Why Leaders of Integrity Are the Key to Transforming Africa

“ I committed my life to Christ when you prayed for me for the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation…I realised that I can have all the riches in the world, but if I don’t have Jesus in my life, what do I have?”

One of our workers in Red Hill squatters camp asked a young man named Asanda when he committed his life to the Lord. Asanda answered with the above.

Asanda is now helping lead a simple church in Red Hill. He has a way to go in his journey with the Lord, but he is responding to God's call to be a servant leader. And we are investing in his life, and the life of a dozen other men and women we are training to be leaders of integrity in Red Hill. It is a time consuming task, but we believe selecting, training and commissioning such leaders is the key to the future of Red Hill, and to all of Africa.

It has been eight months since the raging fire broke out in Red Hill and destroyed 78 shack homes. The focus of our work in Red Hill has now shifted from providing material relief to an emphasis on discipleship and leadership development. Why is this important? We have seen the beginnings of a movement taking place in Red Hill, a movement of simple churches multiplying and impacting the lives of others through sharing Jesus and disciple making. Red Hill is being transformed by the gospel. Small businesses have been started, garden plots have been dug, children are being care for, marriages are being healed and leaders are being trained. There is a long way to go, and there will be failures, we know that, but we will continue to sow the seed of the gospel, and disciple those with good soil hearts. We are believing for nothing less than a movement of transformational simple churches that multiply into a movement that spreads to other communities, all the way back to the Transkei and to other nations.

Africa needs men and women of integrity, servant leaders who find their significance in God's eyes, not who seek success in man's eyes. This is what we believe and this is what we impart in our leadership training. Africa will stand or fall on such leaders. We are finding them in the disadvantaged communities where we work and we are equipping them. We are finding them in the market place, in local churches and in the university campuses of Africa. We are preparing them to be leaders in their communities and in their nations. We emphasize character, integrity, and servanthood. We mentor people in the skills they need to be leaders who can change Africa.

Training African leaders is at the heart of our calling in Red Hill and other communities and cities in South Africa. But we need help if we are to carry out our calling. We cannot do it alone.

As I write this letter to you, we are trusting God for facilities for a trade school and leadership training program. We need a place to take the leaders we are training out of the noise and crime and busyness of the disadvantaged communities to go on retreats and for special training seminars and courses. We will start a trade school in January - and we start our next CPx leadership course in February, but we don't have a place to house the school. We need a home for All Nations.

We are getting closer to the goal of being able to buy a training center. People are responding and giving - for which we are incredibly grateful. But we still have a ways to go. Every gift will make a huge difference.

Please partner with us to train men and women of integrity for Africa, would you?

With gratitude,

Floyd