Faith United Church of Christ (UCC) 1340 Burnet Avenue, Union, NJ 07083 - (908) 688-4333 |
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Faith United Church of Christ, First Congregational Church (UCC) of Verona, and the All Christian Prayer Fellowship are working to finish building and providing for the needs of various projects in the Awka area of Nigeria...Slideshow of our mission trip to Awka, Nigeria NJ Association Churches Light Up Nigerian OrphanageWhen Felix Molokwu, a member of Faith UCC in Union, NJ, went to Awka, Nigeria, his hometown, for Christmas vacation this year, he took two friends, Doug Taylor, also from Faith UCC, and his wife, Marge Royle, from the First Congregational Church of Verona. They brought along a generator and several boxes of clothes, medical supplies, and school supplies. The purpose of the trip was to install the generator at the Model Motherless Babies Home in Awka, as well as to scout out opportunities for further mission projects. In parts of Nigeria, where electrical power is unreliable during the day and nonexistent at night, a generator to provide supplementary electricity makes caring for the 26 orphans at the home much easier. The project started on one of Felix’s earlier trips, when he learned of the orphanage and its needs. Faith UCC applied to the New Jersey Association’s Outreach Commission and received a $1550 Outreach Grant including seed money for the generator and for publicizing the project throughout the Association. The group sold African Crafts at the 2006 Conference Annual Meeting and at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Youth Event. They told the story of the project and sold more crafts after worship in Association churches, at church bazaars, street and craft fairs and other events. Other Association churches became involved, collecting children’s clothes and school supplies, as well as buying crafts. They included St. Paul’s in Nutley, the Community Church of Hasbrouck Heights, the Community Church of Cedar Grove, and Panther Valley Ecumenical Church. First Congregational Church and B’Nai Keshet Synagogue in Montclair included the project in their Alternative Holiday Fair. The All-Christian Prayer Fellowship, a Nigerian group meeting at Faith UCC, also raised money. Other church members raised money in different ways. All in all, over $10,000 was raised in about 6 months. The generator was installed and a shed built to protect it in a record two days, and one of the staff members danced for joy. 240 cans of powdered milk were purchased and delivered, along with the clothing and other items the group brought, helping the facility serve more children. In the process, the group learned of other needs, including a new school building at the orphanage that needs furniture and supplies, a second orphanage in town, Orphanage Tenderlove, that needs a generator and other support, a recently-built maternal-child health clinic that needs equipment, and a settlement for disabled veterans from the Biafran War and their families that needs medical supplies and supplementary funding. They met with Nigerian Senator Ben Obi, representing the Awka area, who underscored the importance of US church involvement in improving the future for all Nigerians. “We learned,” Doug Taylor said, “that although there are many needs, what we really need is a bridge. We need a way to get surplus equipment, supplies and other donations from the US to Nigeria, and a way to guarantee that the donations reach the people who need them most. With Felix’s connections in Awka and the interest we generated there, we can build that bridge.”
Donation of generator and supplies to Model Motherless Babies Home/Day Care Center in Awka, Nigeria. Those pictured include, in the back row from the left, the Honorable Commissioner Dr. Ego Uzoezie of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Felix Molokwu from Faith UCC, Mr. J. O. Mezie, the contractor for the project, Doug Taylor, Faith UCC, Marge Royle, First Congregational of Verona, and other Home staff, Nigerian project supporters, and some of the resident infants and children. Mission Scouting in Awka, Nigeria I’ve been home less than a day. The power hasn’t gone off even once, I can drink the water and find a rest-room. I can drive into town without risking the car’s axles and muffler on rutted roads, or being run over by motorbikes zipping along, their drivers busily talking on cell-phones while tooting their horns. But, so far, no stranger has run up to me to shake my hand and say “You Are Welcome!” I miss Nigeria. On most trips to other lands, the scenery is beautiful and the people are interesting. In Nigeria, the home of the world’s happiest people according to the airport sign, the scenery is interesting, but the people are beautiful. They are dressed like flowers in a garden, both men and women, in lush, brightly colored attire, so that standing on a street-corner is like having a front-row seat at a fashion show. In addition, their wide smiles and warm welcomes to the very few white-skinned visitors who venture as far as Awka let their inner beauty shine through. My husband, Doug Taylor, his friend from his church, Felix Molokwu, and I spent a week in Awka, Nigeria as the scouting party for a mission project that has the potential to grow far beyond what either of our little churches can dream of doing on our own. The main purpose was to deliver and install a generator at the Model Motherless Babies’ Home. That was accomplished due to the hard work of a Nigerian contractor who removed an ancient generator, rebuilt the shed, and installed the new one in less than 48 hours, so that when we hit the switch during the dedication, the lights went on. One staff member danced for joy. We also delivered 240 cans of powdered milk for babies and toddlers, their greatest need, as well as several bags of clothing and school supplies. But that was just the beginning. We brought supplies to Tender Loving Care, another orphanage. We toured a Maternal-Child Health Center that was built by the women and men of a small town nearby, accompanied by Her Royal Highness, the wife of the king of the town. We gave them some medical supplies, and promised to try to locate used equipment for the now-empty Center. We visited two churches, the local Anglican Cathedral, where we met the Bishop, and a new evangelical church where members brought thank offerings of yams and live chickens, and then danced during the service. We left some children’s t-shirts with them and promised to send more, along with some Bibles. We attended a meeting of the Awka Ambassador’s Club, in which business leaders pledged money to set up a vision-screening program for area children, and we added supplies for that project to our list of needs. One of the most moving moments, however, was our visit to a settlement of disabled veterans and their families from the Biafran war, which ended 37 years ago. In all that time, we were the first church group from outside Nigeria to visit them. They were more grateful for our presence and the opportunity to tell their story to the outside world than they were for the boxes of shirts we brought. In spite of their situation, their smiles were wide, their eyes sparkled with zest for living, and their welcome was warm. We all parted with wet eyes. Americans are rich in the world’s goods. Nigerians are rich in happiness and friendship. Our mission trip showed us what a wonderful opportunity we have to share what we each bring, so that all are enriched in the process. In the months ahead, watch for opportunities to hear more about our trip, the projects in Awka, and ways you can be involved. You, too, will be enriched.
Above is the Honorable Senator Ben Obi, Ojeluigbo, of the Anambra Central Sentorial District in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with our Church & Ministry Chair, Douglas Taylor. This was at a meeting in October to discuss our plans to visit the Model Motherless Babies Home at the end of December. “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.”
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