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A workshop with a worthy goal…
The Brunstad Christian Church Africa (BCC Africa) Workshop held in February was hosted by BCCSA at the Stephanopark Conference Centre, in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. A total of 90 members of BCC fellowships throughout Africa, namely, Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda attended the workshop. The vision for BCC fellowships in Africa is that they should become self-sustaining mission centres in order to fulfil Jesus Christ’s commission as recorded in the book of Matthew in the New Testament of the Bible: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations … teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20.)
The purpose of the workshop was to ensure that everyone attending has the same understanding of what it means and what it takes to become a self-sustaining mission centre in Africa. As Christians, using the gospel as a foundation should be part of everyday life and not just on Sundays. The gospel then becomes a living tool in all facets of life… at work, in the home, when working together on projects and socially; it actually becomes a way of life – “a life in Christ.”
The theme of the
workshop was: “Sustainable Mission
Centres where the gospel is lived in practical life.”
The desired outcome for all attending the workshop was to gain an understanding of the vision for mission centres; the reason for this vision; what people should experience at a mission centre; how each member can contribute to the vision; how to access edifying reading and viewing material via BrunstadTV, BCC websites and other BCC applications; and to understand that voluntary work is fundamental for BCC fellowships to be stewards of self-sustaining mission centres
During the four-day workshop, several working sessions were held with the representatives of the individual fellowships regarding their own church operations. Participants were made aware of the importance of the mission centres being self-sustainable in terms of operations and maintenance and that there should be no dependence on any other sources of income from countries or organisations in Europe etc.
In order to better equip the fellowships to become self-sustaining, workshops were held for bookkeepers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the importance of accurate record keeping. Live production and recording workshops were held to enable the different fellowships to participate live in online BCC international church services. Participants were also introduced to the digital mission platform – BCC has an extensive digital library available on apps, websites and its own TV channel (BrunstadTV). The aim of this particular workshop was for participants to become familiar with accessing what is available and share this knowledge with members of their fellowships back in their home countries, thus enabling all members to benefit from these resources.
In the evenings participants had fellowship with the South African members of BCC. A lunch outing concluded the workshop, however, participants stayed on in South Africa for the BCC Africa Conference that was held over the weekend directly after the workshop.
Feedback from some of the participants at the workshop:
Beauty Mkundika (Lilongwe, Malawi):
“I am very thankful for the BCC Africa Workshop and really learned a lot. The BrunstadTV Box will bring edifying programs into the homes of BCC members – there is a lot for young and old to watch and listen to and more especially the children will be exposed to programs with good values and content so that they can drink of the Spirit of God at an early age.“
Johanes Thobias (Tanzania):
“During the workshop I learned how to access three very helpful things for my life – the BrunstadTV Box, Brunstad Multi Media (BMM) and ActiveChristianity. I will be able to watch live meetings and listen to songs without needing the internet.”
Joel Tafo (Douala, Cameroon):
“I will make good use of the tools made available to us such as BrunstadTV, BMM and ActiveChristianity.“
Daniel Takoundjou (Yaoundé, Cameroon):
“The workshop was very well organised. The different topics dealt with are of great importance, first for my development as a disciple of Jesus Christ and then for the practical work in the Yaoundé fellowship. There was a strong spirit of fellowship among the participants from all the countries present. I learned how to use the various tools such as BMM, BrunstadTV and ActiveChristianity, made available by BCC Africa for mission centres in Africa.”
Amandine Kabeya (DRC):
“It was a really blessed time to be together with the other members of the BCC fellowships in Africa after such a long time. At the workshop I learned more about the applications I usually use such as BrunstadTV, BMM and ActiveChristianity, which is a big source of encouragement in my daily life. It was really clear in the workshop that I should take the verse in 1 Timothy 4:16 to heart.“
Byamugisha Gaspar (Uganda):
“It was a privilege to attend the workshop and the conference that followed. At the workshop is was excellent that young and old learned together. In the practical lessons I learned how to download BCC programs and listen to them without needing the internet. It was great because it taught me how to do more with less money!“
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