Goals and Schedule

Chowning Report – Benin, August 22, 2000

 

There are now twenty-five congregations among the Aja.  The Lord continues to amaze me.  His plans for these people are far greater than anything I could have imagined.   There have been more than 270 baptisms since mid-January.  Nine new congregations have been planted during that same period.  

 

Aja leaders are developing.  They are taking on more of the planting and maturation of churches.  They have met together to solve problems and bury the dead.

 

The cluster meetings continue to be a catalyst for growth and maturation.  Sunday July 23rd, approximately 300 Christians gathered at Bakonu.  They came from congregations all over Ajaland.  These cluster meetings continue to be used by God to strengthen his church.  

 

My personal goal is to plant four congregations this year.  Two have already been planted (Agbanate (BAH-nah-tey) and Kansouhoue (kahn-SUE-hwey)).  We are now working with a new preaching point in Senglita (sen-LEE-ta), a large village.   Two months ago leaders from Senglita stopped us as we were returning from a cluster meeting at Takpaciome (ta-PAW-chee-oh-may).  More than fifty people have attened each of the three meetings there. 

 

I know of at least three villages were Aja evangelists have preaching points.  It is exciting to see them take on more and more of the evangelism. 

 

Our present weekly schedule is:

Monday, we work on maturating the new congregation at Kansouhoue (kahn-SUE-hwey).  Tuesday, we work on the final stages of maturating the Badjame (BAH-jaw-may) congregation.  In October, Lord willing, we will no longer meeting regularly with them.  Thursday, we work on maturing the large, new congregation at Agbanate (BAH-nah-tey).  Friday, we have two maturation meetings.  One at Dadohwi (dah-DOH-hwee) and the other at Numovihoue (NU-mow-vee-hwey).  Sunday, we worship at one of congregations in the morning, then go to the preaching point at Senglita (sen-LEE-ta) in the evening.

 

Four morning each week, we continue to translate and edit translation of the scriptures with our language helper, Hilaire.  We work many more hours on our own, preparing lessons and translating scriptures.  Cyndi, Hilaire and I have completed translations of Mark, Acts, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.  Other members of the team have completed 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John.  So, we are half way through the translation of the New Testament.  Many other passages in the Old and New Testament have also been translated.

 

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for Cyndi.  She broke a part of her heel two weeks ago.  A local doctor told us it was not broken, but yesterday she had an x-ray at Lokossa and it revealed the break.  She will be in a cast for three weeks.
  2. The missionary personnel will be drastically reduced from September 1st to December.   Only the Vaughns, Jim Kennel and ourselves will be here.  The others will all be on furlough.  Pray for us and the churches.