BWA CONVENES EVANGELISM CONFERENCE FOR FRENCH- SPEAKING BAPTISTS IN THE CARIBBEAN

The Baptist World Alliance convened the fourth “Jesus Christ,

Bread of Life” Mission and Evangelism Training Conference aimed at Francophone Baptists in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Martin, in the Caribbean. It completed the program of evangelism conferences for French-speaking countries in Africa, Europe, Haiti, and the rest of the Caribbean.

The events were from June 19-22 in Fort-de-France, Martinique; and June 22-26 in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. Both Martinique and Guadeloupe, Southeastern Caribbean islands, are overseas departments and are among the 18 regions of France. Some 420 participants attended the meetings in Martinique, with

a daily average attendance of about 140. Another 321 participants were in Guadeloupe, with about 107 on a daily basis. “I am a pastor. I was feeling depressed. When I heard of the Bread

of Life Conference, God told me he was behind the idea. I thank our team for coming here,” one participant in Martinique said. “It is harvest time here, and God sent you to wake us up,” another said. “We should organize a great evangelistic crusade for Martinique.” “God brought you here and God was already work- ing with us,” a Guadeloupe attendee said. “From now on, it will be difficult for us to do less [than] what we have done. We have to speak with one voice, com- ing together to present one evangelical voice.” “Praise God, you came here to encourage us,” another exclaimed. “We have been waiting a long time for this. We did not know how to do it, now it has come to us,” said yet another. “Let’s evangelize to turn the entire Guadeloupe to Christ.” Presenters included Lionel Charles, educator, writer and a pastor in the Evangelical Church in France; and Renaud Dumont, a founder of the

Worship during the Bread of Life event in Martinique

Federation of the Guadeloupe Baptist Churches, a former host and producer of a Baptist radio broadcast covering Guadeloupe and Martinique and founder and senior pastor of First French-Speaking Haitian Baptist Church in New Hampshire in the United States. Everton Jackson, BWA regional secretary for the Caribbean and

executive secretary/treasurer of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, made a presentation in absentia. Fausto Vasconcelos, past director of the BWA division on

Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection, coordinated and attended the event.

Participants at a “youth with a future” workshop in Buenaventura, Colombia

BWA SUPPORTS

CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH PROJECT IN COLOMBIA

The Baptist World Alliance continues its support of a peacebuilding program in the New Dawn and Glory neighborhoods in the city of Buenaventura on Colombia’s Pacific coast, where rival gangs operate and often engage in violent clashes. The Baptist World Aid funded program is a joint effort between the Baptist University of Cali (BUC) and Alpha and Omega Baptist Church, which had developed a project for youth and children in these neighborhoods. In the first half of 2016, project coordinators Jorge Olivo and Carolina Botello visited the neighborhoods and held meetings at the church. Three training workshops in peace and conflict resolution were held, one each in February, March and April. Job training in natural resources, including the

cultivation of medicinal plants and crops for food, were conducted in June. In June and July, workshops were conducted under the direction of the wife and husband team of agronomists Amparo and Juan Carlos Angel. A number of sessions were planned to monitor the project, identifying difficulties and checking for solutions. Several problems were identified. Family instability

prevented some young people from continuing in the program while security concerns led to irregular attendance at meetings, affecting overall participation. Workshops create other opportunities. The Alpha and Omega Church conducts weekly evangelism and youth- oriented discipleship activities. The church’s pastor, Hermin Riascos, a physical education teacher, coaches a football (soccer) team. Members of the team have shown commitment to the project and interest in church youth activities. Training of leaders in project management continues, with a group selected to continue the process. Both Olivo and Botello, graduates of the BUC, have expressed interest in entering pastoral ministry and their future involvement in the project is thus uncertain. Other Baptist university students are being recruited to continue the program.

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