Violence in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri in February left three church buildings of Ekklesiyar Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) completely destroyed and two more severely damaged. The General Board is inviting the denomination to join in a love offering for EYN to assist in reconstructing church buildings in Maiduguri and to support the Nigerian church\u2019s peace and reconciliation efforts to heal the divisions in its communities.<\/p>\n
The offering was initiatied by the General Board at its March meeting. \u201cMany people have asked how we might help express our love and concern for the church in Nigeria,\u201d reported Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships for the Church of the Brethren General Board. \u201cWe now invite members and congregations to join this response of love and support for our Nigerian sisters and brothers, and also to aid them in the rebuilding and healing work that they are already undertaking among their neighbors,\u201d he said. \u201cAs we walk with Christ toward the cross, we are aware of the empty tomb and the hope that is promised. Let us walk with the churches in Nigeria, reminding ourselves of our common faith and hope in Christ while renewing our bonds as sister churches on different continents.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the love offering taken at the General Board\u2019s March meeting, the board received $7,723, including $5,000 from Western Pennsylvania District, brought to the meeting by district minister and Annual Conference moderator Ron Beachley. The board and other participants in the meeting also signed a letter to EYN expressing the desire to stand with them during this crisis. The letter read, in part:<\/p>\n
“We pray for God\u2019s healing of persons and families where there has been loss of life and injury. We pray for healing of the divisions in Nigerian society at this critical time. We pray for God\u2019s strengthening and guidance of the Nigerian leadership and members as the church faces these serious threats. We pray that Christ\u2019s message of peace and reconciliation, reclaimed anew by the Nigerian church at the Nairobi gathering of historic peace churches in 2004, might enliven and empower all within EYN to be instruments of Christ\u2019s peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as we seek to join hands, we confess that our experience and context leaves us unprepared and ill-equipped to face the type of challenges that the Nigerian church has been facing over these years,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cThe persecution we faced as an emerging church movement in Europe three centuries ago is barely a memory. So we confess that our commitments to peace have not been tested in the ways that you have experienced…. In spite of feeling inadequate to stand alongside you as you face violence and suffering, we trust in God\u2019s strength and love to empower us all to be bearers of Christ\u2019s light and peace in this critical time.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Congregations are invited to be in prayer for the church in Nigeria and to take a love offering during the Lent and Easter season. Checks may be made out to \u201cChurch of the Brethren General Board\u201d designated on the memo line for “Love Offering–Nigeria Church.” It would be helpful if all funds could be mailed to the General Board by the first week of May, so the monies may be promptly made available in Nigeria. For more information contact Global Mission Partnerships at 800-323-8039.<\/p>\n
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