Sabbath 18/4/31/120

Dear Friends,

The purpose of this message is to detail some basic procedures for the African Churches. Many people who come to us in Africa are seeking to make money. Some can be trusted, many cannot. This message is to be handed to every person in the churches in Africa. The numbers involved in East Africa might necessitate that they read it and pass it on.

Since the fall of the Colonial Era in Africa the situation has changed somewhat. East Africa for example became entirely British after WWI. German East Africa, which was based in Tanganyika was ceded to Britain. The Moravian missionaries in Tanganyika continued and the Lutherans also extended into South Africa with the Anglicans and Catholics.

My wife Erica was raised in East Africa. She went there as a child at the end of WWII. My father-in-law was a ship’s captain based out of Kisumu on Lake Victoria. He went there after his stint in the RAF in Bomber Command as a Navigator in Lancaster bombers and an instructor. Ship’s captains were highly trained navigators and they were sorely needed in the RAF for night bombing especially. He returned to shipping at war’s end. The other lakes also had captains that had smaller runs and so they changed over to give each other a break.

My wife was raised in the Mau Mau crisis. They had Mau Mau drills at school as well as Fire drills. My wife was on board the ship at the wharf in the Congo the day before the revolution broke out there. She was on the bridge when her dad had to pull away from the wharf to prevent the ship from simply sinking through sheer weight of panic stricken refugees. They kept trying to jump from the wharf to the ship and fell short in the water. It was chaos. The next day the killing began.

Many people in French speaking Central Africa had to come to Nairobi and they were housed in Kenya Girls High School and elsewhere and the children were sent home.

During the entire time these major churches tried to baptise the Africans and used various forms of bribery to get them to baptism rallies. Many people got baptised numerous times simply to get what was being handed out by the Catholics and the Anglicans or the Presbyterians or the Adventists and so on.

After the granting of independence and the colonial era the churches became involved in intrigue and their native leaders used the power of the churches for their own gain. They engaged in tribalism and playing one group off against another. This unprincipled behaviour reached its final culmination in the holocaust in Rwanda. The bishops both Catholic and Anglican and the Adventists elders compiled lists of the Tutsi and gave them to the killing squads and the nuns helped carry the jerry cans of petrol for the Hutu killing squads to burn down the buildings that the Tutsi had taken refuge. Some of the nuns are in prison and some of the bishops were tried and imprisoned. One of the bishops was arrested the week I was in Kigali.

The reason I raise this issue is because the problems and conflicts were encouraged by the churches, for political reasons, and some of it had a religious basis.

I was in Kenya speaking with a tribal group near Lake Victoria and I had mentioned my family‘s connection to Nyanza and the fact that my wife’s nurse was a Luo and taught her to speak basic KiSwahili before she could speak English. They seemed to be offended that I was perceived to be pro-Luo because my wife’s nurse was a Luo from 1945 onwards. That was over sixty years ago. Now this sort of tribalism has no place in the Christian Churches of God. We expect that each one of us will lay down their lives for each other no matter what their tribe or nationality or colour. We are to help each other. We are brothers. Our task is to spread the gospel of the Kingdom of God throughout the world and then the end can come.

This problem of baptism for reward was made much worse when the missionaries came from the US. It happened in India as well. I shall term it “rent a crowd.”

I first saw it in India when I addressed a large crowd of people. It was obvious that half of them were Hindus. They had simply turned up for the free feed that it turned out that I was to pay for. I stopped that immediately and it was amazing how the crowd soon thinned down to dedicated people who wanted to listen to what I had to say.

I saw the same thing in Africa. People turned up for free feeds. I turned that off and a lot went home. The ones who stayed were sincere.

The problem arises because US “missionaries” come to get a crowd and baptise a series of the people, take some photos and take the photos back to the US as proof that the “Fat Cats” in the US are doing something. They then donate to the “Missionaries” who fill their pockets with the proceeds. This has made genuine evangelism in the Churches of God a very serious problem.

Each person in CCG is to realise that we don’t get paid to do what we do on Sabbath. I don’t get paid. I am entitled to a modest allowance, which I have never taken and only when travelling have I taken some expense allowance. The same goes for the ministry that has accompanied me in Africa and elsewhere. The church throughout the world is a dedicated group committed to preaching the word of God and takes no funds for doing that. Some of us need help with fares and accommodation and so we are assisted but some ministers and officers do not even do that.

Each of the people in CCG in Africa and elsewhere is required to tithe to the church no matter how small that tithe is. Nor are they to go before God empty handed in the three feast seasons. We can assist for translations. All effort by every church is to go into translations and audio for the children’s lessons first and then the adult papers where possible. If the Statement of Beliefs is not in your language then translate it and get it proof read and send it to the secretaries for placement on the web in that language site.

All churches in East Africa are to concentrate on KiSwahili and we want that language completed in the next year or so. All churches are to cooperate and concentrate on that language. The women can help by doing the Children’s Bible Studies in their local language as well as KiSwahili. However, KiSwahili is the priority. That will assist the children in their education also. West Africa can concentrate on their local dialects also.

The coordinators in Kenya and in Tanzania are to cooperate in KiSwahili translations and make sure that there is no overlap. Kenya is to proof Tanzanian translation and Tanzania is to proof Kenyan translations. Uganda is to assist Kenya and Rwanda and Burundi are to work in the local dialects and assist Kenya and Tanzania in KiSwahili where possible. The Congo is to do what it can and inform the Coordinators in East Africa and the secretaries.

Each church must consolidate its own position. Do not ask for money from us for building materials or whatever. Each nation is responsible for its own building programs so don’t expect us to assist. The aim is translation and more translation. If your aim is to make money out of CCG then go home now.

Each of you are organised into your local churches and the coordinators will contact you if you are not. Most of you are in organised churches. Those that are in family groups will be allocated to the nearest church group to you. Obey your coordinators and coordinators cooperate with all other coordinators both nationally and internationally.

Remember ours is the work of God and our meat is to do His will and finish His work. The conversion of the entire continent is in the hands of our people there. Do all you can with all your might.

Wade Cox

Coordinator General