Looking back, we have seen the growth of the church in Africa, but where is God calling AIM in the future? Here William, who heads up AIM’s Northern Region, shares his thoughts and hopes for AIM’s work.
What is AIM’s focus in the north?
The northern region of Africa is something we have approached in three phases. Before 2001 AIM had no one serving in the region. The first family into North Africa travelled out the week before 9/11! By 2003 there were 5 families on location. The second phase involved entering different North African countries and into the Horn of Africa.
And the third phase?
That is going to be the Sahel: the inland band across Africa. We have some people in Chad and South Sudan already, but not in Sudan. 95% of Sudanese people are unreached; that’s over 44 million people: it’s a massive country.
With the theme of giving thanks, how should we give thanks for what God has done already?
From having zero workers anywhere in North Africa just over 20 years ago, AIM has seen a large increase in workers called to this region. This growth is timely because this is where the greatest need is. I give thanks for the growth, but I am still praying for more workers because the need is so vast.
In what ways have you seen God at work in the region?
God has put people in critical places, where countless North Africans have had dreams and visions and our people have been there to make sense of those dreams, filling in the gaps with the Word of God.
What are the challenges and opportunities?
The hardest thing to come by in North Africa are Christ-centred churches. There are so many factors working against that. So as a region, our focus is the transformation of individuals by the power of the Holy Spirit. To see transformed, Christlike people witnessing to the good news. For example, husbands who fear Christ, and are transformed, loving their wives instead of beating them. That is countercultural in so many parts of North Africa – it is powerful stuff.
How can we pray for northern region?
You may have seen stories on social media of believers imprisoned in the Horn of Africa. We also knew of a young family of local believers, a mother and child, who were imprisoned for nine months for being Christians. We are waiting to hear about another Christian in North Africa, who was arrested and given a death sentence, to find out if he was executed. These are real human beings being persecuted for their faith. Many cannot even risk sharing their faith with their families; one young teenage girl was killed by her father for her faith. This is happening today. This is a persecuted church.
How can we be praying for you?
I want to see a growth in the number of people called to work with us in North Africa. Over the last few years, we’ve done a good job of establishing our base and getting our people grounded. I’d love to see three new teams of people joining our one year training programme before going on assignment.
It’s exciting!
Yes, we’ve got a very bright future. It’s exciting to be part of something that’s really core to what we do as an organisation.
