Something of What We're Looking Forward To

What are we going to be doing in the Sahel? That's a good question. Our Regional Liaison for the Pecusa, Josh H. describes very well an aspect of the church we'll be working with, saying:

In the region surrounding the Ville, the Evangelical Church (EC) has numerous congregations in villages where Christians are a very small minority. Oftentimes, they are less than 2 to 5% of the population.

In these villages, the church’s pastors and evangelist can be the only residents with a formal education. As a result, many people – both Christian and Muslim – come to them in order to learn to read and write. There is a great need for this, in a country where the literacy rate is estimated to be only 29% nationwide.

While almost none of these pastors and evangelists have training in literacy education, teaching people to read and write Casa, the indigenous language of the region, has become a large part of their job. The EC has even begun to see literacy education as an important means of evangelism.

First and foremost, the goal is to teach people to read and write. But at the same time, literacy education is a way to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible is often the only book available in West African languages, and therefore it becomes a good tool for literacy education.

While a small number of people embrace Christianity after going through these literacy programs, most remain in their Muslim faith. But the effort has created an incredible amount of goodwill for the church. The church is seen as a place that is willing to help its neighbors, regardless of their faith. And because of this, there is a much increased interest in Jesus and his teachings.

Without a doubt, the EC is laying a strong foundation, both for the future growth of the church and for the holistic development of Sahel and its people. When I see the work the EC is doing in the Sahel, it brings to my mind Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

The Pecusa is looking for ways to support the EC in its literacy and evangelism efforts. The EC is also a church that would love to grow its connections with the Pecusa. If you are interested, there are wonderful opportunities for friendship and partnership.