http://www.goodwordpartnership.org/

GoodWORD Partnership, PO Box 24104, Minneapolis, MN (2026)

06/04/2022

Earlier this week GoodWORD Partnership was on the ground in Monkey Bay, Malawi for an Evangelism Training Conference hosted by Rev. Francis Nkhoma at Gateway Transformation Centre. The three-day residential conference was attended by 166 participants from across the country, representing the major denominations. GoodWORD staff member Roy Kruse and our Rwandan partner Jean D’Amour Mpore led the sessions which involved discussion directed by questions in the manual which was translated into the major language of Chichewa and printed for the participants. We are grateful to all who support the ministry through prayer and finances enabling us to share in some of the less-visited parts of Africa and the world. Francis Nkhoma was introduced to GoodWORD by our friend Evangelist Henrik Ermlich from Germany in 2018 but plans were delayed by the pandemic until this week.

04/29/2022

A special time of connecting on Thursday at the GoodWORD office. Paul, who works with Blair in Russia but now lives in Charlotte NC, was in town and Roy and Kurt, who were recently in Guinea, joined Blair and Paul to meet, share, and plan. Paul first met Blair in Moscow in 1991 and Roy traveled with him in the late nineties but had not seen him since then. All part of the Partnership for the Kingdom. (L to R) Blair, Paul, Kurt, Roy

04/13/2022

Ministry Update from Guinea, West Africa:

As part of the recent multi-faceted three weeks of ministry in Guinea and through the generosity of ministry partners, GoodWORD was able to facilitate the purchase of a key piece of equipment for a rural clinic operated by our partner Daniel and his wife Edwidge. (They also operate a school for 200 children and pastor a church congregation on the same property).

As a trained midwife Edwidge has for several years provided maternity services in the area surrounding the town of Kouriya east of the capital Conakry and has delivered about 25 babies so far in 2022. She considers this part of the ministry God has called her too as a witness of God as the author of life and as the creator who loves those he has created.

In order to diagnose some of the complicated cases that she deals with in a timely way she has needed an ultrasound machine to help her best facilitate a birth that is safe for baby and mother. In the absence of an ultrasound she has had to refer her patients to the nearest hospital several miles away which on at least one occasion resulted in the loss of a child.

Last Friday, coincidentally after Edwidge had been up all night attending a birth, we were able to dedicate a new ultrasound machine purchased for the clinic, the only one available to serve the people of Kouriya and surrounding villages.

04/11/2022

Ministry Update from Conakry, Guinea, West Africa:

During the recent Evangelism Training Conference (April 5-7) team member Kurt Swanson continued our partnership with Prison Fellowship Guinea director Joel Laramou (see earlier post about prison ministry in several towns) and Evangelist and Musician Dhavant from Congo (Brazzaville) to minister to inmates at the main prison in Conakry.

Having obtained official permission for the visit from the authorities they loaded up a car with 900 loaves of bread, and cheese to go with them, and another car of packages of clothing. The prison is “home” to about 1800 inmates housed in very crowded conditions at several locations within the prison property and fed a very meager diet.

The team was able minister to the prisoners’ bodies and souls as they gave them food and clothing, and Dhavant sang and shared the Gospel to five different groups, including in the prison chapel, the only place photos were allowed to be taken.

The next day Kurt and Joel shared their experience with the conference participants as an example of the practical application of the material shared and discussed in the conference. In Guinea, as in many countries, prisoners are failed by the justice system and many without family or advocates outside the prison system are forgotten in their loneliness and deprivation. Prison Fellowship and other ministries seek to serve the forgotten and facilitate freedom of their bodies and souls.

04/09/2022

Guinea Ministry Update: Conference Wraps Up

The 3-day evangelism training conference in Conakry, Guinea organized by GoodWORD Partnership under the banner of Mission Africa ended on Thursday afternoon on a high note. The conference was attended by 225 participants from 28 denominations.

Upon registering each participant received a 52-page manual developed by GoodWORD which outlined every session and provided questions for discussion around tables and plenty of space for taking notes. Additionally, for ease of reference key Bible passages were also printed in the manual. Feedback from the participants was part of every session and many commented on how useful this format was compared to the traditional conference format.

During the three days the youngest member of our team, Evangelist Jean d’Amour Mpore who is the leader of Open Air Campaigners in Rwanda, shared useful and practical ideas for explaining the gospel to others. By popular demand he was asked to meet with over thirty Sunday School teachers in a special extra session on Friday to share how to effectively minister to children and youth, a key aspect of his ministry in Rwanda for a number of years.

We were blessed by the experience, teaching and leadership of African Enterprise Ghana Team Leader, Bernard Owusu Sachie on how churches can more effectively demonstrate and proclaim the love of Jesus in their communities and how churches can cooperate in Christian unity to proclaim the Gospel in their towns, cities, and regions. Seeds for a possible future city-wide evangelistic outreach were planted.

Team member Jean-Claude Chaffra from Côte d’Ivoire, an associate with African Enterprise, wore several hats as a skilled team interpreter between English and French, occasional worship leader, and session leader on the characteristics of a church that’s worth joining.

(See our previous post about our three team members from Congo (Brazzaville).

At the conclusion of the conference each participant received an attractive certificate recognizing their participation. One of the church leaders closed the conference with a prayer of commissioning as participants returned home.

Team members remain in Conakry for the weekend to participate in additional ministry (watch for the next update) before returning to their home countries early next week. Please pray for safe and smooth travel.

04/07/2022

Guinea Ministry Update:

When GoodWORD founder, Blair Carlson, was in Moscow preparing for a 1992 Mission at the Olympic Stadium a young university student from Congo (Brazzaville), Charles Koumba, showed up at the mission office volunteering to help in the preparations. Thirty years later Charles is part of the GWP team presently in Guinea to teach at the Evangelism Training Conference for church leaders being held in Conakry this week (see previous posts). Charles is accompanied by colleagues in ministry Evangelist Alphonse Boungou and musician evangelist Dhavant.

Charles returned to Congo (Brazzaville) from Russia in 1994 and has been active in evangelism and discipleship in the intervening years. He pastors a local church in Brazzaville.

In 2010 Blair and Charles renewed their friendship in Cape Town when Blair was directing the Lausanne III global congress on evangelism and Charles attended as a participant from Congo.

Subsequently over a three year period (2016-19) GoodWORD ministered with these men in three regions of Congo to train church leaders in evangelism and facilitate evangelistic outreaches. Now they are part of GoodWORD’s team to encourage the same among churches in Guinea through the conference. GoodWORD is delighted to be able to fulfill its purpose by facilitating this partnership of leaders among French-speaking African countries for the proclamation of the Gospel.

04/06/2022

Guinea Ministry Update:

The 3-day Evangelism Training Conference in Conakry, Guinea, West Africa, organized by GoodWORD under the banner of Mission Africa (a partnership of a number of ministries that began over ten years ago), got off to a wonderful start on Tuesday morning. Over 200 participants representing about 15 denominations have registered.

The conference is being held in the unfinished ground floor of a new church building. The participants are seated in table groups to enable effective Bible study and interaction in each session. They are a very diverse group of young and old, men and women, pastors and lay leaders, and Bible School students and Sunday School teachers.

Our team of teachers from Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, and the US is blessing the participants and being blessed by their interest and participation.

Temperatures are steady at around 85-90F (30-33C) with high humidity and fans are on full to give some cooling. Lunch of rice and fish/beef is being provided every day.

Please continue to pray for the conference, the teachers and participants.

04/04/2022

Update from Guinea, West Africa

PRISON MINISTRY
During the week of March 21 GoodWORD team member Kurt Swanson (a former missionary to Guinea 1994-2001) traveled with his friend Joel Laramo, the president of Prison Fellowship Guinea, about 400 miles and many hours across the country on very poor roads to minister to about 1,500 prisoners in the towns of Dubreka, Coyah, Kindia, Mamou, Dabola and Kankan. They received permission from the government to visit the prisons although the warden of each facility determined the conditions of each visit. In one prison all the inmates were brought out of their cells under guard for the ministry of sharing the Gospel and giving each prisoner a gift of protein rich food, clothing, and basic medicine. In other facilities prisoners remained in their cells but received the gifts either directly from the team or by way of the guards as the team watched.

In Kankan Kurt was especially encouraged to be able to visit a church pastored by a former prison inmate whom Kurt had befriended during his time as a missionary to Guinea.

Prison conditions are very severe with inmates spending little or no time outside of overcrowded cells. No matter what the reason for being incarcerated or the length of sentence prisoners have little hope of being released without advocacy from outside by families and others. GoodWORD Partnership and Prison Fellowship seek to provide the hope of Jesus Christ through word and action. The ministry to prisoners and the recent trip will be highlighted in the conference of church leaders this week to encourage churches to support this vital ministry. A further visit is planned for Wednesday to the main prison in Conakry which has about 1800 inmates.

Due to the severe conditions of the roads and cost of travel Prison Fellowship has limited opportunities to visit prisons in the towns outside the capital, Conakry so GoodWORD Partnership was delighted to be able to help facilitate and be part of this trip.

"I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’" (Matt 25:36)

04/01/2022

Greetings from Conakry, the capital of the west African country of Guinea where for next week Roy will be leading a ministry team facilitated by GoodWORD with our partners from four other African countries. The center point of the week’s ministry will be a three day evangelism training conference for church leaders next week April 5,6,7 at a local church. Other ministry will be held in prisons, with children, and at a rural medical clinic.

Our partner in Guinea is Pastor Daniel and his wife Edwidge who operate a rural Christian school of about 200 K-12 students largely from non-Christian families, as well as a medical and maternity clinic. Edwidge is a trained midwife.

Guinea is a country of about 12 million people, over 95% of whom are not Christian. It is a former French colony and thus French speaking. It contains large quantities of iron ore and almost half of the world’s know supply of bauxite, the ore that gives us aluminum.

Our partners have come from three other French-speaking countries (Rwanda, Congo-Brazzaville, and Côte d’Ivoire) and also Ghana to participate in teaching and outreach.

For Roy personally this is a return to the continent of his early life - born and raised in Zambia to British missionaries. Our team would value your prayers for effective ministry, good health, and safety as they drive the roads and fly the skies!

03/27/2022

After years of delay caused by epidemics and political unrest GWP is on the ground in Guinea, West Africa with several ministry events. Guinea is a French-speaking country of about twelve million with enormous natural resources. Christians make up about 5% of the population.
Our colleague and a former missionary to Guinea, Kurt, is there now visiting prisons in partnership with Prison Fellowship, Guinea. Food, clothing, toiletries, and basic medicines are being provided to prisoners in addition to spiritual nourishment. Pictured is ministry of food and clothing in Dabola Prison and Kurt with the warden at Mamou Prison.
Next week (April 5-7) GWP will facilitate a conference for 200+ church leaders in the capital Conakry and later an outreach to children and a medical outreach outside of Conakry. We appreciate your prayers for this ministry and will keep you informed of progress as we are able.

02/26/2022

As we lament over the situation in Ukraine, where we have ministered and have many friends, we share some suggested prayers from our friend Pete Grieg with Tearfund UK:

Father God, King of all nations, we cry out to you now for the people of Ukraine. We ask you to rescue those who are vulnerable from the hands of their enemies that they may live without fear before you all their days [Luke 1:74-75].

Lord of lords and Prince of peace, our politicians are predicting the biggest war in Europe since 1945, and we simply cry out to you urgently to write another story in our time. Thwart the dark machinations of evil men. Give wisdom beyond human wisdom to peacemakers seeking an equitable and less violent way. May politicians exercise the wisdom from above, which is peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, and full of mercy [James 3:17].

Holy Spirit, we pray for the church in Ukraine, a nation in which 70% of the population call themselves Christian. Give our many brothers and sisters in that nation courage in this crisis that they may proclaim the good news of your kingdom, bind up broken hearts, and bring comfort to all who mourn. [Isaiah 61:1-2].

You, Lord, make wars cease to the end of the earth; you break bows, shatter spears, and burn shields with fire [Psalm 46:9]. And so, we ask you now to save the lives of many people in Ukraine. Make a peace that is strong and not weak. De-escalate this crisis. We hear of wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6], but you Lord are our rock, our fortress and our deliverer. Our hope is in you. And so we address the nations now. In the name of Jesus, we say: “Be still and know God! He is exalted among the nations; he shall be exalted in the earth [Psalm 46:10].

Kyrie eleison – Lord have mercy.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Amen

01/28/2022

Today Blair and Roy connected via video with GWP's partners Charles and Alphonse in Congo-Brazzaville and Daniel in Guinea (Conakry) to discuss plans for an Evangelism Training Conference for Pastors and Church leaders in Guinea in April, conditions permitting. GWP has partnered with Congo for several events over the past five years and hope to use their experience to encourage Daniel and other leaders in the ministry in Guinea. Both countries are French-speaking which is a benefit to such a partnership. Thank you for your prayers

GoodWORD Partnership

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