Praise & Prayer June/July 2000
Côte d'Ivoire
A new phase
"An army coup last Christmas Eve ended the ruling party's 40 years in
power. Most people are much relieved by this, students being among the
first to hail the change," reports Serge Oulaï, acting General Secretary of
Groupes Bibliques Universitaires de Côte d'Ivoire (GBU CI). "In fact, since
the advent of multiparty democracy in 1990, there had been various
protests, mainly affecting secondary and tertiary education, but things
seem to be settling down again now.
"Officially formed in August 1997, GBU CI now has more than 10 groups,
themselves made up of several smaller Bible study and prayer groups, in
three-quarters of the towns with facilities for tertiary education. Our
ministry is enjoying increasing recognition and support from local churches.
"Since our first General Secretary, Pierre Ezoua, left in October 1999, we
have been working at strengthening existing pioneer ministry. We are now
entering a growth phase, so mobilising graduates is one of our priorities."
Praise God for
pioneer ministry;
affiliation to IFES in July 1999;
the healthy twinning link with GBEEG, the movement in Conakry Guinea.
Please pray for
Serge Oulaï, Koré Eli, who works with graduates, and the 10+ volunteer staff;
the second GBU CI congress, 8-15 August 2000;
the current political transition and October's general elections.
Suriname
Breaking through in 2000
"Teachers' strikes over worsening social, economic and political conditions
have brought disruption for students and for our ministry in the schools,"
writes Michael de Gama, Board Chairman of Jesus Students Suriname Movement (JSSM).
"Nevertheless, this year started well, with many students promising to
spend more time ‘with’ and ‘for’ the Lord at January's 'Jesus Students
Meeting 2000'. Joint school visits by JSSM and Youth With a Mission
resulted in several professions of faith. In the District of Nickerie,
where establishing groups has proved difficult, several students from two
high schools volunteered to start small groups.
"In recent weeks, news that three students hanged themselves, seemingly
after involvement with Satanism, has shocked the whole nation. Pray for us
as we respond to this situation and that JSSM will really make a big
difference in this society."
Praise God for
the enthusiasm and support of students and friends of the JSSM;
a completed five-member national Board, thanks to the recent addition
of Mosche Bromet and Hedy Barrow;
the office renovation, the JSSM library and the JS magazine.
Please pray for
the new groups at Nickerie to be firmly established and bear good fruit;
more small groups, especially at the University of Suriname where only
the Medical Faculty has an active group;
God’s guidance and protection for the Board;
two full-time field staff; funds for transportation.
Czech Republic
Seeking the way
"A feeling of uncertainty currently pervades Czech culture. The search for
an eventual successor to President Vaclav Havel is accompanied by growing
concern that without his influence a moral vacuum could ensue.
"Amid a mostly atheist population, Vysokoškolské Biblické Hnutí (VBH) faces
a tough challenge in presenting the gospel," comments IFES Team Leader
David Pollendine. "But groups active at six universities organise events
such as evangelistic outings, film clubs, Bible studies and radio
broadcasts. A recent evangelistic rock concert drew some hostility, but led
to healthy discussions and many new contacts.
"We aim for a fully Czech-led movement, so part-time staff worker Romana
Michalkova and I are currently concentrating on recruiting helpers and
potential staff to join us on our regular group visits and training
weekends. The recent IFES European Student Evangelism Conference has really
helped to give our students a bigger vision for student witness and we will
be following this up at our July camp."
Praise God for
students across the Czech Republic who are actively sharing their faith;
existing and new contacts with student groups;
the VBH Board and Romana Michalkova.
Please pray for
the forthcoming leaders' training camp;
students to gain a national vision for VBH ministry;
graduate support;
a General Secretary;
a VBH office in Prague;
continuing working relationships with other student missions.
Nigeria
Fragility and growth
"After several years under one of the most militaristic dictatorial rules
in the world, Nigeria returned to democratic governance in June 1999. The
new civil government has been working for national rebirth, focussing on
instituting morality and accountability and eradicating corruption,"
reports Gideon Para-Mallam, National Director of Nigeria Fellowship of
Evangelical Students (NIFES). "Economic hardship is still with us,
however.
Ethnic violence and conflicts over the implementation of Sharia Islamic law
in some northern states have severely shaken our young democracy.
"This has been a year of growth for NIFES, despite disruption from lengthy
strikes by university and college staff. Students are increasingly excited
about our Discipleship Training Weekends and Missions & Evangelism
Training Weekends. In an environment where students are often caught up in
corruption, materialism and immorality, our emphasis is 'Consecration for
Service'. Student leaders' retreats exploring biblical perspectives on
morality, conscience, honesty and work ethics are already having a profound
effect in helping students serve God with integrity of heart on campus and
in society."
Praise God for
the transition to a democratically elected government;
successful Area Easter Conferences and May's inductive Bible study
training;
many professions of faith through NIFES' rural outreach programmes.
Please pray for
rural outreach 2000 (July - September);
preparations for the NIFES National Leaders' Retreat and National
Conference in 2001;
wisdom for the President and Government in the face of political,
religious and ethnic tensions;
the Sharia issue: three northern states are proceeding with full
implementation, but 19 others recently agreed not to do so;
those bereaved by religious and ethnic violence: NIFES graduate Rev
Northcott Andrew was among hundreds killed in Kaduna earlier this year.
Fact box
Area: 923,770 km2
Population: approx 114 million
NIFES groups: 400
Group size: 20-1,200 students
NIFES members: 35,000
NIFES staff: 45 full-time
Great Britain
Mission and maturity
"Student numbers continue to grow despite student grants being phased out.
More students live at home and more take part-time jobs to fund their
studies, making student communities less cohesive and the task of building
campus groups and organising corporate evangelism more challenging.
Relativism and pluralism dominate many people's thinking, especially about
ethical and religious matters," reports Keith Walker, World Mission
Co-ordinator for Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF).
"UCCF Christian Unions (CUs) are committed to promoting mission and
maturity. These two areas are now a key focus of our year-round training
programmes for student leaders. Gospel distribution projects have greatly
helped to give CUs evangelistic focus and an opportunity to train Christian
students in Bible study. At our September leaders' conference, Forum, we
will be launching a new project, in partnership with Scripture Gift
Mission, to distribute 400,000 copies of Mark's Gospel in the 2000-2001
academic year."
Praise God for
new CUs in a number of colleges;
a good intake of first-year students into the CUs;
the provision of staff and Relay (graduate volunteer) workers.
Please pray for
smooth leadership transitions as General Secretary Bob Horn hands over
to Paul Weston, and Nigel Lee (Head of Student Ministries) to John
Risbridger;
effectiveness of Identity, the Mark’s Gospel project;
continued development of student leaders able to maintain mission and
maturity as their CUs' focus.
Fact box:
Area: 230,000 km2
Population: approx 58 million
UCCF CUs: in more than 150 universities and colleges
CU size: 2-500 students
UCCF students: 12,000+
Update
ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
A variety of short-term mission programmes take place during June to
August
in particular. Global Mission Projects for North American students include
Service Projects involving practical help and outreach to specific
communities and Lingua-Cultural Projects pairing participants with students
from the host country to share their lives and faith. Project locations
include East Asia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala and Guyana. Meanwhile, other
students will engage in service, outreach and teaching on Urban Projects of
four to eight weeks in several American cities.
IFES Summer Teams will again be active in European cities (in Belgium,
Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal and
Spain), reaching out both to the local population and to the many visiting
international students. Morning training sessions are followed by
evangelistic activities such as coffee bars, booktables, film or video
shows, open Bible studies, evangelistic lectures, street theatre, picnics
and pancake parties.
Please pray for many good contacts and many changed lives through all these
activities.
SUDDEN POSTPONEMENT
A student demonstration in Gambia on 10 April erupted into violence,
destruction of property and looting. Fourteen people died and more than 20
were injured, the majority students. The protests were over a student's
death some weeks earlier after an alleged beating by fire service
personnel, and the alleged rape of a student by a uniformed man. All
schools were closed down immediately after the riots. Students dispersed to
their homes and the Easter Conference of Fellowship of Evangelical Students
(FES) had to be postponed (see Gambia article, April/May 2000 issue).
Please pray for national healing and reconciliation, for FES students in
their response and for wisdom over re-scheduling this key FES training event.
Quote: "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our
hope in you." Psalm 33:22
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more about how you can play your part, or for more information about IFES
and our email service visit our website http://www.ifesworld.org or send an
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