Chad (MNN) — Located in the center of Africa, Chad is home
to many diverse people groups who are about 50 percent Muslim. Of the people
groups, many are unreached with the Gospel of Christ and His message of hope.
TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission) has had missionaries
in the south of Chad for years. There is a strong Christian population there,
and TEAM has seen many nationals come to Christ.
However, in north and east Chad, the story is a little
different. In fact, the population is nearly 99 percent Muslim with almost no
known believers.
Senior director of TEAM, Ross McCordic, said TEAM is looking
to shift their focus to this new area of Chad.
"The current plan is to diminish our focus that we've had throughout
our entire history in Chad on the south, but really turn our effort towards the
north and east of Chad, which is where the high Muslim concentrations are,"
McCordic said.
In the north portion, in and around Am Timan, TEAM
missionaries have only been there since 2002. Last year, three of the team
members were killed in a car accident when a bus turned a corner wildly, went
out of control, and ran over the top of their vehicle.
"That was a real blow to the workers who were there, but the
response that came back from the community where they had been working was
huge," McCordic said. "It's even increased the openness to the Gospel there."
Now the team is rebuilding and wants to expand in
several areas. These areas include medical and agricultural workers.
In fact, the Chadian government has asked TEAM to put a medical
team in place, knowing fully the team would be presenting Christ as well.
Currently, there is a medical couple raising support to come
to Chad. However, they need more people to join them.
"This would not just be western missionaries doing the work
of evangelism, but also Chadians from the south who have a real heart to be
a witness to the Muslims in the northern part of their country and to be trained in
medical evangelism," McCordic said. Individuals are needed to
make up the team.
In addition to TEAM reaching out to the diverse people
groups of Chad, Darfur refugees from Sudan have been pouring in to the region.
McCordic said they are asking themselves what their response should be to the
refugees.
Please pray for this new initiative in Chad as the team
looks to rebuild and expand. Pray also for the team and for God to provide them
with the wisdom to minister to the Darfur refugees.
If you would like more information on TEAM and their
ministries in Chad and around the world, visit their Web site. You can also
obtain information on how to get involved in Chad or another
area.
