Can you imagine immigrating from Central America to Europe? Because of growing violence among youth in El Salvador, immigrating to Spain is exactly...
Heartbeat
The monthly newsletter of Free Methodist World Missions
Obedient to the Call
When forced to leave their home in the Congo, many Free Methodists landed in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania.The Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania...
Surprised by the Spirit
There is a “go” in the gospel; there is a call to the church to go and take what we have received and pass it on to all people of every age and every nation. “Be my witnesses” — declare what you have seen, heard and experienced. Tell everyone everywhere what the Lord has done. Go and invite all people to come, taste and see that the Lord is good. He can indeed make a real and eternal difference in every person’s life.
“Go” has been our story. Twenty years ago, we left the shores of Gran Canaria, Spain, and arrived in the U.K., not knowing the Lord’s plans for us. We quickly fell in love with the Free Methodist Church and its work in the U.K. and Ireland. We became part of a beautiful global family that has taught us so much. Outstanding leaders have shaped our lives in many ways and given us a deeper love for the church of Jesus and global missions.
Amazing, Isn’t It!
The Free Methodist Church now has work in Sweden! In 2021, the Rev. Valentin Sikitoka launched the church and became the country leader of the Free Methodist Church in Sweden. Rev. Sikitoka is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Amazing, isn’t it— a church in Sweden planted by Congolese!
In August 2021, Area Director Josue Fajardo and I responded to an invitation from Rev. Sikitoka to come to Sweden to see how God is using the Free Methodist Church. We spent the first evening connecting with him and his family. We heard of his work in the Congo and throughout the region of East Africa. Rev. Sikitoka also shared about his time in Nyarugusu in Tanzania. Nyarugusu is one of the world’s largest refugee camps, with a population of about 132,000 (according to UNHCR). His talk of Nyarugusu caught me off guard. About six years ago, I visited Nyarugusu and found many Free Methodist churches meeting in the camp. Everyone had a heartbreaking story. But their stories demonstrated a faith rarely seen — one the Western church desperately needs.
Faithfulness and Blessing
After years of faithfulness in Hungary, we now see the Lord’s blessing. For many years, the Free Methodist Church (FMC) in Hungary has faithfully served congregations in both Budapest and Győr. The church has also been instrumental in bringing awareness of the dangers of human trafficking to the Hungarian public. Now we see the Lord blessing the work of missionaries (past and present) and our national leaders. Two new church plants, one in the city of Veszprém (near Lake Balaton) and the potential for a new group in Szigetvár (in the south of Hungary), are part of this blessing from God.
New Ministry in Albania
FMWM-Europe is pleased to announce the start of new work in Albania led by Algent and Erjona Bregu. The Bregus are appointed as community engagement coordinators. Algent works full time as a barber and engages his community through cycling, fishing and camping ministries. He has also participated in the Community Church Planting (CCP) training in Thessaloniki, Greece. Erjona is a certified primary school teacher. They plan to establish a learning center in Korça, where they will minister to children from needy families. This center will offer educational and social programs. Their passion is to help develop healthy children and families who will become mature and effective witnesses for Jesus Christ in their community.
Sharing God’s Love from Europe to Africa
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea off the western coast of Central Africa. It is a Portuguese-speaking nation. In 2018, the Free Methodist Church in Portugal sent Moisés and Jacione Souza as missionaries. There are now two Free Methodist churches in São Tomé.
My husband, Camilo, and I are currently serving in Spain, but in June of this year, we traveled to São Tomé and Príncipe. Upon arriving in the country, we could feel the hot, humid weather welcoming us to the island. We were hosted by the Souza family: Moisés, Jacione, and their two girls, Filipa and Giovanna. The Souzas are doing excellent work. During our stay, they shared their story of God’s calling from Portugal to São Tomé. The call came from the words of Acts 16:9 – “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” It was beautiful to see how they know the community and are helping them in their needs, both spiritual and physical. Moisés walks through the streets greeting the people. He salutes everyone he knows, shows them a thumbs up and says, ”fish,” meaning good.
Establishing the Africa-Europe Church Network
Approximately 200,000 migrants from Africa have landed on European shores in the last three years alone. This number adds to the 7 million already living in Europe. The majority of these African immigrants will be granted asylum and seek a path to residency or citizenship. A few years ago, I met the Rev. Albert Delali at the annual conference for the U.K. and Ireland. Albert is from Ghana but has been living in the London area since 2002. He shared his journey and the testimony of how he arrived in the U.K. He also shared his passion for missions and desire to network with African immigrants in the U.K. and across Europe. Last year, we continued talking about how best to partner. Then the pandemic hit. The need to collaborate and strategize about reaching the African diaspora on the European continent became even more evident. As a result, the FMC-Europe and the FMC-U.K. have formed an alliance to address this strategically. Therefore, the birth of the Africa-Europe Church Network.
