When we asked our partner ODE who we should speak to about the impact of Tearfund support in Burkina Faso, they knew precisely who to contact; two pastors with inspiring stories to share. Theirs are real-time, early days tales of the journey towards local Christians uniting to deliver every day miracles to their neighbours.
Pastor Samuel Avanuro explained how two Tearfund packs – Mobilising the Church and Guide Our Steps – have changed their church:
“We now understand that the church is about people coming together. It has created a feeling of solidarity. We understand that the gospel is about making concrete changes in our environment. It has really motivated us. Each member must play a role in development within the church. We must put our faith into action.
“We are working in a very poor area where people suffer a lot. But if everyone does something to help, things can change. I didn't want to get involved in politics, but now I see that the church can be like a fire.”
Like Pastor Avanuro, Pastor Soudré Albert also attended a training workshop hosted by ODE where he also encountered the Tearfund packs. Having divided the church into groups to study the guides, Pastor Albert’s experiences have been equally positive:
“It has really given the members of the church a new vision – understanding that being a Christian is not just about believing and then going to heaven, but that as Christians we can change the world in which we live. After reading the guide we came up with the idea of creating a solidarity fund to help people in need in the church because the majority of people in the church are incredibly poor - they don't have any income.
“The women in the church have been able to form a group and they have signed an official agreement which enables them to approach other organisations to access loans so they can generate income.”
Encouraging the church to take action is at the heart of our vision for the future. Whether to combat food shortage caused by climate change or to provide training that allows people to build a more sustainable future for themselves, we believe that the church should be at the heart of the action.