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CAR: Covenant Missionaries Moving to Safer Ground
By Don Meyer
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (November 20, 2002) - Missionaries from the Evangelical
Covenant Church (ECC) and two other denominations are on the move, leaving
mission stations generally located in the western part of the country as
tensions mount in the face of continued military activity.
Missionaries left Bangui earlier in the week (see story dated November 17
elsewhere in the Covenant news report) to move up country and to safer
environs. As rebel and government forces continue their military struggle,
it was determined that a move to safer territory was warranted.
"There is more rebel activity in the central part of the country," Pete
Ekstrand said this morning. Ekstrand and his wife are regional coordinators
for Africa in the ECC's Department of World Mission. "The activity is
getting closer to stations where we have missionaries. Everyone is safe at
this point, but we decided it is time to move to even safer places."
Covenant missionaries are part of a larger group of individuals leaving the
region, including members of the Evangelical Free Church and Grace
Brethren.
"This move is part of an evacuation plan developed well in advance," said
John Notehelfer, interim executive minister of the Department of World
Mission. "This represents a purely defensive move - we wanted to be ahead
of the wave," Notehelfer said in reference to the continued violence.
Covenant missionaries involved in the move include:
- Ken Satterberg, who is moving to an area in the western region of the
Central African Republic (CAR) that is closer to the border
- Paul and Sheryl Noren and son, Erik, who left the Bata station last
Saturday (Bata was only 60 miles west of some of the military action) and
moved to Gamboula near the western CAR border with Cameroon
- Mary Samuelson, who has been teaching and has also moved with the
Norens to Gamboula
- Ron and Janet Ziegelbaur and family, who currently are at Yaloke but
will travel tomorrow to a far-western region in CAR
- Karen Benson, who will travel with the Ziegelbaurs
- Bob and Karen Andrews, who at last report were in the Bouar area in
western CAR, but are expected to move further west to the border area
"We are asking everyone to keep these people their prayers as they work
through this time of transition," Notehelfer noted. More information will
be posted to the Covenant news report as it becomes available.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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