APF News and Prayer April to June 2018 G:\Pictures\Uganda Oct 2017\P1040749.JPG Inside: From the CEO Prayer Guide G:\Pictures\Uganda O...\DSC_0314.JPG evitabu Enabling effective ministry in Africa www.africanpastors.org
From the CEO It s possible that you may have already noticed that this edition of News and Prayer has lost a little weight around the middle. But before you ask, no, we ve not put News and Prayer on the Atkins diet, nor is it in training for this year s Nairobi Marathon. The truth is, we really want to focus your attention on the flyer that came in the same envelope as the newsletter you are reading now. This is because the law around data protection is changing and it may mean that it becomes no longer possible for us to send you your copy of News and Prayer unless you specifically renew your consent for us to do so. So, if you want to be sure you re not going to miss out on APF mailings in the future, please take a few minutes and fill out the top part of the form included in that flyer. Then tear it off and post it back to us using the Reply- Paid envelope provided. Thank you so much in anticipation. The other reason that we ve slimmed down News and Prayer this time is that during February and March, when we d normally be putting the Spring edition together, Geoff and I in the APF office were totally swamped with all the work needed to get evitabu ready and the project launched. Hundreds of hours were put into finalising the evitabu app, tens of thousands of text, audio and video files were uploaded, all the brilliant content was organised and categorised and shipment of the tablets and solar powerpacks to Africa was arranged. I am writing this from Kampala, the bustling capital of Uganda, where the launch conference is now taking place. Nearly 60 delegates from seven African nations, who together have responsibility for over 10,000 churches, are receiving training on using evitabu so they are ready to use it to train their peers. This fantastic event has already included inspirational Bible teaching, speed coaching sessions and leadership development workshops. Delegates are exploring the book of Haggai with the message being applied to life and ministry in Africa today. Why not read Haggai yourself? It s only two pages, after all. And while you re at it, please pray and ask the Lord what he may be saying to APF as an organisation. We would love to hear from you with your reflections. Yours, Dave 01 www.africanpastors.org
evitabu is a unique tool designed specifically with the African Church in mind. It draws together a whole library of fantastic training resources from contributors including BUILD Partners, Christian Aid, Foundations for Farming, Renew Outreach, Tearfund, Oasis International, Paula Gooder and the African Bible Commentary to name just a few. On the evitabu homepage, pastors can select a contributor by clicking an organisation s logo. This will provide them with a list of all the content that organisation has offered. If they are looking for something specific, they can use the search bar to type in a word or phrase. This will list all the resource in that category. Some of the material on evitabu is textbased, like this pastor training scheme in the Kinyarwanda language provided by Eagles Wings Ministries. evitabu offers a desperately needed platform that enables influential church leaders in Africa to publish their own books, training manuals and teaching guides and almost instantly share their work with other church leaders. Many of the resources in evitabu are audio and video files. In remote African communities, we expect these resources to be particularly important. Besides the thousands of recordings and videos that have been provided by organisations partnering with us on evitabu, the device also enables a bishop, overseer or general secretary to film or record their own training sessions and share this with other leaders. APF have provided each church leader involved in the pilot rollout of evitabu with a Lenovo Android tablet as a platform for using the evitabu app. Each tablet is protected by a drop-proof case made by BobjGear and a scratch-proof screen guard. RavPower solar power packs ensure that the tablets will always stay powered-up, even when evitabu is being used for several days of training in remote areas far from the national grid. Enabling effective ministry in Africa 02
Prayer Guide Dates 8th April Zion Baptist Church, Tenterden Dave speaking during the morning service. 22nd April Stockton Baptist Church All Saints Church, Preston Dave and Geoff will be speaking during the morning services. 29th April Whitstable Baptist Church Dave speaking during the morning service. 13th May The Bridge Church, Gillingham Dave speaking during the morning service. 22nd May APF Annual General Meeting Held at St Margaret s Rectory, Whitnash 23rd-24th May Fresh Streams Leadership Team Gathering Dave will be representing APF at the Fresh Streams Conference leadership team meeting in Stafford 10th June St Andrews Church, Bedford Dave speaking during the morning service. 12th-26th June Malawi Dave, along with APF Trustee, Richard Tucker, will be in Malawi this week meeting key partners including Lloyd Chizenga and Rutherford Banda. New Look Prayer Guide We are very grateful to everyone who got back to us with their take on the weekly themed prayer guide that we trialled last quarter. There was, as expected, a range of opinions but most people told us they very much preferred the weekly approach to the daily guide. This means that from now on we're going to continue to provide you with more general weekly prayer themes, although we'll sometimes suggest some daily prayer foci when a theme lends itself to that approach. 1st to 7th April evitabu This week, please take time to give thanks for evitabu. On Sunday, rejoice that the vision for a solar powered e-learning device has become reality! On Monday, thank God that the launch conference was a huge success and the project is now underway. Pray on Tuesday for the nearly 60 APF partners from many church traditions and African nations who are beginning to use evitabu in local churches and communities. Pray on Wednesday that our partners find creative ways to include the text, audio and video resources in the training of Christian leaders and that the reach of evitabu extends to the most marginalised communities. Pray on Thursday for the on-going need to maintain and improve the content and on Friday pray that African Christian writers will use evitabu as a platform to publish their work. On Saturday, pray for the project monitoring, especially the evaluation visits that will happen later in the year to assess the impact of the pilot project launch. 03 www.africanpastors.org
April Prayer Guide 7th to 14th April Kenya This week, we're praying for Kenyan partners who are beginning to make use of evitabu. On Sunday, pray for Revd Shadrack Koma, Head of Education for AIC North Rift Region; Monday, pray for Revd Simon Laboso, Regional Overseer of the Central Rift Baptist Convention; Tuesday, pray for Pastor Daniel Odour Gwara, Coordinator of Renewal Ministries; Wednesday, pray for Revd Edward Amwayi, founder of Grace Calvary Christian Ministries; Thursday, pray for Pastor Tom Opiyo, Director of People for Jesus; and on Friday, pray for Pastor Joseph Thiga, founder of Nakuru Relief and Development Consortium. We have also received an invitation from Bishop Joseph Kibuckwa to be involved in the Diocese of Kirinyaga Annual Conference later this year. This Saturday, please pray we would find space to be able to take part. 22nd to 28th April Uganda Uganda is a hub for much of APF s work in Africa. Some of our most established partnerships are in Uganda and language, geography and good local connections make it an ideal base to reach into neighbouring countries. All the Baptist Union of Uganda (BUU) regional overseers and regional trainers for Pastors' Discipleship Network (PDN), for example, are using evitabu to train their peers. During the week, pray especially for BUU General Secretary, Revd Peter Mugabi (pictured), who despite a huge workload and with few resources is passionately pushing ahead with exciting new initiatives. Likewise, pray for Revd Richmond Wandera, founder and CEO of PDN, as he works extensively within Africa and beyond to see church leaders equipped and trained effectively. 15th to 21st April Literature Providing access to contextualised Christian literature has always been a core part of APF s ministry. The reprint of Ufafanezi wa Agano Jipya (APF s three-volume Swahili New Testament commentary sets) has been put on hold due to significant logistical challenges. It remains, however, freely available on our website and on evitabu. APF is also involved in discussions with leading African theologians and publishers who recognise the need for investment in brand new African-origin Biblical resources. APF is now part of a three-way conversation with SPCK and Prof. Jesse Mugambi (pictured) from the University of Nairobi and Acton Publishers. This week, give thanks for APF s historic literature ministry and pray for wisdom, energy and inspiration as this exciting joint initiative gains traction. 29th April to 5th May APF ministry grants Over the course of this week, give thanks that already in 2018, APF have been able to make grant funding available for training conferences, local language Bibles, bicycles and pastoral care to many partners including: Renewal Ministries and Grace Calvary Christian Ministries, Kenya Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Rwanda and Rwandan Free Methodist church Deeper Life Church Network, Tanzania Atirir Bible School, North Uganda Inter- Church Alliance and Baptist Union of Uganda. Give thanks for all the APF supporters in the UK whose generosity is helping APF continue to equip dedicated but under-resourced church leaders and enable effective ministry in Africa. Enabling effective ministry in Africa 04
May Prayer Guide 6th to 12th May UK partnerships Over the course of this week, give thanks for APF s partnerships with UK-based organisations. These include Biblical Frameworks (regular donors of their excellent Book by Book Bible study guides), Climate Stewards (exploratory conversations around sustainable conservation projects), Next Leadership (mentoring, networking and collaborative working) and Operation Mobilisation Special Projects (funding for local language Bibles). evitabu has provided APF with access to a very wide network of UK and international agencies and has significantly raised the profile of our work. Please pray that these important connections deepen and become more well-established so together, through partnership and collaboration, the Kingdom of God grows in Africa. 20th to 26th May UK personnel The APF office is staffed by Revd David Stedman, Geoff Holder and Michelle Anderson. The entire organisation of the charity is fulfilled by three people working the equivalent of two full-time roles. All staff are deeply committed to APF and complement each other's skills and strengths. While the charity s administration, communication and compliance is good, the small team often feels stretched, especially when combining the daily demands of charity management, project management and travel in Africa. This week, please remember the staff team, trustees, and volunteer APF Champions in prayer. Also, as evitabu expands, pray for wisdom as we consider the possibility of offering an internship to support the ongoing demands of this project. 13th to 19th May Tanzania Much of APF s historic ministry has taken place in Tanzania. On Sunday, praise God for longstanding friends such as Bishop Francis Ntiruka who retains a special interest in APF and regards evitabu as a valuable tool for publishing some of his Old Testament Swahili commentaries. On Monday and Tuesday, pray that our close links with Morogoro Diocese in central Tanzania and Deeper Life Ministry in the north-west deepen. A recent meeting with Bishop Vithalis Yusuph of the new Diocese of Biharamulo represents an exciting opportunity. On Wednesday, please pray for Bishop Vithalis and on Thursday, remember the new Diocese. On Friday, give thanks that our partnership with Kagera Christian Theological College continues through evitabu. On Saturday, give thanks for the Let There Be Light project. 27th May to 2nd June Pastoring of Pastors Pastoring of Pastors is a key strand to the APF vision. This week, pray for our role as a professional mentor, critical friend and listening ear to many influential African Christian leaders. Give thanks for the privilege of sharing this gift with African partners. Pastoring of Pastors also finds expression in resourcing leadership training workshops, responding to pastoral needs, bicycle grants and travel grants, occasional academic sponsorships, solar light for the home and in many other ways. Pray that evitabu will become a key way in which these strategic relationships develop going forward. The evitabu pilot alone will reach more than 10,000 church leaders. Pray it would strengthen and equip them them for effective ministry. 05 www.africanpastors.org
June Prayer Guide 3rd to 9th June Flourishing Communities The local church in Africa can be the key agent for sustainable development and community transformation in remote and marginalised regions. APF's Growing Greener agriculture programme in Malawi and Uganda is an example of how the local church can do this, but only when leaders are properly motivated and equipped. This week, please pray for Growing Greener and also that the Let There Be Light solar project in Tanzania might be replicated in Rwanda. This project provides pastors with savings and income from solar energy. Pray for wisdom regarding the Daily Bread solar bakery project in Uganda. This is being reviewed since the death of a key local leader. Pray also that APF, together with our partners, may multiply projects such as these to reduce poverty and promote sustainability. 17th to 23th June Hearing African Voices The African Church has huge wisdom to enrich the Global Church, but it lacks many of the opportunities that those serving in churches in the Developed World take for granted. Please pray for APF as we seek to find new ways to use our influence and resources to enable the African Church to define itself and develop a distinctively African contextualised theology that speaks into and influences the Global Church. Travel grants, publications and crosscultural exchange are part of this effort, but this week pray especially for conversations about new and contextualised African-sourced commentaries and Bible translations. Also pray for plans for APF to gather UK church leaders to receive teaching and inspiration from African leaders later this year. 10th to 16th June Malawi Dave will be travelling in Malawi, together with Revd. Richard Tucker, one of our trustees, during this week. They will be meeting with Revd Lloyd Chizenga and the leadership team of New Life Christian Church and Bishop Rutherford Banda and members of the Africa Hope and Grace Christian Fellowship Church. This week, please pray that the visit will move both these important Malawi partnerships forward. Please also pray for safety, not just for this trip, but for all APF travel in the UK and in Africa. There are always risks involved when APF staff, volunteers and trustees travel, so please pray for journey mercies, as they say in Africa. Please also pray for the families that Dave, Geoff and others leave behind when working for APF in Africa. 24th to 30th June Rwanda and Burundi This week, we are praying for church leaders from Burundi and Rwanda who have been part of the first group to use evitabu: Revd Silas Mtukamazina, General Secretary, Union des Eglises Baptistes, Burundi; Revd Japhet Matugoma, Eglise Evangelique de le Bonne Volonte, Rwanda; Revd Charles Munyamahoro, Training Overseer, Free Methodist Church, Rwanda; and Pastor Emmanuel Gatera, Principal of the Word of Life Bible School, Rwanda. Please also pray for Revd Dr Munyamasoko Gato Corneil, Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches, Rwanda. Give thanks for his important work in peace and reconciliation. Likewise, please remember Revd Dr Antoine Rutayisire, Principal of Kigali Anglican Theological College. Enabling effective ministry in Africa 06
The vision of APF is to see African pastors equipped to lead thriving local churches and serving flourishing communities. Enabling effective ministry in Africa. Giving to APF If you would like to donate to APF, please visit www.africanpastors.org/donate where you can make a one-off gift or set up a regular donation. Alternatively, post a cheque to our address or use one of the services below: Text APFG30 to 70070 to make a mobile donation (Donate 1 to cover the print and postage costs for News and Prayer) African Pastors Fellowship Station House, Station Approach, Adisham, Canterbury CT3 3JE African Pastors Fellowship is a member of: www.africanpastors.org Tel 01227 812185 Email admin@africanpastors.org UK Registered Charity Number 282756