Rwanda is a country deeply scarred by a movement of genocide that just seventeen years ago killed over one million people in one hundred days. Neighbor turned against neighbor and family member against family member.
In the midst of this horror, how can there be true reconciliation when trust and forgiveness is still not easily granted? As political reform, economic improvements, military might, and educational advancement fall short, church leaders have come together as partners to draw people to Christ.
In fellowship with Cape Town 2010, the Huye Rwanda Mission for Jesus, one of twenty-one Mission Africa evangelistic events conducted across Africa, was the largest mission organized in the city since the 1994 genocide. Working together as partners, pastors stated that the God-given results of the outreach far exceeded their expectations, much like that promised in Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
African Enterprise Rwanda partnered with international evangelist Sammy Wanyonyi to mobilize thirty-five area churches to reach more than twenty-five thousand unchurched people in the community. In total, nearly fifty thousand people (including churched people) attended over eighty events organized in stadiums, open-air sites, Jesus film screenings, churches, evangelistic conferences, universities and schools, leader’s dinners, and prisons.
More than ten thousand individuals made commitments to Christ during the campaign and each had a personal story. For twenty years, “Feza” had been angry, aggressive, and filled with bitterness.
She came to the open-air preaching sessions with the intent to disturb the mission. Instead, she listened to the message of the love of Christ and publically committed her life to Christ. The rage and bitterness was immediately removed. She is growing in her relationship with Christ and has become a testimony of his forgiveness to the entire community.
Witchcraft has had a strong grip on the spiritual climate of the entire region. In the eastern part of the city, more than five well-known witches came to Jesus during the outreach, confessed him as their Lord and Savior, and are now taking discipleship courses in local churches.
While full reconciliation from the deep scars of the genocide will take years to heal, Huye Rwanda has taken major steps forward in that process. Partnerships of local churches and international ministry teams working together have pointed the community to the only way to heal…through Christ.
The “power of partnership” demonstrated was reported at Cape Town 2010 as an encouragement and challenge for ministries to join in a partnership ministry to conduct evangelistic campaigns with ministries from other parts of the world. Over one hundred ministries from forty-three countries committed to exploring a partnership with a different ministry. To inquire about how you can join in this ministry “matchmaking” process, email s.chibambo@aeint.org or info@goodwordpartnership.org.