Tanzania
Around the World, March 2011
Africa clinic is off the grid — and off the map
The church-supported Fisherfolks Dispensary serves predominantly Muslim villages in this northern Tanzania. Since opening in September 2010, the clinic has treated 2,715 patients, said Tom Carr, executive director of Searcy, Ark.-based International Health Care Foundation, which oversees the work.
“One unique thing about this clinic is that it was built without access to the power grid,” Carr said. The clinic uses solar panels to power its lights, fans, small medical equipment and the staff workers’ homes. “Most clinics off the grid would rely entirely on generated power from petrol or diesel units,” Carr said. The foundation seeks partners to provide volunteer medical personnel and finances.
For more information, see www.ihcf.net.
BRAZIL
BRASILIA — More than 40 members of the Brasilia Church of Christ and 23 U.S. Christians participated in a three-day workshop. The group reviewed progress and made plans for growth, said Bryan Gibbs of Continent of Great Cities. The Texas-based ministry and four U.S. churches support the work in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital.
“The consensus … was that the congregation, the evangelists and the church leadership matured during 2010,” Gibbs said. “Numerical growth was slow yet foundations were laid for future gains.”
GHANA
SWEDRU — Ministers in Ghana’s Central Region conducted gospel campaigns in several villages suffering from the effects of recent flooding, said evangelist Christopher Arthur.
“Some (people) are still sleeping in open spaces and town halls,” Arthur said. “They lost farms and household items, including clothes.”
Despite the conditions, many of the Ghanaians decided to become Christians, Arthur said. Church members will invite them to a special fellowship in Swedru to distribute aid, he added.
INDIA
ONGOLE — Church members Rama and Udaya Chintapalli were surprised when the ministry they oversee — Welfare of Innocent Neglected Guarding Society, or WINGS — received the “Best Service Organization” award from the local film industry in their state, Andhra Pradesh. The award ceremony aired on a local TV station. Several government officials attended.
Rama Chintapalli “addressed the live crowd of about 4,000 and the television audience, telling them of the love of Jesus Christ, which motivates all the service they do for others,” said Denise Dickinson, a member of the Grace Chapel Church of Christ in Cumming, Ga., who supports the work.
The WINGS ministry includes a children’s home, relief work and a ministry training school. For more information, see www.hiswitnesses.com.
NICARAGUA
MANAGUA — In the past year, workers with Mision Para Cristo shipped 7,050 “Smiles” in the Central American nation, said director Benny Baker. The “Smiles” — gift boxes of toys, clothes and personal care items — were distributed to more than 90 congregations and 24 schools, Baker said.
The Highway Church of Christ in Judsonia, Ark., and the Westgate Church of Christ in Dothan, Ala., served as shipping points for the gifts.
NIGER
TERA — African ministers are making inroads in this predominantly Muslim nation of West Africa, north of Nigeria, home to 15.8 million souls.
Harouna Kanguey trained for three years and graduated at the top of his class from the French African Christian Education ministry training school in Benin.
After graduation, Kanguey moved to Tera, Niger, and works with a small group of believers.
“We are doing the work of the Lord by the grace of God,” Kanguey said.
The church-supported Fisherfolks Dispensary serves predominantly Muslim villages in this northern Tanzania. Since opening in September 2010, the clinic has treated 2,715 patients, said Tom Carr, executive director of Searcy, Ark.-based International Health Care Foundation, which oversees the work.
“One unique thing about this clinic is that it was built without access to the power grid,” Carr said. The clinic uses solar panels to power its lights, fans, small medical equipment and the staff workers’ homes. “Most clinics off the grid would rely entirely on generated power from petrol or diesel units,” Carr said. The foundation seeks partners to provide volunteer medical personnel and finances.
For more information, see www.ihcf.net.
BRAZIL
BRASILIA — More than 40 members of the Brasilia Church of Christ and 23 U.S. Christians participated in a three-day workshop. The group reviewed progress and made plans for growth, said Bryan Gibbs of Continent of Great Cities. The Texas-based ministry and four U.S. churches support the work in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital.
“The consensus … was that the congregation, the evangelists and the church leadership matured during 2010,” Gibbs said. “Numerical growth was slow yet foundations were laid for future gains.”
GHANA
SWEDRU — Ministers in Ghana’s Central Region conducted gospel campaigns in several villages suffering from the effects of recent flooding, said evangelist Christopher Arthur.
“Some (people) are still sleeping in open spaces and town halls,” Arthur said. “They lost farms and household items, including clothes.”
Despite the conditions, many of the Ghanaians decided to become Christians, Arthur said. Church members will invite them to a special fellowship in Swedru to distribute aid, he added.
INDIA
ONGOLE — Church members Rama and Udaya Chintapalli were surprised when the ministry they oversee — Welfare of Innocent Neglected Guarding Society, or WINGS — received the “Best Service Organization” award from the local film industry in their state, Andhra Pradesh. The award ceremony aired on a local TV station. Several government officials attended.
Rama Chintapalli “addressed the live crowd of about 4,000 and the television audience, telling them of the love of Jesus Christ, which motivates all the service they do for others,” said Denise Dickinson, a member of the Grace Chapel Church of Christ in Cumming, Ga., who supports the work.
The WINGS ministry includes a children’s home, relief work and a ministry training school. For more information, see www.hiswitnesses.com.
NICARAGUA
MANAGUA — In the past year, workers with Mision Para Cristo shipped 7,050 “Smiles” in the Central American nation, said director Benny Baker. The “Smiles” — gift boxes of toys, clothes and personal care items — were distributed to more than 90 congregations and 24 schools, Baker said.
The Highway Church of Christ in Judsonia, Ark., and the Westgate Church of Christ in Dothan, Ala., served as shipping points for the gifts.
NIGER
TERA — African ministers are making inroads in this predominantly Muslim nation of West Africa, north of Nigeria, home to 15.8 million souls.
Harouna Kanguey trained for three years and graduated at the top of his class from the French African Christian Education ministry training school in Benin.
After graduation, Kanguey moved to Tera, Niger, and works with a small group of believers.
“We are doing the work of the Lord by the grace of God,” Kanguey said.
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