From the Superintendent's DESK

Following the West and Central Africa (WECA) camp meeting, Director of Africa Work John Musgrave and his wife, Rodica, toured a future campground site for our churches in northern Nigeria. They were accompanied by Isaac Adigun, the WECA District Superintendent, and his wife, Stella. The four also visited our Kubwa, Abuja, church and three locations in the Republic of Benin.

Brother John reported that the campground property is ninety-four acres in size and located near Rafin Kwara, just southwest of Abuja, in Nasarawa State. Our people have built a meeting hall on the site, and a dormitory is under construction. The next priority will be to build a simple tabernacle. One desirable aspect of the property is that it has the potential to generate income, which would offset the cost of holding camp meetings. Already, a company is leasing a back section to run a rock-crushing operation. In addition, several farmers are using portions of the land to raise corn, casava, and livestock.  

Upon leaving the campground, the Musgraves and Adiguns visited our Kubwa, Abuja, church. Recently, the congregation had to relocate when a developer needed the land. However, they were compensated with a new building and some additional facilities that will help make this church a zonal headquarters.

On Friday, August 29, the two couples traveled to the Republic of Benin and were met by a team of Gospel workers, including Marcellin Kploka, the Benin District Superintendent, and Mathieu Bobo of France. They proceeded to the Benin headquarters, located in the Jericho neighborhood of Cotonou, where they received a warm welcome from two young Sunday school girls and a group of smiling saints. Inside, they enjoyed a presentation about Benin and the Apostolic Faith work in that country, including the progress and the challenges.

The next morning, they visited our church in So-Ava, one of several villages on Lake Nokoue. This lake is the largest in Benin and flows through the Cotonou channel to the Atlantic Ocean. For over five hundred years, the Tofinu people have lived on the lake in bamboo houses built on wooden poles. As the only means of transportation is by boat, the area is referred to as “The Venice of Africa.”

So-Ava is one of the larger villages on the water with a population of about 70,000. It includes some patches of land, and our church rests on one of these, though it is elevated to avoid annual flooding. The team arrived by chartered boat and were escorted through the water ways by the So-Ava band members, who had rented a boat and were playing Gospel hymns. Then they enjoyed a short service among the congregation, which averages about 140. Brother John extended greetings on behalf of the Portland headquarters and assured them of our prayers.

After the visit to So-Ava, Brother John noted some challenges facing this congregation. Their church building is only partially completed because a lack of funding has stalled construction. Also, they do not own a boat, which would help greatly in their evangelistic efforts as well as serve as a taxi, providing a source of income. Despite this, they are doing evangelistic outreach in neighboring villages. On the lake, we currently have two other churches, a Bible study center, and the beginnings of a new group. 

The team attended Sunday morning services at the Benin campground in Djeffa with about three thousand others. The property is nine acres in size and includes a tabernacle, children’s hall, mission house, service buildings, and a nearly completed school, which should be ready for classes in the fall. The services began in the prayer room at 7:30. Then Sunday school followed at 9:00. The team had the opportunity to extend greetings to everyone in the prayer room and then visit the children during their Sunday school session. The worship service was filled with beautiful music, and the message was on “The Power of a Personal Testimony,” taken from Psalm 66:16. A very good altar service followed.

At the conclusion of their trip to Africa, the Musgraves said they had a wonderful time visiting the saints in Nigeria and Benin. They said that the challenges are many. However, God is meeting the needs of the congregations and opening doors for expansion throughout West and Central Africa.