KIDNAPPERS,ASSASSINS, AND A WONDERFUL NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN

In previous emails, I have told you about Dr. Sunday Agang of Nigeria. His family was so poor that he could not start school until he was 17. But he did an MDiv with me at Palmer Seminary and then a PhD at Fuller. For about 15 years, he has been back in Nigeria leading ECWA’s two major seminaries as Provost. (ECWA is a large 7 million member Evangelical denomination in West Africa and Dr. Agang is one of the 10 leaders of the denomination.)

 Sunday is doing fantastic work not only as Provost of the seminary in Jos but also writing important publications. He has edited the first text on African public theology which will be used across the continent.

For sometime, I have realized how dangerous Dr. Agang's situation actually is. Radical Fulani Muslims have been attacking rural Christian villages daily, destroying their crops and killing thousands of Christians. Sunday also told me about the regular kidnappings and the huge ransoms demanded.

But just a few weeks ago, Sunday sent me an email saying he was himself almost kidnapped. On January 4 this year, several people planned to kidnap Sunday. In God’s good grace, the police traced the kidnappers’ conversations and arrested three. One of them (who was to lead the kidnappers to Sunday’s house)  had done some work on Sunday’s house. Thank God that  in this case, Sunday was spared.

But that shows the danger Sunday Agang experiences every day – – the danger of being kidnapped or killed. But in spite of all of that, Dr. Agang remains there trusting in God’s protection and carrying on his important ministry.

And he continues  his work at the large ECWA seminary in Jos!  But the combination of Covid, a rapidly deteriorating Nigerian economy and destruction of crops by Fulani herdsman, means that many of his seminary students temporarily lack the funds to continue. Thank you, everyone, who has donated money to Sunday Agang’s ministry and  to the seminary at Jos(JETS).

You can write a check (tax-deductible) to Grace Fellowship Community Church and mail it to 3265 16th St., San Francisco, CA, 94103. Mark the envelope: Attention David Williams. In your cover letter,  say  that the money is for Dr. Sunday Agang’s ministries and Jos(JETS). Or you can donate by going  to https://www.gfccsf.org/donate.htm& Choose: “ ECWAJos(JETS). “

Some of you know that Grace Fellowship Community Church recently wanted to make sure that sending money given to the church for Dr. Agang in Nigeria met IRS regulations. They checked carefully and it does! And they are glad to continue sending on our gifts to Nigeria. To meet IRS regulations the church needs to say the following: “As a matter of honoring our tax exempt status,  we want to be explicit that GFCC will attempt to reasonably honor all contributions designated for a special fund, purpose or use as approved by its Session. However,  GFCC reserves all rights, title, interest and control of such contributions as well as full discretion as to the ultimate distribution of the donation to be sure that it will be used to carry out GFCC’s tax exempt purposes.” The IRS requires such language. But I am totally confident that Grace Fellowship Community Church will continue to welcome and forward gifts for Dr. Agang and Jos(JETS).

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