by an Alliance medical worker serving in West Africa
Under the leadership of Pastor Abdias, the church in village “Z” began to grow rapidly in 2013. The following year, 150 people regularly crammed into the church building—a small, mudbrick room.
Generous donors in Europe helped the congregation build a large cement facility, which was completed in early 2015, about the time weekly attendance was topping 200.
A Fierce Wind
There was much excitement as the day the first service in the newly completed building approached. At 5 a.m., Pastor Abdias’ wife was praying in the new sanctuary when suddenly a violent wind shook the building, ripped the roof off, and collapsed the two long walls of the building.
This growing Body was deeply disappointed by the loss of their church building. It seemed as if Satan had gained the upper hand.
When a small delegation of Alliance pastors and international workers went to encourage the congregation a couple of weeks after the disaster, the believers’ discouragement was palpable. The delegation challenged the congregation to focus on the clear signs of God’s faithfulness amid the trial.
Signs of God’s Faithfulness
Abdias had been at a pastor’s conference in another town when he received the news of the church’s destruction. Knowing his wife’s Sunday morning habits, he was convinced that she had been killed by the falling walls.
But his wife had stood up just as the walls had collapsed; the chair in which she had been sitting was crushed. Miraculously, she walked out of the rubble unscathed.
Her son had been sweeping the church but had stepped into the alcove below the steeple just before the walls fell, and he was saved.
Victory over the Enemy
The delegation also encouraged the congregation to be “the church”—to worship Christ, support one another, and share the gospel—even as they mourned the loss of their building.
Church members took this advice to heart, and over the next two years, they planted and discipled two daughter churches (in addition to two they’d previously planted in nearby villages).
Two years after their church was destroyed, God proved His faithfulness again in providing funds for it to be rebuilt.
During our time in Z, a large celebration was held to dedicate the new building to the Lord. The joy overflowed as believers from across the district filled the building to maximum capacity and praised the Lord for His victory over the enemy.
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Recently, I joined a small team of Alliance workers traveling to the Kenedougou region, where there has been a move of God in recent years. We went to set up open-air churches for two villages and celebrate another church building’s completion.
As we worked on the physical structures, I learned how God is building His Church in the lives of the new believers. In each case, what the enemy had intended for evil—a cult, marital conflict, and a violent wind—He used for good (see Genesis 50:20) to bring advancement. In this series, “No Wins for the Dark Side,” I’ll share several of these stories.
Learn More
In “From the Heart” (34:55) U.S. Alliance President John Stumbo shares how God has used setbacks and hardships throughout the 130-year history of The Alliance to advance His Kingdom.