"... my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9)
For the past five years, since the political coup that took place in December, 1999, C??te d???Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has known the darkest phase of its history.
In September 2002, the country fell into ever-increasing chaos, following another attempted military coup that led to the secession of the state, with the north half remaining under rebel control.
As much as the country has been agonizing, the church has also paid a huge price since the beginning of this crisis:
- The church in Bouak?? (an important city now under rebel control) had to be resettled in Abidjan; the Abidjan church has welcomed about 100 disciples who lost everything in Bouak?? during the war. Some Christians had to walk hundreds of miles from Bouak?? to other cities in order to escape the threat of physical assault or even death imposed by the rebels.
- Many disciples in the Abidjan church have lost their employment. Over 500 companies and institutions have moved to other countries or even closed their doors, leaving thousands of Ivorians unemployed.
- Due to the increasing cost of living, poverty is deepening, life conditions are worsening, many families suffer from a lack of proper nutrition and healthcare, and many children are now unschooled.
Nevertheless, the Spirit of God has worked in powerful ways in the church. We have decided since the beginning of it all to rely on His power that would be made perfect in our weakness. And we have seen miracles!
- The church went from 1500 members in the year 2000 to 2150 members in 2005; the campus itself went from 120 to almost 450 in the past five years.
- The year 2005 was decreed a year of fasting and prayer to help the church remain focused on Jesus and his strength; the church is divided into 13 sectors and each sector had a month of fasting and prayer from January 2005 to January 2006.
- During the months of August and September, the sisters, the staff, the brothers and the students went on a series of retreats in a city two hours away from Abidjan for three days of intense fasting and prayer each time.
- Last year, the campus ministry saw 124 people added to God???s Kingdom; and the church welcomed 431 newly-baptized disciples in total.
- Two new churches were established: one in Kara, Togo on December 4, 2005 with 65 people in attendance for the first service; and the other in Grand-Lahou, C??te d???Ivoire with 105 people in attendance for their first service on January 15, 2006! These two new churches are being financed by individual disciples who sacrificed for the dream of seeing their own home towns evangelized and transformed to God???s glory. The church in Kara was financed by an awesome brother, Angama Michel, who is in the Miami church in Florida.
May all the glory be given to God whose strength and power is made perfect through our weakness.
The year 2006 began with a lot of trouble in the country. The political turmoil is ongoing. The sound of gunshots was loud right after the New Year's feasts. Two military bases were attacked. This led to a severe response on the part of the army and several people died. Since Monday, January 16, Abidjan is practically paralyzed due to the socio-political upheavals.
All these events are adding stress to the already very difficult life conditions the disciples know! The church is out of breath and out of resources; it really needs help and support.
I greatly hesitated before giving in to the pressure of asking for help. The church has been courageous and generous up to now, but truth be told, we do not have the means to meet all the needs that the church is facing.
I am asking for help! We would be very grateful for all volunteer gifts and donations that we could receive in order to ease the suffering of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thank you so much in advance for your unfailing generosity. May God bless you!
We can be reached at:
The church office: (225) 22421100
The church administrator: (225) 07995704
The church leader, Blaise Feumba: (225) 05058818
The church e-mail addresses: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The bank account details are as follows:
Church name / Account name: Eglise Du Christ Internationale De Cote D' IvoireBank name: Standard Chartered Bank
Account number: 0100101105400
Church address: 06 BP 6600 Abidjan 06 C??te d???Ivoire
Bank Swift/BIC: SCBLCIAB
CHIPS/UID: 397155Bank address: 23 Boulevard de la Republique, Abidjan, C??te d???Ivoire
Bank telephone: (225) 20303200