CONGO KINSHASA: AMECEA Small Christian Community Facilitation Team Attends Pan-African Network of SCCs in Africa

A three-member delegation comprising of Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo, Dr. Alphoce Omolo and Rev. Fr. Lucas Ong’esa, from the AMECEA SCCs Training Team is part of the delegates for the workshop on Pan-African Network of Small Christian Communities(SCCs) currently meeting in Congo Kinshasa from 6th -11th, September, 2017.

AMECEA SCCs Training Team in Nairobi, Kenya during a preparatory meeting for the Pan-African SCCs workshop
AMECEA SCCs Training Team in Nairobi, Kenya
during a preparatory meeting for the
Pan-African SCCs workshop

This is the fourth workshop to be held by Pan Africa Network on Small Christian Communities in Africa. The previous workshops were held in Accra Ghana in 2014, Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in 2015 and Nairobi Kenya in 2016. The workshops are as a result of a jointly collaboration between Missio Aachen, SECAM and AMECEA.

The previous meeting held, at the end of October 2016, in Nairobi led to the establishment of a Pan-African Network of Small Christian Communities (SCC) operated by a Small Committee of Facilitators and it involvs working on the internet site www.africansccsnetworking.org/.

The objective of the Pan-African SCC Network is to create a platform for sharing experiences and resources among Small Christian Communities in Africa and in the diaspora. This act of sharing experiences takes place online by means of the internet site www.africansccsnetworking.org/ and in the form of regular workshops.

During such workshops individuals who are both active in the life of Small Christian Communities in Africa and are committed to reflecting on their development, share experiences and resources from different African countries and the diaspora.

Another objective of the network is to consolidate relations between the Small Christian Communities on the African continent and in the diaspora. The Kinshasa workshop has consequently brought together individuals committed to the life of, and reflection on, Small Christian Communities from several African countries and the diaspora (theologians in the field, facilitators within the Small Christian Communities and other interested parties).

Among the activities during the Kinshasa workshop include examining the assessment of initiatives undertaken since the Nairobi workshop, exchanges on effective cooperation between the Small Christian Communities on the African continent and beyond.

During the workshop, participants will share their local experience of organisational models of Small Christian Communities that have been of pastoral relevance in the different countries and discuss the practicalities of including Small Christian Communities in the network at diocesan and national level in respective countries.

The Missio Aachen team is led by Dr Klaus Vellguth and Miriam Leidinger.

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By Rev. Fr Emmanuel Chimombo, Coordinator AMECEA Pastoral Department.