TOGO FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS
(GBUST)
Activity-Report
(March- April 2007)
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We haven’t sent you the activity report of the last month because of the preparation of our annual congress which had been planned to start on the 31st of March. Please, excuse us.
This present letter will give you a report of our activities during March and April.
As we have said it above, March has been the last month for the preparation of our congress-camp. So, the Board of Directors of our movement was busy with preparing the end of its mandate and examining our status in order to prepare the different reports to be adopted by the general meeting.
The staff also was preparing the project of the triennial strategic plan intended to be submitted firstly to the Board of Directors and secondly to the meeting of the congress.
They had to prepare also the usual teachings of the camp.
In the other side, the organizational committee of the congress–camp was working on the final preparations in Dapaong.
Apart from their usual activities (Bible studies, prayer, evangelism …) all our students’ fellowships were concerned about the mobilization of the financial resources to participate in this national event of the year.
So, all our activities during the month of March were about the preparation of this past congress-camp.
As planned, the camp started on Saturday 31st of March at 4 pm in an Assemblies of God church in Dapaong. Pastors and men of God of the Savannah Region were present.
Some officials of the town, as the mayor who was representing the prefect were also present.
Private and public media as the national television were there to cover up the event.
The opening program consisted in some speeches.
The guest pastor, the representative of the pastors of the Savannah region, the president of the organizational committee of the congress-camp, the director of the camp, I (the General Secretary), and the mayor of the town gave one after another a speech to welcome the participants, to thank, to encourage, to set the camp in its real context, to present the movement to the meeting or to announce the solemn opening of the camp.
Marvellous hymns and an opening message had been given also. The message spoke of the general topic of the camp: "On the path of Daniel and his friends: the "NO" which makes the difference".
We must point out that the opening ceremony of the tenth congress –camp of our movement has been a real success. Almost all our guests were present. It was a touching spectacle to see pastors from different denominations seated side by side.
The following day, we went by delegation in several churches of the town. Four (04) of them gave us the floor for the preaching of that day. But we used this opportunity to present our ministry in order to create or consolidate our partnership with those churches.
In the afternoon of that day, in the framework of "Operation: the Good Samaritan", a delegation of our movement went in a centre taking care of people living with HIV to offer them clothes. This was an initiative of the students of the University of Lomé. The national Television came to cover up the program.
The rest of the activities of the camp took place in the centre of Jesus’ Ministry.
In addition to our traditional teaching on the identity of our movement, the program included four parts.
A biblical talk on Daniel 1 to 6 gave by the missionary Antonin AZOTI of Wycliffe Togo. His approach of the biblical texts and his analysis and actualization of the book of Daniel helped us to rediscover the story of Daniel and his friends.
Workshops: We had three. One on the bible Study, one on the evangelism by friendship and the last one on the leadership in the students’ fellowships. Those workshops have been organised by two times and have given the same teachings to a renewed meeting.
"Youth and sex" has been a teaching gave in three sessions. The first was an exhortation with theoretical teachings on sex. The second was given in groups of same sex. The sisters could talk between themselves about their problems about sex. So did the brothers also. But brothers were divided in two groups: brothers under 17 years old and from 17 years old.
This second session was intended to help everyone to ask the real questions on the practical problems they are facing in matters of youth and sex in presence of elders who had to answer to the different questions.
This sharing has been highly appreciated by all and is continuing even now with a program in which we are trying to help people who have this kind of problem.
The third and last session of the teaching about Youth and Sex was on HIV/ SIDA and has been given by our SIDA Department. A sketch on HIV and a testimony of a woman leaving with HIV have been given. The public has been touched by the message.
The fourth and last part of the program was on two case studies. Real or imaginary problems of our students’ fellowships have been used to plan a conversation between imaginary actors to bring the participants to discuss about the subject.
A cultural party and a teaching on the theme of the progressive independence of the different regions covered by our ministry have been also an important part of the program of this camp. The camp closed on the 5th of April about 1 pm.
In the morning of 06th April, started the tenth congress of our movement. Thirty three (33) students’ fellowships out of forty nine of our movement were represented. This fitted the quorum of 2/3 that the status of our movement requires.
The work of the congress consisted essentially in the audition and adoption of the different reports (moral, activities, and finances) and of the triennial strategic plan.
For the very first time, a status has been adopted for the members. Some amendments have been also adopted. The meeting has also renewed the Board of Directors by vote.
The tenth congress-camp closed on Saturday 7th of April about 2 pm. The closing ceremony was sober than the opening one. Delegates came from Lomé, Tsévié, Sotouboua, Sokodé, Lama-Tessi, Bassar, Kara, Pagouda, Guérin-Kouka, Pogno, Dapaong, Cinkassé.
More than 200 people were present. Among them 214 have been registered. The others were the sympathisers of our movement in Dapaong.
We want to end this report by thanksgiving:
We thank the Lord:
For the success of the tenth congress-camp of our movement.
For the mobilization of our members through our country. We were expecting 150 participants. We get more than 200.
For the life of the members of the organizational committee, especially our brother Clément H. the president who sacrifices himself for the success of the congress.
For the life of the American missionary Greg YARIANS of Jesus’ Ministry who accepted to be used by the Lord for the success of this congress-camp. Not only has he given us his centre free of charge, but he has also contributed financially. For example in helping us to pay the food.
For the life of the principal speaker of the camp, the missionary AZOTI Antonin who has interrupted all his activities and let his family to be with us in Dapaong.
For the leading committee of the camp which endured all the difficulties during the camp.
For all the donors who contributed to the success of the camp.
For all the participants of this congress- camp and all those who gave their time and strength to contribute to the progress of the work of God.
Thanks to all those to whom this report is sent to and who are a permanent support for us in the ministry.
May God bless you.
Lomé, May 04th 2007
The General Secretary
Jacques Toko.
