Fronse Pellebon Smith

Interesting and wise words! Far too often I've thought the same thoughts Wendy. What holds my spirit together is personal rembrance of the Great Commission. Often, too often, I just 'go' on my own to witness the Gospel a habit I learned from my evangelist grandmother Jansia Eiland Harper. Witness is missional wherever a Christian sits, stands, walks, talks and travels. Online witness can be used to show God's Love and Grace (without the point-counterpoint arguments :) ).

Thank you Wendy for this posting. I continue to experience similar comments when I travel in Africa and ask : What would you have me do? Prayers and returning are often the top responses. Encouraging people to believe that THEY can achieve using their own meager resources by working together in Christ's name has yielded consitent results on small scale projects.

Thank you Joel Huyser for this post. Yes ministry to and for are 'bubble' approaches that are historic. Its roots are I think in the interpretation of the Great Commission mandate to leave Jerusalem and preach, teach and baptize to the world that did not know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This paradigm was true for 1900 yrs.

Now in this century, much of the 'world' knows Christ and/or knows of Christ. In the last two centuries dutiful missionaries translated the Bible into many languages globally (there are still new translations), translated hymns, established seminaries and training schools to further the spreading of the Gospel.

Based on your 'with' premise, the Church needs to : 1. Acknowledge the established credibility of existing churches and their leaders. 2. Learn more about the nations, cultures and people being witnessed to in the 21st Century context. 3. Speak the language of Nehemiah 'Let US build this wall.'

This requires a spiritual, intellectual, psychological paradigm shift from our well rooted past vision of 'to' and 'for.'

With Christ as our helper, WE are equal with our Brothers and Sisters in Unity. And we can then be truly side-by-side working together to advance HIS Kingdom.

My past travels to Nigeria (1981), South Africa (1992 to 2009), Zambia (1995 to 1999) showed me one impressive dedicated effort that our Missionaries meticulously did well. In the Reformed Congregations the Scriptures and Hymnals were translated into quite a few predominant ethnic languages. This took a tremendous amount of effort and commitment to contextualize Scripture and Song and seeing this evidence of 'success' made me realize that the Gospel can be witnessed to far more people. It made me proud to be Reformed. Too often this is not recognized and that is why I'm writing this.

Annectdotaly, I did observe that the organs so diligently brought to Southern Africa from overseas had been set aside in the 1990's in Zambian and South African Nedergerereformedekerk  congregations and worshipers used voice and Bibles for music and cadence keeping. This to me was a 'symbolic' change for the African congregations before elections in 1994 and after in SA. Yet one reality is there were not local congregants to maintain and play the sometimes 100yr old organs. 

Naive, no. Guarded maybe, open to being civil, yes. As Christians we are charged by the Great Commission to evangelized to the entire world. It is difficult to do so with hostile hearts. To non-Christians, sinners, Muslims, Buddists, Hindu's or any person who needs to hear the Gospel, the Good News of the Love of Jesus Christ.

Appreciate your posting, reflections and observations. Just to share my wife Germaine and my experience in Dakar Senegal with Muslim families our common subject conversations began and ended with the elder fathers pointing upward and saying in Arabic, Wolof and English "There is but one God."

This is a very encouraging article for me and my wife Germaine. June 2013 I am planning a trip to Kampala to meet with ministers I have been doing online consulting for poultry farmers for the first time. Yes, online I was able to advise small poultry farmers about good practice in hatching, raising and keeping birds healthy.

Your reflections remind me of the Sankofa. Looking back informs me of where I am today and where (God helping me) I'll be tomorrow.

Thanks Wendy  for this article. The webinar last week helped me gain better insight on 'what makes an effective mission in the world.' One thing I learned is to temper my zeal for fulfilling the Great Commission with respect and dignity in my travels and witness in Africa. Listening requires better culture understanding, patience and prayer. I have learned that people appreciate encouragement more than criticism and that the Gospel has been in Africa for a long time. We need to continue witnessing because with each new generation there is a need to hear the Gospel in partnership with our Brothers and Sisters on-the-ground in each location and country.

Praise God! This is very encouraging news from Northern Uganda. World Renew is bearing fruit.

Thank you for posting this 'reality of witness' piece. Humility to Christ is essential to effective witness.