SPRINGFIELD – The Way Church Francophone is a new congregation started with the intent of reaching French-speaking people in Springfield. Sponsored by The Way Church in the south-central part of the city, it is served by Pastor Mossa Mohamed. Ministry began in February this year, and about 10-15 people are attending.
He is a native of the West African nation of Mali. He came to the U.S. by way of Niger as a refugee. He and his family have been assisted in their resettlement by the International Institute of Southwest Missouri and The Way Church.
Pastor of The Way Church, Seth Shelton, said he was contacted by an IMB missionary in Senegal (name withheld for security reasons) about Pastor Mossa and his family being sent to Springfield as refugees. Their nation of Mali was experiencing turmoil and a revolution driven by the Al Qaeda terrorist group. For reasons of religious persecution, the pastor and his family fled to Niger. From there, they were able to be sent to the U.S.
Pastor Mossa said they did not even have a choice as to where they were being sent but trusted the immigration authorities to help them find a home.
So when the IMB missionary contacted Pastor Shelton, he and others began the process of helping this family. Eventually, they assisted them in starting a new church. Shelton said Second Baptist Church, Springfield has also been very helpful to the family.
“There is a steep learning curve for everything they encounter in the U.S.,” said Shelton. They are learning English, how to navigate the systems in the community and how to drive cars and make a living. Shelton added, “Life is so different for them here, than back in Mali.”
Mossa works at Second Baptist Church, Springfield as a janitor. The Way Francophone (meaning French-speaking) meets at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons.
Currently, they are reaching people from the Central African Republic, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Haiti. The Haitian believers speak French as do the Africans. In addition to the worship services on Sunday afternoons, the worship is live-streamed and many African believers watch online.
Pastor Mossa said, “I had a desire to encourage the French-speaking people of Springfield. I spoke to Pastor Shelton and he helped us through a friend.”
Mossa said it was “heartbreaking to leave our family in Africa.” The terrorists there would capture Christians and it was “pay or be killed.” Mossa was a believer in Africa and served as a pastor. His father was Muslim, but when Mossa was young he met some Christians. “And their attitude and love toward him is what got to him,” he said. He was 22 when he converted to Christ. He is now 55.
He and his wife Amina and their children started attending The Way Church when they arrived in the U.S., and they quickly began bringing their neighbors with them to church. Pastor Shelton said he just let Mossa have his space and told him when he was ready, he would help them start a church or a ministry to the French-speaking people.
Mossa asked Missouri Baptist church members to pray as The Way Church Francophone continues to grow:
• for the pastor to have courage and wisdom to preach the right words to the people
• for more people to attend the church
• to be able to spend more time with the church plant, though he has to work to make money for his family.
