Mission Afrika has again in 2018 made a tremendous difference in the world. And a great many people have helped carry out Mission Afrika’s vision: to bring God’s message of love to Africa, the Middle East, and here in Denmark.
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By: Anne Mie Skak Johanson, chairman, and Henrik Engelbrekt Refshauge, general secretary
In the past year, friends and supporters of several Danish mission organizations have shown concern about the direction the organizations have been heading in. Changes have affected leaders and employees. This has also resulted in deliberations in Mission Afrika. Where are we headed? What is important to us? Are we on the right path both in terms of history and the future?
The Sudan Mission/Mission Afrika started as a medical mission because the first missionaries were doctors. Throughout mission history some have only considered pastors and Bible-teachers as “real missionaries”; medical mission and schoolwork were just way-makers for the most important task: proclamation. But is the pastor-missionary worth more than the doctor or teacher? We don’t think so. Here is an example of a person who embodies the whole gospel:
In North Cameroon, Moussa Marcel rides a motorcycle received from Mission Afrika. He is an evangelist, pastor, nurse, lawyer, musician, midwife… And some of you have met him in Denmark in 2014. We met him again in March on our visit to Cameroon on his worn-out motorcycle. His ministry has grown. He has trained 8 assistants at the health center in his village in north Cameroon, and 56 others on motorcycles are helping him in his work. Every day a large number of people wait at his door to seek his counsel. He discusses the Bible with city’s Muslim mayor and imams. At one point he was put in jail based on false accusations. When he was acquitted, he stayed two months longer in prison, asked for his 2-stringed guitar in order to teach the prisoners Christians choruses and to give baptism classes. When he came out, 21 had been baptized. He cannot help but tell of his faith because he is so filled with joy about what Jesus has done for him. He passes the Good News in on through health, education, and legal aid for people who have been in jail. It’s a holistic mission.
Holistic Mission
- To be, to do and to say.
- Present and represent
- Church, school and clinic
For 105 years, we have used different ways to explain that God’s mission applies to 1) every human being in 2) the entire Body of Christ, and 3) the whole sphere of life.
Today, words and deeds are equal and inseparable pages of the service of the Gospel, just as Moussa Marcel is witnessing. We do not have a staircase where one form of mission is better than other forms. Mission Afrika emphasizes matching words with actions as an inseparable whole.
Vision
Since 2015 we have four visions points in our Vision 2020:
- Capacity building and project development,
- Training of pastors and leaders,
- Strengthening the Christian Church’s meeting with Muslims and
- Development of Volunteers.
In 2018 we focused on point 2: School and education. It expressed itself through these activities:
- SAT-7 Academy and Kids where Mission Afrika contributed to the tv-stations work to make God’s love visible to millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Mission Afrika Secondhand shops collected donations to help schools in Central Africa.
- Scholarship programme with a focus on capacity building of leadership in our partners.
- Training in the context of new action plans. We helped 76 African pastors complete their education through our scholarship and capacity building program.
- The formation of a new project group TReK (Theology, Religion and Culture) with a focus on religious dialogue and theological education.
- Mission Afrika Day focusing on the education of women in Mali.
- Schools in Central Africa (continued operation of 5 schools for 721 children).
- Annual meeting with the visit of Church President Robert Goyek from Cameroon, where we focused on the training of pastors.
Mission Afrika has also opened a second Euro-shop (clothing store) in Mali, in cooperation with local partners, where clothes donated by companies in Denmark are sold. The profit earned goes towards funding agricultural and educational projects for women in the rural areas.
Support from The Danish Mission Council Development Department (DMCDD) has made it possible to continue the Mali-goat project and start in Cameroon. In addition, we have completed a pilot project on health in Central Africa and received support for information activities in Denmark.
News from the Partners
We have had important visits to Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Central Africa and Cyprus during the year, to be able to follow our friends closely and to follow up on the projects we are together on.
We were tremendously encouraged by the visit this Spring of Archbishop in the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, Musa Filibus, to Denmark. He met with many of Mission Afrika’s supporters and also with leaders in the Lutheran Church in Denmark. A new sense of understanding and mutuality arose from the time together.
With the Church’s new five-year strategic vision, we can identify areas of shared activities for our future cooperation.
The north-eastern part of Nigeria is troubled by weekly attacks from different ethno-religious groups. In dialogue with LCCN MA has helped provide emergency aid relief to affected communities.
Our partners in Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Cyprus are in different phases of leadership transition. We are excited about new courses being charted for the future:
There is now finally a positive turn in Sierra Leone, where a new bishop of the Anglican Church in Bo Diocese has been elected. We are in close dialogue with the other partners of the church in order to chart a path of renewed cooperation with them.
The Lutheran Brethren Church in Cameroon has also elected a new church president. Robert Goyek, who visited the last annual meeting, retired after 28 years, and Debsia Alvius was chosen to seize the baton. We look forward to working with him and his staff.
In Cyprus, the founder and CEO of SAT-7 Dr. Terrence Ascot has also stepped down, and Rita El Mounayer is elected as the new CEO.
The Centralafrican Republic is badly affected by unrest and random attacks. Over the years the civil war has been deeply rooted in the population, and groups of rebels are destroying daily life with attacks and roadblocks. The Mission Afrika Health Clinic in Bohong was struck in the spring of 2019 and all the employees fled head over heals. That is why we have put an emergency collection in motion, to get them back to life’s subsistence because their homes have been looted. Fortunately, the rebels have not destroyed the clinic. Church management with Church-president Ndanga Toue in the lead is challenged in the administration. Mission Afrika walk close together with the other partners to ensure the best capacity building and assistance. But there is a need for a lot of intercession because the situation is now very heavy.
Mission Afrika is present in a very difficult part of the world. That is why we feel there is still a tremendous need for our contribution.
The missionaries in Mali stand as small oases in the midst of a poor country characterized by Boko Haram and other rebel attacks. As I speak, We hope yet another missionary has been given a visa and can move his life and family from Cameroon to Mali to preach the gospel and build the congregation. We are very encouraged by this and how the Goat project has been successful with over 1000 women involved, so it has crossed borders with Cameroon. In this way, we are also solving several of the Un’s world goals: abolishing poverty, stopping hunger, providing quality education, less inequality, sustainable communities and, above all, peace and partnership between Muslims and Christians.
New partnership models
At the end of the year, the Board decided to broaden our perspective and network towards organizations, people and groups that can benefit from Mission Afrika’s expertise. We now have not only the known partner model, where we journey for many years with a partner. Now there is also a Model 2 and 3 where voluntary groups can run partnerships through Mission Afrika, and where smaller organizations can get help, for example through preparatory courses for volunteers.
On the basis of Model 2 an active Uganda volunteer group of young people, who have just sent off the first group of volunteers, has already taken off. We have been approached at Model 3 and are finding vision overlap with smaller organizations.
This widening of the horizon is not only towards more organizations but also geographically – now in the direction of East Africa. We have entered into a cooperation agreement with Kamuzinda Farm in Uganda and have been contacted by organisations in Tanzania. It is exciting, but it provides extra work for the head office staff. We believe it is a good investment of time, though. Among other things, because we now look even more closely at how volunteers share their commitment and talents in many different ways, for example through project groups and church involvement, support and intercession. Mission Afrika cannot survive without committed volunteers. This also applies to the large and important work of the second hand shops.
Recycling/Second Hand
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2018 was a challenging year for Mission Afrika Second Hand (MAG). It has been a time of pruning, where ineffective processes and non-productive shops have been cut back.
Coming in to 2019, MAG had 67 Second Hand shops. Some stores have been struggling for a several years. As in the case of many of these shops, the challenge lies in finding and recruiting volunteers who play the most of our lack of revenue. At the end of 2017, part of our stores had limited opening hours and the revenue side could not keep up.
The MAG team has been working purposefully, along with the shops that have been closed, so that the store’s final days before closing were as good and constructive as possible. We are grateful for all the volunteers who have worked so hard in the shops. We currently have about 1700 volunteers in recycling – a thousand seven hundred! We are proud of their sustained good and professionally engaged efforts.
From a helicopter perspective, 2018 was also a good year for reuse. With a turnover of just over 24 million, we are blessed with a good business that we cherish. In the MAG team, the shops come first and we have consciously worked with short response time. For many weeks, the team visits between 5 – 10 stores. The shops stand as pillars of the good community in local communities and we also experience a committed and skilled volunteer group who knows the MAs mission well. The MAG team emphasizes the persistence of integrating MA into the MAG, and vice versa.
MAG works with development and with the price level – an important piece of revenue. A few new business ideas are in the pipeline and we are proud of the developments we are already seeing.
At the year’s five recycling conferences we met about 500 of the volunteers. It is widely different people with different ecclesiastical assumptions who meet in the community to operate a Mission Afrika recycling shop. These shops are also a holistic mission. They are not only created only to generate revenue for Mission Afrika, but in parallel also to cover other important purposes:
- Things are recycled for the benefit of the environment and climate. Yes, we are a little climate in Mission Afrika.
- People get the opportunity to buy good stuff at a low price. It will be especially beneficial for the people in our society who do not have so much money.
- The stores are strong and meaningful communities for all the volunteers, sometimes putting Jesus in the coffee and in the conversations both over the counter and in the staff-room.
- The surplus goes to really good purposes out in the world!
In 2019, Mission Afrika Second Hand celebrates their 35th anniversary. We were among the first-movers in this area, and we remain full of vitality.
Economy
2018 was a turbulent year. During the spring, a very large deficit was recorded. The board reacted promptly and made a plan to get “back on track”. Four employees were terminated in August, others went down in time and there were cut on several budget lines. In addition, Mission Afrika’s support base helped with extra gifts and interest-free loans. A big thank you to those who have help carry the load in this difficult situation.
Mission Afrika recycling closely follows the individual shops and a handful of shops that have been working with deficits for a number of years have been closed. Nonetheless, we received a large deficit of 759,302 KR. The main causes of the deficit are that the budgeted increase in profit from recycling was absent and less revenue than budgeted from wills. In the future, the Board of Directors has decided that bequests will be recognized staggered: when we know previous years ‘ inheritance revenue, they are budgeted for the current year.
Looking back at 2018, a big thank you to all those who have helped to back up Mission Afrika’s work financially during the year and thus have shown us a great deal of confidence. The proceeds from recycled shops, private donors, wards, associations, foundations etc. are used to support activities and projects in cooperation with Mission Afrika’s partners.
Visiting Travel
Mission Afrika continues to notice that Brønnum’s words about being present and “rubbing shoulders” with our partners are quite relevant today. If we are not present in Africa and in Cyprus, we will lose much information, many stories, much feedback and a lot of culture. Therefore, MA dreams of escalating the number of missionaries and visiting journeys, so we get more bearers of the stories with testimonies from Africa and the Middle East. But we are also challenged by the fact that MA works in some of the hardest hit areas in terms of safety. Therefore, we do not deliberately send out people but have the finger on the pulse at all times. The board has just approved an updated the security-policy and anti-corruption policy, to be at the forefront.
In the media
Many disasters and humanitarian crises go under the radar of the media and politicians, as demonstrated in a new report of the 10 most neglected humanitarian crises of 2018. Among them are Cameroon, Central Africa and Mali, where Mission Afrika works. Mission Afrika has an incredibly important task, both with persistently opening the eyes of the world to these neglected areas and help those countries that do not get so much help from the outside because they are nothing the media.
Over the last year, Mission Afrika has been heavily on the missile Media stream, with more comments, articles and discussion papers. For example, just after the Folketing election in June ’19 During the intergovernmental negotiations, with proposals for greater openness of visas for our partners, and for increased focus on opportunities for good integration through the many migrant wards. But also the chronicles of what modern mission is today, and how we can engage volunteers in the organization.
Employees
Abroad
SAT-7: Mette Schwartz and Claus Andersen. Their contract has just expired on 1 September and they have chosen to return home to the Fatherland after 5 rich years. We are quite proud to have had Mette and Claus employed for 5 years in Cyprus. They have built two brand new departments on the SAT-7. Mette has built a solid communications department as communication director. Claus a whole new job in the Gulf states. In addition, they have been really good at getting out and meeting people in Danish church life. They have disseminated the story of the SAT-7 in a very good way, have catered for our volunteers in Cyprus and have built our Cyprus travels. We recognize the great difference Mette and Claus have made in Mission Afrika. Thank you so much for your efforts.
Short-term missionaries:
- Cameroon – Health group: Marianne Kiilerich and Merete Værge
- Cameroon: Lene Skovmark
- Nigeria: Frederikke Vestergaard
- 2019: Sidse Holm Nielsen (Cameroon)
Volunteers
- SAT-7: Joel Zakarias Dam (2019: Julie and Anders Kynde have returned home. Simeon Berg travels out summer 19.
- Cameroon E18: Signe Togsverd Hansen and Cecilie Nygaard, Maria and Anna Damsgaard travel out summer 19.
- Uganda: First team sent off Summer 2019:Astrid Bladt, Nikoline Damm, Pernille Jønsson, Maja Langvad and Sarah Riisager.
At home
At the office
The Board of Directors was employed in the autumn Henrik Engelbrekt Refshauge as new Secretary General.MAis already BLevet enriched by Henriks energy and creativity and look forward to the continued cooperation with Henrik as leader.
Stopped 2018: Christina Søndergaard Møller, Inge Marie Eckhardt, Tuja Stæhr Berg and Lars Torp. Mission Afrika warmly thank you for your efforts for our vision, and I wish God’s rich blessings on the future.
New employees
2018: Hanna Rosenlund Meilandt – took over Maria Haahr’s position as partner Coordinator.
2019: Heidi Gargulak Andersen and Benjamin Rousing (maternity employment) in MAG. MAY’ere: Emma Vinkel, Kristina Eskildsen and Asbjørn Dyhr Madsen started January-March 2019.
In addition, the head office works in four teams:
Second Hand: Bente, Claus, Heidi and Benjamin with Line and Maja on maternity.
Finance and administration: Torben, Dorrit and Pia
Partner team: Hanna, Thore and Clement (half time).
Network/communication: Clement (half time), Orla, Jakob and Anne Sofie back from maternity. A great and warm thank you to the journalist Svend Løbner for a formidable effort during Anne Sofie’s maternity leave.
MAY Network
In the summer of 2018, the youth organization Africa Intouch was declared bankrupt. MA had been involved in a rescue attempt, but to no avail. Several of the employees and volunteers in AiT have done a lot of work to guide the many Members toward the MA , so they had a place to udleve their enthusiasm for Africa and mission.
Today, a new child and youth work is in its infancy. Three Mission Afrika Youth Networks are employed and work 5 hours a week and some of their spare time to succeed with their many ideas to reach out to children and young people with Mission Afrika’s cause. Give them a shoulder flap and intercession, and perhaps a banknote to support their considerable efforts.
They have been out and meet local and national organizations and churches, planned events, camps, stands, volunteers, travel, made videos, Facebook and website, lectures and more.
Yes, there is indeed much to rejoice at, support and pray for in Mission Afrika in the future God to honor and people to benefit.
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