Over 40 children buried after Islamic attack on Christian village in Nigeria

Nigeria (Voice of the Persecuted) – The deadly attack on Attagara village on June 3, 2014 by Islamic militants, continues to claim more lives as the death toll raises from 168 to 202. More casualties were located in caves where insurgents found and killed the victims where they hid from the attackers.

We are troubled by an interview with an elderly woman who took part in the burial of the corpses. She recounted that, “Over 40 children have been buried so far. Five decomposing bodies of the children were found in the stream.”

“We had no other option than to stay behind and bury our husbands and children,” a witness told our correspondent “We were told by the insurgents to become Muslim and wear a veil (HAMAR), or else they would come back to kill us. But we preferred to die, than leave our brethren unburied.”

Sources proved that it will be difficult for the survivors to come down from the hills. The area is still under the control of the insurgents. All roads leading to the towns are now occupied by the insurgents. Residents are unable to return to even bury the dead, it is too dangerous.

Witnessing the grisly scene of insurgents slaughtering their families and friends weighs heavily in their minds. The gunmen dressed in military uniforms had convinced residents that they had come to provide protection. One witness of the carnage said, “No military personnel has yet to be seen. And even if they come to rescue us, we will never trust them.”

The affected villages are near the Mandara Mountains, close to the border with Cameroon. Boko Haram has many times targeted the people of the area.

It is confirmed that thousands have fled to Cameroon, Adamawa and Taraba. Survival conditions are grim, as there is virtually nothing there for them to eat.

Verifying the whereabouts of the resident pastors, our correspondent gathered that Reverend David D. Fa’aya in charge of the Church of the Brethren(EYN) in Atagara, had a terrifying encountered with the insurgents at the church compound. He narrowly escaped, but not without sustaining a devastating injury. He is presently receiving treatment in a Cameroon Hospital.

Rev. Bitrus Talaka of the EYN church in Agapalwa and Pastor John Lamisa of National Evangelical Mission church, jumped over a fence and ran bare foot for several kilometers to escape the brutal attack. Rev. Calip Mbahi of the EYN church in Angurva is still missing. Distraught, a victim said, “We don’t know whether he is dead or alive.

Villagers are still missing and the number of dead is still expected to rise. A local political figure claimed, “The killings were massive.”

Pray for the our Christian family in Nigeria. 

Pray for those suffering great loss. 

Pray for the victims needs to be met. 

Pray they will be able to forgive.

Pray for the lost.Pray for peace in Nigeria.

Article may be reprinted with credit to Voice of the Persecuted

Bishop Bill Atwood: Willful blindness vs. social media traction with the abducted Nigerian girls

Boko Haram is a group mainly in Nigeria that is linked with al Qaeda. The name means “Western Education is Forbidden,” or “Western Education is a Sin.” It is inadequate to describe them as terrorists or extremists. They are better understood by the technical psychotherapy designation as “Wingnut Wackjobs.” They view attacks on unarmed innocents as their vocational pursuit.

In the desolate far North Eastern part of Nigeria, Boko Haram has grown in influence and infamy over the last five years. It’s foothold is partly due to the harsh conditions in that part of Nigeria, partly due to the sieve-like borders with Chad and Niger, and the difficulty of bringing development projects to life that demonstrate compassion and increased quality of life. It is difficult for a militant who longs for the brighter day of 1400 AD to appreciate medical technology or economic development projects that empower people.

In the last several years they have mostly targeted Christians and Churches. Last September, they attacked a temporary police station that had been set up in Yadi Buni Town in Yobe State just to the West of Borno State. More than 160 were killed. Civilian fighters, members of a “Joint Task Force” whose focus is battling Boko Haram, were targeted, captured, and beheaded.

Shortly after that, soldiers were attacked on the Baga-Maiduguri Road in Borno State. In that ambush, fifteen soldiers were killed.

Emboldened by bloodshed, on April 15th Boko Haram members armed with AK-47s abducted almost 300 high school girls who were gathered to take exams. In the confusion, some fifty escaped, leaving some 230 still in captivity. Recent reports indicate that they are being smuggled across the borders to Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram leader Abubaker Shekau said (by way of a shaky home video), “”I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah.” ”There is a market for selling humans,” he continued, “Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women,” he continued.

Reports are coming in that these girls are being sold to militants in Chad and Cameroon for 2,000 Naira (about $12).

It is almost incomprehensible that a caravan of some 230 young women and a host of Kalashnikov bearing Boko Hammers could move through the desolate of Northern Nigeria and cross the borders into Chad and Cameroon without being spotted by satellites, reconnaissance aircraft, or traders.

Now, the story which has been almost completely ignored for the last two weeks is beginning to gain traction in the media. It’s not because the mainstream media have suddenly gotten either religion or conscience, it is because every day crowds of demonstrators are marching in front of media outlets and government offices carrying placards in places like Lagos, Abuja, and London that say things that read, “Our girls are not for sale,” and “Bring them home.” Twitter and Facebook and other social media sites are starting to explode with references. That is putting great pressure on the “news” outlets.

The silence about this atrocity is most remarkable from a number of fronts. First of all, Christian leaders have been slow to call for fasting and prayer. That is changing, but we are still behind the power curve! The realization that we have failed there is humbling. We need to repent and get praying.

Second, it is a stunning omission that news outlets have all but ignored it for three weeks! Very few have covered it up to this week. Now, FINALLY, stories are appearing, thanks to social media and other pressure.

The third group that has been, and remains silent, are Muslim leaders. I have not been able to find even one Islamic leader who has denounced this kidnapping, the violence, or the added horror of these young girls being sold for “marriage.” If Islamic leaders want to be perceived as leaders of a “Religion of Peace,” at some point they need to speak like it and act like it. As it is, the broad, violent strokes from those who act in the name of Allah powerfully and dramatically portray what kind of religion Islam is.

In the meantime, the girls are still missing. They are being sold off like goats and cattle into brutish, backward, poverty and oppression, where they will be stripped of learning, dignity, and likely even life itself. That descent will continue unless each of us begins to speak and act. These innocents cannot be forgotten or abandoned.

Bishop Bill Atwood is Bishop of the International Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America and a contributing author to the American Anglican Council.

Pastoral letter from Archbishop Wabukala on terrorism and mass communications

To the Faithful of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and friends

from Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council

30th September 2013

‘Finally be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil’ Ephesians 6:10, 11

My dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Today we are just three weeks away from the first day of GAFCON 2013 and I am eagerly looking forward to welcoming many of you from around the world to Nairobi and All Saints Cathedral. Last week our General Secretary, Archbishop Peter Jensen and our Executive Director, Bishop Martyn Minns, were with me here in Nairobi on a planned visit to review our preparation and we are so thankful to God for his blessing and provision.

I know however that, like me, you will have been very distressed by the callous and violent attack on the Westgate shopping centre here in Nairobi last week. It seems that this was an exercise carefully designed in cold blood to create a climate of fear and break the spirit of the Kenyan people. We have seen a manifestation of evil in this city, but my prayer for our conference is that it will be a manifestation of the presence of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are gathering to be inspired afresh from the Scriptures by the love of God which has triumphed over evil by the power of the cross and compels us to reach all nations. Nairobi will become the focus not of bad news, but of the good news of the gospel of God.

Terrorism is of course a global phenomenon, as those brothers and sisters joining us from Pakistan and Nigeria know only too well. Likewise, but more subtly, the spiritual crisis of secularism and pluralism is also becoming a global threat through the spread of mass communications. To meet these challenges we need to become a Communion which is confident and courageous in its witness because it is making strong disciples who are securely grounded in the truth of God’s Word.

GAFCON 2013 builds on the outstanding achievement of our first meeting In Jerusalem five years ago. Now, as we meet again in Nairobi, we look forward not only to a time of refreshment and inspiration, but we also prepare ourselves to give careful thought to the action we need to take so that we can sustain and strengthen our fellowship for the future.

It is a very big encouragement to me that so many of you will be here in solidarity with us, standing ‘strong in the Lord and the strength of his might’. I want to assure delegates that we are of course taking every step possible to ensure your safety and security, and ask all of us to join with me in earnest prayer in seeking the face of the Lord as we prepare for this great gathering.

The Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala

Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

Source: Anglican Ink

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for week of prayer for hostages and their families

Monday 23 September 2013

I am praying today for all those who remain hostage in a shopping mall in Nairobi, as well as for their families and friends waiting anxiously for news. I’m praying too for their captors, that they would see and understand that hostility and violence will never be allowed to have the last word.

There is nothing new about taking people hostage – and the more innocent the better, as it gets the kidnappers more leverage. The problem is that while initially there is much media coverage, eventually we forget the victims: they disappear first from the front page, then from any page, and finally even from memory.

I have been reminded of this by the stories from Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Until recently it was a refugee camp holding members of the Iranian opposition, among others. Conditions have been very bad. In the very recent past it was raided, a significant number of people were killed and a number of others disappeared into captivity.

In Syria, kidnapping has become a normal part of pressure on communities. In April, two Metropolitan bishops of Aleppo – Mar Gregorios Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Paul Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch – were kidnapped, and their driver was killed, while they were on a humanitarian mission. Since then a Jesuit priest, Fr Paolo D’Oglio SJ, has also been taken.

It’s a form of terror that is calculated to undermine the morale of those close to the people who disappear. Circumstances in wars are never simple; Camp Ashraf has a very controversial history. But that is not the point. Justice is always transparent; the use of kidnap and absence of due process is always obscure. Hostages go into the darkness so that fear spreads among their friends and families.

What can we do? First we ought to pray. Prayers are effective, as we saw with the release of Archbishop Ignatius Kattey of Nigeria last week. Many of those released speak of the peace that came from prayer. Prayer says we are in solidarity with the victims of injustice. It does not say the victims are perfect, but that we stand with those suffering the injustice.

We can show – where we have links to the situation – that we care. No-one can support all victims of injustice; but where we are aware, we ought to show it matters.

So make this a week of prayer for hostages, remembering especially those from Camp Ashraf and those in Syria – and the people of Nairobi.

We cannot pretend to understand all the complexities of the situation. But we know that such acts of hostage-taking, kidnapping or extra-judicial killing are always wrong.

Justin Welby

Archbishop Duncan issues call to prayer for Kenya and Pakistan

“If one member suffers, all suffer together.” ~ I Corinthians 12:26

In the wake of the terrorist attacks that have befallen our brothers and sisters in both Kenya and Pakistan over the last few days, I call upon our members to pray for the victims and their families as they walk through this dark valley of death’s shadow. Let us also pray that all people everywhere might be delivered from the scourge of terrorism, and that our God would turn the hearts of those who are tempted to use such violence to achieve their purposes.

Over the last decade, the connections between our global fellowship of churches have grown all the stronger so that when tragic events such as these take place, our thoughts move beyond the headlines, and to the faces and names of our beloved friends. In the past, we have had many occasions for joy. Today is a day to grieve, pray, and suffer with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is in moments like these that our unity is most important.

In the Anglican Church in North America some of us have known first hand what it is like to live through terrorist attacks. Today, for our Kenyan and Pakistani friends, going into the marketplace or attending worship become acts of courage. Pray that they will know the presence of the Good Shepherd by their side, and be comforted by the assurance of His rod and His staff.

Archbishop Robert Duncan
Anglican Church in North America

Psalter: Psalm 77, 79

Lessons for Monday in 19 Pentecost: 2 Kings 5:1-19, 1 Corinthians 4:8-21, Matthew 5:21-26

Collect of the Day

Grant us, Lord, not to anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things which are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for prayer kidnapped Archbishop Kattey

 

From Lambeth Palace

Archbishop Justin has called on the church to pray for the kidnapped Nigerian archbishop Ignatius Kattey.

The Most Revd Ignatius Kattey, who is Dean of the Province and Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, was seized last Friday near his residence in the southern city of Port Harcourt.

In a statement today, the Archbishop described the kidnapping as 'deeply shocking', and called on the church to pray for Archbishop Kattey, along with the people and leaders of Nigeria.

He said: "The kidnapping of Archbishop Kattey is deeply shocking for all those who pray for and love the people and country of Nigeria.

"Throughout the church let us pray for him, his family, for His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Primate if the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), and for the government and people of Nigeria."

In a prayer, the Archbishop asked God to 'uphold [Abp Kattey] in courage and faith' and 'bring him again to be with his family and friends in joy and freedom'.

Read Archbishop Justin's prayer:

Heavenly Father, whose love is limitless and grace without measure, you have called us to share in the suffering of those in persecution and great trouble. We pray for the nation of Nigeria, for its leaders and people. Grant them wisdom in the trials they face and bring them again to peace and security. We pray especially for Archbishop Kattey in the Niger Delta. Uphold him in courage and faith. Enable him to know your love, and bring him again to be with his family and friends in joy and freedom. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for our liberation and who is our peace. Amen.

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again, Part MMCLXXXVIXLVIII

JOS, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)-- Islamic fighters have shot dead Christians in a roadside ambush near Nigeria's central city of Jos, church representatives said Monday, September 2.

Those killed in the attack, four kilometers (2.5 miles) off the Jos-Barkin Kadi Highway, were members of a Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) congregation in the nearby town of Foron, according to church officials.

The Christians had been ordered out of a minibus and forced to lay on the ground before being shot last Thursday, August 29, because of their faith, the COCIN denomination leadership and a witness said.

Those killed were identified as Pam Gyang, 33, Felix John, 32, as well as Jimmy Tiger, 28, Ishaku Gyang, 40, and Dachung Monday, 20.

Christian news agency Morning Star News quoted the local pastor Pam Jang Pam as saying that the assailants "were a combined band of ethnic Fulani herdsmen and Islamic extremist mercenaries."

CHRISTIANS INJURED

Also wounded, he added, were two other as yet unidentified Christians, including a pregnant woman.

Technical school student Emmanuel Sunday, who said he rode his motorbike near the murder scene, told media that he had seen the Christians and that gunmen stopped him to ask about his religion.

“When I told them I was a Christian, they asked me to join a group of people already ordered to lie down by the side of the road. I did as I was ordered to do, and then one of the men came and searched me and took money from me, including my mobile phone,” Morning Star News quoted him as saying.

“It was when the gunmen started shooting and killing those of us that were Christians grouped together that I ran into a nearby maize farm, because it was already dark. They shot wildly at me, but I escaped unhurt, except the injuries I sustained while running in the bush.”

He said God helped him escaped to tell the story and "show the miracle" in his life.

JESUS "SAVIOR"

The pregnant widow of Pam Gyang, 28-year-old Grace Yop Gyang, said in published remarks that her husband is also survived by their two daughters and a son.

She said she was praying that "through his death those who killed him will get to know Jesus as their savior.”

Jos and other areas of Nigeria have been the scene of sectarian violence in which thousands have died in recent years. Church leaders have accused better armed Muslim groups of attacking impoverished Christians who have less abilities to defend themselves.

Aggression towards Christians has been fueled by Boko Haram, or 'Western Education is a Sin', a militant group fighting for an Islamic state within the troubled African nation.

Christians comprise roughly 40 percent of Nigeria's nearly 175 million people, with Muslims and people with indigenous beliefs making up the rest, according to the U.s. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other estimates.

++Okoh: Nigerians must repent and return to God's values

From the Nigerian Tribune:

Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, has warned that Nigeria must fashion a way to rekindle the selfless nature of its citizenry as well as the Christian virtue of humility and sacrifice if the country must survive.

In a sermon he delivered at the funeral of a former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Reverend Abiodun Adetiloye, held at the St. Paul’s Millennium Anglican Church, Odo-Owa in Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, the cleric contended that unless Nigerians repented and returned to the values of God, the country would not make any headway.

Okoh, who took his sermon from 2 Timothy 4: 7 and 8, noted: “We are not here to help Archbishop Adetiloye but to help ourselves to see if we can realign with God and make a meaning of our life.”

While calling on Nigerians to return to God, the Primate said “the church today is highly criticised because many of us who profess Christ are very poor images of Christ.”

He charged Christian leaders in the country to mount a campaign against societal evils, beginning with their congretations, saying “otherwise civil society organisations will take over their responsibility and they may be speaking out on moral and societal grounds but not spiritual.”

He described the late Adetiloye as a committed and prayerful evangelist who “waged war against augmenting the power of God with some other powers.” He described the deceased cleric as a “courageous prophet of the church who was not afraid to speak the truth to the authorities and stood firm in it.”

Okoh cautioned the Anglican faithful not to allow a re-entry of occultism into the church “in the guise of cultural revival.”

At the service were General Adeyinka Adebayo (retired); ex-governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayo Fayose, Segun Oni; retired Primate Peter Akinola and numerous other dignitaries. President Goodluck Jonathan was represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd.)

Jonathan described the late Adetiloye as an epitome of service and humility, adding that a lot of lessons could be learnt from his life and times.

He added that the late primate was a man of peace whose life exemplified great accomplishments when he served as a vicar, provost, bishop, archbishop and primate.

Governor Kayode Fayemi described the late primate as “a dependable leader worthy of emulation,” adding that his life was “one totally dedicated to the service of God and mankind.”

He noted that though the late Adetiloye was not a politician, he had successfully united Ekiti people regardless of party affiliation, as seen in the calibre of politicians who attended his burial.

++Okoh statement on ++Rowan resignation

The Most Reverend Nicolas D. Okoh, Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, is not joining the chorus of praise for the retiring Archbishop of Canterbury. ++Okoh has issued a statement which minces no words about the less than glorious legacy of ++Rowan Williams.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams took over the leadership of the Anglican Communion in 2002 when it was a happy family. Unfortunately, he is leaving behind a Communion in tatters: highly polarized, bitterly factionalized, with issues of revisionist interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and human sexuality as stumbling blocks to oneness, evangelism and mission all around the Anglican world.

It might not have been entirely his own making, but certainly “crucified under Pontius Pilate”. The lowest ebb of this degeneration came in 2008, when there were, so to say, two “Lambeth” Conferences one in the UK, and an alternative one, GAFCON in Jerusalem. The trend continued recently when many Global South Primates decided not to attend the last Primates’ meeting in Dublin, Ireland.

Since Dr. Rowan Williams did not resign in 2008, over the split Lambeth Conference, one would have expected him to stay on in office, and work assiduously to ‘mend the net’ or repair the breach, before bowing out of office. The only attempt, the covenant proposal, was doomed to fail from the start, as “two cannot walk together unless they have agreed”.

For us, the announcement does not present any opportunity for excitement. It is not good news here, until whoever comes as the next leader pulls back the Communion from the edge of total destruction. To this end, we commit our Church, the Church of Nigeria, (Anglican Communion) to serious fasting and prayers that God will do “a new thing”, in the Communion.

Nevertheless, we join others to continue in prayer for Dr. Rowan Williams and his family for a more fruitful endeavour in their post – Canterbury life.

+Nicholas D. Okoh

Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria

Pray for Archbishop Nzimbi

Via Lent and Beyond:

Former Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi suffered a stroke which has affected his left side and his speech. Please pray that the doctors are able to administer to him in a timely manner so that these impairments may be corrected and he is restored to full health.

Lord, you instructed us to gather in prayer and you will grant our requests. Look upon your servant Benjamin and be beside him, give him strength, and if it be your will, restore his speech so that he may once again proclaim your name with courage and strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Communique and resolutions from the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA)

Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (C A P A)
Eleventh Council Meeting
Bujumbura, Burundi, February 2012


Communiqué

Preamble: We, the delegates representing the Provinces of Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, the Indian Ocean, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa and the Diocese of Egypt of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), gathered at Hotel Source du Nil, Bujumbura, Burundi between 4th and 8th February 2012 for the eleventh General Meeting of Council under the chairmanship of the Most Revd Ian Ernest hereby issue this communiqué. We have met as representatives of the Anglicans to affirm our oneness in the Body of Christ. We renewed our commitment to individual and collective witness to Christ in our respective contexts on the continent.

We are convinced that working together in mutual trust and love strengthens our capacity to bring in a transformative energy that will unlock our potential from which hope and new possibilities will emerge. We explored various mechanisms for mutual strengthening and collaboration in intra-continental partnerships in pursuit of our calling in Christ under the theme, ‘Harnessing our unity to unlock our potential and secure our future.’

1. We had the opportunity to fellowship with our brothers and sisters of the Province of Burundi and celebrated the Eucharist together at Holy Trinity Cathedral. We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome and hospitality shown to us by the Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi, The Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi; the Bishop of Bujumbura, the Rt. Rev. Pie Ntukamazina and the local support team. We are also thankful for the words of welcome expressed by the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Eduard Nduwimana, on behalf of the Government of Burundi.

2. We also had the privilege of paying a visit to the President of Burundi, His Excellency, Hon. Pierre Nkurunziza, and congratulated him and the people of Burundi for the transition from conflict and the progress towards peace and development. We encouraged him to continue on the path of national reconciliation and consolidation of democracy. We assured him of our continued prayers for Burundi. His Excellency expressed appreciation for the enormous contribution of the Anglican of Burundi to nation building and pleaded for the Church on the continent to intensify efforts towards poverty eradication and peace building.

3. We give thanks to God for the continued fast numerical growth in our various Provinces as noted at this meeting, but we acknowledge the need for enhanced discipleship. We commit ourselves to strengthen a continental vision for mission actively promoting evangelism coupled with nurturing of believers.

4. Over the last four days we reflected and deliberated on a number of social, environmental and pastoral mission issues that concern the church and society and have adopted the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan that articulates our priorities for addressing these issues.

5. We are concerned about the persistent fragile nature of many of the states in our continent – the rise in post-election violence, deep-seated corruption, dysfunctional economies, all affecting economic, political and social development. We urge our political leaders to create frameworks for national multi-stakeholder dialogue as a means of responding to the growing discontent.

6. We are deeply disturbed by the growing tension between Muslims and Christians, resulting in unnecessary loss of lives and property. We offer ourselves to work in collaboration with leaders of other faith communities to lobby respective governments on greater civilian protection towards stabilizing our communities. We call for solidarity with Christians in the Sudan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Egypt.

7. We are concerned with the destructive impact that small arms in the hands of civilians has on the welfare of people in our communities and sustainable development. We join other stakeholders in a campaign against their proliferation.

8. We seek to establish mechanisms for conflict management and transformation within our structure and commit ourselves to campaigning for similar mechanisms at the regional and state levels as a means to changing the existing prevalent culture of combative confrontational protests.

9. We are deeply disturbed by the recurrence of famine in the continent despite our wealth of working knowledge that can deter this. We therefore commit to forge partnerships towards creating food security. Furthermore, we call on respective African governments and faith leaders to invest in sustainable development in ensuring the realization of the MDG by 2015 and beyond.

10. In fulfilling the objectives of our strategic plan namely the promotion of compassionate and accountable leadership; community health, HIV and AIDS; healing, forgiveness and renewal for just and peaceful societies; stewardship of resources, advancing critical theological reflection and action; and advocacy, we recognise the vast untapped resources within the continent. We challenge ourselves to explore mechanisms for optimally harnessing these various categories of resources for mission at different levels.

11. We acknowledge with humility the continued good will, respect and trust that religious leaders enjoy in our communities and pledge to use this influence to bear on policy makers and policy implementation.

12. Recognizing the importance of investing in young people, we call on Provinces and dioceses to put in place structures, mechanisms, and empowerment programmes for their increased participation in the life of the church. We therefore commit ourselves and urge other stakeholders to nurture young people towards responsible citizenship at every stage of their development.

13. We recognize the need for strengthening the role of theological institutions in equipping lay and ordinands for effective ministry and supporting in-service training programmes for clergy and bishops.

14. We acknowledge the tremendous work done in the last four years by the CAPA secretariat and Standing Committee under the wise and visionary leadership of our Chairman, the Most Rev Ian Ernest, whose term of office has come to an end. We also noted with appreciation the immense contribution by the General Secretary, Rev Canon Grace Kaiso, since his appointment, to the progress of CAPA and its ministry.
15. We elected the Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi as the new Chairman, the Most Rev Albert Chama as the Vice, and Ms Grace Wambua as Treasurer.

16. We look forward to God’s continued blessing as we carry on working together for the growth of the Church and the renewal of the continent.
________________
CAPA Chairman
The Most Rev Ian Ernest
8th February 2012
**********


COUNCIL OF ANGLICAN PROVINCES OF AFRICA (CAPA)
11th COUNCIL MEETING
BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI, FROM 4TH TO 8TH FEBRUARY, 2012


RESOLUTIONS

1. The Council notes the contributions of the retired Archbishops: Most Rev. Peter Akinola of Nigeria; Most Rev. Fidel Dirokpa of DRC; Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini from Rwanda, and Most Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya to the progressive life of CAPA and directs that letters of appreciation be written to them as well as others that have played leadership role over the years.

2. The Council congratulates the people of South Sudan upon their independence and commends the role played by the Church under the leadership of Archbishop Deng. The Council therefore resolves that CAPA provinces support them in peace building, human resources and infrastructure development.

3. The Council commends CAPA for their capacity building programme through the platforms of AABC, Archbishops / bishops training, and challenges the secretariat to liaise with existing theological institutions and develop contextual curriculum for proper formation of priests.

4. The Council recognises the importance of proper record keeping and information sharing and implores the provinces and dioceses to establish archives and network with other provinces and CAPA secretariat.

5. The Council accepts the new CAPA Strategic plan as a main framework for facilitating the implementation of AABC Resolutions and promote peer learning by provinces and dioceses.

6. The Council accepts the establishment of the Anglican Alliance as a framework for facilitating and strengthening responses to emergencies, disasters and global advocacy initiatives

7. The Council endorses the UMOJA and Primary Health Care (PHC) models, and advises provinces and dioceses to adopt them as tools for mission, food security and holistic development. In addition Provinces and Diocese should use their parishes and congregation to continue to advance the implementation of the MDG at all levels.

8. The Council supports the need to strengthen the communication department and therefore resolves that a province seconds a volunteer to CAPA secretariat with full support.

9. The Council regrets the rise in post election violence in Madagascar, Burundi, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sudan, and others. The Council therefore calls upon its leaders to dialogue meaningfully and use existing conflicts resolution mechanisms in settling disputes and promoting peaceful co-existence.

10. The Council notes the saying that ’there is no peace between nations without peace among religions’, and therefore, abhors the persecution of Christians by Islamic fundamentalists in many parts of the Arab world, Nigeria, and Asia. The council notes the need for Christians and Muslims to live together and resolve their differences peacefully. Therefore, the Council calls on CAPA to facilitate effective learning and dialogue around Christians – Muslims relationships.

11. The Council commends the work done to review the current Constitution. The Council however observes the need to revisit some grey areas and therefore resolves that provinces re-examine the proposed amendments with a view to allowing for more inputs within 3 months.
_______________
CAPA Chairman
The Most Rev Ian Ernest
8th February 2012

Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi speaks on Islamic violence in Nigeria

Note ++Kwashi's rather devastating indictment of the U.S. government's lack of interest in this tragic situation.

++Okoh urges Nigerian Christians to resist temptation to violence

Via Anglican Ink:

The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has urged Nigerian Christians not to seek vengeance for the wave of anti-Christian and ethnic violence sweeping across Northern Nigeria. The archbishop’s peace plea follows a series of bombings carried out by the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, Boko Haram, which last week killed over 200 people.

The plight of Nigeria’s Christians was also raised in Parliament last week, with MPs pressing the Church of England and the government to use their influence to end the violence.

Reporters from the Leadership newspaper in Kano counted 185 bodies in the mortuaries of the city’s main hospital following four apparently coordinated bomb blasts on the evening of 20 January 2012. The death toll is expected to rise, the newspaper said, as other bodies are brought to the hospital, while several people were severely injured in the blasts and are near death.

Following the attack by the radical Islamist group, police imposed a 24-hour curfew on the city, which was modified to a dusk to dawn curfew on Monday. The Kano bombings were followed by an attack on a Christian community in North-Eastern Nigerian town of Tafawa which left nine people dead and ten wounded.

President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, condemned the Islamist attacks, protesting the fact that “honest Nigerians were brutally killed by terrorists.”

“We will not sit here and watch while enemies of democracy spread terror across our land,” he said.

In a statement released on 23 January following the visit of the Bishop of Durham to Nigeria, Archbishop Okoh warned the violence in the North posed a “very serious challenge” to the government and was giving President Jonathan many “sleepless nights.” However, the outbreak of “religious strife” was unnatural as Christians and Nigerians sought “to continue to live together peacefully as before.”

He stated that Christians were “facing serious temptation” as the “intense attack” by the Islamist radicals was “tempting the Christians whether to continue to maintain peace, always turning the other cheek, or fight back to find their safety.”

The archbishop called upon government and Muslim leaders to “reach out to Boko Haram to dissuade them from dastardly acts.”

He called upon Boko Haram to “leave the Church alone,” and to “dialogue with government if they have any axe to grind with her.”

However Christians would not meet violence with violence. “The attempt to drag Nigerians into militancy is something Nigerians must resist,” Archbishop Okoh said.

"An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide"

Being connected with the Anglican Church of Rwanda and its sister provinces of the Global South of the Anglican Communion, I have a keen interest in how God is moving on the continent of Africa. It is one of the great providential ironies of history that western countries such as the United States, which sent missionaries to the furthest reaches of Africa over a century ago, now stand in desperate need of a re-introduction to the Gospel. That re-introduction is taking place, in large part, through the missionary outreach of African churches which were originally planted by those western missionaries of last century.

But, at the same time, many in Africa are falling victim to the false gospel of "health and wealth," which has been prevalent in America for several decades, as my colleague Greg Goebel observes. Some have described the revival in Africa as being "an inch deep and a mile wide," noting its widespread appeal but often shallow substance. As noted by Isaac Phiri and Joe Maxwell in Christianity Today, the most aberrant form of "health and wealth" in Africa has a distinctively American flavor.

The worst brand of African prosperity teaching is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an American export. Experts cite various reasons for the spread of this kind of renewalism, better known as health-and-wealth, including:

• American lifestyles have led African believers to equate Christian faith with wealth.

• Traditional African values often link material success and spiritual success.

• The African "Big Man" ideal honors rich, powerful leaders such as prosperity preachers.

And then there is television. As Pentecostal-charismatic programming has flooded Africa, renewalist numbers have risen from 17 million in 1970 to 147 million in 2005. The continent's largest religious broadcaster is Santa Ana, California–based Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), followed by Europe's GOD TV.

As TV sets grow common in African cities, these broadcasters are gaining huge audiences. People who lack a TV often watch with neighbors, and viewing options are limited. In Zambia, only three stations click on: MUVI TZ, which airs reruns of U.S. shows and old movies; ZNBC, the Zambian National Broadcasting Company; and TBN. Television is becoming the continent's religious classroom.

It remains commonplace for American television evangelists to talk about the "desperate need" for taking the Gospel to Africa. But such an appeal is becoming an anachronism. Christians in Africa are beginning to see the need for the Gospel is far more "desperate" in America. They know all too well about the abandonment of the faith by mainline churches. Now, as the "health and wealth" message begins to gain a foothold in their land, they are seeing yet another sad example of how the American experience has perverted the message of Christ.