Pastor Jason, back from West Africa, will continue our "Exiles" series on 1 Peter by talking about how to commend the Faith in a post-Christian culture. Below are the songs we'll sing together when we gather:
"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
"Those Who Trust"
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
"Oceans"
"O Love That Will Not Let Me Go"
"How Great Is the Love"
I'm home!
I arrived home safely yesterday morning despite a period of anxiety over whether I would be able to board my flight. I stood in the check-in line at the Dakar airport for over an hour only to find out at 1:30 AM along with 30 other people that the flight was overbooked and no open seats remained. Eventually two folks in front of me were invited to go through, leaving me as the next in line. What a bummer! I couldn't wait to see my family after being away from them for 10 days. Just as the airline began making hotel arrangements for us, an airline official informed me that there was one more open seat so I could pass through to board. Major relief! Not only was I invited to board, but I was upgraded to business class which made for a super comfortable flight home!
I spent my final two days in West Africa in Dakar, Senegal. All the churches in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal are currently located in more rural villages so the denomination is making plans to establish a city center church in Dakar that would strategically plant other churches in urban centers throughout West Africa. A highlight for me was visiting a girls home associated with the denomination. The girls who live in this particular home are taken in because they are deemed to be at high risk for being sold into the sex trade or other forms of slavery. The home is located on the lower level of where the president of the denomination and his family live. One of the churches also gathers there for worship on Sunday mornings. It was a special moment watching the girls receive school supplies and others gifts from churches in the U.S. These girls are being cared for and loved beautifully by Jesus' people.
There is so much more I could write about my trip, but I'll have plenty of opportunities to share in sermons and other communications in the coming weeks. I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I gained during my time in Senegal and Gambia. I look forward to going back for sure. We are one people in the family of Jesus with our brothers and sisters in West Africa. We are engaged in the same work of church planting and making disciples as they are.
The church in Tubakuta was packed on Sunday morning for the ordination of the first pastors in the Presbyterian Church of Gambia! The worship service started almost two hours late, which isn't uncommon. It made me feel a little better about City Church's worship service starting just 10 minutes late most weeks :) All those believed to be coming were waited for patiently. People had nowhere to be except for with each other.
The service itself was deeply moving. The singing was beautiful and celebratory. There was lot's of clapping and dancing. Participating in the laying on of hands during the ordination ceremony was a special moment for me. I also had the privilege of preaching from Genesis 12:1-3 about how God's recovery plan for his broken world involves gathering a people from out of the world and then sending them into the world as ambassadors of Christ. I had no idea that my preaching would be translated into Wolof (a local language of the people) until I started speaking! But I was able to adjust. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity. A celebratory meal lasting hours was held after the service. A dish called benachin was served in common bowls. It was a historic day for the Church in The Gambia.
I arrived back in Dakar, Sengal at 3 AM Monday morning. I head to the airport tonight around 11 PM and arrive in D.C. late tomorrow morning.
Exciting news—as of this coming Sunday the Presbyterian Church of Gambia will have it’s first ordained pastors! Today our team evaluated the final few sermons and then met with 4 of the 10 candidates to inform them that they had passed their exams and would be ordained on Sunday. It was a privilege to share in their joy! It will be a historic occasion when we ordain these pastors in a worship celebration on Sunday.
Me with Mamadou, the president of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal. The mosque in the background is next door to where we are staying and is the largest in Gambia.
We also met with the group as a whole and encouraged those who didn’t pass to continue in their studies. It's not uncommon for ordination candidates in the Presbyterian Church of America to not pass their first time. And the president of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal, who is part of our team, reminded the group that only two passed the first time they conducted exams in their denomination. These guys have no reason to hang their heads. They will continue the vital ministry they are doing at newly planted churches in Gambia and will now have the benefit of ordained pastors in their country to help them toward ordination. It was powerful to hear those who did pass pray for their brothers who didn't. They are truly a brotherhood. Many of them experienced rejection from their families when they became disciples of Jesus so they are like a family to each other.
The team I'm working with here in Gambia
Yesterday we made the trip to the training center where I taught on the qualifications of an elder from Titus 1. I talked about what an elder is, what an elder looks like, and what an elder does. Only Jesus, our Chief Elder, fulfills these qualifications perfectly so I reminded the brothers that they must be lead repenters, modeling a lifestyle of repentance and faith in their churches. After our time in Titus, we administered the Bible content exam and evaluated two more sermons from Psalm 1.
Last night I started feeling nauseous while grading exams. This was the beginning of a long night! I had a fever and aches through the night and got pretty sick this morning. Unfortunately, I had to stay back and not go to the training center today. I slept most of the day and seem to be on the mend now. We graded theology and sacraments exams this evening.
I can't wait to share with you some of the stories of how God is at work here. Abou, who is featured in the picture to the left, is a former Muslim who has been involved in the planting of 35 churches here in Gambia. Abou will likely visit City Church one Sunday in October! You can read more about his story here on page 3.
The ordination exams are being conducted in this building at the Presbyterian Church of Gambia's training center.
I arrived in Dakar, Senegal very early Monday morning. It was an unforgettable experience stepping off the plane in the darkness of night with a misty rain falling. I crammed into a shuttle bus with many others so we could be transported into the airport. What followed were 10 very long hours of me waiting for my scheduled flight to Gambia!
The pastors in the ordination process are staying in dorm rooms in this building at the Presbyterian Church of Gambia's training center.
After 10 hours of waiting and a 35 minute flight to Gambia, I was greeted at the airport in Banjul by my good friend Jim Weaver and a missionary who serves with our denomination. We were brought to a ministry center in Banjul where I am staying with Jim, three missionaries, and the pesident of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal. My first night in West Africa was a hot one! Between tossing and turning and sweating I'm not sure how much sleep I actually got.
First thing this morning we made the one hour trip to the training center owned by the Presbyterian Church of Gambia. There are 10 young men going through the ordination process this week with the hope of becoming the first ordained pastors of this brand new denomination. These men are an amazing brotherhood. They are like family to one another and God is using them in remarkable ways to make disciples of Jesus in Gambia. I had the privilege to begin our day by teaching them from the Book of Titus. I encouraged them to lean into the truth of God's Story before they spent three hours taking their Book of Church Order and church history exams.
Each candidate is required to preach a sermon this week from Psalm 1. We heard and evaluated the first two sermons today. We eventually arrived back at the ministry center late this afternoon, where we spent a couple hours before dinner grading the Book of Church Order and church history exams.
My first impressions of Gambia: I am struck by the poverty but also the simplicity of life. My faith is stirred by these pastors who risk so much to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Pray for them. Pray for good health and strength for myself and the others on the team.
Pastor Jason will resume our "Exiles" series on 1 Peter this Sunday. His sermon title is "Re-imagining Singleness, Marriage, and Relationships." Here's a list of the songs we'll sing together when we gather:
"O Love That Will Not Let Me Go"
"Before There Was Time"
"Forever Reign"
"The Stand"
"None But Jesus"
"Beautiful"
