EMM focuses on African-American reps
Group of six had ‘emotional time’ while visiting former slave-holding place.
by Linda MoffettPrint Article Email to a Friend
Despite linguistic and cultural barriers, differences between Muslims and Christians, and vastly opposing worldviews, a group of African-American visitors to The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau were greeted as long-lost cousins by the Jola and Balanta tribes.
Clair Good, Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) representative to Africa, traveled with a group of five African-Americans led by Bishop Lawrence Chiles of the Koinonia Fellowship of Churches. Members of the group included Anthony Coleman, Christopher Hall, Tynesha Brew and Talita Chiles.
In November 2007, the six-member group visited Denise and Gary Williamson in The Gambia. The Williamsons, workers with EMM, live with the Jola Muslims of Pirang village, while working with a developing church among the displaced Balanta tribe from the Guinea-Bissau region. The Balanta have a traditionally animistic worldview but are open to the gospel. Animism is the belief that spiritual forces and spirits of ancestors are actively involved in controlling lives.
In Pirang, each visitor was assigned to shadow villagers in their roles as carpenters, knitters or tie-dyers or to assist at the local schools or health clinics. During the evening, the men and women of the community came together in a time of dialogue and interaction as they talked about what each had experienced.
The group took a trip to the Gambia River’s James Island, a former holding place for slaves. Balanta fisherman carried the group to the island on their fishing boats.
“It was an emotional time,” said Good. “As a white person, I felt the weight of the sins of my forefathers. But because of Jesus, we could all travel together as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Chiles and Good led a seminar for church leaders from The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau at the MEHDA (Mennonite Educational and Horticultural Development Associates) Center. Leaders from four different tribes attended seminars titled “Spiritual Encounters” and “Christian Marriage” taught by Chiles and Good.
The group also traveled to see the EMM work in Guinea-Bissau and EMM worker Beryl Forrester. While there, the visiting African-Americans shared their own songs with the villagers.
Chiles spoke to a group of Africans.
“We’ve come here to find out how God might desire to use us,” he said. “We want to be here. Some mission boards say we won’t be good missionaries. If we can endure slavery, we can endure being missionaries.”
Speaking after the trip was over, Chiles said, “The Koinonia team enjoyed the relationship-building aspect of our time spent in these two regions. And the partnership with EMM missionaries provides future opportunities in mission, as is our desire.”
“We at EMM need to mobilize African-Americans within our conference and beyond,” Good said. “We need to adjust our practice to incorporate African-Americans and all ethnicities into global missions.”—Linda Moffett of EMM
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