‘If they go into full-time ministry, they’ll go back to poverty’
BENONI, South Africa — Merchants gathered at a busy intersection…
Around the World: A youth camp in Cambodia, an orphan care ministry in Zambia and more quick takes
Our monthly rundown of news briefs, links and quotes from Churches of Christ around the world.
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Around the World is our monthly rundown of news briefs, links and quotes from Churches of Christ all over the globe. Got an idea for this column? Email Erik Tryggestad at [email protected].
Featured photo (above): Mutinta carries her grandson and a supply of infant formula provided by Namwianga Mission.
CAMBODIA
SAMLOUT — Camp Khmer Kindness, a youth camp sponsored by Churches of Christ, yielded 10 baptisms during its latest session, said minister Phanat Ouch. Cambodian Christians raised all of the funds needed to operate the camp. “This is something to celebrate,” Ouch said, “because it’s the first work (during 18 years of my mission here) to be fully funded by Khmer Christians!”
Phanat Ouch stands between two of the young people baptized during Camp Khmer Kindness.
SIERRA LEONE
FREETOWN — Ministers and church members from 10 African countries and the U.S. gathered in this West African capital for the Africans Claiming Africa for Christ conference. “The event featured inspiring lecture sessions, panel discussions, meal fellowships, networking opportunities and sightseeing tours … including the Sierra Leone Peace Museum,” said Mojima Etokudo, a minister in Ukunafun, Nigeria. Nine people were baptized during or soon after the conference, including three police officers who worked at the venue. The next ACAC conference is scheduled for 2027 in South Africa.
Mojima Etokudo, left, presents books to one of the police officers baptized during Africans Claiming Africa for Christ.
SOUTH AFRICA
TAFELKOP — “This was a battlefield,” students at Southern Africa Bible College said of their mission trip to this community 140 miles northeast of Johannesburg, “a battlefield where we had to stand firm for two weeks through the unforgiving rejections, emotional and physical exhaustion, self-doubt, cold mornings, hot afternoons and constant traveling.”
The 12-student team worked with the 150-member Tafelkop Church of Christ, which planted the 50-member Luckau Church of Christ, a congregation that has sent several students to the Bible college. The team did door-to-door evangelism, morning and evening devotionals and workshops on youth ministry, women’s ministry, public speaking and retention of new converts. Team members also spoke on a local radio program. The Makua and Masemola families hosted the students.
The work yielded 23 baptisms, the students reported in the college’s newsletter. “Many congregational leaders were also equipped to minister in their area more effectively.”
ZAMBIA
KALOMO — A grandmother named Mutinta in this southern African nation has a healthy and growing grandson thanks to The Haven, an orphan care ministry overseen by Namwianga Mission, which is associated with Churches of Christ. Mutinta’s daughter died just days after giving birth. “Every time I looked at my grandson I would break down and cry,” she said. “I had no clue how I was going to raise the boy.” In rural Zambia, infant formula is hard to find and too costly for most families.
A doctor at Namwianga Mission told Mutinta about the Milk Fund, a program of The Haven that provides formula to 85 caregivers. Mission staffers also check each baby’s health and growth. Support continues until the babies are ready for solid food.
Mutinta carries her grandson and a supply of infant formula provided by Namwianga Mission.
