Foria Timothy Leadership Training
Building up Christ-Centred
Leaders, Setting the Foundation for Christ-Centred Churches
From the week of February 4th to 8th,
over forty church leaders from the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone
gathered in Foria to participate in the Timothy Leadership Training (TLT) sessions
that have been taking place since 2010. These leaders came from all over Sierra
Leone, from Waterloo to deep in the Koinadugu district, and they represented
different tribes and traditions yet all came together to learn about
Christ-centred leadership in the Christian Reformed Church. The entire week was
truly a time of transformative learning, with facilitators from Zambia,
Nigeria, and Canada present to convey the teachings of the week. The teachings
ranged from insightful discussions about serving God in work and worship led by
Rev. John Phiri to a practical exercise in how to preach effectively led by
Rev. Istifanus Bahago. In the preaching seminars, participants were given a
bible verse selected by Rev. Bahago and asked to prepare a five minute sermon
working off the principals of biblical preaching they had developed over the
past three years. This exercise was not only personally beneficial for each
participant, as they were given constructive feedback and comments after their
sermon, but it was hugely effective for the group as a whole since every member
of the training session was allowed to give feedback and ideas about how the
individual could improve their sermon in order to clearly convey the message of
salvation. The preaching sessions were very encouraging, as the growth in these
leaders over the years was clearly evident: people who could not even read and
write well had gained enough from the TLT sessions since 2010 that they stood
with confidence and shared the message of salvation, as relevant to their
specific text, with the whole group.
It was also refreshing to see leaders working
together, watching those who were strong in literacy skills helping out those
who were not, and seeing them practice sermons with each other and encourage
each other before their formal presentation. Even some of the younger
participants, Abu M. Jalloh and Amara Fefegula, both members of The People’s
Foundation of Sierra Leone (TPFSL) who began participating in the TLT sessions
over the past year offered very strong sermons, demonstrating a confidence and
knowledge of scripture that encouraged all the other more experienced
participants as well.
While the preaching sessions were very practical and
it was easy to see the impact of TLT on all the participants, the other
sessions also offered insight into the important of TLT through the
discussions, insightful questions, and general participation that was evident
throughout. Rev. John Phiri finished teaching on the guidelines for worship in
his sessions on serving God in work and worship, and nearly all the participants
were able to respond to his questions about what they had learned over the past
years, citing examples from their own congregations about how the guidelines
for worship were incredibly useful as a tool for church leaders. Rev. Ezekiel
Sudu also carried out teaching on Christ-Centred Leadership, and discussed many
cultural issues such as humility, taking on the role of a follower in
leadership positions, and realizing that it is God who places one in
leadership, not anyone else. Considering the struggles that the CRCSL has had
in the past regarding leadership, these sessions were not only meaningful, but
they truly affected those participants who came into TLT with an open mind and
a ready heart prepared to learn. After every session all the participants
entered into prayer, asking for grace where they has strayed in their
leadership, and praying for God to direct them in their future leadership so
they could serve with humility rather than pride. Certainly, these sessions on
leadership were not only necessary, but transformative for those who were
willing to learn and grow.
Rev. Isaiah Magaji carried out sessions on
teaching the Christian Faith, which centred on how to plan not only your
sermons, but also the time devoted to visiting members, spending in the office,
and creating action plans with specific activities and an intended result so that
regardless of the outcome, participants could go back and look at their plans
and learn how to improve in the future. Rev. Magaji’s sessions truly challenged
the participants in a meaningful way, as he kept reminding participants that
any plan being made should agree with
the plan God has for you, stating that those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
Certainly, all the participants were challenged to develop their plans and set
clear goals for the growth of their ministry. On the last day of the training, all
the participants presented their action plans from the previous year, and it
was a joy to see more funds being raised locally in some very small communities
through agricultural projects and increased weekly giving at the churches. These
action plans proved that TLT sessions are truly bringing CRCSL closer to its
goal of local sustainability, and it was a blessing to see the small steps that
are being taken towards this goal. Finally, the training ended with a workshop
on success stories given by Ms. Krissi Bucholtz, the founder and director of
The People’s Foundation of Sierra Leone (TPFSL), a non-profit organization that
works to empower and educate youth throughout Sierra Leone. Ms. Bucholtz
offered practical advice and examples from her own work about how to use report
and story writing to convey transformational change, in order to keep up a
positive relationship and effective communication with partners overseas. All
the participants at TLT stated they would appreciate a longer workshop on
effective communication and success stories, as they felt those were areas they
particularly struggled in. On the last day, all the facilitators gathered to
pray for the leaders in CRCSL, asking that God would take control of their
plans and their lives in order to grow His kingdom here in Sierra Leone.
Certainly, TLT was a huge success and a demonstration of God’s work being done
here in Sierra Leone. As partners, family, and friends, we ask that you
continue to join hands with us in prayers and support in order to continue the
work that has begun.
Please
stand with us regarding the following prayer points:
-That
the last TLT training in July would be successful and a glory to God
-The
graduation ceremony for the first set of TLT trainees, set to take place on July
5th 2013
-God’s
selection for the 2nd set of participants for training, set to begin
in February 2014
-Prayer
for the Leadership Training Coordinator, Rev. Ezekiel Sudu, and his family as
they travel home for service from July-August 2013
Thank
you, as always, for your support and prayers, and may God continue to use CRCSL
to bring hope to the people of Sierra Leone and shine light where the darkness
has tried to overcome!
Report compiled by Ms. Krissi Bucholtz
No comments:
Post a Comment