General Superintendent and Mrs. Jerry Porter recently returned from a month-long tour of Africa, where they report that the church is experiencing remarkable growth and a great outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit. This year the Africa Region has grown to 386,000 members, a 15.7 percent increase, with some individual areas showing explosive growth of 42 percent in one year.

Joined by Regional Director Eugenio Duarte and African leaders, Dr. Porter presided over 13 district assemblies and ordination rallies in Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Swaziland, and the Republic of South Africa. Twenty-six new elders were ordained in the Church of the Nazarene.

Dr. Porter called the Ethiopia Gambella District Assembly “unforgettable” with many record-breaking firsts. Following the first-ever Nazarene Missions International, Nazarene Youth International, and Sunday School & Discipleship Ministries International district conventions there, the district assembly convened with reports showing membership has increased from 1,711 to 9,016 in seven years, more than 420 percent gain. Total congregations have more than tripled to 128 from just 40 in seven years. The need for new pastors for these congregations has been met through God’s calling and ministerial preparation as evidenced by the granting of 40 new district ministerial licenses in the assembly for a total of 83 district licensed ministers on the Gambella District. Missionary Terry Barker, who has served as district superintendent and the Jesus Film coordinator on the region, will now focus all his attention on ministerial preparation in this field that is experiencing explosive growth. In his place, Rev. David Sijin Lual was appointed as the first Ethiopian district superintendent in Gambella.

Much of the delegation to the Gambella assembly was Sudanese refugees. One zone of delegates had walked for eight days to attend the assembly. “These are deeply committed Christian servants,” said Dr. Porter. “We felt so honored to be among these brothers and sisters of whom the world is not worthy!”

The Ethiopia Central District Assembly included a report from refugee Nazarenes of the underground work they are doing with Nazarenes in a creative access country. The Ethiopia South Central District Assembly reported a year of continued incredible multiplication. Congregations have grown from 31 to 709 in the last seven years, more than 210 per cent increase. They have set the goal of 1,000 new churches during the next year. Amazing testimonies here came from farming villages where the cash crop was narcotic khat. These new converts to Christ chopped down their fields and planted coffee trees. Entire villages had accepted Christ and become part of the Nazarene family, and two young witch doctors had been converted and were present at the assembly. They testified to God’s saving grace, and Dr. Porter reports, “They proceeded to burn all their witchcraft paraphernalia amid the dancing, shouting, and singing of the jubilant delegates!”

Together the districts in the Horn of Africa, including two creative access countries, have grown from 15,291 members to 50,985 and from 539 congregations to 2,535 in only two years. God is also working in other areas of Africa where great need and incredible economic devaluation of local currency are being met with continued faithful leadership and stewardship.
    
While in Africa, the Porters also joined in Africa Nazarene University’s dedication of the new Robert Helstrom Student Centre, the retreat of all six regional directors and World Mission personnel, and the historic merger of the Nazarene College of Theology, the Nazarene College of Nursing, and the Nazarene College of Education to become the Nazarene Higher Education Consortium.

“Dr. Eugenio Duarte, Africa regional director, has skillfully led the region and is building a great team of leaders,” Dr. Porter said. “These are amazing days in Africa!”