In September, Empower Missionary Wayne Pelly represented Empower at a conference co-sponsored by Christians for Biblical Equality and Domnic Misolo of Ecclesia Foundation for Gender Education in Bondo, Kenya. Wayne presented on “Genesis as the Basis for Gender Equality,” which was essentially the Empower material from the first four studies of “New Man, New Woman, … Read more
In October, several of our teams visited Kenya, bringing the message of biblical equality and mutual respect to a variety of audiences. Empower Missionary Pam Frohreich, a retired attorney and former prosecutor for Los Angeles County, was among those traveling to Kenya. She and Pastor Frank Tweheyo, Empower’s director of African Operations, presented the New Man, … Read more
God seems very clearly to have gone before our team into Kenya in recent weeks. In response to an invitation from church leaders there, we traveled to Bondo, Utawala, and then Kibera, a slum outside Nairobi. Everywhere we’ve gone, the response has been enthusiastic. Thank you to all our supporters–we could not continue this important … Read more
Editor’s note: Here in the United States, discussions about theology, particularly about what the Bible says about women, about marriage, and equality, can get heated. But many times, sincere people come to different conclusions and “agree to disagree.” In part, that is because women in the west, even those in “traditional” hierarchical marriages, are mostly … Read more
We’re delighted to announce that Empower International has moved into new offices. We welcomed our board, the local advisory board, new neighbors, and local supporters to those offices last week for an open house. Both our regular board and our local (Orange County) advisory board met in the offices for the first time last week, … Read more
By Francine Thomas, Empower Missionary Some of us might occasionally wonder if our ministry actually makes a difference. This is especially true for those of us who expend much time, energy and expense to participate in global missions work. In July my husband Dan and I answered that question for ourselves when we traveled to Kondoa, Tanzania. … Read more
Empower Minister Sally Bryant is currently in Malawi, where she was invited to speak at the Denominational General Conference. This is her seventh trip to Malawi. She sent the letter below telling of her experiences and observations. The beauty of a ceremony to consecrate new bishops stands in sharp contrast to an ancient and horrific … Read more
An astounding 38 percent of the young women at a pre-natal clinic in South Africa tested positive for HIV, according to a recent study conducted by Allison Groves of American University. A recent report on the study, broadcast on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, explained the link between abuse and HIV infection. Most of the … Read more
Exciting opportunities are opening up for Empower in Tanzania. The New Man, New Woman, New Life content has been turned into a college class that is part of the curriculum at a Bible school we partner with there. Empower ministers Dan and Francine Thomas of North Carolina are currently in Tanzania, working with (Anglican) Bishop Given … Read more
Linda Ikeda recently returned from Malawi. Here is her report. I arrived home recently after a 35-hour return journey from the beautiful country of Malawi, Africa. I want to thank you for all your prayers and support as I prepared, participated and returned from this endeavor. This was my tenth trip to Africa, my third … Read more
Linda Ikeda and Sue Kerrigan are back in Malawi this week, seeing first-hand the effectiveness our “train the trainers” model. Linda reports that she and Sue, along with new partner Ann Lo, have visited ten villages in two days, where graduates of the Created to Belong and Healing from Trauma workshops have trained others. The … Read more
One of the most gratifying aspects of our work is seeing people change their minds, and subsequently their actions. We see repentance, and the freedom it brings. As Jesus said, the truth shall set you free. Everywhere we go, we see this happen right before our eyes. Recently, Pastor Frank Michael Tweheyo, our African Program … Read more