The New Year Looks ... New!!

It seems I barely have time these days to sit and write a proper blog entry. In fact, I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a quick trip to Kumba. My plan is to spend two days with Pastor Solomon Mbwoge, talking about the progress of the churches in the Southwest Province.

Before I hit the road, I want to share the news of the Mission for the coming new year. Very soon, the Mission will be moving to a new location. Thanks to our partnership with Dr. Wilfred Mbacham (mentioned in previous blogs) and the Fobang Foundation, we have been offered space in his new office building, which is being completed very soon in the Simbok quarter of Yaounde.

Perhaps I err in referring to this space as simply an "office building" -- in reality, the building will not only house Fobang Foundation offices, but also a public health community radio station, and a ministry for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The building also has a large hall with balcony, for public gatherings. Dr. Mbacham has offered us this space on Sunday mornings, so Pastor Simeon Nomo and I are making plans to start a new Anglophone congregation there. Tentatively, the church will be called "Gateway UMC."

We'll also have a new person in the Mission Office, starting January 1st. Thanks to a grant that Dr. Catherine Akale found for us through the Women's Division, we have funds to staff a Women's Desk position for the next three years. And we have hired Pastor Rosalie Nzie to take that position.

Rosalie is currently serving as a co-pastor of John Wesley UMC, Yaounde. But at the beginning of the year, she will leave John Wesley for the Mission, to oversee the growth and development of United Methodist Women in Cameroon. She will also serve as our Prison Liasion at Central Prison, Yaounde.

These are both great new opportunities for the Mission, and I can't wait to share with you the progress we'll make in the coming months. Keep up the prayers!