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Africa Region increases focus on sending missionaries
by | 19 Jun 2015
Around the world, almost three-quarters of the roughly 700 Nazarene missionaries are from the U.S. But the trend is shifting, and other world regions are expanding efforts to equip and send those who are called to missions.
Last year in Africa, 28 of the 83 Nazarene missionaries were African. One tool the region is using to prepare more Africans to serve cross-culturally is an event called Nazarene Missions Orientation. At the two-day workshop, participants learn about the Church of the Nazarene’s approach to missions and discuss how to effectively minister in other cultures.
"For many years, missions was done by outsiders coming to Africa, so now we want to provide the same opportunities for those God is calling from Africa to be able to go and serve," said David Cooper, Africa Region mobilization and personnel coordinator.
Cooper has held six NMOs with his wife, Jodi, in the past three years, along with several missions workshops. They are also working with district superintendents in the region to identify ways Africans can serve in short-term missions and gain cross-cultural experience.
The most recent NMO took place in Nairobi 29-30 May. The 20 participants represented the nations of Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and the U.S. They discussed the missionary structure of the Church of the Nazarene and the do's and don'ts of serving cross-culturally.
The event touched Evans and Njeri Katanga in a personal way. For years, Evans has felt God's call to be a missionary, but Njeri did not feel a call of her own.
"It was scary, because I was OK with him being a pastor ... but the whole missionary thing, I just was thinking, this is too much," she said.
Njeri grew up in Nairobi, where the couple currently live and are raising their 2-year-old daughter. Evans grew up in Zimbabwe, and making a successful transition to Nairobi 10 years ago gave him the confidence and the desire to serve in a foreign culture.
One of the highlights of the NMO for the Katangas was hearing the testimony of American missionary Lisa Johnson. When Lisa and her husband, David, were first married, David felt God calling him to be a missionary. Lisa did not feel the same way. The very idea of ripping her daughters away from family and living in a hut somewhere in the jungle upset her.
But after 10 years, God changed Lisa's heart, and she also felt Him calling her to be a missionary. She has never regretted responding to that call, she said, and God has blessed their family in more ways than she ever imagined. They've never lived in a hut, she said with a laugh, and her daughters have had the love and support of many "aunties and uncles" in Africa.
"Fear is one of those things that we sometimes let stand in our way, but God has so much for us," Lisa said.
The testimony encouraged Evans and Njeri, they said. It helped Njeri know she wasn't "weird" for not immediately feeling the same call as her husband. For Evans, the testimony encouraged him to be patient and trust God's timing.
Engaging local churches
The Church of the Nazarene's efforts to establish churches in unreached areas and spread the gospel around the world are supported by local churches giving to the World Evangelism Fund.
"Together we can accomplish so much more in reaching the world for Christ," David Cooper said. "It's important for us to help our churches see that we're part of a bigger picture."
The Katangas left the NMO feeling equipped, informed, and inspired, they said.
"I think these kinds of seminars or events would really help to open the minds and hearts of churches across Africa," Evans said. "There needs to be this interaction with every single member of the Nazarene Church."
Related story from the Eurasia Region: "God's missional call reverberates from Alps to Himalayas"
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