ICOM 2018 in Cincinnati
Lydia and Enoch met many of you and many of their friends at the 2018 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) in Cincinnati, Ohio, from November 15 to 18. They safely returned to Ghana on November 20.
ICOM is a highly encouraging and challenging time for all attendees. The theme for 2018 was UNHINDERED, and many great speakers delivered challenging messages for all to ponder and act upon. The theme’s Scripture passage was Acts 28:31—“Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” The Gospel can and is advancing, whether we find ourselves in good or bad times. As the President of ICOM, Kevin Dooley, said, “The Church in the first century saw its greatest growth in the midst of political and social change, during intense persecution and spiritual warfare. The advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through history is a testimony to God’s Unhindered plan.” In 2018, ICOM was celebrating 70 years, and some of the participating missions were celebrating their own milestones, so there was cake galore! Originally called the National Missionary Convention, it began in 1948 in Springfield, Illinois.
ICOM featured several different, high-quality workshops on subjects from Church Engagement to Missions to Prayer. Most were repeated so that when someone missed the first offering, they had a chance to catch the second one. The worship services twice a day were simply amazing and inspiring. It was a glimpse of what heaven will be like when we sang in Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese.
The ICOM staff and the multitude of volunteers, led by David Empson, worked really hard to meet all the needs and keep things flowing very well.
If you have never been to the conference, we highly encourage you to plan to go. We would love to see you at the Ghana Christian Mission booth next year in Kansas City (November 14-17).
Shipment from FMSC (Feed My Starving Children)
A container of MannaPack Rice Meal will leave the U.S. for Ghana this week [editor's note: the container left in late November]. This food will go to a school lunch program. Please pray with us that the container will safely arrive in Ghana and will be able to clear customs easily so the children can be fed. We thank FMSC for the food and the donors who are providing the shipping costs! God uses many different channels to complete the work of sharing the Gospel of His love with the people of Ghana.
West Africa Senders Group (WASG)
Wisdom Nyador, Member Care Coordinator for Ghana Christian Mission, recently attended a conference in Ivory Coast for WASG. The WASG has a vision to have a very sharp-focused strategic outcome that will address and fill the missing gaps in the missionary efforts from the Church in West Africa. The group aims to increase the awareness of the Church in West Africa of the challenges, opportunities, and prospects of greater participation in global missions, as well as strengthen, increase, and encourage ongoing efforts that will unleash the great missionary potentials of the Church in West Africa on the mission fields.
The WASG aims to make a difference and add value to the ongoing efforts by the Church in Africa to make meaningful contributions toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Wisdom speaks fluent French and since French is the language in Ivory Coast, he was right at home.
In addition to benefitting from the conference, this was an opportunity to interact with the Christian Church in Côte ďIvoire (Abidjan). Wisdom had heard the church was struggling, so he spent an extra three days after the conference leading them in a three-day seminar in the following topics: The Role of the Local Church in Missions, Discovery Bible Study, Biblical Character studies (to bring out leadership skills), and Church Management.
We pray Wisdom’s teaching will encourage and help the church there in Abidjan for the Glory of God!
After returning to Ghana, Wisdom and the other staff had a great opportunity to show Ghanaian-American Joe Boison around and facilitate his visits to several of the clinics and churches in the north. Joe is praying with us about the possibility of serving with Ghana Christian Mission in some capacity. Please pray with us for discernment. Below left is a picture of Joe with Francis Addae’s truck. On the right is Joe with Enoch and Wisdom before Joe left to return to the U.S.