New 5-year program is up and running in Uganda

The DNA Local Network in Africa, called Transforming Nations Alliance, has launched a dynamic Church-Based Community Transformation project in Uganda, and preliminary reports show that transformation is on its way.

Last week, leaders from about 20 local Ugandan churches came together for an initial training, and the power of unity was easy to see:

“I have been a church leader for many years, but I have never sat or participated with other church leaders from different denominations, especially from my village, in a training. I now strongly believe that if we work together as believers, the kingdom of God will be advanced faster.” -Ugandan pastor

Brief overview of the program

Over the next five years, the DNA in Africa will partner with 40 rural and urban (Kampala) churches, equipping them to become powerful, kingdom change-agents, using their own resources to bring hope, love and healing while addressing the most critical needs in their communities.

The program will walk leaders from these 40 churches through 10 training modules that expand on these three general areas:

1. Overcoming cultural lies with biblical truth → The program uniquely integrates a wholistic approach to ministry with an emphasis on worldview transformation that identifies and replaces satanic distortions—the root causes of poverty and brokenness—with biblical truth.
2. Wholistic community outreach → Trained churches will apply what they’ve learned by reaching out to their communities through “Seed Projects” that demonstrate God’s love in practical ways, using local resources.
3. Developing basic life skills → Church members will receive trainings on health, money management, marriage and family, evangelism, and discipleship–all from a distinctly biblical perspective. They will be equipped to demonstrate these things to other community members.

A Ugandan church leader outlines a potential Seed Project for his church

A tested model of community transformation

The Church-Based Community Transformation model builds upon an exciting program in Southeast Asia that, over the past several years, has seen unprecedented community improvements and truly miraculous moves of God. Starting with 30 local churches, the program has now grown to include more than 700 churches. As a result of the training, churches and their communities have experienced an array of measurable, positive changes, including increased income, improved health, higher-quality primary education, decreased community conflict, increased conversion rates, increased church attendance, and increased tithing. Click here to read one amazing story! All of this has taken place in areas where the church is oppressed. Today, government officials acknowledge the positive impact these churches have brought to their communities.

For more details on the DNA’s Church-Based Community Transformation program,
please e-mail info@disciplenations.org.

Vision Conference in Burundi Sparks Church-Led Community Development

 What tangible impact can words of truth have on a broken society? As the recent DNA Vision Conference in Rutana, Burundi showed, the words of Scripture can begin to bring about community transformation.

Burundi, in East Africa, is a poor nation known for witchcraft, sorcery, alcoholism, and HIV/AIDS.

In Burundi, about 65 percent of the population lives in poverty, and the life expectancy is only 54 years of age. Despite these unfavorable circumstances, the land is fertile and with over 60 percent of the people living in the rural areas, there is great potential for community development.

Christian organizations like the Disciple Nations Alliance and Harvest Foundation have organized Vision Conferences in Burundi to begin healing the brokenness. Through these conferences, indigenous trainers use the teachings of the Bible to train local pastors in wholistic transformation.

In 2005, the General Chaplain of the Burundi Police, Canon Onesime Nimbeshaho, attended his first DNA Vision Conference. Since then, his heart for wholistic ministry has led him to be involved in several training events and to head up the recent Vision Conference in Rutana. Forty-one participants attended this conference and, afterward, many said it was the most beneficial conference they had ever been to because it gave them practical, hands-on advice on how to bring healing to their nation.

“Other seminars give us theoretical knowledge, but this Vision Conference has touched theoretical and practical issues to help us to solve problems in our communities,” said Pastor Pontien Ribakare of the Anglican Church.

The Vision Conference encouraged the participants to put the teaching into action by doing Seed Projects in their local villages. A Seed Project is a small, church-initiated outreach that allows Christians to identify needs in their communities and practically help meet those needs using their own resources. The goal is for Seed Projects to become ongoing initiatives working to bring wholistic restoration.

Because of this conference, local Christians planned 11 new Seed Projects, including:

• Supporting orphans
• Visiting 200 prisoners and providing them with food, clothes, soap and shoes
• Visiting the sick in hospitals
• Feeding malnourished kids
• Cultivating lands for poor and elderly people
• Purchasing utensils for the elderly
• Building toilets for the elderly

As these Christians begin to practically show Christ’s love to their communities, pray for the restoration of the province of Rutana.

Pray that the Church would begin to make positive impacts in every area of society. Finally, the Pastors of Rutana are virtually illiterate when it comes to understanding the Bible, so pray that God would raise up more educated people to train the pastors and further this ministry.

“Praise ye the LORD!” ~ A testimony from Brazil

My name is Mary, and I’ve been part of Disciple Nations Alliance for just about six months, now. My favorite part of working with DNA is the privilege of being immersed in God’s amazing work. Every day, I get to talk with people who are being used by God to bring restoration and new life to their communities. It’s easy to see that the devil is active in our world, but we must not forget that it’s not an equal fight! God is always in control, and with his power, his Church is on the offensive — not the other way around.

Jesus said to his disciples,  “I tell you … on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

Here is one example of God working in the lives of people all over the world: In João Pessoa, the poorest and least evangelized part of Brazil, a Christian non-profit called Institute One27 is ushering in the Kingdom of God through a training and mentorship school for young adults and ensuing projects in the community. This video is sure to encourage you; watch it!

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.” Psalm 135:1

In the DR Congo, cleaning up streets opens the door for the gospel

From Brother Serge, serving the Lord in Kinshasa, the DR Congo’s capital and largest city

For some time, I have been concerned with the physical cleanliness of our community. The streets were lined with litter. Drains were clogged up so much that they became breeding grounds for malaria-spreading mosquitoes — these would claim many lives every day, especially among infants and children.

It was during a training by Harvest (a partner of DNA) that I was challenged to do something about this.

Every Saturday, I took steps to care for this environment where I live. Soon, many neighbors joined me….

Today, you will find a whole group of men, women and even children working together to improve their community. We call ourselves the Wholistic Discipleship Club for Community Transformation.

As a result, we have been invited by many churches to share about this ministry — God’s desire for us to be healthy not just spiritually, but also physically, stewarding our resources and serving each other together.