Prayer Update from CBM Africa

A rather festive looking waterbuck whom we encountered 
on the shores of Lake Naivasha, Kenya

As 2018 draws to a close, we give thanks to God for the partnerships, ministries, and our teammates serving with CBM throughout Africa. Thank you for your faithful prayers and support. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo

We give thanks to God for the for renewed unity among the church. This past weekend, our colleague Rev. Gato Munyamasoko participated in the reunification celebration of the Community of Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo (CEBCE) which had been fractured into two groups since 1997. We pray for their new leader, Rev. Bizimana Mulera Gaston and for continued healing and restoration of the church.

We also hold the people of DRC in prayer this week as they prepare for national elections that are scheduled for December 23rd and for peace and solidarity as President Joseph Kabila completes his second and final term in office this week on December 20th.

Uganda

Canadian Baptist Ministries' newest partnership is getting off to a great start as our colleague Gato Munyamasoko works with the Uganda Christian Lawyers Fraternity (UCLF) in their new transitional justice program. Please pray for Gato as he builds strong relationships within the UCLF team and for the peacebuilding work that he is engaged within Uganda.

We also continue to pray for Gato, Anne Marie, and their children as they relocate from Kigali to Kampala this month.

Gato Munyamasoko with the UCLF team in Kampala, Uganda

Kenya

We give thanks for the last decade of self-help group ministries that Erica has led in Kenya with our CBM Muslim ministry colleagues, both in the impoverished settlements of Nairobi and Garissa county.

This past week, hundreds of SHG members came together in closing rallies held in the communities of Eastleigh and Kariobangi. The group members shared their appreciation for the love and support shown to them by the Church and our urban ministry team. 

We give thanks for the African Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) who will be taking on this ministry in January 2019 as a joint project with CBM. Please pray for Laura Muema as she transitions to work more closely with the ACC&S.

Erica, Laura, and Aisha

Rwanda

As the Association of Rwandan Baptist Churches (AEBR) prepare for their celebration of Christmas, we give thanks for the progress that has been taking place within the denomination. Our colleagues Ruth Munyao and Andre Sibomana have also been supporting the AEBR in their large food security ministry which is a part of the joint programming of CBM and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank in East and Central Africa. 

We pray for Ruth and Andre as they give leadership and support to this important area of ministry in Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, and the Democratic Repiblic of Congo.

Please join us in praying for our colleagues Rev. Dr. Darrell and Laura Lee Bustin, who are supporting the denomination in the areas of leadership development, pastoral training, and facilitating short-term volunteers. 

Angola

We give thanks to God for the ministry of CBM's partner church, the Evangelical Church of Angola (IEA). 2018 marked sixty years since the very first Canadian Baptist missionaries came to Africa. This inaugural group arrived in 1958 to serve among the IEA and they would eventually carry the work of CBM across Africa.

Today, the IEA is involved in its own pioneer mission outreach in Namibia and Portugal.

South Sudan

Due to security concerns and transportation challenges, our local partner has decided to postpone its annual general assembly to April 2019. They ask for prayer as the denomination prepares for the election of a new secretary general. 

We continue to pray with them for the hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese people living in refugee camps and IDP settlements in South Sudan and in neighbouring countries.

On behalf of all of our team, we wish you a very happy Christmas!