Building Partnerships Between the USA & Cameroon
January 2024
Adapted from “A Common Mission” originally posted by the Charis Fellowship
Driven by a commitment to their common mission, the people of Charis congregations all over the world engage in planting churches, training leaders, and doing good for the sake of the Gospel. It was this common mission that drove three men from the US to take a week-long vision trip to Cameroon in November 2023.
On the trip were Mike McKeever (Encompass Mobilizer based in Pennsylvania), Clayton Lewis (Youth Ministry Director in Maryland), and Kevin Smith (Missions Trip Leader in Ohio). Their goal was to see the work being done in Cameroon—along with the challenges global workers face—so they could help Charis Fellowship churches in the States better understand, support, and celebrate what God is doing in Cameroon.
During their trip, they visited Encompass global workers, Jason and Christy, who have been serving in Cameroon since 2014 and founded the region’s first Bible Institute. They also run a school for the children of those enrolled in the Institute. The mission of the Bible Institute is to train new pastors who love people like Jesus does, and they have seen over 50 students graduate since being founded in 2015.
This is a huge feat considering the typical level of education in that area. Most of the men have very little formal education, while women have none at all and the children typically follow that same path. Mike said, “Literacy is an issue, so the school goes back to the basics and teaches the Gospel clearly and efficiently in a way that can be replicated with a congregation.”
Clayton noted how committed the students and graduates are to reaching their communities with the Gospel despite their financial instability. “When we visited, they welcomed us into their homes and we got to see how they lived,” he said. “We saw firsthand the sacrifices the pastors and their families make to be God’s voice to the congregation.”
The three visitors saw how God has so clearly been moving in Cameroon, but they also saw plenty of opportunity for their American churches to get involved. The Bible Institute has never had a campus of its own, but recently began constructing a facility with classrooms, a library, office space, storage space, and land to help their students. This facility will also be a huge blessing to the 80 Charis churches in Cameroon who are investing in the project. Funds are still being raised for this project, and Kevin is assembling a team to assist with some of the construction in April.
We’re excited for what God is doing in Cameroon, but our Charis brothers and sisters there need prayer support and further financial partnerships. May our commitment to the common mission rally Charis churches all around the world to partner with the Cameroon chapter. Could God be calling your church to partner with the Cameroon Training and Ministry Center Construction project?
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