344 million people are living in North Africa without knowing Jesus. 200 million are living and dying without even hearing of his offer of salvation. That’s why we’re hoping for members to join us on a team in North Africa from next summer, seeking to share both the gospel and their lives with those they are living amongst.

Reaching the hard to reach

Islam is the dominant religion of North Africa, to the extent that most countries in that region describe themselves as Muslim-majority nation states and declare Islam as their national religion. The result of having a state backed religion means that the teachings of Christianity are not only unknown to most, but great barriers to investigating Christianity have been erected. Governments control many aspects of day to day life and whilst a few of these countries have an official freedom to exercise religion, in practice that only really applies to foreigners. This is why so many in this region are unreached with the gospel, simply, because it’s so hard to reach them and the potential costs are high.

Seeking to serve

Whilst we recognise these barriers and accept the potential dangers and risks of sharing the gospel in North Africa, we believe our call remains to go to those living without hope. Therefore, next summer we are looking to send a Training in Ministry Outreach (TIMO) team to share the gospel and their lives in ways that benefit the local community and demonstrate God’s love in action.

We want to see local people come to faith and become Christ-centred as a result of the Christ-centred business people they have come to know. Team members will undergo a period of intense learning of local language, cross-cultural communication and culture with the aim of becoming part of an existing business or finding other ways of doing business in this setting. The more like-minded businesses succeed, the greater will be the gospel impact as more witnesses for Christ are in contact with the community.

The Great Gospel Bake Off

The Christmas season is upon us. But what does that mean for our mission partners serving in Creative Access locations?

Christmas equals food. For mission partners serving in contexts where it is difficult to talk about the real meaning of Christmas, baking can open doors that could otherwise remain closed. Last year one couple serving in North Africa commented, “I’m not sure we can remember any Christmas being so exhausting. Maybe it was the heat (33°c) as we made various cakes including fudge and shortbread for 30-odd people.” But it was through baking these gifts that they had the opportunity to retell the Christmas story in the local idiom. 

Another mission partner shared, “Last week a few mothers from school had a coffee morning to which I took along cranberry scones. After discussing baking at length, and cultural specialties (like cranberries!) a friend and I were able to steer the conversation to the real meaning of Christmas. I had the opportunity to tell the Christmas story, focussing on how Joseph obeyed the Father unquestioningly even though he faced shame by not divorcing Mary.”

This Christmas please pray for our mission partners serving in countries where Christmas is not celebrated. Pray that they would have opportunities to share the Christmas story and point many to the love and hope that Jesus’s birth declares. Pray too that they would be able to follow Joseph’s example and follow the Father unquestioningly in these often difficult and dark places.