The Student Discipleship Program run by AEE Ethiopia is a forward-looking spiritual investment on the next generation. The objective of the program is “Building the Church of Tomorrow, Today”. It primarily focuses on the next-generation, Christian students of grade 5 and upwards to high school and university. It is a Bible teaching undertaking, an age-graded; curriculum-based with seven rounds of training.
The discipleship program started by enrolling 794 students in 9 cities in 2003. Currently, it reaches more than 20,000 students in 100+ cities all over Ethiopia each year. The program is done in partnership with the local church.
Program impact over the years has shown that the youth now:
- have a better grasp of the Christian faith
- are more equipped to read and study the Bible.
- encouraged to share the faith with their peers in schools
- come to their local church services more regularly.
- the teachings had helped them overcome challenges and temptations the youth are facing.
- the program is fostering unity among churches
For 2022, the plan is to enroll 20,000 students in 100+ cities. Accordingly 50,000 textbooks have been made ready for the school holidays (July & August).
Testimony
Nazrawit was a student in the Discipleship program as a senior high school student in 2007 & 2008.
She says “I grew up in a Christian family and had a general orientation to Christianity. But I did not have a personal relationship with God and was not used to reading the Bible on my own.
I am so happy that I was able to pass through the Discipleship Program. The courses were very basic and very helpful. I have learned how to read the Bible and have personal quiet time. I have also benefited from the Christian fellowship among students and teachers. As I was in my formative years it has helped me to get prepared for life’s realities.
After high school, I did 2 doctorates; a doctorate in vet medicine and a doctorate in human medicine.
I am one of those who have greatly benefited from the program and now have volunteered to teach students, whenever I have the time. I wish the program could expand extensively and reaches more youth.
Ministry Update – March 2022
Thanks to your ongoing support, our AE teams have enjoyed some wonderful success in our outreach programs across Africa. By the grace of God, our Togo farming project has begun, with participants preparing the land ready for seed planting. They are also being educated on the correct way to grow vegetables for sustainability.
In Kenya, the local church leaders are helping to train up missionaries to reach even more people with the good news of Jesus. The Foxfire program has also had great success, with high schools now participating in forums to expand and continue the harvest. One young student, Boaz, says that he ‘feels strengthened to keep pure and serve God and His people.’
Our sewing school in Malawi has seen many graduates become trained in tailoring and professional dressmaking. These skills enable people to generate an income to meet their basic needs, and some have even gone on to open their own businesses.
The Hope for Girls Project will also soon launch in Malawi, with the aim of providing essential re-useable sanitary products to young girls aged 10 and over. This will be incorporated into the needlework program to ensure the sustainability of the program.
AE Ethiopia continues integrating new believers from the Kotebe mission into the mainstream church. New believer Gelan Megersa says she was met by someone on the street who told her about Jesus. “I was convinced and became a believer, and have been attending discipleship classes for the past 3 months. I have seen such a transformation in my life.”
In Uganda, the Omoo Youth Skilling and Production Centre has been training young people to bake cakes, mandazi, samosas, chapatis and buns to sell to the local market. They were able to raise more than 200,000 Uganda Shillings (approximately AUD 73.74) through the sale of their products.
Once again, AE has been able to outreach successfully in South Africa. In partnership with other ministries, we have been able to bring food relief to those who continue to suffer from unemployment, the ravages of the pandemic and the aftermath of recent unrest.
One recipient said that she had been praying for God’s intervention after both her mother and sister succumbed to COVID leaving her with the responsibility of caring for her brothers, all of whom are unemployed. Her response to our outreach was, “I feel I have hope now.”
Your prayers and support are invaluable to AE, and we give thanks to God for enabling us to bring some relief and minister to communities in desperate need. Please continue to pray with us that those whose hearts are moved by the Holy Spirit may grow in their journey of faith and be a witness to others.
Thank you for your prayers for our upcoming PAN-African Mission and 60th celebrations. Mission leader Lutangu Lubasi says that in his 40 years as a Christian, he’s never seen the churches mobilise like this in Lusaka. Over 300 churches are outreaching to some 300,000 people, and Lutangu is hoping to train 2400 missionaries from Lusaka itself and a further 600 from surrounding areas.
The fact that AE is celebrating its 60th anniversary has helped raise awareness for the Lusaka mission. This is a unique opportunity, and one that the Southern Africa region is very excited about. The team will be using stratified evangelism and seeking to reach people in a celebratory manner.
For the 60th Anniversary, we will have 60 days of prayer, using the word GOSPEL, we will take 60 days of prayer to celebrate 60 years of evangelism. Each letter represents 10 days of the mission.
G – Gratitude (Thanksgiving)
O – Open Heavens (Prayer/Intercession)
S – Social Action (Love in Action)
P – Proclamation (Citywide Mission)
E – Empowerment (Mentoring)
L – Loving New Believers (Discipleship)
The team has also been working on getting denominational leaders and people from senior levels of government involved. “We had a meeting for the top leaders of denominations, and it was just so exciting to see how these men of God came together,” says Lutangu. “Bishop Joe Imakando will be hosting the Lusaka mission, and he pledged $5,500 US dollars to help.”
Lutangu also believes that COVID has presented an opportunity to reach the lost, because people are asking very difficult questions about eternity. But AE also saw an opportunity to bring the whole church in the region of Zambia together.
One of the highlights of the mission is the upcoming National Prayer Breakfast, to which the President of Zambia and the President of Malawi have been invited. “We’ll be meeting these presidents to put our cares to them,” says Lutangu. “We are very excited to see what is unfolding.”
It’s our faithful AE supporters making it possible for us to engage with the people of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The idea is to reach over a million people in the next five years, and this pan-African mission goes a long way towards involving leaders all across the country.
“It’s a perfect opportunity for me to just thank those that have been standing behind us and supporting us,” says Lutangu. “I feel very touched because we have not had an office in Zambia in the last fifty-nine years.”
“Like the Bible says, when we unite we can do so much more.”
African Enterprise has continued to offer PTC training to pastors and Gospel ministers in Africa. This course which is offered both online and in person has remained a treasured program by many. It enables the Gospel ministers to acquire knowledge that would make them be more effective in ministry.
The students in Kenya continued with the online study in 2021. It was not possible to conduct the in person studies due to COVID-19 restrictions. There were 33 students that remained active by conducting studies on various course and benefiting from the program. The course has remained an important tool in their ministry and remain grateful to the sacrifice done by many in sponsoring the program. There are other 61 that enrolled but have not been very active. We have encouraged them to resume their studies in 2022.
We are resuming the in person trainings in 2022. As part of 60th anniversary, AE Kenya is conducting a citywide mission in Mombasa as from 2nd- 12th June 2022, the second largest city in Kenya. Over the last three years, AE Kenya has been reaching the city with the Gospel targeting different zones. Currently there have 51 students that have enrolled for the PTC course. This number may rise to almost 70 as there are more students interested in the course. We want 60 students as per our 60th anniversary. The incorporation of the PTC course to the citywide mission will greatly help in the mobilization of Churches that otherwise they could have not participated in the mission. There are students from Churches that are not part of the pastors’ fellowship but when they heard about the program they have enrolled and they have since joined the planning of the mission. The Churches will participate in the mission with clearer understanding of the Bible thus producing reliable evangelists during the mission. We can confidently report that the PTC is indeed helping to spread the Gospel in Africa. Our first course will be as from 4th- 9th April 2022.
We will continue to share more stories and testimonies from Kenya on this amazing program that is transforming lives.
“The Program has been of tremendous in helping on reaching out/sharing the gospel as it has helped me to study the scripture thus knowing it better. 
Throughout PTC I have gained the basics of bible interpretation, am able to dissect Scripture and preach the word contextually/accurately.
Through PTC I have been equipped in defending of the word, by Interpreting Scripture correctly am able to give an answer to some difficult bible related question/texts that the unbelievers misinterpret or are unable to decode.
I have grown as a believer In Christ reading the word is easier since my understanding is sharpened. I am truly grateful for the opportunity and more specifically to individuals who give directly to AE in support of PTC. We are forever grateful. I can’t wait to dig deeper into the course.” – Derrick Muriithi
We will continue to share more stories and testimonies from Kenya on this amazing program that is transforming lives.
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
We are so excited to share an update with you about our Pastors Training Course (PTC) that is currently running in Kenya. It is such a privilege to partner with you in this ministry. You are helping empower students to influence the transformation of the church in Africa.
Alice Auma is a young teenager from Nairobi, who recently completed her PTC. She loved learning about the Old and New Testament, and the process allowed her to reflect deeply on how the laws of the Bible could be applied to her own life.
The lessons from the Old Testament stories of the Israelites being rescued from Egypt helped strengthen Alice’s faith to wait on God’s perfect timing. The New Testament helped her to understand the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for all of us in dying on the cross for our sins.
“I have learnt how to spread the gospel to people of all different backgrounds,” says Alice. “And I also know how to interpret scripture and to distinguish between true and false prophets. I have really benefited from this course, and I thank Almighty God for allowing me to participate. It has changed me as a person.”
Jeff Wafula is a student at Mt Kenya University, and says that completing his PTC was the best thing that happened to him in 2021. The course content and teachings have transformed his life.
Going through the Bible so thoroughly has helped Jeff to equip himself with knowledge and a better understanding of Biblical principles. It shaped the way he viewed the scriptures, and brought him into a closer relationship with God.
“Since doing PTC, I can handle many different situations and people,” Jeff says. “Through the Bible teachings, I have understood the word better, and am able to share with people whenever I get the chance.”
AE is looking forward to teaching more PTC courses, and equipping students just like Alice and Jeff to become church leaders and proclaim the good news of the Gospel throughout Africa.
