Update from West Africa
I was able to visit our ministries in Ghana and Togo in September so in this month’s CIM’s Ministry Newsletter, I will share about the trip and give some updates on the ministry there.
It was a very busy two and a half weeks as I visited the Evangelical Church of Ghana leaders, the Eglise de la Grace en Christ leaders in Togo, as well as all 9 of CIM’s supported church pastors and 3 missions schools coordinators. In most locations, I was only able to spend one night and because of the hectic schedule, some visits were limited to one hour or less. Even my visit to Atakpame, Togo was less than 24 hours. In meeting with the ECG leaders in Accra, Ghana, we signed a new grant agreement which went into effect on November 1, solidifying CIM’s partnership with ECG, and emphasizing our commitment to support and training of new church planters and the development of local churches to share the gospel in the rural areas of Ghana and beyond. This has been our vision since 2003 and it is exciting to see God at work in these areas. Currently all 9 of our supported pastors have more than 1 preaching point. In the remote area of Gmanjere, Pastor Caleb has over 20 preaching points. More and more people are coming to the Lord because of the hard work of these pastors.
(With Pastor KK Maxell, ECG’s general overseer)
The three missions schools that we are supporting have been effective in not only teaching the essential core subjects like mathematics and English but have been instrumental in sharing the gospel to the children. The vision of the CIM has always been to share the story of Jesus Christ with the students. There are many Muslim students who attend the schools and it is also an opportunity for them to get to know Jesus. However, the schools also have many struggles. Because of the remoteness of some of these schools, especially Suburini, poverty is a major problem for those living in the area. Many parents cannot even afford 10 cedis (85 cents CAD) per month for tuition for the students. If not for donors to CIM, these schools would not be in existence. All three school coordinators thanked CIM for our commitment to the schools. We continue to seek new donors to help in sharing the gospel to the students.
Click on the link to watch a video from the school coordinators.
In Togo, I shared a meal with the EGCT leaders, and discussed how we can move forward in our partnership with the departure of Pastor Matthieu Ayena from CIM earlier this year. Our goal is still to continue to share the gospel in this country and to develop pastors. Though my time in Atakpame was short, it was wonderful to reconnect with EGCT and start brainstorming what the next steps are.
(With the leaders of EGCT in Atakpame, Togo)
My overall perception of the trip is that despite the challenges that the pastors and teachers are enduring, they are faithful in the work for the Lord. Over the last few years inflation and drought have really hurt everyone in Western Africa. One of our supported pastors has not had electricity for over a year because he could not afford to pay the bill. Most have problems paying their rent and all have to depend on farming to help feed their families. Because of the severe drought this year, this has also been very difficult. Some of the pastors have requested donations for farming equipment. Health issues also are a concern. One suffered a stroke this year and is currently recovering. Three of the pastors are approaching retirement in the next few years, but through it all they are very faithful in serving the Lord despite the circumstances which is very uplifting and encouraging for me.
Click on the link to watch some of our supported Ghana ministries during the September visit:
Of course, another big highlight of the trip was spending time with our International Worker Janice and her family. Janice planned the entire trip, Enoch drove me to all the locations in Ghana, and I loved spending time with Baby Lucy.
(With the Jabab family)
I will finish off this newsletter by giving Rev. KK Maxwell the last word in this video:
Once again thank you for all the prayer support during the trip. To view all other videos and interviews from the trip, you may subscribe to our YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/@cimcanada1148
We also have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/cimcanada/
To read our International Worker Janice’s blogs.
https://www.cimcanada.org/janice-ministry-updates
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director for CIM Ministries
Olivia Luong, writes her final article in a series to bring awareness to simple estate planning to CIM donors. The goal is that donors will consider some or all of the strategies in addition to their regular giving.
USE OF A PUBLIC FOUNDATION TO FACILITATE GIVING
There are many public foundations which facilitate giving. For a very modest fee, the foundation will set up a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), make donations according to the donor’s letter of intent, and issue one receipt. One can use such a foundation for lifetime ongoing giving or just the final giving as outlined in the Will.
There are several advantages to using a public foundation:
Streamlining the responsibility of the estate trustee. The estate trustee can write one cheque to the foundation, and receive one donation receipt. The foundation will distribute the money to multiple charities according to the letter of intent on file.
The taxpayer’s privacy is kept confidential as the names of the charities are not disclosed in the Will. Only the foundation is named. Other beneficiaries in the Will as well as the public have no access to the information.
There is cost saving in not having to make a change to the Will simply because the taxpayer wishes to add/replace/remove any charities. The changes are updated through filing a new letter of intent with the foundation. On the other hand, changes to the Will may necessitate a new Will which may cost several hundred dollars.
The foundation can handle money from a variety of sources: bank accounts, stocks, life insurance proceeds, registered and non-registered accounts. One low fee covered it all.
Where do I go about finding more information?
Denomination head offices (e.g. Baptist General Conference, The Alliance Canada Foundation)
Christian public foundations such as Abundance Canada, Canadian National Christian Foundation
Most banks have a public foundation for their clients
Please do your own research regarding service fees charged by public foundations.
While you are thinking about donations, remember CIM in your giving.
October Financials 2024
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. The invasion rages on and innocent lives are lost each day. Pray for House of Mercy as they take care of refugees, physically and spiritually. The war has intensified as Ukraine has invaded Russia for several months now. North Korea has also started supporting Russia by sending soldiers to fight against Ukraine. As winter settles in, pray for those that will be severely affected by attacks on the power grid.
Pray for guidance and direction for our next steps for our Roma Ministry. After attending the Roma Network Conference and subsequent visits to Roma communities, we have been presented with different opportunities especially in North Macedonia and Serbia. Our goal is to start sending teams in 2025.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that we support in Ghana. Inflation is still greatly affecting their lives. Pray for wisdom to know how to empower church members to support their churches in these economically challenging times. Pray for peace as there is a national election on December 7. Pray for rain for the farmers who are greatly affected by climate change.
Pray for Janice in Ghana as she continues with her ministry after her maternity leave. Pray that she can find balance between her work with CIM, schooling and caring for Lucy. Pray for the process of obtaining an indefinite residence permit.
Pray for the finances of CIM Ministries. Pray for new donors and a healthy general fund to run our ministries. In order to run our ministries effectively, we are currently seeking monthly donors. Due to the current postal strike in Canada, we encourage donors to use e-transfer or through Canada Helps until after the strike. Click here to donate.
Pray for CIM USA as they are still looking for an Executive Director and Director of Ministry.