Timothy Leadership Training in Foria



The TLT participants from the CRC SL - if you're wondering, I'm in the back row, about 5th from the left.  The "tubabu" (whiteman).

I spent this week in the village of Foria, helping facilitate some Timothy Leadership Training with pastors and lay leaders.  We completed a module on Stewardship, continued a module on Biblical Preaching and began a module on Serving God in Work and Worship. 


Along with Revs. Ezekiel Sudu and John Phiri, I facilitated material designed to help pastors discover Biblical teaching on these subjects for themselves through discussion, Scripture reading and intentional application to ministry. 

Rev. Ezekiel (facing away from camera) speaks with the pastors from Freetown, Waterloo and Bo areas (l to r: David, Victor, Elisha, Gabriel).

There was good participation, a keen hunger to learn and grow, and enthusiasm to ensure that 'Action Plans' would help each person put what they learned into practice.

Pastors formulating an action plan outside the Foria CRC.

I had various responsibilities, including driving a 4X4 pick-up truck the two hours down a dirt road, which seriously rivalled any in BC for off-roading impressiveness.  Very few folks here drive a 'motocar' and, selfishly, it was also a good way to ensure I got a seat with legroom.Ella, Maria, Jacob and Naomi remained in Kabala and fended for themselves quite well while I spent time in the village.  We were happily reunited yesterday (Friday).   

I can't remember if this was worship or an 'energizer' time - there is (thankfully) some wonderful overlap between the two in the CRC SL.

When it was my turn to offer some closing remarks on Friday, I shared the following illustration:  Before I went to the village of Foria, I was a bit concerned about the water, so Zach Adams (CRWM volunteer from Denver) loaned me his ultra violet sterilization pen. He gave some instructions on how to correctly handle the pen to ensure I would drink rich draughts of clean water. I brushed off the instructions, sure that I could figure it out on my own. On Monday, I began using the sterilization pen, thinking I was cleaning water for Rev. Ezekiel Sudu and myself. On Thursday, when Zach arrived for the last couple days of the conference, he watched as I 'cleaned' some water. "Have you been doing it that way all week?" he asked. "Uh huh." "That's not how you do it. You haven't been cleaning the water. You've been drinking 'dirty' water all week!" Thankfully, Ezekiel and I did not suffer from too many ill effects (that we know of - time may tell otherwise ...), but my failure to 'correctly handle' this tool put both me and anyone under my care in serious peril. (Can you see where this is going?) Preaching involves 'correctly handling God's Word of truth'. It is both a joy-filled privilege and a serious business. Brushing aside instruction on how to 'correctly handle' God's Word puts yourself and those in our care in serious peril.

 I am thankful to God for his grace ... in my preaching failures and water-purifaction ones!