International Ministry Partners

Anglican Relief and Development Fund

Through the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, The Church of the Ascension is partnering with the Anglican Church of Kisangani (a diocese in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to provide rice and maize husker machines in 11 villages. In addition to purchasing the machines, funds are designated to hire operating instructors and maintenance staff. These machines will help hundreds of Congolese people improve their quality of life while also affording unique opportunities for the local churches to build relationships, share the gospel, and establish Bible studies around the enterprise.

The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) was founded in 2004 by the Anglican Communion Network, now the Anglican Church in North America. The ARDF is a projects-based organization whose board is comprised solely of Anglican Bishops. All project proposals are put to the ARDF board from local Anglican dioceses in order to ensure that there is local support for projects. Projects typically last between one to three years; the board is focused on investing in sustainable interventions that do not create dependency. To date, the ARDF has supported 102 projects in 30 different countries.

Learn more about ARDF here.

As We Forgive – Rwanda Initiative

The As We Forgive – Rwanda Initiative (AWFRI) is a Rwandan nonprofit, faith-based organization that exists to promote healing and reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda. Its overarching strategy is to strengthen Rwandan church leaders to carry out their Biblical mandate to promote reconciliation by equipping them to teach others to reconcile first with God, then with each other. The AWFRI Rwandan staff does this through a number of programs, primarily through using a Rwandan developed, Biblically-based healing and reconciliation curriculum. AWFRI also uses Laura Waters Hinson’s documentary film As We Forgive to inspire hope of reconciliation in the lives of Rwandans still living with unspeakable damage from the 1994 genocide. Participants in AWFRI’s programs are equipped to promote emotional and spiritual healing as well as small-scale practical reconciliation projects. The Church of the Ascension is providing salary support for AWFRI’s two Rwandan staff members.

Read more about AWFRI’s history and mission here.

Langham Partnership International

Langham Partnership International seeks to equip the Majority World church for mission and growth to maturity through the ministry of Christian leaders and pastors who sincerely believe, diligently study, faithfully expound, and relevantly apply the Word of God. Through Langham Partnership, the Church of the Ascension provided funds for a pastoral training event in Zambia in March 2011. Langham Partnership’s Preaching Program includes a three-level seminar that gives practical help and encouragement to those who teach the Bible regularly—whether as pastors, lay preachers, or evangelists. The aims of the Preaching Program are motivational (to encourage people to take the Bible seriously in their ministry); educational (to instruct in evangelical doctrine of Scripture and principles of interpretation); and practical (to offer workshops on sermon preparation, planning a church preaching schedule, understanding the culture, developing personal spiritual life, etc.). Each participant also receives a basic theological library.

Learn more about Langham Partnership International here.