EOY 2024: Seeking True Freedom
As AFCI strives to spread salvation to the farthest corners of the earth, I am writing this letter from a closed African nation, having just shared a meal with an underground Berber house church. The Berbers are the indigenous semi-nomadic shepherds of North Africa with a history spanning thousands of years.
Historically, many of the Berbers were once Christian. One of the most notable Berber Christians was Augustine of Hippo, an esteemed early church father, whose sermons and other writings continue to impact Christianity today. Unfortunately, after the Arab invasions of the seventh century, the influence of church fathers like Augustine was forgotten, and many of the region’s indigenous Christian communities ceased to exist. Today, most Berbers follow Islam, though many blend ancient beliefs with their Muslim faith.
The Berbers represent just one of thousands of unreached people groups with little to no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. AFCI is taking the Good News to many of these unreached peoples, but we need your help. That’s why I’m reaching out to you, our faithful partners in the Gospel, with a special end-of-year appeal. We have set a goal for our year-end offering of $100,000, which will enable AFCI to take the Gospel to the Berbers and beyond.
Evangelism among the Berbers faces significant challenges, including social isolation and laws prohibiting conversion to Christianity. Those who come to know Christ are frequently ostracized from their communities. This was the case for Aisha (name changed for safety), a Berber woman who shared her story with me during our dinner. She spoke joyfully about her newfound faith in Christ despite great pain in her journey. When her family learned of her decision to follow Jesus, her husband brutally beat her and threw her out on the street. Cut off from her home and banished to the lowest place in society, her lack of social standing has made employment nearly impossible.
Yet God is at work in the lives of Berbers … He is stirring hearts and building His Church among them through the ministry of AFCI and your partnership in the Gospel.
Yet God is at work in the lives of Berbers like Aisha! He is stirring hearts and building His Church among them through the ministry of AFCI and your partnership in the Gospel. Alongside discipling new believers, AFCI is also helping those who have lost their social status to start micro-businesses. This will allow them to support their families and pursue their vision to eventually hire non-believers with whom they will share Christ. There is still so much more work to be done.
The Berbers, also known as the Amazigh—meaning “free people”—place a deep value on freedom. Yet true freedom is found only in Jesus Christ. As Augustine once declared, “Oh, God, to know you is life. To serve You is freedom.” Much prayer and effort is needed for the Berbers to return to the God of their forefathers. Our end-of-year offering will help the Berbers and others like them discover this lasting freedom. Will you prayerfully consider making your best year-end gift? Your financial partnership enables AFCI to continue proclaiming freedom to all those who might live and die without ever hearing the Good News.
In Christ,
Brian Hamilton
International Director
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.”
(Psalm 22:27 NIV)
