Challenges in the City - Where Will We Meet?

Phoenix, a predominately Indian community in Durban, South Africa, has two ABWE churches-in-progress: Phoenix Bible Baptist Church where ABWE missionaries Howdy and Virginia McClure serve, and a newer church plant, Phoenix Fellowship Baptist Church, where Dale and Karen Marshfield work. The school where the Marshfield's congregation currently meets has allowed them to use five classrooms on Sunday mornings. This serves well for Sunday school and youth programs, however, none of the rooms is large enough to accommodate the Sunday morning service. While the Marshfields thank God for the church's growth, they are frustrated at having been unable to find facilities large enough for Sunday morning services.

The church asked for permission to lease an unused field at the school, which would allow them to erect a pole barn to use for Sunday morning services and other all-church activities. Not only would this construction allow the congregation to meet together, it also would permit members to invite guests and know that visitors will be able to have a seat! The church has committed to raising half of the $16,000 needed to lease the land and build their simple structure.

The Phoenix churches are part of the Fellowship of Baptist Churches in South Africa. The team of missionaries and pastors devised "Blessing Durban 2000/2010, the Movement of a Decade." The strategy is to bring ten churches to the point of needing their own building by 2010. In order to do this, $50,000.00 a year must be raised for ten years to be able to offer revolving building loans to the churches. Thus far over $325,000 has been given and Fellowship Baptist Church in Durban North has begun construction of its own building.

When you are crammed up against fellow attendees at your church's next special event, remember the congregation in Durban, South Africa, which is meeting in small school classrooms.

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