Community development work goes hand in hand with our desire to see Christ-centred churches among all African people. Not merely as an inroad to facilitate our mission work, but as a goal in itself. Our heart is to see people’s whole lives redeemed by the love of Christ, and communities changed as people understand their value in God’s eyes.
For some, that can mean adopting conservation agriculture practices as communities understand their role as stewards of God’s creation. Or, it can mean communities working together to provide education for their children, or sustainable healthcare systems. The list is probably endless. As we share the gospel, and seek to disciple new believers, it is a joy to share about God’s love, and then to encourage new Christians to demonstrate that love among their communities.
Often the people we work among see themselves as poor. We have the privilege of letting them know that they are not poor in God’s eyes but are valued and valuable. A transformation that can inspire communities to make positive changes for themselves. A change that can also mobilise communities for mission, as they recognise the gifts and abilities that God has given them to share his good news with their neighbours.
Could you be part of seeing community development and lives changed by the gospel?
Amos talks to Jack and Phil about the time that each of them spent serving short term in Africa. All three served in Dukana, northern Kenya among the Gabbra people. They talk about their experience and the impact it had on each of their lives.
Eddie and Rachel Andersen work in northern Kenya. They share a little about their story and how they came to be working among the Gabbra.
Jack went to serve among the Gabbra in northern Kenya. He says… “I have come away with a new heart for mission, and a burden for unreached people that need Jesus and do not yet know him. I pray with renewed energy and eagerness for missionaries in the field and the calling of new workers.”
I serve as AIM Southern Region’s Office Administrator and Short Term Coordinator, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
As missionaries, our work is incomplete if we overlook the relationship with God’s creation. In
