Burkina Faso

Field Office Information

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C&MA Field Entry in 1923

Field Director:

Mailing Address:

B P 128
Bobo-Dioulasso, BURKINA FASO

Phone:

011-226-50-36-40-11

Email:

cmaburkina@gmail.com

Website:

http://burkinaalliance.org

National Church

The Christian Alliance Church of Burkina Faso: 501 organized churches, 178 unorganized groups, 184 ordained ministers, 21,478 baptized members, and 61,294 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

• Plant 10 churches in Ouagadougou by 2010 through "Thrivex Ouaga," a partnership with the national church, C&MA mission, and U.S. Alliance churches.
• Prepare future church leaders by teaching seminars, Theological Education by Extension courses, and classes at Maranatha and Poundou Bible Institutes.
• Show Jesus’ love and compassion to the people of Burkina Faso by serving hundred of patients each month at "Life Clinic" in the city of Bobo Dioulasso.

The Faithful God

2006-03-24 09:05:48.0

By an Alliance believer in Africa

I was born to a pagan family in Côte d’Ivoire, where I lived until high school. My family moved to Burkina Faso, and thoughts of suicide filled my mind during my final year of school. Knowing my parents lacked money to send me to college, I had no hope for the future. I was attending Bible classes at school, and a fellow student shared Christ with me. As a result, I accepted the Lord Jesus into my life. I began worshipping at a local Assemblies of God church and was baptized.

Later I moved to another village without a church, and I didn’t know of any Christian congregations nearby. That year an Alliance pastor came to my village, and I asked him if I could worship in his church. He assured me I could. Since Alliance believers in the village did not have a church building, I invited them to worship in my yard under a shelter I constructed. An Alliance missionary came alongside me to mentor me and help me grow in my faith. I began taking Theological Education by Extension courses with him every Sunday.

The village chief, who is a relative of mine, gave us land for a church. He also defended the local Christians from the villagers’ persecution, even though he is an animist. My personal life was not without hardships. My wife left me for another man. At first I was devastated, but God gave me a new wife who loves Jesus with all her heart.

In the early days of the village church, three local men prayed to the village gods, asking them to strike me dead. I wasn’t afraid because God had told me this was the way He would open the door for the gospel to take root in the village. During the following year, no harm came to me, and the three young men accepted the Lord. His protection had shown them the power of my God.

In 1998 a C&MA missionary told me that the Lord had need of me for His work; this confirmed a recurring dream I’d had. But I held off pursuing full-time ministry because I lacked funds to attend seminary and was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to support my family. Convinced that the Lord wanted to use me in ministry, the Alliance worker agreed to finance my studies, which I will complete this year.

Today, I praise God that the Alliance congregation in my village has a new church building through the help and financial support of Alliance believers in America. Pray that I will succeed in God’s work right up to the end of my life with a humble and submissive spirit.

Demographics

Population

Population--13,925,313 Infant mortality rate--97.6/1,000 Life expectancy--43.9

Capital City

Ouagadougou (962,100) pop.

Geography

Slightly larger than Colorado, Burkina Faso (105,869 sq. mi.) consists of extensive plains, low hills, high savannas, and a desert area in the north.

Languages

French (official), native African languages (Sudanic)

Ethnicity/Race

Mossi--40%; Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani--60%

Economy

Per capita income--$1,200 Inflation--2.4% Literacy rate--27% (2003 est.)

Government/Political Climate

Parliamentary republic; Burkina Faso, formerly Upper Volta, achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso’s high population and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.

Religion

Muslim--50%; indigenous--40%; Christian (mainly Roman Catholic)--10%