Camelback Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona sent one of its pastoral staff and another member to explore a partnership with an African church in Rwanda. The occasion of this visit was CTs visit to the Kampala Pentecostal Church conference between African and American church leaders in September 2008. As a result of that meeting, CBC is currently exploring a partnership with the Rwandan church, Good Shepherd Church for the purpose of assisting three child-led families in the Kigali area who live close to the Good Shepherd Church. Representatives from both churches have been selected to explore the possibility of a partnership beween their respective churches and are currently working on a proposal to move forward.
Churches Together assisted in providing an occasion and venue where the initial discussions for this partnership took place. It is possible that both churches will look to CT for ongoing counsel as and if the partnership proceeds.
I enourage other church leaders to use the vision, desire and capacity of Churches Together to explore and/or engage in partnering with an African church to address the incredibly dark impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. The staff and US and African board members of Churches together have an unusual depth of experience in church-to-church partnerships. CT also has a philosophy of partnerhsp which focuses on local empowerment and an aversion to partnership activities that risk creating dependency on the part of the African churches that partner with American churches.I can think of no other area of contemporary brokenness in our world in the early Twenty First Century where the demonstration of Christ’s Kingdom is more needed.
Bob Moffitt, Elder and Missions Chairman, Camelback Bible Church
