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A
BARRIER OR AN
OPPORTUNITY
?
Information
provided by Penny Bakewell
MORE
THAN 25 years ago, SIM workers planted the first church
among the Sisaala people living in the northwest region of
Ghana
. They trusted God to develop churches led by Sisaala
people, worshiping and teaching in the Sisaala language.
Most of the early converts came out of a background of
African Traditional Religion (ATR), largely based in
veneration and appeasement of ancestral spirits. Since the
1980s, Islam has grown to claim more than 70% of the
Sisaala, although traditional practices strongly shape their
practice of Islam.
And
what of the desire for a strong Sisaala church? -
Thirteen small Sisaala churches, with fewer than 150
baptized believers, are now part of the
Bible
Church
of Africa (BCA), which relates to SIM. Only three of them
have licensed pastors. Christians in Sisaala land find it
very difficult to reach out to their Muslim neighbors. They
see Islam as a barrier to the Gospel, rather than an
opportunity.
HOPE
Nevertheless,
there’s hope for the Sisaala. The New Testament is
available in the Isaling dialect, both in print and on
cassettes. Work on the Old Testament is progressing well.
Recorded Scriptures provide an especially strong tool for
reaching this largely oral culture. The storytelling
approach to giving the Gospel plugs in to the Sisaalas’
traditional method of communicating.
SIM
and the
Bible
Church
of Africa are strategizing together to take the love of
Christ to the people in this part of
Ghana
. Two SIM families are working there, involved in
community-based health education, church planting, and
leadership training. As church leaders become better
equipped, they will help the believers under their care to
grow strong in their faith and to reach out to their
neighbors.
SWEEPING
TOGETHER
And
now the
Bible
Church
of
Africa
has a broader vision: to partner with others in reaching the
Sisaala. One BCA leader uses a local proverb to describe the
present opportunity: “We have a choice. We can take up our
own broom and sweep our own corner. Or we can all take up
brooms together, and together we will work to see the Gospel
spread through the land. Only then will the Lord claim this
land for himself.”
PRAY
·
for
more church planters and trainers of leaders.
·
for
the Sisaala people to have open hearts to the Gospel.
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