Nigerian Encounter

Reflection of encounter in Northern Nigeria and the Diocese of Kafancha, Holy Trinity Cathedral, October 22-28, 2012

This past October I was honored to be invited and travel to Northern Nigeria.  I flew into the capital city of Abuja and traveled by car two and one half hours to Attend the Throne Room International Conference. While there I went to Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kafanchan.  I met one of my hosts, the Rt. Rev. Markus Dogo

the bishop of Kafanchan. One of my first observations was the destruction of properties around the Cathedral.  In April 2011 following national elections there was a outbreak of violence and destruction to the small town of Kafanchan.  The attacks by Muslim upon Christians burning not only the Central Market but many homes of Christians that have not been rebuilt.  I was able to see first hand the destruction of the market and properties owned by the Anglican church.  The Rt. Rev. Markus Dogo Bishop of the Kafanchan Diocese in the Nigerian State of Kaduna graciously directed my tour of the destruction.  The market valued at 1.5 billion N. (9 million USD) was totally destroyed.  The town of Kafanchan as they once knew, a hub of life and economic activity, now gone.  This market which was destroyed lies adjacent and in-part directly across from the Holy Trinity Cathedral.  Much of the property destroyed is owned by the Anglican Church.  It provided living quarters and economic life to the people of the church.  The crisis eighteen months later still impacts provision of ordinary day to day needs of sugar, charcoal, clean water and staples that can no longer be accessed locally.  The crisis also displaced many families and especially school aged children who were students attending the Holy Trinity Cathedral School.  The daily attendance in the school dropped by fifty percent from two thousand to one thousand students. Four Hundred students are boarders and currently live on the church property although their families have moved away.

My tour of nearby Kaduna churches shed light on the determination and ability of the Anglican church to continue in the face of persecution. The continuing construction projects I saw first-hand were the school of evangelism, elementary, primary, secondary schools and small churches.  The Anglican church has a presence and provides much of the Christian presence in this large state.  Kaduna State has one of the fastest growing dioceses in Northern Nigeria. 

I need your help for one of the projects that is doable.  I am soliciting help for is the supplying of  books for the school for evangelism’s theological library.  They currently have very few older books.  Bishop Dogo has requested this donation and he and the professors expressed they would be grateful for any donations we provide.  The students are mostly Hausa who speak very little English.  The professors read and translate the books for the students.  I know many of the clergy in our diocese have books you have given away in the past and so I solicit contributions from you to help with this project.  You can help with the growth and development of the students who are the frontline of mission in the State of Kaduna in Northern Nigeria.