Wood calls for intercession on behalf of Africa
Fri, 05 Dec 2008 – 4:20 PM CST
Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood released a video message today, urging the U.S. Assemblies of God to pray for fellow believers in Africa, specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Recent violence in these nations has resulted in extensive loss of life.
For the past 10 years, the northeast sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been ravaged by horrific violence. More than 4 million people have been killed in the violence of competing rebel groups.
"The magnitude of the conflict in the Congo is horrific," Randy Hurst, director of communications for Assemblies of God World Missions, says. "Tragically, the American media has virtually ignored this catastrophic loss of life, which is one of the longest-lasting conflicts of the past century."
A tentative calm brought some respite to the Democratic Republic of Congo for three years, but during the past two months, violence has escalated significantly. Many people have fled to refugee camps in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. Others have fled into the forests and are living without shelter and foraging for food.
Extensive long-term violence and difficult communication make it impossible to know exactly how many AG churches remain in the affected area, but there may still be as many as 1,000. These churches are home to tens of thousands of AG believers whose lives have been shattered by the ongoing conflict.
This past weekend in Jos, Nigeria, hundreds of people were killed when an extremist mob stormed an area not far from the AG Bible school in Jos. Assemblies of God district superintendent, Paul Setu, went out with other men to try to stop the violent mob. In his attempt to pacify the killers, Setu was viciously attacked with machetes, beaten and then burned to death.
Wood urges the U.S. Assemblies of God to intercede on behalf of those affected by these tragedies, including Setu’s family. He says, "We can’t adequately grasp what great suffering our brothers and sisters in Christ in Africa are enduring, but we have the assurance of Scripture that the Spirit will pray through us beyond our own capacities.”
Wood concludes his video message by leading a prayer for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, as well as Setu’s family.
Click here to watch Wood’s video message.
