Dr. Tariku Fufa is the Global Church Movements leader for the Africa region. Kay and I work with Tariku and Buze, his wife, as they lead in Africa. We give strategic support.
We recently completed the first face-to-face conference for the entire African region. We called it Addis22 meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
During this conference, we strategized and planned a massive church-planting focus for the month of May this year. The results of this 30-day focus were staggering and humbling. Through diverse strategies like personal evangelism, mass media and digital outreach, Jesus Film shows, compassionate outreaches distributing clothing and food, Bible distributions and follow-up of new believers, we saw God do amazing things.
- 256 trainings equipped 22,357 trainees for church planting.
- 1,672 new churches and groups planted.
- 863,145 people heard the gospel of Jesus through personal and mass evangelism.
- 101,566 people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
This fruit came through 30 days of prayer and fasting, training, evangelism, discipleship and intentional group and church formation. The Addis22 conference was a significant time to pray and plan, to refresh and reconnect with God’s mission, and to prepare for this 30-day church planting focus.
Conferences can be very helpful in reconnecting us with God and his heart for the lost. They are times of peer learning and iron-on-iron sharpening.
Next week, Kay and I will join 5,000 staff at Cru’s U.S. staff training in July. This time together refreshes our vision, renews our call, and prepares us for our next year of ministry.