly carrying some of the poles on their head.