Missions Minute

Photo credit: African Enterprise International

WHY WE GIVE

In this time of COVID, while our sanctuary has been closed for in-person worship, FPCH is still busy in every area of church ministry, “to know Christ and make Him known.” Our pastors and staff are working longer hours than ever, with fewer resources, to lead and help our quarantined congregation innovate and re-make traditional programs and outreach. Your support and prayers invite the Holy Spirit’s power and hope for us all.

In this light, we want to encourage you with good news from 26 missionaries the Global Missions Team currently supports with prayers and many generous financial gifts from you all. As at FPCH, these missionaries’ work has not ceased, but increased, with COVID – in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Indonesia, Nepal, Europe, and Brazil – this congregation’s work literally spans the globe. It is vitally important that you are aware of this, as some of our missionaries are on reduced budgets and are struggling as are many of us.

This month, we invite you to intercede for: African Enterprise International, founded in 1962 by Dr. Michael Cassidy. Cassidy is an alum of Cambridge and Fuller Seminary, and 2012 honorary chair of the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelisation, succeeding the late John Stott. “Michael’s vision and courage were key contributors to mobilizing the church in South Africa to challenge and topple one of the most evil and divisive systems in the world, namely Apartheid” – S.D. Birdsall.

FPCH was an early partner with Dr. Cassidy, along with Kathy Bruner’s father, Carlton Booth. African Enterprise has grown in reach and influence ever since.

AE’s USA & Canada Executive Director, Jamie Morrison, grew up at FPCH and remains close with our congregation. He and his wife Amy were part of BRICK Sunday school class (he proposed to Amy in the FPCH sanctuary). During a “Perspectives” course on world mission at our church, they decided to go to Africa with AE. Their children were born and raised there until the family returned for Jamie to lead the US headquarters in Spokane, WA. Our Missions Team communicates and prays regularly for Jamie, his family, and all of AE’s work.

Today AE has teams in eleven African countries and reaches more than one million people a year in evangelism, reconciliation and peacemaking, human rights and religious freedom, community transformation and leadership development programs. AE requests special prayer this month for Guide Makore, Zimbabwe Team Leader, who just suffered the tragedy of his house burning down. AE is seeking to provide $8,000 he needs to secure beds and furniture for his family. Other current prayer requests are for new believers in South Africa, small-scale farmers in Malawi who provide 80% of the nation’s food, Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation crisis, and ongoing HIV-AIDS and COVID-19 interventions.

With African Enterprise, we at Hollywood Pres can also join their cry to God for the healing of nations, and reconciliation of all races through our Savior and Lord. Dr. Cassidy recently wrote to encourage AE’s leaders, “I totally rejoice in the very deep sense I have in the sovereignty of God over my life and the life of every believer. He is in charge.” Amen.

With Thanksgiving, and asking God to multiply His grace,
Your FPCH Global Missions Team