Living lives that honour God is now Grace & Light’s main focus during church visits, replacing HIV/AIDS testing.
This reality struck international coordinator Tassie Ghata during a Sunday service vision sharing visit to COCIN’s headquarters church in Jos in early December.
At the end of the service more than 300 people rededicated their lives to God and chose to be counselled on social righteousness issues, while very few chose to be tested. This is because reliable testing is now readily available via health community services.
“We encountered the social righteousness issues we see across Christian churches,” said Tassie. “People not understanding how to live lives that honour God, believing it is okay to follow corrupt business behaviours, bullying and abusing others, having an outer show of respectability but no relationship with Christ.
Now the church leaders and congregation understand Grace & Light really well and see social righteousness and Christian lifestyle very differently.”
Seven volunteer teams have been active between August and December 2021. Between them the Jos, Yola, Gombe, Lafia, Mangu, Hong and Jalingo teams visited 28 local churches..
In total these teams shared the gospel of social righteousness with 10,376 people and tested 1,969 for HIV/ AIDS. Six people tested positive and are receiving ongoing support and care.
Of those who tested 1,167 people (59%) were open with their status and 240 chose to join life sharing accountancy groups in their churches, 1,200 people rededicated their lives to Christ and another 179 made first commitments. Just 62 people chose to keep their results confidential.
Prayer Requests
Please pray for:
- Church leaders to welcome volunteer teams into their Sunday services
- Congregations to listen, understand and commit to our call to live lives honouring God
- Active volunteer teams to visit churches for vision sharing at least once per month
- Volunteer teams struggling to visit churches in Biu, Damaturu, Potiskum, Bauchi and Michika because of unrest and violence.
