January Short Report

 

Grace and Peace to you friends.  I hope that your year is off to a great start!  Today I’d like to offer you some highlights from the past year and an update on the special request that was made last month.   2024 By the Numbers Bible Training 21 Total Undergraduate students at ACSOP  6 Bachelor’s Degrees Earned 12 Total Graduate students  4 Master’s Degrees Earned   6 Total Cy Stafford School of Leadership students  4 Graduate of the Cy Stafford School of Leadership (Alpha Class) 3 Kisongo Bible School students  Evangelism 483 Baptisms    4 New Congregations 2 Restored Churches  302 Restorations   107 Seminars 1 Lectureship Camps 216 campers at Tanzania Christian Camp 19 Baptisms 75 Campers at Future Preachers Training Camp So many wonderful things happened in the Lord’s service in Tanzania this year, but I have to say that one of my favorite moments was seeing the first graduating class of the Cy Stafford School of Leadership.  Our team has been working toward that goal for several years now, and it is thrilling to see it beginning to produce.  I’m proud that two of our very first graduates are the co-directors of ACSOP, Charles and Ahimidiwe.  They’ve had the opportunity to learn and model leadership at the same time, and their involvement demonstrates the confidence that we have in the new program. I also wanted to give you an update on the special request that we sent out regarding funds to build a new facility for an orphanage that is run by one of our alumni.  We let you know that there was a need for $72,000 more to be able to complete the project.  I was totally blown away by the resounding way that you responded!  You have already pledged ALL of the funds needed to reach that goal! As I have mentioned in every missions presentation that I have given in the past 12 years, Tanzania Missions has four pillars: Evangelism, Preacher Training, Benevolence, and Edification.  So much good happened last year in each of those areas, and this year is already looking even better!   Thank you for being a part of the team through your prayers, support, participation, and encouragement. May God bless you! Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Mission Coordinator Tanzania Missions

Special Appeal

 

Grace and Peace to you friends.  My dear friend and elder from the Hoover Church of Christ, Harold Rhodes, asked me to share an important opportunity to demonstrate pure and undefiled religion in taking care of orphans in distress (James 1:27).   This relates to The Imani Focus Foundation, an orphanage managed by one of the alumni of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, along with his wife.  The facility currently cares for 16 orphans.  However, during the rainy season, flooding on the orphanage grounds create hazardous living conditions both inside (mold and contamination) and outside of the building (venomous snakes).  This condition re-occurs every time there is a hard rain. Here’s brother Harold’s message: “As an Elder at the Hoover Church of Christ, I have the honor of helping to oversee our work in East Africa. This year, we have been presented with a remarkable opportunity to embody God's call to care for orphans. The condition of this facility, which houses 15 children along with the Director and his wife, is in a state of disrepair. This rental property has not been adequately maintained, and the owners have refused to address the issues.  The picture below shows water damage and mold in the girls' bedroom, as well as mold along the wall. The facility is located in a flood zone and experiences annual flooding during the rainy season. Consequently, mold is found throughout the facility. “We feel that God would like for us to raise money to purchase land and build a safe facility for the children. They are facing serious health challenges due to the unhealthy air caused by mold. We ask for your prayers and financial support to help us achieve this mission. Please share this message with your family, friends, and church to spread God’s blessings to the children in East Africa.” What is needed? New land outside of the flood plain to build a facility.   This was purchased on 9/10/24 Building for housing 15-20 displaced children.  You can see the approved drawing of the prospective facility below. As of 12/3/24 $48,000 has been raised of the projected $120,000 in total costs for the project. On this Giving Tuesday, would you consider helping the Imani Focus Foundation reach this goal? How To Contribute: Donations via checks can be made to: Hoover Church Of Christ 3248 LORNA RD. Hoover, AL. 35216   PLEASE make sure that “Imani Foundation” is in the memo line to ensure that your contribution is routed to the correct project. Or you can give online by going to: Hooverchurchofchrist.org/ministries/foreign-mission -works. Scroll down to Tanzania and select “Give to Tanzania Work” Tiffany and I believe in this project and have sent our personal check to support it.  Will you join us? Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Mission Coordinator Tanzania Missions

November Short Report

 

Grace and Peace to you friends.  Not long ago, the Andrew Connally School of Preaching hosted its annual lectureship, the Tanzania Leadership Conference.  This is a major event for us each year and it well attended by Christian leaders around East Africa.  Let me share with you the observations from one of the directors, Ahimidiwe Kimaro: TANZANIA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE    “I am so grateful to our almighty God for granting us a successful conference. The Tanzania Leadership Conference Is a leadership meeting which is set up for teaching, motivating, encouraging and helping preachers to know each other. This year’s topic was timely and sensitive. The theme was “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living” and    describes a lot of the existence of life. We dove deep into the wisdom from the Psalms and applyed it in our daily life. It was great moment to see the great preachers teaching the big crowd that gathered for learning.     “This year conference included many teachers from various churches. We were happy having brother Denny Petrillo who is the former president of Bear Valley Bible Institute. Denny has not been in Tanzania for over twelve years, and everyone was happy to see him. One of his lesson was “Contentment Despite Bad Times” from  Psalms 34:17-20.  This powerful text reads, ‘The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles. Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.’ This is one of the passage that really impacted me from the conference.     “This year we had a growth of the participants compared with any other year. We had participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Zambia U.S.A and Democratic 0f Congo. The number of participant’s ware one hundred and eighty. The participants enjoyed lessons much more due to good arrangement and good preparation from teachers as well.  “The ACSOP student alumni meeting took place at the same time, and we thank brother Denny for the encouraging speech. Much more were done by these folks sharing experience and work Ideas. It turns out that the attendance of alumni was also increased from forty two last year to sixty seven this year. Please continue to pray for this work that God can open more doors to His word to be preached, thank you very much for reading and supporting this work.”     Let me add that I am very thankful to those who supported and participated in the conference from the local support staff who worked so hard to facilitate the event to the speakers who traveled so far.  I pray that God was pleased and glorified through this event. Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Mission Coordinator Tanzania Missions

Donations Can Be Made Out To: "Hoover Church of Christ" - be sure to mention TANZANIA MISSIONS in the Memo line and  Send To: 3248 LORNA RD. HOOVER, AL 35216

September Short Report

 

Grace and Peace to you friends.  I hope this note finds you doing well and your service thriving.  Today, I want to share with you a recent update from our Dean of Academics, Michael Losotwa.  He shares what the students and staff have been up to over the summer: “Hello, core workers! “Greetings from the Andrew Connally School of Preaching! Along with these greetings, we are glad to give you a report on the school following the beginning of the third quarter of this year, with classes starting yesterday, August 19th. I want to remind you that after the first and second-year students completed their second quarter of studies for this year on May 31st, they all went on break. All 15 first-year students and 6 second-year students returned to school as of last Saturday, August 17th. During their break, they engaged in evangelism practice within their home congregations, which led to the establishment of 68 new classes, the baptism of 36 people, the restoration of 19 backsliders, the founding of 5 new congregations, and the holding of 13 outdoor meetings. We, as a school, commend our students for the excellent work they have done in saving souls during their break, which has greatly contributed to the growth of those congregations both numerically and spiritually.     “During that break, the entire faculty of ACSOP was divided and traveled to various locations within and outside our country to visit our second-year students, who are expected to graduate on November 22nd of this year. During these visits, we also sought out new students to join ACSOP next year in the English-speaking class.     “After completing these visits, we traveled to Busia, Uganda, to join various preachers from across East Africa for joint evangelism efforts. While there, we also announced the availability of positions for new students to apply to ACSOP next year. During this evangelism, we witnessed the baptism of 5 people and the establishment of many new classes.     “In conclusion, in this third quarter of studies at ACSOP, the following courses are being taught, starting with the first year: FIRST-YEAR: August 19–23: Godhead, Peter K. August 26–30: Christian Evidence, Peter K. September 2–6: Matthew (Life of Christ 1) - Desdery,  Exodus – Deuteronomy - Josephat, and Public Speaking 1, Losotwa M. Short Courses: September 23–October 2: Acts and Joshua–Ruth. SECOND YEAR: August 19–23: Life of Christ 2 (Mark) by Desdery M. August 26–30: Life of Christ 1 (Matthew)—Joseph M. September 2–6: Public Speaking 3 (Advanced Homiletics): Losotwa M.,  Galatians - Ahimidiwe K., and Bible Geography. Short Courses: September 23 – October 2: September 23–27: Marriage and Family Life September 30 – October 2: Foundation of Missions (study of missions in the New Testament). October 3–6: Tanzania Leadership Conference. ”We continue to express our gratitude to all the brethren in Christ who have been with us, supporting us physically and spiritually in making this noble work of God possible. May God continue to bless you richly, both physically and spiritually. Amen!” Michael, ACSOP, Dean of Academics. I’d also like to share this little video update that highlights some of what has happened this year in Tanzania:

Thank you for your interest and support.  Also, we are in need of more financial support for the general work fund.  If you can help or know someone who can, then reach out to me.  I’d love to visit with you about it.  Above all, please keep the work in your prayers.  God is good. Till all have heard, Daniel Gaines Mission Coordinator Tanzania Missions

Donations Can Be Made Out To: "Hoover Church of Christ" - be sure to mention TANZANIA MISSIONS in the Memo line and  Send To: 3248 LORNA RD. HOOVER, AL 35216