Aid to the Church in Need: Nigeria: Church growing in Islamic state

Nigeria: Church growing in Islamic state

Posted by Press Release on 4/9/2009, 5:44 pm
Board Administrator

ACN News, Thursday, 3rd September 2009 – NIGERIA

Church growing in Islamic state

By John Newton

A BISHOP in north-western Nigeria expressed his heartfelt thanks to a leading Catholic charity, describing how it is offering help at a crucial moment in the country’s struggle against extremism.

In response to challenges facing Christians in the region, Aid to the Church in Need, has announced that it will be giving nearly $230,000 over three years to help provide aid such as literacy classes, well digging, basic health care, and education for tribes in the region.

A bishop in the area said: “Without your aid these missions could not survive.”

ACN’s help has supported the missions of Karenbana, Shafashi, Bobi, Nsanji Nkoso, and Galadima in the north-west of the country.

According to the bishop local people are increasingly turning their back on tribal religions, and looking towards more global faiths.

The bishop said: “Our indigenous people are at a crossroads. In the next 10 years or so they will either embrace Christianity or Islam.

“Thank God a lot of people are turning to the Catholic Church as the gateway to God, and the gateway for progress in literacy, health, water, etc., because we cater for both body and soul.”

The bishop said: “I wish to express our deep gratitude to ACN, who are making it possible for the seeds of the Gospel to be planted… please thank your generous donors.

He added: “May all at ACN and all your generous donors share in the fruits of our missionary labours.”

Sunday school in Kontagora

The Church is leading the way with social programmes, including literacy courses, which take place during the January-April dry season, in order not to interrupt the farming cycle.

The bishop added: “As most of our indigenous people are still semi-nomadic and almost 80 percent illiterate, we place great importance on literary courses.”

Those who successfully complete three years’ study can go on to the courses at the Masuga Language Centre where they learn to lead prayer services, and teach Bible stories and the basics of the faith.

ACN’s Child’s Bible, God Speaks to His Children, in the native Hausa language is one of the materials used, and a New Testament and Psalms is in preparation in another local language, Kamberi.

A Church-organised well digging team provides its services to any communities who request it – not just the Catholic ones – teaching them the importance of looking after their well to avoid contamination of the water.

The bishop said: “By improving the quality of water we also improve the quality of health, as most of the common illnesses are water related.”

Health education is key to the mission’s work, and a Sister, who is a fully qualified nurse, goes around the villages educating mothers about the causes of common diseases.

The bishop stressed the importance of mothers in informing the whole community.

He said: “An African proverb says, ‘Educate a mother and you educate a whole family.’”

Inoculation against the common killer diseases in Africa is also carried out in the mission, and AIDS awareness and prevention classes run alongside literacy classes during the dry season.

The bishop expressed his hope that some of these missions will be split into parishes in the next 5-10 years.

He said that the Shafashi mission, which serves 118 Catholic communities, could already be divided in to two parishes, but due to a shortage of priests this will have to wait.

While there are plenty of priests in eastern and southern Nigeria, where the Church has had a presence at least for the last century, 80 percent of the communities in the north-west are less than a decade old.

He said: “Indigenous vocations are the fruit on the tree. Here we are only planting trees at present. Fruit will come in God’s time. Vocations are now staring to come in older parishes.”

In conclusion he thanked ACN for all its support for the work of the missions.

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Bishop Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 130 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 46.5 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information, please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org