Senghor is teaching the church an administration and management class. Until recently, he was a member of the Nyiveme church in Kpalime while teaching in one of the high schools in town. He has been transferred to Lome the capital city.
12 congregations organize “ joint service”
Twelve congregations in the Kpalime area organized a “joint service” to encourage each other in matters pertaining to giving. The service was used to initiate discussions on how to support each other in times of bereavement.
There were three speakers: Cephas –s poke on how Christians should prepare to face death, Rodrigue - spoke on what brethren are to do when a member is dead. I spoke on “Giving is to prove the sincerity of our love for Christ and His church” (2 Cor. 8:8). The meeting was hosted by the Yoh Church of Christ, and was attended by 104 adults and 60 children. Total attendance 164.
Three baptisms at Hanyigba
The Lord’s church was planted in this Catholic dominated community near Kpalime. For a while, we thought no one would leave the Catholic Church for the Church of Christ, but Jean Akli a former student of CBS, continued to meet with his family, a few friends and relations. This continued for over a year. Jean continued to preach and teach from house to house. After a recent campaign, the number of baptized persons has risen to ten. Recently, a man and his wife (both over 60 years) were baptized. A young lady was also baptized after a question she asked about baptism was answered to her satisfaction. All these new Christians have spent years in the Catholic church.
Tutu campaign scheduled for June20-23
All is set for church planting exercise at Tutu, about an hour drive from Kpalime. The goal for this campaign is to move the Beme church to Tutu because they seem to be more receptive and tolerant to the teachings of the New Testament Church. Beme on the other hand is predominantly Evangelical Presbyterian. There is a major road that separates the two towns from each other. We have already approached the elders of the town for a plot of land on which we shall put up a shed for our services. We shall need $500.00 for the shed.
Proposed date for graduation is 28th September, 2013
Lack of Preacher Support: A Threat to the Growth of the Church in Togo
The plight of eleven former students of CBS has become a great challenge to young men who are contemplating enrolling at CBS for the two year Biblical studies. Until recently, all the eleven had been preaching without any form of support. However, four of them have been hired to take care of four newly established congregations near Lome. The problem confronting the preachers stems from the fact that, the churches they preach for are still young and incapable of paying them. The difficulty of the preachers is that, if they should encourage these young men to go for the training, then they become responsible to find support for them, something the preachers also lack. We are in a difficult situation and therefore need all the help we can get.
The problem is going to be compounded by 15 more preachers coming to join these eleven in September. These men will also lose their support after the graduation in September. However, a couple of men have expressed the desire to attend CBS come September 2013.
New Congregation to be planted in Agou Gare
As part of activities prior to graduation in September, we have planned to organize a two day seminar at CBS in Kpalime and a three day church planting exercise at Agou Gare near Kpalime. Those who are going to be part of this exercise include: all past students, the graduating class, new students and instructors.
Willie Gley