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Children's ministry
Not long after beginning correspondence with us, the Lord convicted Pastor Sika of Proverbs 22:6 and the need to focus especially on ministering to children, whose spiritual needs are mostly neglected in Togo even by Christians. During Shirley's visit in 2008, she trained over 150 people in two seminars, and since then several of Pastor Sika's team have been busy sharing the vision and need for children's ministry in many churches, and in fact training up many others who feel called to this important ministry. This photo shows a group of pastors in Lomé who recently completed a training seminar in children's ministry. Pastor Sika and his ministry continue to be active in starting new programs for children's ministry and planning special events such as VBS.
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Orphanages
Pastor Sika and his wife have been ministering to orphans for over 10 years but in 2006, after holding an evangelistic campaign in the village of Agbodrafo in the prefecture of Yoto, they were struck by the pressing needs there of many orphaned children. As a result, they started a new ministry to orphans in the village, and their special emphasis is on teaching the children about our Lord Jesus Christ, since most of their parents had died without Christ. Pastor Sika's ministry continues to provide love, food and other physical necessities, school books and Christian teaching for these children, and is now also helping orphans in other needy areas. In January 2009 we were able to start on a wonderful new project to help the orphans in the village of Sika-Kondje, called the Joseph Project - we encourage you to learn more about this exciting venture! Joseph Project
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Prison ministry
The prison ministry began in the year 2000. As well as taking food, soap and other supplies into various prisons in Togo, local ministry partners lead regular bible studies in every jail. After prisoners in the program have been released, ministry partners continue with follow-up visits to them at home, in order to help them readjust to live successfully as believers back in their normal environment.On 24th November 2007, 26 prisoners who had accepted Christ inside the Lomé prison and completed a course on basic Christian foundations were baptised inside the jail! A special wooden baptistry was built by a carpenter and this was apparently the first time in Togo that the baptism of prisoners had been officially organized. In addition, special permission was granted for the event to be photographed and this picture shows Pastor Sika with one of the first to be baptized that day - what a joy! Since then more baptisms have taken place and the prison ministry continues to grow in prisons both in Lomé and in surrounding areas. Bibles and other Christian literature are handed out to all who are interested - even including the guards!
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Church planting in the Interior
Once a month Pastor Sika travels into the interior of Togo, visiting villages where there are few churches or evangelists. He reports that there are many needs there due to strong tribal beliefs and fears, poverty and alcoholism. He especially noted how many young people seem to have lost their purpose for living, yet when the Gospel is shared, many people are eager to learn more. At the end of December 2007, Pastor Sika held several successful evangelistic campaigns in villages near the Benin border, and in 2008 he started developing a team that continues to evangelize and disciple new believers there. With the Promise Book and other teaching resources in French, villagers can begin to study the Word of God, and it is hoped that new churches will soon be planted in several villages.
In addition to the "normal" challenges found all over Africa, Togo has recently experienced several major disasters which have not been reported much outside the country. In July/August 2008 the capital city of Lomé in particular experienced terrible flooding which destroyed at least 9 major bridges in the city. Then in September 2009 there was catastrophic flooding of the River Mono area on the border with Benin. This severely affected many of the villages where Pastor Sika ministers - destroying homes, crops, livestock and taking several lives. It is estimated that it will take most of 2010 for the villages to recover, so there is a great need to both continue with the Joseph Project and plant more crops to feed the orphans and their host families, as well as continue to reach out to these pagan villages with the Gospel and bring hope and encouragement to those who are suffering. Pastor Sika recently reported that because of the ongoing efforts of the local Christians reaching out to the affected villages, many involved in idol worship are now eager to hear the Gospel and the chiefs of some villages have even agreed to donate a portion of their land for the building of a church and ministry center! It is truly a testimony of Romans 8:28!
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Church planting in the capital city
Pastor Sika and his family live in the capital city, Lomé, and have already founded some churches in various parts of the city. In 2009 they moved to an area on the edge of Lomé and soon started a new church group in their home, beginning with just children. In December,the new church, Bethany Baptist, was inaugurated in a building down the street from Pastor Sika's home. This photo shows the members outside their new church - as you can see, there are about 40-50 children, most of whom are waiting as early as 7.00am on Sundays for the service which starts at 8.30am! A Christian movie was shown in the street outside the church, which drew a lot of attention, especially since the area is predominantly home to many Muslims.
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To see more photos of Pastor Sika's ministry, follow this link to the new photo album
Pastor Sika's photos
To write to Pastor Sika - Pastor Sika Azankpé Yawo, Prisons and Orphanages Ministry, 06 B. P. 62010, Bé-Lomé, Togo, West Africa
To e-mail Pastor Sika - Sika Azankpe Yawo
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