December 5thAfrican Connections Strengthened
Connections between Mennonite Church Manitoba, Mennonite Church Canada, and Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission have been strengthened with the appointment of Pamela Obonde to the role of Church and Donor Relations Coordinator for AIMM. Pamela is a member of Charleswood Mennonite Church, where she and her family have been attending for several years. She began her new role with AIMM in June.
Pamela describes the focus of her work as “strengthening the relationships between partners across countries, stewarding donors, implementing strategies to grow the donor community, facilitating learning tours and visits between North American and African partners, speaking at congregations, and communicating to donors, among other things.”
MC Canada and AIMM have a memorandum of understanding that commits to companionship in fundraising. This means that MC Canada and its regional churches will actively promote opportunities for sharing AIMM stories and encourage deeper connections with AIMM companions, inviting AIMM speakers to visit congregations, and promoting these events through MC Canada communication channels. AIMM works in Angola, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.
Pamela longs for young people to embrace and discern collaborative ways of doing ministry with and through AIMM. She goes on to say, “I pray that through planned learning tours, we shall build relationships and strengthen the existing partnerships by allowing the participants to learn and see first hand what God is doing within the Mennonite congregations in Africa—the largest numbers of Mennonites in the world.”
North Kildonan Mennonite Church is one church that has made strong connections with AIMM, actively supporting AIMM’s literacy project in DR Congo. “My hope and prayer,” Pamela says, “is that many more churches within MCM will get to hear about the mission of AIMM.”
Pamela is available to speak at MCM congregations—contact MCM’s office to make this connection. If you would like to donate to support AIMM programs through MC Canada, go to www.mennonitechurch.ca/AIMM.