KANSAS CITY – Missouri Baptist churches throughout the Blue River-Kansas City Baptist Association (BRKC) are striving to transform lives and communities in Africa with the gospel message.
For nearly 10 years, the Heart of Life Church has served in the West African nation of Togo by sharing the gospel from home to home, as well as through agricultural development, medical missions and church planting.
According to Pastor Dennis Roth, the church’s desire has been to develop indigenous leaders in the region.
“When we first began our work there, we quickly noticed the lack of training for the local church leaders and lay leaders,” Roth said in a BRKC newsletter. “Poor doctrine led to a variety of bad practices simply because there was a real lack of biblical training. Six years ago we trained a Pastors Training Class in the rural areas where there was no hope for local leaders to attend a Bible college or seminary. Starting with 39 local church lay leaders, we recently graduated our first class with 20 graduates who have completed the five year training.”
With help from local church leaders, Heart of Life Church also put on a camp for 400 children.
“God is moving,” he said, “and we are having a blast watching Him work in Togo!”
Meanwhile, The U Church of Kansas City has also invested ministry in Togo. Pastor Gary Jones has worked in the region, preaching and teaching in more than 10 churches and sharing the gospel especially with young people.
“I have a vision,” Jones said, “to take youth and young adults on vision tours in the future.”
Two other churches have worked in East Africa.
A mission team from Noland Road Baptist Church of Independence worked among refugees, taking shoes and clothes to more than 420 refugees and leaving behind 432 pairs of glasses, sheets, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, soccer balls and basketballs.
“People are on fire for the Lord even in the midst of huge trials and hardships,” Noland Road Baptist member Nicole Brown said. “It is so encouraging!”
Norfleet Baptist Church of Kansas City is also laboring to transform lives and communities in East Africa—particularly by multiplying churches in the region.
“Three years ago there was no worship in our unreached and unengaged people group,” Pastor Scott Flippin said. “Today they are no longer unengaged, and worship is happening in at least five different groups, two of which are individually larger than Norfleet.”