Could this be our church’s new home? 

When our daughters were at boarding school in Dakar, we would come to the capital city every six weeks or so to see them. When we came to Dakar we would always attend a certain small church here because Corey had known several of the Senegalese church leaders for many years and a few of our SIM teammates were also a part of that church. It was also one of the few churches in Dakar that was intentional about using the Wolof language throughout the service. So when we moved here just over a year ago, we visited all four of the churches we were told used Wolof in their services and ended up quickly settling in at this church. It has been wonderful to get to deepen old friendships there and make new ones, and Corey was immediately invited to preach in Wolof every other month – which he has enjoyed!  But last year, after renting the same space for fourteen years, the landlord told the church that we had to move out. After some pushing back the deadline, the end finally came. We have a temporary meeting space for the next six months but the church’s desire is to purchase a property so we can establish a permanent church presence in the neighborhood.

Property in Dakar is very expensive due to limited land availability, with the city bordered by the ocean on three sides. Church leaders were discouraged by high prices, but recently found a building for sale in the same neighborhood for $300,000, which is a great deal for its size and location. The building has a large room suitable for a sanctuary and several smaller rooms for Sunday School and offices. If we can purchase it, we could begin using it right away! In addition to being an amazing find, it turns out that the landlord and our pastor are from the same language group and the landlord is not only open to selling his property to Christians, he is willing to hold on to it for a few months for us while we try to raise the funds! On a regular Sunday there are fewer than 40 people at church and the offering plate usually yields less than $200 US. Humanly speaking, we can’t afford to buy a building. But God…

Dakar currently has a population of three and a half million people and the city is growing. Our best estimate is that there are only about 15 Protestant churches in Dakar (some with questionable theological positions). This makes sense given that 97% of the population identify as Muslim. What doesn’t make sense is that of those 15 Protestant churches, only a handful use the Wolof language in their services. Most of the churches use only French and are mostly made up of non-Senegalese people. This use of solely French is worrisome not only because over 70% of the population speaks Wolof (and only a third speak French) but also because it perpetuates the widespread belief here that Christianity is a foreign (white) religion. (Never mind that this perception is false – there have been Christians in Africa since the 1st century AD and today more Christians live in Africa than on any other continent – there just aren’t many here in Senegal!)

We love that our church understands the need to use the Wolof language to reach this community. We deeply respect the church leaders and appreciate their thoughtful, sound biblical teaching. The church body is small but committed to Bible study, prayer, joyful worship, obedience even in the face of persecution, and regular fasting. The church members want to share the Gospel with others and have planted a church in another region of Senegal that is growing rapidly. This little congregation is truly a bright light! Would you pray with us that God will provide the money for the church to purchase this building? We serve the same God who provided for the believers in Jerusalem – partially through the believers in Corinth – and who promised through Paul: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

If you want to help, you can send a check to this address with a note that it’s for the Evangelical Assembly in Dakar, Senegal:

Christian Life Center
6363 183rd  Street
Tinley Park, IL 60477

You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. For more information about the church and additional pictures of the house, visit the capital campaign page on the church’s website. We are working on a way to make donations online – we’ll keep you posted! Thanks in advance !