Exploring Partnership - CRC Sierra Leone with CRC - BC

The picutres above give you a glimpse of the Spirit of God at work in Sierra Leone, West Africa: Rev. John Phiri leading the formation of home groups in the CRC church in Kabala, the church building in Kabala, a baptism of 45 new converts in Foria, and women leading in worship at the 1st anniversary of the CRC in SL.

The body is a unit, though it is
made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body… Now you
are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Under Christ who is the head
of the body, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special
work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body grows and builds itself up in
love (1 Corinthians 12:12,27; Ephesians 4:16).

In October of 2007 Classis BC - NW endorsed an exploratory venture; what would it look like if the CRC churches of British Columbia partnered with the new and emerging CRC of Sierra Leone. For more than 25 years the CRC church has been involved in Sierra Leone through the work of Christian Reformed World Missions, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and Christian Extension Services. Together we want to imagine what a global partnership like this could look like. What might happen when the churches in Africa would be praying for churches in Canada? What would become possible if lay persons and pastors from British Columbia Christian Reformed Churches lived for a time in a remote village in Sierra Leone alongside a new church plant, its people and lay pastors? What might we learn from each other? How might we be able to support each other? How could we truly come together as partners in the gospel?

In February 2009 a team of lay people and pastors will go to Sierra Leone on an exploratory visit. We believe that the Spirit of God is already preparing the way. We do know that amazing things are happening for Rev. John Phiri and his team of evangelists in the fast growing young CRC of Sierra Leone. The gospel message is reaching into the remote villages of Koinadugu District, into the city of Kabala, and it is having a transforming influence. We want to be in step with the Spirit of God. We want to share in this as brothers and sisters in Christ from the other side of the world. We want this blog to be a place where we share what God is doing, in Sierra Leone and British Columbia in the CRC.