SIM Nigeria

It was difficult spending three days in Minna, the capital of Niger state. The temperature in Jos fluctuates between 16 to 24 degrees Celcius and that in Minna settles within 28 to 40; it was not easy to cope. The National Evangelical Missionary Association, in conjunction with LCAN, put together a special Muslim evangelism training for pastors and church leaders. There was a unanimous consensus about the effectiveness of the seminar. “We are so blessed and we now know better how to approach our Muslim friends.”

On the 15^th of April, in Gwada, Niger state, where another training took place, a church and its bus was burnt down by Islamic militants. It took courage for us to still hold the training in Minna. Unfortunately, such is the situation when we do ministry.

Though it’s very tough for Muslims to become Christians, they are still turning to The Way. One of our trainees told us about a chief and his family in Niger state, who gave their lives to Christ because of the love the trainee showed them. The chief still goes to the mosque because of the fear of persecution but prays in the name of Jesus Christ.

For donations, contact SIM International Project No. 96406. In Nigeria, write a cheque to SIM indicating Life Challenge Africa at the back of the cheque.

Niger state covers an area of 76,363 square km (29,484 square miles). It has a population of 4 million (2005 estimate). Hausa is widely spoken but there are many other language groups also.

“The Nigerian Church is maturing,” Dr. George Janvier says excitedly. “When the early SIM missionaries came to Nigeria, they had to start with literacy classes. Then they set up secondary schools, Bible colleges, and finally, seminaries. The PhD program is the final link in the education chain. The Nigerian Church has a number of PhDs, but all of them were trained in the West.” Dr. Janvier teaches at Jos Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS), which is the Nigerian seminary that SIM is most closely associated with.

Western education has excellent quality, but there is a high price tag attached. When Nigerians study in the West, they are exposed to Western teaching styles and issues. Nigerian Christians face different concerns than those from North America or Europe. Instead of studying postmodernism, homosexuality, bioethics, and the Iraq War, they need to learn to handle questions about polygamy, persecution, marriage, finance, corruption, and AIDS. Studying in the West is also inconvenient because of visas, finance, and family separation--students’ families often remain in Nigeria.

You are formally invited to take a brief journey to Nigeria! I would love to take this opportunity to bring the children of City Ministries into your home. May the hope, love and peace in their faces encourage you and bless your hearts. So turn up the volume on your speakers, sit back, relax and enjoy this exciting trip to Nigeria! (Flash video ... click below to view video and lyrics)

Bill Ardill, our surgeon at Evangel Hospital, reports

We now have four patients with a condition called enterocutaneous fistula. They all had surgery at other hospitals for various problems but developed a leak in their intestines so now they have stool leaking out their abdominal wounds or their vaginas. Most come to us very sick, dehydrated, severely malnourished and anemic and some near death.