Dear Friends,
The prophets of the Old Testament confronted evil to speak God’s word that would protect the weak. They suffered for doing so. The best way to confront evil is to be unashamed of God and his truth. We do so while gathering and caring for others.
BELOW: * Rejected People Flourish * Student Outreaches * Is Evil Human or Spiritual? * All Eager to be Busy * CFM’s Ministry Structure
Rejected People Flourish
Above: "Senator's" gifts for the bride's family.
CFM prepares for the marriage of two people who became part of our family. Both Mercy and “Senator” went through suffering but are growing into happy and valued adults. Mercy came to CFM when she was 15, from a Christian background: her parents died when she was young, and she lived with relatives. She was raped by an uncle, quietly moved to a different family, and raped again. When she reported this she was beaten. She left to walk to another family member in another village. On her way, she was kidnapped by Muslim men and taken to live with an older lady to convert and be groomed to marry an older man. Two other young girls in the house were in the same situation. The older woman was kind to Mercy, but she refused conversion. One day at the market she told two Christian women, who arranged police and helped her escape. Mercy was labelled a witch due to her sufferings by the rapists, yet a pastor refused the stigma and helped get her to safety at CFM. Mercy graduated from our high school and stayed on to help other children in our crisis-care home. She had nowhere else to go.
“Senator” was brought to CFM after coming to Christ. He graduated our discipleship program and stayed to help our maintenance department, making sure everything is working on site. He is fondly called Senator, because he would visit Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. Even today, it is too dangerous for Senator to return to his family. CFM are the family of Mercy and Senator and we are arranging their marriage in the traditional family way. It is beautiful to see their love growing. They are using their lives to serve Christ and others, the way they have been served. Muslims around us know Mercy and Senator and many like them at CFM, and none of them trouble us. Government officials know all about CFM’s work and they always speak so well of us. What Jesus commanded, about loving our enemies, really works, every day.
Student Outreaches
One set of students just returned from one month in various villages where we have missions centres, serving the people to share Christ. Another set head off for three days gospel sharing in another CFM mission centre.
CFM’s own police ute, registered with the Nigerian police force. This vehicle, full of sound and electrical equipment, along with one of our buses full of bible college students, set off today on a three hour journey, to a town to preach Christ for three days. Also with a medical team from our hospital: another smaller hospital bus joining tomorrow. We have a missions station and pastor in this town and it’s good learning experience for our students.
Students praying and setting up before outreach begins.
The first combined adult meeting after the team arrived: preaching, dramas, singing, prayer.
Other CFM bible college students back at Wurin Alheri, with one of their coordinators speaking.
Is Evil Human or Spiritual?
We are aware of corruption at state and corporate levels, which is why we have laws to curtail this behaviour. In recent years, with “emergencies” related to health and climate, a seismic shift in social values to openly sexualize children, perpetual wars: crimes against humanity for profits, or the massive wealth transfer to the top 0.1%, governments have assumed powers not previously imagined in modern democracies, bypassing checks and balances earlier established for good reason. The former prime minister of New Zealand claimed, "We are your only source of truth." Appeals to science have not enjoyed calm open debate, normally associated with free societies. The cost in lives is stacking up, due to corruption on the side of the powerful. When we look at Africa, this becomes hugely apparent. Deliberate global policy has broken the continent’s economies and hundreds of millions of people suffer. The continent is now rejecting decades-old structures that have brought destruction. When you see this devastation and realise it can easily be avoided if simple policy changes are adopted by global powers, you wonder about motives. Can the architects of such things sleep at night? It doesn’t seem human. Is it greed? Is it desire for power? Is it the simple reality of global empire building, the kind we have seen through history? Can it be something more than this? In Western society we haven't accepted the reality of evil. It is something “out there” somewhere, maybe a foreign adversary, or just psychopaths we see on James Bond films. Can such behaviour really exist among "sophisticated societies?" Can such people be motivated by evil which isn’t rational? Is modern democratic society beyond systemic evil? Trying to understand evil in a materialistic way (common in secular societies) will not account for it well. Do Bond villains know what is motivating them? Or are they the pawns of a higher power, whose motives they do not understand and are not aware of? Is there something beyond normal human greed or lust for power that accounts for their behaviour? Genesis 3 shows an “angel-serpent” moved with jealousy when dominion over God’s creation was given to lesser human beings. The response was to destroy. If this higher being couldn’t have the power, then he would destroy both humanity and creation, so no one could have it. It’s common playground behaviour. Lifting our dataset above reductionist secular modelling, we see evil in the world, evil that is subtle and hides behind sleight-of-hand, so it won’t be exposed. Its objective is simply to destroy. This evil is present because God has given creation freedom of choice, and this evil must not be naively dismissed. There is no humanity or mercy with it. Everything is at stake once we open our door to it. Destruction becomes complete. God, on the other hand, is the opposite of evil, entirely good. He has mercy. His great love is also difficult for humans to understand. He will help us close the door to evil again. This is the task now before our societies. The first step is to “reinstate” God in our secular spheres: change our partnership. Secularism told God to leave and so he did, leaving us to our own naivety. He is unlike evil. He doesn’t push himself upon us. He doesn’t enforce mandates. He desires our informed consent. He desires our protection and wellbeing.
All Eager to be Busy
Our missionaries continue to plant mission stations in dangerous unreached areas. We are renting a house to start a missions hub in Cross River State, the deep south-east, to plant mission centres in unreached villages. We are starting a safehouse there, for some converts from the north, too close to their homes to be safe at Wurin Alheri, who must be taken to a far place for care, discipleship and training. Above, a missionary of CFM brings the gospel to a remote displaced peoples camp. There are so many of these camps, horrifically unsafe places.
Students building new classrooms for our children’s schools at Wurin Alheri. They collect water from our dam and do the heavy lifting, mixing, laying slabs and more.
Children enjoy games most when they make their toys. They make table tennis tables, bats, balls, footballs, cars, board games. They love simple toys they build themselves.
CFM’s Ministry Structure
A partner supporter recently asked us about our ministry structure and we share it here for those interested. CFM is a registered NGO in Nigeria, with a board of trustees of people within and outside CFM. Outside trustees include the leader of another well-known ministry, a leading lawyer in Jos and a leading professor from Jos University is now joining the team. Board members must be residents of Nigeria. CFM has a management board. Neither Kent nor Ruth are on this board, but we do talk freely with all leaders about our joint work. The board includes heads of the departments within the ministry. Paul Shettima is ministry overseer, provost of the bible college and head pastor of our churches. Gabriel Aiso is ministry secretary, missions director and Kent and Ruth's personal administrative assistant. Mrs Adinga is dean of students, dean of Mara’s house and head pastor of our women's ministry. Mrs Tope Aiso is head of CFM’s children's schools. Mrs Bridget Agape is head of the Jos children's crisis-care home, and Toyin Alabi is head of the children's crisis-care home in Gwagwalada. Segun Zacheaus is head of the vocational college, Jibrailu Timbella head of the disciples (Jesus Followers from Muslim Background), Dr Mark Alechenu is head of the hospital and Henry Diamond heads the Egypt work. These leaders of CFM's main projects share leadership in their own department boards. Their boards handle matters in each department inline with ministry objectives. These departments are connected with government oversight bodies in our state and run according to local governance in relevant matters. The entire process is run by local people. CFM has 405 employees, almost all local. A few are African missionaries from Cameroon, Rep. Niger and Chad. CFM is also a member of the Nigerian Evangelical Missions Alliance. This is an umbrella fellowship including most of the major mission organisations of Nigeria. It’s the closest church group in terms of values and objectives to CFM. CFM cross-pollinates with many Christian and civil leaders who visit and contribute. CFMI is the UK based charity that oversees the accountability of funds raised globally, according to UK law. The charity operates with a board of trustees in the UK. Another charity has recently been established for CFM in the USA, which is still organising its set-up, with a USA board. The Voice of the Martyrs, Australia, kindly helps Australian CFM donors with tax deductibility.
Good overcomes evil. We stand with God to resist evil by exposing it, refusing to take part in it and by rescuing and restoring its victims. “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) We expose them by word and by care of others.
Thanks for your ongoing prayer for our brave, overcoming survivors. If you would like to help financially please see details below, or contact us to be linked with VOM Australia for tax deductibility.
Love in Christ,
Kent, Ruth and team
Giving In Australia A/C Name: Christian Faith Ministries Int., BSB: 032870, A/C# 207255 Donations to CFMI are not tax-deductible in Australia. However, you can give towards tax-deductible projects in CFM, where 100% of your gift goes towards your specified project, if you contact us for details before you give.
Giving in the UK A/C Name: Christian Faith Ministries Int., SC: 230580, A/C# 28337116 UK Charity Commission# CFMI 1137723. To give via Gift Aid, contact Peter Embling Gifts are tax-deductible. Please contact Peter Embling: emblingpeter@gmail.com International Transfers: Metro Bank, London, 1 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA, IBAN: GB06MYMB23058028337116, SWIFT: MYMBGB2L
Giving in the USA CFM is now a tax-exempt charity in the USA. Christian Faith Ministries USA, US Bank, Routing Number 122105155, Account Number 151708783072, Contact Bart Langland tmatf16@gmail.com
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We don’t have any admin fees. 100% of what is given to CFMI goes to our projects in Nigeria. Our admin costs are covered by volunteers. Kent & Ruth receive no wage from CFMI. No address is added to CFM's news email address list without a personal request. See www.cfaithministries.org.