AFRICA — The Assembly of God in Africa has an ambitious goal of 1 million churches by the year 2033. To help them reach their goal they’re partnering with Africa Tabernacle Evangelism, and supporters from around the world, to raise one church at a time.

Outside of Lusaka, Zambia, Assembly of God missionaries Tony and Kerry Ballard are hosting a team from Pueblo, Colorado. The team is here to build a tabernacle, a simple steel structure that will become the new home for a small but growing church plant.

Richie Perko – Pastor:

So as we work to partner to build, the physical church, we are building the body of Christ. Lord, we thank you for what you do when you bring your people together. Amen.

Africa Tabernacle Evangelism or ATE partners with local believers to provide places of worship.

Lipenga Banda – General Superintendent, Zambia AG:

So it’s the morning of the day one, everything is going great. We are on our fourth section of the tabernacle. We’re just kind of putting it into place.

Pastor Richie Perko is leading the Colorado team as they work side by side with local believers.

Lipenga:

A tabernacle will start to look like the church here, so we’re excited about that.

Richie:

Then once in a while, like in this case, we have a team from Colorado coming in to help. And this is what makes it exciting, because people can send their resources, but once they come on the ground, the synergy of the partnership makes a lot of difference.

Dave Ramos – Volunteer:

To be able to do it with people from Africa and just be alongside shoulder to shoulder learning from them. It’s been exciting for me when we’re in Christ, it brings a spirit of unity, whether we’ve known each other for years or we just met each other yesterday,

Kerri Ballard – Missionary, ATE:

Well, when I walked into their old church building. Um, it’s just a testimony to me actually that God will meet us anywhere. You know, God is everywhere and he is faithful to us regardless where we meet.

Trish Sorensen – Volunteer:

We have these beautiful buildings, these grand cathedrals. These people had nothing, dirt floors. They were sitting on logs and cinder blocks and they just worshipped with the joyfulness.

Kerri:

But with them having a new church building and the big tabernacle, it will help them more to reach their community and more people will actually come.

Zambian Church member:

She’s happy. She’s happy because the place is big. And she’s expecting a lot of people to join because of the new beauty.

Tony Ballard – Missionary, ATE:

So Africa Tabernacle Evangelism was developed to be a roof first system, all steel components, where we could keep all the buildings uniform and have a design that works well. It’s very strong, very secure, very safe. and then turning it over as a partnership to local churches to finish out what they already know how to do well.

Kerri:

So when we go on Tab Builds, the women, they always come together and they’ll bring all the food. And they’ll bring the pots and everything they need to prepare the meal from their homes. And then they make a makeshift kitchen right there at the Tab Build. And they prepare the meal for us and then we all enjoy it.

Madi Doverspike – Volunteer:

It just feels like we have known each other or we have like some sort of connection, even though I know they’re saying there’s no way this girl can relate to us, but I’m just so excited to go back and not worry about anything but who Jesus is in my life.

The goal of Africa Tabernacle Evangelism is a healthy church within walking distance of every African, and the church in Zambia is rising to the challenge.

Richie:

So each national church casts a vision. In particular, Zambia, we have cast a vision the next 10 years, we want to increase the local churches to 5, 000. Right now We are running at 250. Sometimes people say, how will you manage it? It’s not in our effort. God will help us push through. There is excitement when a tab like this comes. They’ll be excited to go and plant another church in the next village. So this is a game changer in terms of stabilizing a local church.

Tony:

When the church that has enabled them to get their church actually comes and stands on the same ground with them, works together with them as a true team, and really feels that sense of partnership, that sense of community, and it almost seems like it gives a sense of worth to the project because you’ve taken it so serious that not only have you funded it, but you’ve been willing to come and take part in it as well.

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