|
Missionary: Karl & Debbie Dortzbach:
Mission Board: MTW
Location: Kenya
African Renaissance? Dortzbach news
Dear praying friends,
We are back in Nairobi, and today was the graduation at NEGST. We had a
record of 63 graduates from all of our programs! Our student body has
doubled in the last year as we have gone to more block courses offered
off campus. The theme of the graduation was the role of the church in
the African renaissance. It would seem that in the face of a lot of
bad news from this continent that there is at least the hope for good
news as well. Even Newsweek magazine for Africa this week blazed the
cover story of "What's RIGHT with Africa".
Newsweek looks at a growing GNP rate over the decade past. NEGST
measures success in the number of graduates. But there are more
telling signs of hope than even those things.
I have had four students from my March course in conflict resolution
tell me that since they struggled to understand and apply biblical
principles of conflict resolution that their church council members
have expressed how much it has changed their church. Two churches
avoided splits, one that had already split began to talk together and
at least listen to each other. Conflict has been one of the painful
realities of the African church (and American church!).
In the stain of AIDS infections that sweeps like a tsunami over the
borders of the continent, there are more and more churches that are
helping their members provide home care assistance for the sick, youth
remain abstinent, and talk freely about God's purposes in marriage. In
Rwanda the World Relief orphan program helps 800 churches enable 4,000
orphans to stay in extended family environments using $30 per year per
child. A total of 130,000 youth have been impacted with abstinence
programs through 1,700 churches, over 500 youth clubs,, and 364
schools. When it comes to providing home care, 6000 persons living
with the AIDS virus are being helped through 1,350 active church-based
volunteers in 1,000 churches.
Newsweek is not yet talking about how the church provides the single
hope for a continent besieged by AIDS. But there are some eyes
watching it. On the 14th of July Laura Bush will visit one of the
churches involved in the World Relief program in Rwanda. Several years
ago Debbie began dreaming, and then planning and then working to see a
wave of church response. Next week she will join Laura Bush to talk
about what God is doing. The international news media will be
watching. Will you be praying?
Pray that:
o Debbie will have the opportunity to be clear and bold in speaking of
God's hand of grace, and that the media will correctly capture the
moment.
o Our next ministry steps will be clear. Debbie needs to spend more
time in the Baltimore headquarters of World Relief as her work
increasingly focuses on Asia. Karl will be developing a graded
curriculum for theological schools in Africa on peacemaking. We
anticipate a continued extensive travel schedule, being gone from each
other about 25% of our year.
Give thanks for:
Remarkable growth in the church's response to AIDS in several
countries in Africa
An award-winning film produced to help the church understand orphans
and vulnerable children.
An open door to work with all levels of theological schools across
the continent in developing a biblical response in conflict.
|
