The end of the story is clear: one day, every tribe, tongue, and language will be glorifying God around His throne. Yet until we get to that day, it’s also clear that we have a role in this story: to take the gospel to the nations.
To the Nations is Christ Church’s new yearly project to advance the gospel with one specific population around the world that either remains unreached with the gospel, or are facing significant persecution.
This year, we will be working with International Leadership Institute in their efforts to minister to the Fulani. The Fulani are an expansive tribe of unreached people living throughout western and central Africa. As a whole, they are over 99% Islamic, and significantly responsible for the spread of Islam throughout much of central and west Africa and a great amount of persecution towards Nigerian Christians.
In spite of these current realities, we have confidence that the gospel will go forth to the nations, and go forth to the Fulani. We will be using the eight weeks of Lent to pray, fast, and give towards International Leadership Institute’s upcoming efforts to minister to the Fulani in West Africa.
Give to the Fulani Project
Ready to fast?
We are calling on our congregation to fast in two specific ways this season:
On Fridays: Each Friday, we are calling for those that are able to fast from one meal on Friday, and use that time to pray for the week’s prayer focus. We ask for you to also donate the money that you would have spent on that meal towards the Fulani Project.
During Lent: For the 40 days of Lent from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, we are calling for the church to fast from a specific item. We ask for you to also donate the money that you would have spent on these things towards the Fulani Project.
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Fasting is the spiritual disciple of withholding or giving something up in faithful dependence in God’s goodness. Believers are encouraged to spend the time that they would have used on that thing, and spend that time in prayer instead.
Fasting (as with any other spiritual discipline such as Bible Reading or prayer) does not earn God’s presence or favor. Instead, they are a response to God’s presence in our lives.
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Fasting increases our intimacy with and dependence on God. When we feel our desires towards food or an object that has been given up, we are reminded of our desire for God’s presence.
Fasts can be in response to personal needs, or in this case with praying for the Fulani, fasting on behalf of God to act in this world.
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For the Friday Fast, we are encouraging all that are physically able to fast from one meal.
For the Lenten Fast, we encourage you to explore fasting from something that you might consider a necessity, but actually is luxury. This might include specialty drinks, a certain type of food, or a specific activity.
What your donations will launch amongst the Fulani people:
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Leadership Conference
This conference is ILI’s globally recognized leadership training , in which Christian leaders from multiple African nations will be brought to an intensive five-day training.
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Family Conference
This family conference will specifically equip believers is instruction concerning marriage and family relationships from a Biblical, Christian perspective.
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Recordings
The Fulani people are primarily oral learners. Both to address this need and to serve as a pilot project for ILI in orality training, we will have speakers record the full Leadership Conference in the native language.
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Church Planting
Although Church planting in a context in which being a Christian carries the death penalty is difficult, it is also a critical need. This will provide a stipend for 2 church planters in West Africa for 3 years.