An Urgent Need for "Engaging Churches"*

Of the 1600 different people groups in the West Africa Region, almost 25% have never heard the name of Jesus and are not engaged by anyone. Some of the largest people groups have Southern Baptist missionaries working among them. They have been "engaged." But many of the others have no Christian witnesses ----- no local Christian workers, no Southern Baptists, and no one from other evangelical denominations. For these "unengaged" people groups, there is no church-planting strategy being implemented, and the people continue to live in darkness.

You can have an active role in bringing the Gospel to these unengaged peoples of West Africa by:

• PRAYING earnestly and persistently, asking God to show you individually or as a church how He wants you to be involved in international missions
• EXPLORING possible avenues of mission service
• COMMITTING to follow through in obedience as God leads
• ACTING upon what God tells you to do.

The TOUSSIAN, GANA, MBOTENI, AFADE, BAANGI and more than 300 other unengaged people groups in West Africa are waiting for you. Will you come?

*An Engaging Church is committed to evangelism, discipleship, and church planting among a people group with little or no access to the Gospel.

For more information about Engaging Church partnerships, go to: www.gowestafrica.org/engagingchurch

In traveling throughout Mali... entering so many villages... learning about different people groups... stretching my language skills... greeting chiefs.... living out of my comfort zone, I have met and begun relationships with some of the most interesting and hospitable people; yet, they are walking in darkness with no one living among them to share God's Word. Unless someone hears the call and obeys, these people will never know about the God who loves them. Realizing that they have no one standing in the gap and begging on their behalf is one of the most difficult parts of my task. Another difficulty is that each one of these people groups has become embedded in my heart, yet I am not able to maintain relationships with them as I would like. There are just too many in distant places and not enough time to get around. So here I am, the 'Macedonian' ---standing... calling... pleading, 'Will someone come to help?' Is there a Paul out there (or a Paulette)? Is there a church willing to engage one of these people groups? I wonder who is listening. Who is responding in faith? Who is turning their ear away?

Rita Salter - Engagement Team