Many of you already know that AE is celebrating 60 years of evangelism in Africa this year! That’s why we are so excited to announce our brand-new initiative, the African Enterprise International Institute of Evangelism (AEIE).
There is a desperate need for theological training throughout Africa. Formal academic education is rare, and Bible teaching does not always have the correct Biblical foundation. To evangelise the body of Christ effectively, knowledge and training are essential.
Lack of support for Evangelists continues to have a negative impact on the church, and can lead to the preaching of a false gospel. An academic qualification is a requirement in most fields today; and Evangelists are not exempt.
That is why now is the right time to launch the African Enterprise Institute of Evangelism! This program will equip the church in Africa in evangelism and missions, multiply local evangelists and rollout stratified evangelism missions in every African country.
The program will take approximately four years to complete, and will train over 600 pastors from 12 countries in Preliminary and Advanced Evangelism. The objective is to provide a biblical foundation in evangelism while emphasizing the important of discipleship and strategies to continue with missions.
The story of Evangelism in Africa is deeply entwined with AE, and it was Dr Michael Cassidy’s passionate vision to see the continent won for Jesus. The first mission was launched in 1962, and its success is where our call was confirmed.
At AE, we consider every believer a witness. However, we recognize the importance of Evangelists who focus on the proclamation of the gospel and train others to do the same. We hope you are as excited as we are about this new initiative, and we thank you for your continued support and prayers!
Image: Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
African Enterprise supporter David Le Rossignol, first heard about us through a visiting speaker at his local church in Tasmania. It turned out that his father-in-law was also an avid AE supporter.
David’s own father was born in Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and his wife’s father was born in Kenya. This was another connection that sparked his interest in the work of AE.
David, his wife and their two daughters visited Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe in 1991. They travelled for four months, and their African adventure was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to visit this beautiful country.
David says he always looks forward to EA’s newsletters because they inspire him to be in ministry in his own community in Tasmania. “Just to follow what God is doing in His world is amazing!” he says. He also finds encouragement in listening to messages from AE founder, Michael Cassidy.
David’s grandfather is buried in the St John’s Methodist Cemetery in Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and David and his family are proud to honour their African heritage by continuing to support the transformational work of AE.
The life-changing impact of our missions continued across Africa in 2021. We conducted 11 missions that were able to provide essential opportunities to preach the Gospel to the unreached. We were able to share the Gospel with over 12 million people through radio, television, social media, street evangelism, mission events and door to door evangelism. More than 46,000 people made decisions to follow Christ through these activities.
Over the last 5 years, we have reached 22 million people, and praise God, 450,000 souls committed to following Jesus! These numbers are extraordinary, and only possible through the support of our partners. Many of you have courageously held up AE through prayers, hard work and financial giving. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, God has been incredibly faithful.
Following the KAYONZA mission in Rwanda, Pastor Gatera was blessed to receive 7 new converts in his church. He has also helped young girls who faced unwanted pregnancies, and after preaching them the gospel, bought goats for them to start businesses.
“We have another group of new converts that we gave 30 Bibles to,” says Pastor Gatera. “We are intentional in helping these new brothers and sisters in Christ with their growth both spiritually and economically.”
God is using His disciples to transform entire communities and bring hope and healing to some of the most impoverished nations in the world.
With your support, more and more people in Africa are receiving the life-changing message of Jesus.
We are celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. What a significant time to look back at the amazing stories of evangelism in the cities of Africa.
As part of the celebrations, a Pan African Mission will take place in Lusaka, Zambia with the aim of reaching a total of 300,000 people with the Gospel. Excitingly, 300 churches and Christian organisations will participate in the mission as well as 3000 Missioners.
Preparations are well under way to engage and train all participants in evangelism, discipleship and youth outreach activities.
An intercessory prayer team, made up of 66 people have committed to regularly pray for this mission.
Psalm 2:8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
We give thanks for:
- the implementation of the Enhanced Lusaka Covid – 19 outreach which saw 3,544 people reached and 1,501 committing their lives to Christ.
Please pray:
- for the African Enterprise Southern African Region’s (AESAR) team as they prepare for the Pan African Lusaka Mission 2022.
- that God will grant strength, courage and wisdom as they undertake these preparations for all activities, including the 60th Anniversary mission, African Enterprise International Council meeting and the Zambia National Prayer Breakfast.
- for funding for the Lusaka Mission and that God will move the Churches to give resources generously toward the mission.
- that God will open doors to engage parliamentary leaders, to share the vision of the National Prayer Breakfast
- for a company vehicle to support the AE Zambia team to facilitate the many programs that they have.
- for the successful establishment of a Foxfire youth evangelistic team to be launched.
- for the hearts of regional leaders to be open to the Gospel.
Our new initiative is well under way in South Sudan after launching at the end of 2021. The “Improved Literacy through Trauma Healing & Peace Education” program has been specifically designed to help children overcome trauma so they can go on to lead healthy, productive lives.
The civil war may be over in South Sudan, but the effects remain. As many as 19,000 children were kidnapped or recruited to join the armed forces, and many women and children were also brutalised. UNICEF believes that three quarters of South Sudanese children have never known anything but war.
When a community is traumatised, the children suffer. They are often without a voice, and sadly their emotional wounds go untreated. This can lead to a significant risk of PTSD and depression. Most of these families have had no support in dealing with the experiences of war.
The aim of the project is to equip parents and teachers to:
- Reflect and come to terms with what happened.
- Reflect on what God says about suffering and how His word can bring healing.
- Identify behavior caused by trauma and apply strategies to engage.
- Recognize signs of childhood trauma that impact behavior and learning.
- Facilitate healing groups in schools and the wider community.
The project’s aim is to be operational in 20 schools in South Sudan over a period of 6 -12 months. It will be implemented using a model of biblical and mental health principles, adapted to the local community.
Depending on funding availability, the program will include healing activities such as storytelling, poems, music and skits using materials from the Bible Society’s Trauma Healing Institute. These tools will be used to train and equip teachers, peer leaders and parents to facilitate their own trauma healing sessions.
Please show your support! Help us provide these precious children from South Sudan with the skills to deal effectively with trauma, so they can recover and live a normal life.
