Combining social action and gospel proclamation: that’s what an evangelical missionary organisation is seeking to do in Sub-Saharan West Africa.
In Golikoro, Ivory Coast, a group of Christians set to work drilling wells for those without water. But it wasn’t just drinking water they were seeking to bring, it was living water, too, through the sharing of the gospel.
One of the four who travelled out, Ben Griffin, told en: “Friends In Action partners with local churches and Bible colleges wherever they drill, ensuring there are opportunities for God’s glory to be proclaimed, and His word taught.”
Griffin preached in a local church and also taught on leadership, and the importance of prayer, to a group of local pastors and church leaders who had come in from the surrounding villages. He was translated into Boule, the local language.
Griffin described his stay in a compound made up of a house, a hanger, and several outbuildings. He also said: “The idea is that in the future people local to West Africa can come here and learn how to drill, install and maintain a well.”
Northern-Ireland based Friends in Action International NI (FIA-NI) has reportedly drilled over 1,000 deep-bore wells in West Africa, providing more than 500,000 people with clean, accessible water. The organisation seeks to improve remote rural water supply services, and, in doing so, to open doors for team members and partner missions to share the gospel.
FIA-NI was founded in 2001; its ongoing ministry work is directed by Mark Collier – a geologist by trade. He is a full-time missionary and has lived and served in West Africa for many years.
Collier told en: “It’s difficult to preach the vital message of the true and living water to people in such immediate practical need.
“Demonstrating God’s great love and compassion by drilling a water well 75 metres below ground to provide safe, clean drinking water is a wonderful enabler for outreach.”
