Serve Long Term

SERVE LONG TERM

‘Go

into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’ Mark 16:15

WHO WE ARE:

Over 130 years ago, one man from Northern Ireland obeyed God’s call to serve Him in West Africa. Samuel Bill, a missionary from Belfast, founded Mission Africa in 1887 and since then, we have developed a rich legacy of pioneering missionary work across Africa. Originally known as the Qua Iboe Fellowship, many others have followed in the footsteps of Samuel Bill, transforming millions of lives. The work since the late 1800’s has expanded to include other parts of Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad and Kenya and is known today as Mission Africa.

Mission Africa’s ethos is to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people of Africa. It is at the core of all we do and shapes all our work. We are primarily a missionary sending agency and our priority is to send followers of Jesus who are able to train, equip and develop the local church and to help them share this Good News with those around them.

God’s work in Africa is far from finished and there are a wide range of opportunities to serve Him long term.

1887

Belfast man Samuel Bill travels to Nigeria

1931 Mission Africa work reaches Igala in the middle belt of Nigeria. Work begins in Burkina Faso DID

WHAT WE DO:

We are an established, faith-based mission with over 130 years of experience serving in Africa. One of our strengths is flexibility - many aspects of our long term placements are tailored to the gifts and calling of the individual. We do however, aim to prioritise our work into three core areas that we passionately believe will help the church to grow and strengthen. We will work with you to find a role within these areas that suits your skillset:

Our three areas are:

• Evangelism

• Theological Training

• Medical & Compassion

Evangelism

We are motivated by the urgent need to share the Good News of Jesus with those who have never heard. There are just over 1.4 billion people living in Africa today, yet over a quarter of them have never heard of Jesus. Mission Africa has always been dedicated to pioneering evangelism and this is still our highest priority today. At the most basic level, everything we do is evangelistic - sharing the Gospel either by word or deed.

There are numerous opportunities across all four countries to reach children, teenagers, adults and the elderly with the Christian message. If you have a passion for sharing God’s Word, we’d love to chat to you.

FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN STUDENTS (FCS)

Meet Samantha and her family!

Samantha took a gap year in 2008, and has been serving as a long term missionary in Nigeria since 2010, working with Fellowship of Christian Students. Initially working from FCS headquarters in Jos, Samantha has since become a field worker. Now based in Enugu, alongside her husband, Godfrey, Samantha works directly with students to train and educate in vital life-skills, while sharing the Good News of Jesus with them.

Theological Training

Mission Africa is heavily invested in providing theological education and good quality Christian literature. Well trained students and church leaders are essential for a healthy church. The church in Africa faces a variety of challenges and leaders need to be trained so that the church can be equipped to respond to these challenges with sound doctrine and theology.

We partner with a number of theological colleges to provide them with

teachers, lecturers and support staff. We help provide training costs for students who otherwise could not afford to study and also assist in the refurbishment of these colleges. If you love to teach God’s Word, or are have a love for theological education and/or Christian literature, there are many opportunities for you to serve with us.

ACTS & THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

Meet Pamela & Musa!

Together, Pamela & Musa assist with the pastoral and practical aspects on the field in Nigeria. Separately, Pamela is the International Relations Director for ACTS (African Christian Textbooks) and has a real desire for the people of Nigeria to be blessed and strengthened in the Word of God through good theological literature. Musa, a Nigerian university lecturer, has a heart for training and equipping the next generation. He is currently a Church History lecturer at the University of Jos.

The truest test of our faith is how we love and show compassion to those in need. We seek to follow God’s call in feeding the hungry, caring for orphans and sheltering the needy. It is estimated that across sub-saharan Africa, almost 20% of children under 18 are considered orphaned. Mission Africa is involved in many compassionate ministries across all four countries that we work in, seeking to demonstrate the Good News of Jesus in practical ways.

Medical & Compassion

The need for skilled medical care remains as great as ever. Mission Africa partner with a number of Christian hospitals and clinics in Nigeria and Kenya providing both treatment and preventative care as well as showing a strong Christian witness to their patients.

Medical care was the original point of contact between missionaries and the local people, sharing the Good News of the Gospel. If you are a trained medical professional and have a heart for Jesus, working and serving in Africa could be for you!

HOLLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Meet Katie!

Since 2010, Katie has served on a number of Mission Africa summer teams in Nigeria. In 2014, Katie spent 15 months as a short term missionary in Ogugu, Kogi State. Throughout this time she has continued to have a passion and heart for the people and work within Nigeria. Since 2018, Katie has split her time between serving as Mission Africa’s Short Term Facilitator alongside getting inovolved in a number of compassionate ministries at Holley Memorial Hospital.

SERVING WITH MISSION AFRICA

To be accepted for long term service, it is important that you meet our core requirements:

As a long-term missionary with Mission Africa, you must:

• Have an active Evangelical Christian faith

• Feel a clear calling to missionary service

• Be a member of a supportive sending church

• Be in good physical & mental health

YOUR JOURNEY TO SERVING LONG TERM: QUALIFICATIONS:

We require all our long-term missionaries to have a suitable level of Bible College training or a degree level qualification relevant to their area of ministry prior to travelling to Africa. If you don’t have any Bible College training, don’t let this put you off, we can assist in providing you with information of Bible courses to complete, which will be useful to you for overseas service.

To obtain a long-term visa in some African countries, most commonly Nigeria, one of the requirements is a degree level qualification. If Chad or Burkina Faso is your chosen country to serve, we do require you to be fluent in French. Again, if this is something you do not have, we will assist in providing you with language training.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Our application process usually takes around 6 months. It is an open and honest process with support and communication with Mission Africa staff throughout. Once you are accepted, you will spend some time preparing before your departure. This will involve speaking at churches and prayer groups in order to raise awareness and support for the ministry you will be involved in. Orientation and security training will also take place to help you prepare for life in Africa.

If serving long-term is something you’d like to consider exploring further, please do get in touch and we would love to have a chat with you. You can email info@missionafrica.org.uk or call 02890402850.

We would then ask you to speak to your church, sharing with them your call to serve. We can begin to explore our projects and ministries to see where God could use you most.

If you feel God is still calling you to serve, you can begin the process of filling out our application forms. These consist of an application form, doctrinal statement and a medical form.

If you are successful and have reached the next stage in the process, we would invivte you for an interview with members of our boardto get to know you and how you would fit serving in Africa.

If successful in your interview, we will then accept you for service with Mission Africa. Congratulations in reaching this stage! This is where your journey to Africa begins to become a reality.

You will now begin to spend several months raising support and awareness. You’ll speak at churches and prayer groups to start to build up a support base of people who will support you and your ministry financially during your service.

VISA APPLICATION

Once you have started raising your support, we can begin your travel arrangements. Depending on the country you will be based in, requirements on documentation for a work visa will differ. We will complete all necessary travel arrangements for you.

Before you travel, you will have various different types of training specific to the country you will be going to and your area of work. You will also undergo our security training programme that will brief you on life in Africa.

The final stage is to go!

This is probably the most exciting, yet nervous stage of the whole process. It will take you time to adjust to the culture and lifestyle, but going will be the best decision you’ll ever make!

You are not serving alone. Serving with Mission Africa means that you are part of a team who are serving together. Even though you have your own area of work, there will be help and support from the in-country support network as well as the Mission Africa office staff and council. There is also a monthly Zoom Prayer Meeting in which you can catch up with missionaries from our other countries along with supporters from back home. We value our family atmosphere within Mission Africa where each individual member takes responsibility for making the mission work.

THE FINER DETAILS...

LENGTH OF SERVICE:

Term 1 - this first term is 2 years in Africa and is usually spent learning the culture and language, familiarising yourself with the needs of the ministry and getting involved in existing projects. At the end of your two years, you will spend a few months back home, continuing with deputations and support raising.

Term 2 - your second term is where you become more strategic in your work. You’ll have found your feet and will perhaps set up new projects and begin to train and equip the local church through your ministry. There is no maximum length to your time in Africa! Each of these will be followed by 6 months Home Assignment.

HOME ASSIGNMENT:

Home Assignment has two-fold purpose:

1. Rest & recuperation, both physical and spiritual.

2. The building up of prayer and practical support. To this end, missionaries on Home Assignment are expected to share in the missions deputation activities.

As a missionary, you will be expected to keep the first month of home assignment primarily for rest. The first month of home assignment should also be used to reconnect with your sending church.

In months 2-5 of a home assignment, you will be expected to engage in deputation of one form or another. You are to consider deputation your full-time occupation during this period, unless you have been expressly exempted from deputation due to ill health or some other special consideration. When not engaged on formal deputation, you should employ your time in reconnecting with supporters, and seeking out new supporters and supporting churches.

RAISING SUPPORT:

Mission Africa accepts missionaries in faith, in the confident expectation that God will suppply the needs of the mission and all its staff. As a missionary, you will be asked to raise of a percentage of your support in advance; this is currently set by Council at 70%, but may be subject to change. You will be asked to prayerfully make your need of support known to your sending church, and other interested Christian supporters.

The Mission has no expectation that sending churches will give their missionary full financial support. Obviously, we welcome this when it happens, but we are fully cognisant of and sympathetic to the fact that many churches are not in a position to give full financial support to individual missionaries. However, we would encourage sending congregations to give practical help and advice to missionaries as they seek to make their needs known in a local area or further afield.

THE FAQ’S OF LONG TERM SERVICE

How can I prepare myself for long term service?

1. Prepare your heart - Go deeper in your relationship with Christ, go deeper in studying His Word and allow His voice to lead as you apply the Scriptures to your life.

2. Pray - Ask God to give you wisdom and discernment as you determine God’s call on your life and as you make preparations for long term service.

3. Talk - talk to your friends, family and church leaders as they are the people who will become your support base and will be praying for you from day one.

4. Test the water - Mission Africa offers short term placements between two weeks and two years to help you find out if long term service is for you.

Can my spouse/children be involved too?

Yes, we very much welcome couples and familes to serve with us. Spouses of missionaries wishing to join as missionaries will go through the normal interview and selection process. It is important that we find an area of service for your spouse too. However, if your spouse wishes to be associated with the mission, but not engage directly in remunerative employment, they may apply for Associate Missionary status.

What training will I receive from Mission Africa before going to Africa?

Before travelling to Africa, you will receive an extensive orientation from the team in Mission Africa which highlights the cultural differences and explains in detail about life in the location you will be serving in, along with security and first aid training.

Will I get Annual Leave as a missionary?

Yes, each person is entitled to 28 days annual leave per year, in addition to national holidays and other authorised public holidays appropiate to the particular field of service. You are free to use this time as you wish. Holiday travel costs are your responsibility.

Is my family or church allowed to visit?

We encourage and welcome visits to Africa from families or church leaders for the purposes of pastoral care. We encourage visitors to be in regular contact with the office staff to plan any visitation. We don’t encourage visits within your first year of service.

How do I keep in touch with the Office?

When you begin your service, the Mission Africa CEO will be your line-manager, who you will send monthly reports to, along with support from the office staff, each with their own specific roles in assisting your needs. You will also be assigned a member of our council who will be your pastoral support while on the field. As a way of keeping in touch, you will be asked to send monthly prayer points along with regular prayer letters. Missionaries are also encouraged to join our regular monthly Central Prayer Meeting on zoom. It’s a chance for missionaries, staff, council and supporters to come together to spend time praying for one another.

GET IN TOUCH

NEXT STEPS:

If serving long term with Mission Africa is something you’d like to consider further, we would love to chat with you. We have various different opportunities on our website - www.missionafrica.org.uk, on our social media and in our Dispatch Magazine, however these are not all and many are tailored to suit your skills and abilities. If you would like to get in touch with us, use the details below:

Mission Africa, 14 Glencregagh Court, Belfast, County Antrim, BT6 0PA, Northern Ireland

www.missionafrica.org.uk

info@missionafrica.org.uk

www.facebook.com/missionafrica

www.instagram.com/mission__africa

STAYING UP TO DATE:

If you would like to know more about Mission Africa and receive our prayer monthly newsletters or our quarterly Dispatch Magazines, you can sign up from or social media accounts or if you prefer to email, email news@missionafrica.org.uk and we will add you to our list.

Mission Africa (The Qua Iboe Fellowship) is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC102150. Recognised as a Charity by HMRC XN45493. Registered in Company House, Belfast as a Company Limited by Guaranteee R611.