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All Things New: April 2023 

Reengaging in Children's Ministry in a new season

Dear Partners,

I would like to start this newsletter with deeply sincere thanks for supporting me and Phil through the season of cancer, and then supporting me through a season of loss. I have spent our entire career feeling like I was hanging on to the edge of Phil's coat. . . qualified to do what I do only because I was attached to him. I have learned over the past two years, though, that God has always qualified me. Your ongoing and faithful support has overwhelmingly affirmed that. 

With this affirmation in my pocket, I'm excited to look toward a new season of ministry to the children of West Africa. 

What I'll be Doing. . . 

  • Partnering with African churches to train Sunday school teachers, trainers, pastors, and national leadership in children's ministry.
  • Partnering with the AGWM Africa BaseCamps to help train and mentor emerging children's missionaries.
  • Creating/ curating resources and curriculum for African churches.
  • Raising funds and consulting for the construction of Sunday school shelters across West Africa. 

 
I love Daloa! 
I was honored to spend the month of March working with missionary associates such as Brittany Boles and Breanna Johnson in Daloa, Cote d'Ivoire. 

What I've Been Up To in 2023 so far. . . 

 

Mentoring Emerging Missionaries

March found me in Cote d'Ivoire to do some small-group mentorship with emerging missionaries to children in West Africa.

  • I lived and worked directly with five missionaries in the early part of their career. Two of them were associates who were originally supposed to come work with us in Togo prior to Phil's diagnosis. I'm so thankful for the chance to still speak into their lives. 
  • I spent three weeks teaching daily classes on contextualizing ministry to children in Africa, understanding culture, basic principles of discipleship and compassion ministry with children. 
  • I used recordings of Phil doing teacher training in Africa to model what good training looks like. Phil's ministry and legacy will continue to have an impact in Africa. (And thankful to those who helped with those recordings ten years ago. We never imagined we'd use them this way, but God knew!) 

Sunday School Shelters

I'm excited to tell you that I just got approval to help the Togo Assemblies of God Children's Ministry department build 24 new Sunday school shelters in 2023! This is not my own doing, but is thanks to funds you have already donated for this project. Given the historically phenomenal growth these structures lead to, this has potential to bring as many as 5,000 children into the local churches. 

Ordination

In April, I was officially ordained with the Assemblies of God through the Oregon Ministry Network. Ordination is an official recognition by the body of ministers of the call God has placed on a person's life. It was a bittersweet moment, (Phil should have been there!) and I continually thank God for allowing me this accreditation to continue the work Phil and I started together 25 years ago. I also want to thank the leadership of the Oregon Ministry Network for encouraging me, believing in me, and standing with me in this new season. 
 

Thank you so much to pastors Kevin and Rhonda Reich, and to pastors Shawn and Ashely Silverii (not pictured) for standing with me and praying over me during my ordination service. 

Giving Opportunity

Sunday School Shelter Project

The Sunday School Shelter project is a project we officially started in 2007 in response to one of the most common needs of our African churches--space in existing churches for children's ministry. We provide the supports, roofing materials, and building supplies to put up a shaded structure. The church provides labor, and if they choose, they put in cement flooring and brick walls. The project is then followed up with training for the teachers and curriculum for the church. Historically, the project has been tremendously successful, often leading to children's attendance numbers doubling, and sometimes, to the church needing to expand it's adult facilities in a ripple effect of growth.

To date, as many as 200 children's churches have been built through this project in Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and other countries. You can read more about this project here.

If you’d like to contribute specifically to this fund, gifts may be made at giving.ag.org, by searching account 2A4015, class (71), or by check, designated to the above account and class.
 
Assemblies of God World Missions, Africa’s Children
1445 N Boonville Ave
Springfield MO 65802
MalcolmsInAfrica.org
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