A little over a year ago, the Free Church of Congo, known as CECU (Evangelical Community of Christ in the Ubangi) celebrated 100 years of ministry. Along with Kevin Kompelin (President of the EFCA - Evangelical Free Church of America) and other national leaders, a small team from Constance, including Pastor Randy Discher, traveled there for the celebration. Constance has been privileged to be a part of that ministry since 2007, when our church sent a team on a vision trip to support ReachGlobal’s ministries there, like Tandala Hospital and a new ministry called Globalfingerprints, EFCA’s child sponsorship program. Over the past 16 years, we've been blessed to walk alongside them and see those ministries thrive. We look forward to continuing our partnership with many of the EFCA’s ReachGlobal ministries there and have a few project goals we’d like to focus on during our 2024 Global emphasis as a church.
Elikya Center
The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country filled with beautiful people who have suffered greatly. The ravages of AIDS and Malaria, coupled with the effects of a long civil war and other conflicts have resulted in an unfathomable number of orphans, widows, and people with disabilities carrying great and urgent needs. These needs include the lack of food, shelter, medical care, and a way to provide for themselves. Women of the CECU had a vision of practically addressing these needs while also sharing the deep love and hope of Christ. This vision led to the beginning of The Elikya Training Center for older orphans and widows in 2007. Constance was honored to be a part of measuring the land for the Elikya on that first vision trip in 2007.
Participants at Elikya are sponsored through GlobalFingerprints, spending anywhere from ten months to two years receiving vocational training, like sewing, masonry, agriculture, carpentry, haircare, and soap making. They also participate in Biblical studies, and literacy training. Students live in housing provided at the Center where they experience the love and grace of Christ lived out in the lives of their teachers and fellow students.
With your generosity through our Global Fund over the years, the Elikya Center has expanded. Projects have been funded for new fishponds, banana fields, sweet potato gardens, cocoa fields, a sewing room, and some bikes for the students to travel distances in the rural landscape. These will not only help in feeding the students as they learn agriculture, but will bring in self-sustaining income to the Center. Goat & chicken enclosures have been constructed and are being utilized. Our partner goal for Global 2024 will be to fund needed tools for each Elikya graduate this year.
WELL DRILLING
Inaccessibility to clean water is a major issue in underdeveloped areas, and the Democratic Republic of Congo is no exception. In 2009, Constance funded the purchase of a well-drilling rig, and since then, over 80 wells have been installed throughout the Ubangi region. This represents enough potable water to service over 48,000 families! But this drill became less effective with age and maintenance. Last year, your generosity to the Global Fund provided for a new drill, which will provide more than a decade of service and countless more wells throughout Ubangi at churches, health centers, and schools to eliminate the single greatest cause of death for children under 5: unclean water. Thank you Constance!
TABITHA & FOLLOW ME
The Tabitha Center traces back to Claudine Selenga, a woman who saw the cycle of poverty and unemployment in Kinshasa pushing parents toward abortion and infanticide, while also forcing many young women into prostitution. At first, Claudine started Bible studies in her home which grew into teaching many women useful skills, like sewing, cosmetology, and cooking. In 2013, the ministry officially became the Tabitha Center with Claudine as Director and her husband, Pastor Selenga as Advisor. What started with 12 girls has since multiplied into many centers that equip thousands, providing both skills and jobs to lift women out of poverty. Watch this video to learn more about how EFCA's Globalfingerprints ministry got involved to help support the Tabitha Centers and how sponsorship makes a difference in these women's lives. For a decade, Constance has helped support the Tabitha Centers.
With the success of Tabitha Centers, Claudine's husband, Pastor Selenga, started an option for teen boys called FollowMe which has now become a thriving ministry of its own with over 30 centers. This year, we hope to provide Bibles for the graduates of both the Tabitha and FollowMe Centers.
2024 partner goals - $50,000
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Completion of the post-op ward at Tandala Hospital including provision of beds and mattresses.
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Tools for 200 graduates at The Elikya Center.
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Bibles for participants at the Tabitha and FollowMe Centers.
This is where we come in, Constance. Are you ready to empower our global teams to reach these communities by meeting tangible needs and sharing the life-changing hope of Jesus? Consider a financial gift to the Global 2024 Fund, participate in one of our upcoming missions trips, or sponsor a child today.
All donations given to the Global 2024 Fund are distributed based on goals we set with our global partners, which are subject to change. When we exceed our goal amounts or goals are only partially funded, we use donation dollars where they are needed most.
