Saturday, September 19, 2009

Partnering with the Local Church

One of my greatest joys while being involved in missions is the opportunity to partner with the local church. Now, there are times when I run across a church that has its priorities all mixed up. Maybe the pastor is in the church business for his own self-seeking gain, or maybe the church is so denominationally-focused that it refuses to operate in the kingdom of God. But, despite some of the ugliness in church (and let's be honest, no church has everything right), I still believe in the local church.

While doing ministry in Chihota, Zimbabwe, I was so incredibly encouraged by the church that we partnered with there. Two pastors from Harare have been burdened with an incredible love for the people of Chihota. Both pastors are abandoning a considerably more comfortable life in Harare to move into the community of Chihota. And these pastors aren't about taking a position of power or prestige in the community like so many other pastors I've seen in Africa; they truly want to come alongside of the people of Chihota, serve them, and make disciples (who make more disciples, who make more disciples, etc.). Basically, these pastors "get it," and I left that community feeling confident that the seed that was sown through our short-term ministry in Chihota would be reaped in the long-term as these men continue serving the Lord in Chihota.

Teddy and Me with Pastor Jengwa. He may be short in stature, but he's a spiritual giant!

Hanging with Pastor Vambe before the Sunday service.

With one of the elders from the church.

Our group with the entire church body after the service. Can you believe all of those people squeezed into that tiny church building?!

Please take a moment and pray with me for the church in Chihota. God is moving there, but they have many challenges ahead. The kingdom of God is advancing, but they face much opposition, with witchcraft and animism being very prevalent in that area. Pray that God would break through the strongholds that Satan has had in that area for so long!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is animism?
We will continue to pray.

Love,

Mom

Terry Linhart said...

You know, Teddy G was there, what?, 2, 3 weeks. He has had over 20 pictures in here. The Linhart's come over for nearly 3 months. I think I made 1 or 2 pics. Ted and I just had a talk about that disparity (and its reasons) this past week (he was even wearing a tie). I'm not reading too much into it. Ted IS a handsome man.....

Adam Cramer said...

Here are some definitions for you, Mom.

animism: the belief that natural objects such as rivers and rocks possess a soul or spirit. "Anima" is the latin word for "soul" or "spirit."

animism: the belief common among so-called primitive people, that objects and natural phenomena, such as rivers, rocks, and wind, are alive and have feelings and intentions. Animistic beliefs form the basis of many cults.

Animism is closely related to voodoo and totemism.

Adam Cramer said...

Terry, if you'll recall, most of the time you were in SA, I was stranded on the farm with little or no internet. But, you're right, it was Ted's good looks that got him major publicity on the blog. Maybe if you just wore ties more often... :-P